Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!rochester!cornell!uw-beaver!blake!ogccse!littlei!uunet!edsews!rphroy!pte!car From: car@pte.UUCP (Chris Rende) Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions Subject: Re: lim ((n -> infinity) UNIX System V Release n) == Multics ? Summary: Full circle Keywords: UNIX System V Release 4.0 Multics complexity kludge Message-ID: <353@pte.UUCP> Date: 6 Dec 88 15:24:46 GMT References: <422@ubbpc.UUCP> Organization: Precise Technology & Electronics, Warren, MI Lines: 37 In article <422@ubbpc.UUCP>, wgh@ubbpc.UUCP (William G. Hutchison) writes: > > When I was a student programmer I remember laughing at the huge size of the > Multics Systems Programmer's manuals -- imagine: a whole shelf of books just > to document an operating system! > > Well, I have just seen the UN*X System V Release 4.0 Software Developer Notes > and I'm not laughing. To Quote Han Solo "I've got a bad feeling about this!". > I'm wondering if UN*X System V might be getting just a tad too big? I started using Multics at college about 8 years ago. I started using Unix about a year ago. It is facinating(sp?) to see the "common roots" between Multics and Unix. It is also interesting to watch as Unix seems to be evolving into Multics. Items like: directorys with size limits, file access lists, security in general, password expiration, shared memory, real time computing, handling large numbers of users and resources, multi-processing, etc... are all fundamental Multics services. I think that the reason that Multics did not prosper they way Unix has is due to advances in hardware technology. Multics requires a mainframe, Unix doesn't. Since there are lots more smaller computers than big ones, Unix has been able to flourish. Let's be glad that the philosophies that originated from the Multics project are alive and well: Hiearchical file system, multi-tasking, etc.. It's just a shame that the wheel has to be re-invented. And, it's being re-invented by all sorts of companies. Now there are standards groups forming just to try and get some UNInity out of all the various Unix flavors. Take a look at Larry Wall's configure stuff sometime. I'm not Unix bashing, I think that Unix is fantastic (it's the closest thing to having a Multics on your desk :-). car. -- Christopher A. Rende Multics,DTSS,Shortwave,Scanners,StarTrek uunet!{umix,edsews}!rphroy!pte!car Minix,PC/XT,TRS-80 Model I: Buy Sell Trade Motorola VME1131 M68020 SVR2 Precise Technology & Electronics, Inc.