daveh@marob.MASA.COM (Dave Hammond) (08/22/88)
Our firm would like to port a software package to run under various
flavors of Unix, as well as non-Unices, including VMS and DOS.
The Intel-based systems (Xenix,uPort,iAPX,DOS,...) are no problem, as
we have a slew of them and they take only a software purchase to build a
new porting base. On the other hand, we do not have 3Bs, Vaxen, Suns, and
other non-Intel machines at our disposal.
My question is, what is the prescribed method of building a porting base
of diverse machines ? When I get pricing sheets from various software
manufacturers, they list pricing for dozens, if not hundreds of various
machines.
Do these firms own all these machines, or lease time on local machines ?
Do they befriend local universities ? Or perhaps wait until someone with
a machine which they don't support wants their software ?
If the machines used as porting bases are not owned by the firm, how can
they be sure the machines will be there when they must build a new release of
their package ?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Dave Hammond
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------aad@stpstn.UUCP (Anthony A. Datri) (08/26/88)
In article <374@marob.MASA.COM> daveh@marob.masa.com (Dave Hammond) writes: >Our firm would like to port a software package to run under various >flavors of Unix, as well as non-Unices, including VMS and DOS. > >The Intel-based systems (Xenix,uPort,iAPX,DOS,...) are no problem, as >we have a slew of them and they take only a software purchase to build a >new porting base. On the other hand, we do not have 3Bs, Vaxen, Suns, and >other non-Intel machines at our disposal. Unilogic (now Scribe Systems), has benefitted by an association with a university, providing them with several platforms to compile Scribe on without having to buy them. Scribe ports to the Pyramid, for example, are done by sending a tape to Pyramid, and dialing in to one of their machines. When I worked for Scribe, I ported a package to the Apollo by walking down to the other end of the block to the local Apollo office and using one of their machines. Some vendors are cooperative like this. I think Sun now has a concept of porting centers, just for this purpose. If you've got other businesses that you're on good terms with, offer them your software in return for the use of their machines. Prime actually *gave* Unilogic a 9950 so they could port Scribe to it. Universities are also a good shot for a deal -- part of the arrangement between CMU and Unilogic was that CMU got a site license for Scribe, and Unilogic got the use of pretty much anything they wanted to use there -- that's how Scribe runs on the Gould, for example. -- @disclaimer(Any concepts or opinions above are entirely mine, not those of my employer, my GIGI, or my 11/34) beak is beak is not Anthony A. Datri,SysAdmin,StepstoneCorporation,stpstn!aad