Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!hplabs!hp-sdd!ncr-sd!rb-dc1!shapiro From: shapiro@rb-dc1.UUCP (Mike Shapiro) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: Why unix doesn't catch on Message-ID: <450@rb-dc1.UUCP> Date: 12 Apr 89 16:17:44 GMT References: <7632@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> <256@jwt.UUCP> <2882@rti.UUCP> Reply-To: shapiro@rb-dc1.SanDiego.gould.UUCP (Michael Shapiro) Organization: Gould/GSD, San Diego (soon to be Encore) Lines: 33 In article <2882@rti.UUCP> bcw@rti.UUCP (Bruce Wright) writes: >In article <256@jwt.UUCP>, john@jwt.UUCP (John Temples) writes: >> In article <7632@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> C. Antonio Romero writes: >> >Well, for one thing, not all Unixes come with C compilers. I suppose >> >one could require that they did, but this would swell the size of Unix. >> >> True, but I can't imagine anyone having something as powerful as Unix without >> having a C compiler to go with it. It seems like a waste. ... > I don't see how a developer can rely on the end-user >necessarily having a C compiler unless the "end-users" are C programmers!). > I think that this discussion thread really answers the question of the topic. Maybe "UNIX doesn't catch" on because too many UNIX pushers don't think that potential UNIX users should be able to use UNIX unless they are C programmers or what has been called "power users" or whatever. This is reflected in many user interfaces which are not as easy to use as those under DOS or on the MAC. Remember, though, that the truly important users from a long-term success viewpoint are those users who couldn't care less what the underlying system is, as long as as they can use the application system (which includes the application programs and underlying system) to get their jobs done as easily as possible. AND, they don't have to care what the underlying software system is! -- Michael Shapiro, Gould/General Systems Division (soon to be Encore) 15378 Avenue of Science, San Diego, CA 92128 (619)485-0910 UUCP: ...sdcsvax!ncr-sd!rb-dc1!shapiro