temple%UMass-ECE%csnet-relay@sri-unix.UUCP (11/28/83)
From: Matthew Temple <temple%UMass-ECE@csnet-relay> I thought I'd add another operating system into the fray. I can't claim it to be "the Best," but I like it a lot. QNX is unix-like and has many similar utilities. It comes with a c-compiler, assembler, editor, is multi-user, multi-tasking, etc. Supports 256 tasks on an IBM-PC. (By the way -- although it is designed for the PC, it's running happily on my Columbia Data machine -- more about that iun another letter). QNX's most interesting feature is its message-based interprocess communication that allows for very slick synchronization. ...would that VMS were so elegant. All tasks have distinct, unique ids -- they may be sent to, replied to. There are global prots which may be attached to -- attaching to an attached port returns the id of an attached processes. When many processes try to send to a receiving process, their messages automatically queue up. Well, in short, QNX is a fine tool. I've never used OASIS or XENIX (although we do run Berkeley 4.1 under EUNICE here). My point here is that QNX is a good tool. Do ANY of the OASIS touters have any experience with QNX. And if they don't how do they have the nerve to make claims? How many "Bests" coming over this information exchange should be supplied with the following caveat: "This product is the absolute best thing in Netland. In fact, it's so good, I don't even fell the need to ever try anything else. In fact, I never have tried anything else." ?? Matthew Temple Smith College
Cargo.PD%hi-multics@sri-unix.UUCP (11/30/83)
QNX is based internally (so I have been given to understand) on THOTH, the University of Waterloo portable operating system. There are some technical reports available from Waterloo and an article about THOTH in Communications of the ACM from some time back, if you are interested in (possibly related) internal characteristics.
dave@utcsrgv.UUCP (Dave Sherman) (12/04/83)
I have tried to use QNX a little on the Icon (Bionic Beaver, Canadian
Educational Microprocessor, CEM machine, or whatever you want to call
it). It may be a very nice operating system, but it's impossible to
use if you are used to UNIX. It's got a lot of commands with names the
same as those on UNIX that behave differently, and a bunch which behave
the same but have different names. Obviously designed for the new user
who isn't coming from a UNIX system.
I haven't used it enough to be able to say whether it works well.
(I gave up in frustration at not being able to talk to what pretended
to be a UNIX[-like] system.)
Dave Sherman
Toronto
--
{allegra,cornell,decvax,ihnp4,linus,utzoo}!utcsrgv!davebrad@bradley.UUCP (12/10/83)
#R:sri-arpa:-1415800:bradley:4900003:000:501
bradley!brad Dec 9 14:33:00 1983
Here's another one, 'UneTiX'. Needs help but looks good. Besides
not having anything on it ( the release we have is 0.9) it looks like
UNIX and the commands are the same. The Users manual looks like UNIX
and reads about the same..... The system calls (according to the manual)
look just like UNIX, execpt that the compiler isn't out yet. The release
we have also has no editor. Not much you can do!!! It only has about
20 of the UNIX commands. Oh well.
Brad Smith
{ihnp4,cepu,uiucdcs}!bradley!bradtemple%UMass-ECE%csnet-relay@sri-unix.UUCP (12/14/83)
From: Matthew Temple <temple%UMass-ECE@csnet-relay> Well, there went another operating system blow. Why is QNX a turkey of an operating system? I haven't found it to be so. ...but I don't think that UNIX fidelity is the greatest possible goal of an operating system. To me, a good operating system is one that lets a user write programs that work and grants enough power to make interesting applications programs. Its interprocess messaging is moderately fast and doesn't have a huge overhead. In addition, it's well suited to the pc's cababilities. But I'm open on this. So why is it a Turkey? (If all you have to say is that it isn't UNIX, don't bother, cause I don't care). I even like VMS and find it more humane in many ways...but it's not UNIX either. (Don't forget, interprocess communication has a cost -- it's one thing to write an intelligent screen driver, but pipes don't come for free) Matthew Temple Smith College Northampton, Ma. (413) 584-2700 ext. 2388