xenixgr@microsoft.UUCP (12/04/87)
Folks, I do not normally respond to postings which compare one product to another, as I regard that sort of bickering among software manufacturers as a misuse of this network, and a violation of the guidelines regarding use the network for commercial purposes. However, in this case and *simply for the record*, I would like to clarify several of the points raised. ------------- In article <4610@well.UUCP>, Dwight H. Leu writes: >But since you've raised the subject, I would like to use this opportunity and >ask Microsoft to formally guarantee its customers that their investment >is a sound one. And I don't mean its usual marketing hype; their marketing >department's ability to deliver on their promises speaks for itself. OK: * Microsoft will guarantee Merged Product binary compatiblity with XENIX V/386, except for those programs that rely on the layout of kernel memory. * Microsoft will guarantee Merged Product binary compatiblity with XENIX V/286, except for those programs that rely on the layout of kernel memory. I might point out that we have always guaranteed this, and intend to do so in the future. >But I expect the silence to be quite deafening, and very telling. I'm sorry to disappoint you. >He'll have to buy a whole new package or be stuck forever with an >operating system that is no longer supported. What a wasted investment! Neither XENIX V/286 nor XENIX V/386 will be "no longer supported" as a result of the Merged Product. Microsoft intends to support its customers: past, present, and future. >Microsoft is certainly merging technologies. But they are dropping a lot >of what they currently have. This is untrue. ------------- These things being said, I think that we should end this discussion. I do not intend to pursue it further. We should not let this newsgroup degenerate into a flame war between the various companies who supply UNIX for Intel architectures, nor should it be a forum for advertisements in the form of 'informational' postings. If you want to have those sorts of discussions, I, and all the other people in the XENIX group, will be happy to speak to you at USENIX/ Uniforum, either at the Microsoft booth, or on the panel discussions. Can we please return to discussing techinical issues? (signed) Robert Ferguson Software Design Engineer XENIX Group, Microsoft Corporation.