nather@utastro.UUCP (Ed Nather) (10/21/85)
> > If there is indeed one universal truth about UNIX, it is that it was > >not designed for casual users. ... To make > >the best use of UNIX, you really need to KNOW it. > >UNIX is far more sophisticated than the average business machine user > >requires, and is generally not as fast in handling transaction processing > >as most systems designed for the purpose. > > exactly what is it that makes UNIX inefficient and > unsuitable for commercial environments? > Robert Dale Nothing that I know of. I managed to collect a fair set of Unix-like tools for my own use with an IBM PC, mostly from the public domain, but complete enough so I can do *almost* everything I want to without going to the Vax. As an experiment, I introduced several computer-initiates to this system, rather than to MS-DOS, when they got their machines. They seemed to pick up the concepts *very* quickly, and have had no real trouble. I did't tell them it was Unix (it wasn't, really), so they weren't scared of it. It seems to me the main lack is simple, introductory material for the Unix environment. Reference material abounds. -- Ed Nather Astronomy Dept, U of Texas @ Austin {allegra,ihnp4}!{noao,ut-sally}!utastro!nather nather@astro.UTEXAS.EDU
iwm@icdoc.UUCP (Ian Moor) (10/22/85)
In article <318@epistemi.UUCP> rda@epistemi.UUCP (Robert Dale) writes: >A friend has likened UNIX to a base >that can be used to build other operating systems on top of: by providing >suitable sets of aliases and links, you can select whatever subset of the >sophistication provided by UNIX that you require. Where precisely can I find out how to do this ???????? -- Ian W Moor UUCP: seismo!mcvax!ukc!icdoc!iwm ARPA: iwm%icdoc@ucl Department of Computing Whereat a great and far-off voice was heard, saying, Imperial College. Poop-poop-poopy, and it was even so; and the days 180 Queensgate of Poopy Panda were long in the land. London SW7 Uk.
rda@epistemi.UUCP (Robert Dale) (10/26/85)
In article <540@qantel.UUCP> israel@qvax2.UUCP (Paul Israel - Renegade@ex2564) writes: > > If there is indeed one universal truth about UNIX, it is that it was >not designed for casual users. ... To make >the best use of UNIX, you really need to KNOW it. There are uncounted >tricks one can use to really do something efficiently that aren't >properly documented in the standard manuals supplied. > ... > There is nothing inherently wrong with this. UNIX was designed for providing >programmers a useful environment for program development. Where things start >going bad, however, is when one takes that extra step of using UNIX not merely >as a tool in developing commercial (mostly business) products, but as a >commercial product itself. Business systems work best when they are kept >simple, and optimized to the needs of the business, in general making them >as easy for the business in question as possible to implement, learn, and >deal with on a day-to-day basis. UNIX is not optimized for such applications, >particularly database processing, a major necessity for business applications. >UNIX is far more sophisticated than the average business machine user >requires, and is generally not as fast in handling transaction processing >as most systems designed for the purpose. I really find this debate interesting, but I'm not sure I really see what it's *about*. I've talked with this about some colleagues here, and we come to the same conclusions: exactly what is it that makes UNIX inefficient and unsuitable for commercial environments? A friend has likened UNIX to a base that can be used to build other operating systems on top of: by providing suitable sets of aliases and links, you can select whatever subset of the sophistication provided by UNIX that you require. UNIX's un-user-friendly sophistication becomes an underlying flexibility that can be taken advantage of when required. Sure, UNIX may not be optimized for particular applications: but just how much extra efficiency would a system so-optimized really buy? Is it worth it? Robert Dale ...!seismo!mcvax!ukc!cstvax!epistemi!rda