[comp.unix.xenix] SCO telinit bug

root@conexch.UUCP (Larry Dighera) (12/26/88)

In article <10@estinc.UUCP> fnf@estinc.UUCP (Fred Fish) writes:
>
>BEWARE!  The documentation for 2.3 claims that you can change inittab
>and then execute "telinit 2", just like under "real unix", and it will
>automatically regenerate the ttys file for you.  I naively changed a
>couple of entries in the supplied inittab, without first looking at
>or saving the ttys file, and ran "telinit 2".  Well, it regenerated
>a ttys file for me alright, but apparently the original inittab was
>out of sync with the original ttys file, because it no longer spawned
>a getty to the console, causing me to think the system was hung.

SCO's /etc/inittab and telinit are a completely useless kludge.  Not only
do they fail to provide the functionality of the real thing, they break 
your system if you try to use them.  There is no reason for SCO to 
continue to embarrass themselves by distributing this hack in an otherwise
superior implementation of UNIX(tm).  Why don't they just compile the
AT&T SysV init source code and become fully compatible (and functional)
instead of clinging to their old Sys III /etc/ttys junk?
 
The AT&T SysV init code is known to work with Xenix286/386.  In fact, 
binaries are available in the public domain to convert your SCO Xenix
to be fully compatible with SysV in this regard.  Once converted, you
can do things like run different gettys on individual ports, have 
several different run-levels, and not have to worry about breaking your
system by running telinit 2.

Larry Dighera

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debra@alice.UUCP (Paul De Bra) (12/27/88)

In article <17386@conexch.UUCP> root@conexch.UUCP (Larry Dighera) writes:
>In article <10@estinc.UUCP> fnf@estinc.UUCP (Fred Fish) writes:
>>...
>...  Why don't they just compile the
>AT&T SysV init source code and become fully compatible (and functional)
>instead of clinging to their old Sys III /etc/ttys junk?

Actually, it's worse than that: the REAL System III already had /etc/initab,
though not 100% identical to System V.
For /etc/ttys you have to go back even further in history. 

Paul.
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