Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site mips.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!talcott!panda!genrad!decvax!decwrl!Glacier!mips!mash From: mash@mips.UUCP (John Mashey) Newsgroups: net.micro.att,net.unix-wizards Subject: Re: Re: Re: instability in Berkeley versus AT&T releases (absurdly long) Message-ID: <162@mips.UUCP> Date: Thu, 8-Aug-85 03:33:43 EDT Article-I.D.: mips.162 Posted: Thu Aug 8 03:33:43 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 12-Aug-85 00:31:18 EDT References: <2067@ucf-cs.UUCP> <363@cuae2.UUCP> <2423@sun.uucp> Organization: MIPS Computer Systems, Mountain View, CA Lines: 36 Xref: linus net.micro.att:454 net.unix-wizards:11468 > Then why don't YOU alias "ls | cat" and let the majority of the world work. > It's these weird variants put in for esoteric special cases that really > bugs me about SV. How many AT&T 7300s are going to benefit from SV accounting > stuff? "Weird variants put in for esoteric special cases..." is a pejorative description that could be read "I don't need this so it's dumb". A better way to have written this might be: "Does anyone know why SYS V accounting is included in the system? We haven't seen any use for it in our environment, and it seems particularly unnecessary for single-user workstations. Who uses it?" Now, the true facts [and I wrote it, so I know] are: a) It is (correctly) in the Optional part of the SYS V spec. b) Computer centers do like to be able to usage accounting so they can charge people money. This might not make sense if you've never used a computer center or run one, but it is true. c) Various people sometimes like to analyze system performance and usage [without actually charging people] by looking at the accounting output. V6 shell accounting was [in practice] found to be inadequate for real computer centers; there was a major push by BTL computer centers starting about 1977 to offer UNIX; we therefore tried hard to get a minimal mechanism to become part of V7 [many thanks to DMR for cooperation here] that would satisfy b) and c) above to avoid having every comp center do their own thing; the original version had to work on both V6 and V7's; had to work on PDP-11s; had to be a toolkit to adapt to different people's ideas of charging algorithms; ought to be reworked because requirements have changed! Weird? Esoteric? No, just different needs. -- -john mashey UUCP: {decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4}!decwrl!mips!mash DDD: 415-960-1200 USPS: MIPS Computer Systems, 1330 Charleston Rd, Mtn View, CA 94043