[net.unix-wizards] A few unrelated points

God <root%bostonu.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa> (11/20/84)

UUCP and Flow Control

	We have this problem as we run an Ungermann/Bass
	broadband system around campus which is not transparent.
	(we do a lot of TCP/IP so uucp is not critical to us)
	I thought about this problem and the fix I proposed
	(but never implemented) was to teach uucp to talk to
	a psuedo terminal with the back-end process on the other
	side doing whatever escaping is needed for the stream.
	A socket could accomplish the same thing (or of course
	yet another ioctl().) Obviously the UUCP at the other
	end would have to do the same thing but I believe this
	software could be incorporated exactly the same as
	one incorporates a new modem into uucico (actually simpler
	as once it opens the psuedo device the other process
	could pick up a lot of the work.) Any thoughts?

TCP/IP UNIX support

	It seems to me from the literature that DEC's ULTRIX
	accomplishes this well for a VAX buyer. Certainly
	there are a number of workstations (SUN) that should
	have this property [I have no idea about SUN's software
	support.]

Yet another statement about O/S's:

	I personally think that the whole point is rapidly
	becoming moot. With the ability to put >VAX780 power
	deskside we are heading for a world of workstations
	and (a few) central servers. I am not sure I would
	want to run either UNIX or VMS on my workstations.
	Both are designed to be timesharing systems with a
	presumption of techical expertise and intervention.
	When each of your users has his/her own system can
	you seem them (UNIX) maintaining /etc/ttys, sendmail,
	host tables, gateways, fsck, uucp (VMS) logical names,
	device queues, decnet/NCP???? Not I. Besides, who needs
	all the damn overhead/complexity of accounting, file protxn,
	and process scheduling (ok, some you need) on my desk?
	I think all these time-sharing systems will have to evolve
	(rapidly, like for us maybe w/in a year) to server systems.
	For the last year I have been using the XEROX1108 (Dandelion)
	LISP machine. I think it is much closer to what lies around
	the corner (yes, you can make good use of it w/o knowing LISP.)

			Barry Shein