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From: mouse@mcgill-vision.UUCP (der Mouse)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: UNIX - the "don't worry about it" operating system?
Message-ID: <835@mcgill-vision.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 5-Jul-87 19:26:49 EDT
Article-I.D.: mcgill-v.835
Posted: Sun Jul  5 19:26:49 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 11-Jul-87 00:49:47 EDT
References: <17108@glacier.STANFORD.EDU>
Organization: McGill University, Montreal
Lines: 40
Keywords: locking safety integrity security

In article <17108@glacier.STANFORD.EDU>, jbn@glacier.STANFORD.EDU (John B. Nagle) writes:
> It strikes me that problems that were solved with immense effort in
> other operating systems are generally ignored in UNIX, with amazingly
> little effect.

I wouldn't say they are ignored, just that they are addressed
differently.  The UNIX attitude to problems such as

> File system integrity:
> Spoolers:
> Locking:
> Security:
> System administration:

is one of making it easy for people to handle things.  For example,
let's compare printer spoolers on VMS and UNIX.  Under VMS, the print
symbiont works fine, most of the time, just as it does on UNIX.  Under
UNIX it fails somewhat more often.  But under UNIX it is vastly easier
to fix when it does fail.  When the print symbiont gets hung on VMS
what can you do?  Guess we gotta reboot....

Let's look at filesystems.  VMS has code analgous to UNIX fsck, which
is run automatically when a possibly-corrupted filesystem is seen at
mount time.  Normally this will repair anything that's wrong, just as
fsck will under UNIX.  The difference is in what happens when the
automatic repair fails.  Under each system, someone who knows what
they're doing can repair the filesystem.  The point is that the UNIX
filesystem is simpler and better documented, hence the necessary skill
is commoner.  The necessary support programs (eg, clri) come with UNIX
instead of on a diagnostic kit available only to field circus
engineers.

Why not admit that UNIX and, say, VMS are targeted at different
environments and therefore handle problems in different ways - and let
it go at that?  UNIX is not all things to all people, nor can it ever
be.  It is foolish to complain because it isn't.

					der Mouse

				(mouse@mcgill-vision.uucp)