faunt@hplabsc.UUCP (01/19/84)
USENET is to unix as BITNET is to VM. BITNET is a liberated VNET run among a bunch of schools.
phipps@fortune.UUCP (Clay Phipps) (01/23/84)
Many people are assuming that IBM users are a complacent and contented lot,
taking whatever Big Blue gives them as an operating system.
What they don't realize is that there are many parallels
between VM/370 and UNIX.
OS origin:
UNIX: Developed by Bell Labs, a research organization.
VM: Developed by IBM Cambridge Scientific Center,
a research and marketing support organization,
i.e., not part of IBM's mainstream software development organization.
OS goals:
UNIX: Provide a modest but effective interactive computing environment
(I'm not quoting anyone; that's just my perception).
VM: Provide a modest and efficient interactive computing environment;
in particular, do not attempt to be everything to everybody.
OS network culture:
UNIX: Communication with the world via USENET;
the largely unrestricted commmunication sometimes drives management crazy.
VM: Communication with the world (ignoring SNA/SDLC protocols) via VNET
(actually, I'm not sure if VNET is available yet outside IBM itself);
the largely unrestricted commmunication drives IBM management crazy.
Host vendor attitude:
UNIX: DEC pushes its customers to use VMX or RSX or ..., not UNIX,
and hoped that UNIX would just go away some day.
VM: IBM pushes its customers to use MVS/XA, MVS, SVS, or (long ago) OS/360,
and hoped that VM would just go away some day.
Customer attitude:
UNIX: Probably the dominant OS for pdp-11s and probably VAXes, too.
VM: The dominant OS on IBM mainframes (in terms of number of machines).
In the IBM world, including within IBM itself, use of VM/370
is an act of *resistance* against oppression (i.e., MVS),
rather one than of submission.
There are many otherwise computer-literate people in the IBM world,
sheltered place that it is, who have never heard of UNIX;
if they did have some exposure to it, they might well prefer it.
-- Clay Phipps
--
{allegra,amd70,cbosgd,dsd,floyd,harpo,hollywood,hpda,ihnp4,
magic,megatest,nsc,oliveb,sri-unix,twg,varian,VisiA,wdl1}
!fortune!phippsandree@uokvax.UUCP (01/24/84)
#R:fortune:-229200:uokvax:3400033:000:420 uokvax!andree Jan 22 03:47:00 1984 Uh, Unix the dominant OS on pdp-11's and VAXen? I don't think so. Maybe in the academic world, but not anywhere else. I know of 4 750's that have been installed in Norman in the last month or so. Mine is the only one that runs Unix. There are something like 15 of the little beasts in and around OKC. I'm not familiar with most of them, but the only other one I know of that runs Unix is at our local WE plant. <mike