[comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc] Unix utilities on DOS again

wyle@inf.ethz.ch (Mitchell Wyle) (04/03/91)

Coming from Unix and still somewhat new to the DOS universe, I am 
trying to catalog PD and shareware Unix-like utilities on DOS.

Background:

I bought my wife a DOS system and find myself using it instead of my
cp/m machine.  The system is a 33 MHz 386 with 4 Mb ram, 40 Mb disk,
14" Hercules monochrome, deskjet500.  My wife bought and runs windows
3.0; her lab is in the process of buying her win-word, win-excel,
win-designer, and some statistical plotting / graphics software.

Microsoft is being a jerk about multi-cpu licenses.  How can she run
the same software on the machine in her locked office and on our
machine at home?  Her lab is trying to get our machine on their
multi-cpu license, but Microsoft won't let them.  Now I know why other
people steal software; I still refuse to do so.  Microsoft is not the
only game in town and there are probably some hungry companies willing
to cut a better deal...

I don't like Microsoft; I hate windows.

I use MS-kermit 3.1 to telecomm with; that's one rock solid-piece of
code.  I run elvis-1.3 (vi) and use emtex latex.  My machine and emtex
latex, dviscr is faster than a Sun-3 at work running Ctex and xdvi!
Ha!

I may buy Turbo-C, or I may run gcc.  I am not yet to the point where I
develop C code at home.

A PD MKS Toolkit?

Before you type "R" and tell me about the gnuish project, I know about
it and subscribed to their mailing list for a while.  Most of those
people are not cataloging DOS software that does not strictly conform
to the true blue gnu manifestu.

Additionally, there is software on dos that blows Unix stuff away.
E.g., 4dos is better than any Unix shell.  Those guys should write a
Unix version.  (I have to register before my 21-day trial period ticks
down...) I used to use PD versions of less(1), rm(1) and some other
unix-like stuff but the 4dos built-ins are better.  (I would throw
ls(1) out, but I don't feel like writing lots of aliases mapping the ls
flags I use all the time to 4dos dir commands.)

There are gadzillions of other PD or shareware Unix-like utilities for
DOS.  I have found and use great versions of ls(1), df(1), sh(1),
sed(1), tar(1), compress(1), grep(1), wc(1) and awk(1).  I ported
fmt(1) to dos using a work DOS machine and the turbo C on that
machine's hard disk.  I wonder who owns the license for *that*
compiler?

My questions, the reasons I am posting this article, are:

1.  Which are the most important /usr/bin Unix programs one needs to write
    and run portable sh scripts?  Has someone cataloged them, their
    authors, the internet source machines for their latest versions, etc.?

    Since there are so many versions of certain utilities (e.g. sh) is
    there a list of features, alternatives, tradeoffs for the different
    programs?

2.  Which newsgroup(s) have discussion threads listing the faqs, mentors,
    and internet resources for Unix utils on dos?  Is anyone willing to help
    me organize and maintain my guide?


-Mitch