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