[net.micro.amiga] re. hl-language interfacing compaints

NEVILLE%umass-cs.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA (04/17/86)

From: "Neville D. Newman" <NEVILLE%umass-cs.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA>


>From: ccvaxa!aglew@caip.rutgers.edu
>
>>	You know what all these problems sound like?  They sound like
>>compatibility problems between C and BCPL.  I'm wondering why the Amiga
>>people didn't just stick to one hl-language!
>
>Seconded! This has been the thing that has frightened me most about the Amiga
>- an OS written in BCPL in England, based upon something originally written
>in LISP, interfacing to stuff written in C in the USA. A recipe for bug
>stew.
>
>(What other operating system do you know was written in several languages?
>Hint: it runs on VAXes. It is not UNIX. It has (well, used to have;
>probably still does) a lot of bugs and annoying misfeatures.)

The *truly* apropriate response to this last statement can be found between
the covers of Engel's "Analyzing Informal Fallacies".

Although OS's are almost as delicate an issue as editors (see the AmigaDOS/
UNIX/OS9 wars early in this list's postings),  i think that people who
regularly use more than one system usually recognize that each has merits
over the other(s).  And casual experience with any system is more likely to
cause dismay than anything else.

i will give the system you hint at the arbitrary initials VMS, randomly
chosen from a book that happens to be on my desk.  i regularly use this
system, along with  4BSD UNIX, ULTRIX, and CP/M-68K.  There are differences
in all these OS's (even UNIX vs. ULTRIX) that are sometimes nice and sometimes
annoying.  i would not like to give up any of them.

One of the things that i like about VMS is what you would claim is the
underlying reason for most of the system bugs and misfeatures.  The ability
to program a system, at all levels, in the language of your choice is most
definitely a Good Thing.  VMS defines a calling standard for interfacing
between languages and when it is followed programs work.  We have an image-
processing system that proves this.  If the core of the system were user-
contributed software, i would agree that this was a can of worms with a
lot of potential for bad.  However, that is not the case.  A final comment
on VMS:  most what i consider misfeatures stem from the fact that since
process creation is expensive on VMS,  many utilities re-implement
functionality provided by another system utility.

Please don't let this discussion take off agan on the OS-Wars tack... this
posting was intended solely to offer a modicum of support for a much-maligned
system that has some good things going for it.

						-neville