rja@edison.GE.COM (rja) (08/10/88)
This weeks issue of _INFOWORLD_ says that the OSF has licensed UNIX System V
release 2 (V.2) AND licensed UNIX System V.3 from AT&T.
I applaud the move by OSF since it means streams and a number of other nice
features of V.3 will be more generally available. Since HP and DEC are part
of OSF it should mean that they will finally move from their bases (4.x BSD &
System V.2 respectively). Since they plan to use OSF software and the OSF is
now licensing UNIX System V.3 from AT&T, it will almost certainly mean that
DEC, HP, et. al. will also be licensing UNIX V.3 from AT&T.
Another result of this is to show what a wonderful TACTICAL move creating
OSF was for its members and also to show that the System V.3 licensing terms
were/are not unreasonable or especially onerous. I hope that the OSF is not
a 'trojan horse' designed to hamper growth of UNIX in the marketplace --
I'm still watching to see what develops.....
UNIX is a trademark of AT&T Bell Laboratories.
These views are my own and not necessarily those of GE, Fanuc, or GE-Fanuc.
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rja@edison.GE.COM or ...uunet!virginia!edison!rja
via Internet (preferable) via uucp (if you must)
______________________________________________________________________________barnett@vdsvax.steinmetz.ge.com (Bruce G. Barnett) (08/10/88)
In article <1583@edison.GE.COM> rja@edison.GE.COM (rja) writes: | | This weeks issue of _INFOWORLD_ says that the OSF has licensed UNIX System V |release 2 (V.2) AND licensed UNIX System V.3 from AT&T. | | I applaud the move by OSF since it means streams and a number of other nice |features of V.3 will be more generally available. Since HP and DEC are part |of OSF it should mean that they will finally move from their bases (4.x BSD & |System V.2 respectively). Don't hold your breath. Remember, the sponsors are under no obligation to use ANY of the software that OSF generates/licenses. I can't believe DEC is ever going to switch to a brand new kernal. They may use pieces of it. But they have too much effort in Ultrix to give it up. Also - I doubt DEC will use HP's New Wave or OPEN LOOK, if OSF decides on one of them as the standard UI. This points out one of the problems I have with OSF. There is no real unified direction. Sponsors are submitting new and nifty pieces of technology. If people want to license it, fine. But it will be a long, long time before these pieces present a unified software environment. Oh it will get there eventually. That's what all those programmers are going to do. -- Bruce G. Barnett <barnett@ge-crd.ARPA> <barnett@steinmetz.UUCP> uunet!steinmetz!barnett
brian@apollo.COM (Campus3251) (08/11/88)
In article <1583@edison.GE.COM> rja@edison.GE.COM (rja) writes: > > This weeks issue of _INFOWORLD_ says that the OSF has licensed UNIX System V >release 2 (V.2) AND licensed UNIX System V.3 from AT&T. Well, given that they need to look at code from IBM AIX, DEC Ultrix, Apollo Domain/OS, HP/UX and others, and that much of that code is derived from AT&T, of course they need a source license! > I applaud the move by OSF since it means streams and a number of other nice >features of V.3 will be more generally available. Not necessarily. It simply means that they needed a source license to keep AT&T's lawyers off their backs. It also means they can consider the features of V.3, but certainly doesn't mean they they are planning to incorporate all of them. >UNIX is a trademark of AT&T Bell Laboratories. And I'm sure all those other ones I used (AIX, Ultrix, Domain/OS and HP/UX) are trademarks of those companies. Consider it noted. =brian Dis claim 'ere: My only connection to OSF is what I hear on the grapevine and is not official anything, other than grapes. -- Internet: brian@apollo.COM UUCP: {decvax,mit-erl,yale}!apollo!brian NETel: Apollo: 508-256-6600 x5694 Home: 617-332-3073 FISA: 617-964-8938 USPS: Apollo Computer, Chelmsford MA Home: 29 Trowbridge St. Newton MA (Copyright 1988 by author. All rights reserved. Free redistribution allowed.)
benoni@ssc-vax.UUCP (Charles L Ditzel) (08/11/88)
in article <5072@vdsvax.steinmetz.ge.com>, barnett@vdsvax.steinmetz.ge.com (Bruce G. Barnett) says: > Don't hold your breath. > > Remember, the sponsors are under no obligation to use ANY of the > software that OSF generates/licenses. > > I can't believe DEC is ever going to switch to a brand new kernal. > They may use pieces of it. But they have too much effort in Ultrix > to give it up. > > Also - I doubt DEC will use HP's New Wave or OPEN LOOK, if OSF decides > on one of them as the standard UI. > > This points out one of the problems I have with OSF. There is no real > unified direction. Sponsors are submitting new and nifty pieces of > technology. If people want to license it, fine. Precisely! There is no unified direction to OSF...Pampel when he was at Apollo and lately Olsen of DEC both have stated that there will still be multiple versions of Unix within the OSF community...Olsen stated in Digital News : "Our Unix is going to be proprietary. Proprietary not to be vicious; proprietary because it is going to be so good. We're so sure we can do better than anybody else." [A more complete interview is included within the magazine] As for user interface - I can't imagine a lot of the OSF companies adopting say Open Look or DECwindows...especially after having invested so much into their own solutions. ...especially now with the rumors flying think about the IBM-NeXT connection... can you imagine IBM adopting DECwindows if they just have forked over $X million for NeXT's interface ? (Not too many stranger things have happened :-) I think it's great to have all this software submitted and licensable... ...but as for setting a Unix or user interface standard...i kind of doubt it. --------------------- My Opinions are my own not my employers.
decot@hpisod2.HP.COM (Dave Decot) (08/11/88)
| This weeks issue of _INFOWORLD_ says that the OSF has licensed UNIX System V |release 2 (V.2) AND licensed UNIX System V.3 from AT&T. | | I applaud the move by OSF since it means streams and a number of other nice |features of V.3 will be more generally available. Since HP and DEC are part |of OSF it should mean that they will finally move from their bases (4.x BSD & |System V.2 respectively). HP has had a V.3 source license for slightly over a year. Dave Decot hpda!decot