Xref: utzoo comp.misc:3569 comp.sys.misc:1719 comp.os.cpm:1771
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tektronix!orca!tekecs!frip!andrew
From: andrew@frip.gwd.tek.com (Andrew Klossner)
Newsgroups: comp.misc,comp.sys.misc,comp.os.cpm
Subject: Re: Z-80 Unix?
Message-ID: <10400@tekecs.TEK.COM>
Date: 26 Sep 88 15:09:11 GMT
References: <278@pte.UUCP> <1466@ssc.UUCP> <427@ucrmath.UUCP> <865@vsi.UUCP>
Sender: andrew@tekecs.TEK.COM
Organization: Tektronix, Wilsonville, Oregon
Lines: 21

[]

	"I have never in the meantime seen such a blatant example of
	gratuitous incompatibility.  What is surprising is that this
	came from the man who cowrite _Elements of Programming Style_,
	P.J.  Plauger."

This discussion has overlooked the motivation of Unix incompatibility
in Idris.  Plauger and associates were scared that AT&T lawyers would
shut them down under the trade secret laws because they had access to
Unix source code before they formed Whitesmiths.  The "galloping
incompatibility" was an attempt to demonstrate that Idris was not a
Unix rip-off.

This was back in the days when the same company that sold Unix would
hassle you about adding an unregistered extension phone, and the
lowest-cost Unix license was $20,000 (no cheap binaries).  I'd say
their concern was justified.

  -=- Andrew Klossner   (decvax!tektronix!tekecs!andrew)       [UUCP]
                        (andrew%tekecs.tek.com@relay.cs.net)   [ARPA]