[net.unix-wizards] What is System V release 2?

tut@sun.uucp (Bill Tuthill) (08/13/85)

This statement is both true and false:

>System V release 2 has file and record locking.

People are getting imprecise about which release and version
of System V they're talking about.  System V has no record
locking.  System V release 2 for the VAX has neither paging
nor record locking.  System V release 2 VAX version 2 has
both paging and record locking.  System V version numbers are
processor-dependent, so features available in VAX version 2
may or may not be available in version 2 for other processors.

On the west coast, by analogy with Berkeley releases, these
AT&T releases are called System V, V.2, and V.2.2.  Inside Bell
Labs, they are called sV, sVr2 and [who knows what].  On the net,
we ought to employ a consistent numbering scheme.  Would somebody
who knows more about this than I do please propose one?

Remember, it is often years before the general public sees new
releases.  I have friends who still use Version 7 because it
works better than the System III updates their vendors supplied.
Microsoft just started shipping System V (not V.2) last month.
Last I knew, a few months back, Unisoft was shipping System V,
and working on V.2.

Bill Tuthill