steve@wlbr.UUCP (Childress) (02/06/85)
ON THE DEBATE ABOUT UNIX-LOOK-ALIKES FOR SMALL COMPUTERS:
I've been using OS9 on an SS50 machine fseveral years now. I also did an
adaptation of OS9 for the Apple II w/6809 co-processor. OS9 is a SUPER
operating system for 8-bitters... it's heads and shoulders above MS-DOS,
from the viewpoints of architecture and flexibility. The key reason is
the use of reentrant, position-independent code (easy with the 6809)
for ALL programs. This makes multiprogramming feasible on even 64KB micros.
Because OS9 has signals, pipes, fork, exec, shells, and most of the other
Unix goodies, I'd say that moving programs between the two is easy... except
for the serious problem of very limited memory space (about 40K on 64K micros
and about 60K on 128K-1MB micros). Also, I kept bumping into too many problems
like no termcap, no /dev's, no ioctl similarities, etc, so I stopped trying
to move other than simple, non-system oriented software.
But alas, in '80 or so IBM selected the 8088 over the 68000 and then
mistakenly emphasized the need for CP/M-80 compatability. I'll speculate that
no more than dozen CP/M programs were EVER brought up under MS-DOS without
major revision. I'll also bet that the 8080-to-8086 translators were never
more than a curiosity.
Perhaps these decisions were appropriate for a blue-suited, conservative
executive. This begot the most unfortunate propagation of Intel's horrid 808x
architecture. Apparently Microsoft, and as well IBM, decided that this
8080 & CP/M succession was essential to unseat the unworthy competitors.
Ah yes, it's easy to reflect on this in hindsight. But think what would've
happened had Motorola not been behind schedule with the development
of the 68000 when IBM was contemplating...
As to OS9 for the 68000: I rationalize as follows (for non-professional
applications):
- With REGULUS (supposedly source compatable w/Unix) available
from several (eg, Smoke Signal, Westlake Vlg, CA, 91360) for
< $5000 machines w/hard disk, why go with OS9?
- The human factors found in the MS-DOS software, in general,
are light-years beyond the typical, dumb-terminal-oriented
Unix software. And no matter what you do, 100% of the 8088's
time gets things done much more quickly than does 10% of a
68000 or VAX-780. Oddites, but true. For an example, compare
Unix's vi to the $75 MS-DOS editor called pc-write.
- One CAN run Unix and MS-DOS on the same machine to get the
advantages of both worlds. And use co-processor boards in
the PC or AT type of machines.