Xref: utzoo comp.unix.xenix:2209 comp.unix.microport:612 comp.periphs:931 Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix,comp.unix.microport,comp.periphs Path: utzoo!henry From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) Subject: Re: Thoughts needed Message-ID: <1988May10.181259.1971@utzoo.uucp> Keywords: Compaq xenix microport multi-user multiport Organization: U of Toronto Zoology References: <4144@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU> <224@obie.UUCP>, <1988May9.123840.19368@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu> Date: Tue, 10 May 88 18:12:59 GMT >... A Unix (or unix-like) >system is probably not your best bet for doing data acquisition on. >Unix was designed from the beginning to be a time-share system, not a >real-time system. There is nothing about Unix that makes it inherently unsuited to be a real-time system. Real-time variants of it exist, and many labs have done quite extensive real-time work under it. All that having been said, Unix as it usually comes out of the box isn't well adapted to real-time work. Unless you have a version that has been adapted, or are capable of doing it yourself, you're probably better off with a program loader (e.g. MSDOS) that gives your program absolute control of the hardware, rather than a real operating system (e.g. Unix) that may insist on playing some part in things at inopportune times. -- NASA is to spaceflight as | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology the Post Office is to mail. | {ihnp4,decvax,uunet!mnetor}!utzoo!henry