Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mit-eddie!apollo!tyager
From: tyager@apollo.COM (Tom Yager)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: Re: why no native unix??
Message-ID: <408722ea.6bad@apollo.COM>
Date: 28 Dec 88 16:24:00 GMT
References: <259@olive.athertn.Atherton.COM> <4068750b.13e2d@apollo.COM> <33@draci.cs.uow.oz>
Reply-To: tyager@apollo.COM (Tom Yager)
Organization: Apollo Computer, Chelmsford, MA
Lines: 48

In article <33@draci.cs.uow.oz> pdg@draci.cs.uow.oz (Peter Gray) writes:
>In article <4068750b.13e2d@apollo.COM>, ced@apollo.COM (Carl Davidson) writes:
>> 	CROCK FOR CROCK COMPATIBLE.
>This typifies the attitude at apollo. Instead of concentrating on the
>good things in UNIX its the "not invented here" approach. I would feel
>much happier about buying apollos if I did not see this sort of attitude
>*ALL* the time from apollo staff and devotees. 

You must be talking to the wrong people. Yeah, there are folks here who are
resistant to change, but that problem's not specific to Apollo. 

>You can not talk to these people without them trying to tell you how 
>bad UNIX is and how great Aegis is. 

Aegis is OK, but I don't have it installed on MY node. And, yes, I did
have a choice.

>Many suppliers like to point out how they have improved UNIX, but apollo 
>is the only one who seems to think they can single handedly improve every 
>feature and rewrite every utility to be better than the original.

"Improve every feature" and "rewrite every utility" are silly statements,
to be sure, and they just don't reflect reality. Most of what we put into
our BSD and SysV environments gets compiled right off the source tapes.
What you see as added features and enhancements are often changes to
commands in order to accomodate the unique (and excellent) aspects of
the Apollo OS like ACLs, full transcript pads and symbolic links. They
don't get in your way if you don't use them. And Apollo is not the only
vendor who finds a need to change things in Unix now and then. We are
responsive to our customers, and when enough of them ask for an
enhancement, we do it as long as it doesn't break anything. I think
that speaks in our favor. 

I'm all for freedom of speech and such, but articles like this one 
only promote a negative attitude--they serve no constructive purpose.
If Unix were promoted by Apollo as a second-class OS (as DEC once did
with Ultrix), I could see cause for a fuss. However, there isn't any
doubt that, as a company, we're proud to offer Unix, and feel that
our OS compares well against anyone's.

If anyone feels a need to comment on what I've written, please do so
via E-mail.
(ty)
-- 
+-Tom Yager, Apollo Computer R&D----------------------ARPA: tyager@apollo.com-+
| I speak only for myself.                       -or- tyager%maxx@m2c.m2c.org |
| "I've always said, there's nothing an agnostic can't do if he really        |
+-doesn't know whether he believes in anything or not."-----------------------+