From: caro@adobe.com (Perry A. Caro)
Subject: Re: Open Letter: Don't get rid of UNIX
Reply-To: caro@adobe.UUCP  (Perry A. Caro)
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated, Mountain View
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 17:56:03 GMT

First of all, stop worrying.  It is highly unlikely that NeXT is going
to do anything that will make applications break across the board.  So
that means the NeXT "UNIX" API will be supported for as long as developers
want it to be.  I'm only slightly less confident that shell scripts will
continue to be supported (i.e., I'm 99% sure that the current NeXT API will
continue to be supported, and 98% sure that shell scripts will continue
to be supported).

But this raises a question.  What do people mean when they say they
absolutely have to have "UNIX"?

This can be cut in several dimensions.  Which do you mean?

API

Like I said, NeXT isn't likely to make sweeping changes of the API,
like removing support for TCP/IP sockets (THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE, NO
ONE HAS SAID THEY ARE CONSIDERING DOING THIS -- SHEESH!), if most
applications will break.  They WILL make additions to the API, to
enhance their product (like a new API for a new whiz-bang networking
system of the future).  And they may even try to coax people into
upgrading to better technology, by providing new functionality that
subsumes the functionality of the old technology (like providing the
old TCP/IP socket API implemented on top of the whiz-bang networking
system).

Tools/Shell scripts

Which shell do you mean?  Which tools?  Which command line arguments?
POSIX helps here a little, but the fact of the matter is that there is
no standard "UNIX" definition for all of these things.  As anyone knows
who has tried to write a portable shell script; diff, awk, grep, sed,
and even ls don't all behave in the same way across all "UNIX" flavors.

The most likely future is for NeXT to continue with the "free" BSD stuff
that they have now.  Again, if they have customers depending on this
functionality, why piss them off?  (Note: if you want to guarantee this
outcome, make sure Phibro Energy, or the LA Sheriffs, or some other big
NeXT commercial customer uses some huge, godawful shell script as a
vital part of their application -- that will guarantee support forever!)

A possible, though less likely future, is that NeXT makes all the
tools/shells an option, because they believe they've removed the need
for all that stuff with their OO Environment (see SHEESH disclaimer
above).

File System

What EXACTLY do you want out of your file system?  Suppose you were to
load an external SCSI disk with files and lock it in a vault.  Would
you expect to be able to read that disk with the latest NeXT OS in 5
years? 10? 20?  Can you name ANY UNIX that supports this level of
backwards compatibility (okay, unfair -- external SCSI's didn't exist
20 years ago, but you get the idea)?

Do you really care about inodes and cylinder groups and file blocks?  Or do
you just mean the idea of pipes and file descriptions and character vs.
block devices?

I don't know what the answer is here.  NeXT might enhance the file
system, they might not.  Why do you care? (Note: see my other posting
about why an Object Oriented File System is a bad idea, or at least
premature).

"BSD"-ness

Maybe you just mean you want the NeXT OS to continue to be a close
relative of BSD, which includes API, tools, file system, everything.

Well, recall that Berkeley will no longer support BSD.  Recall that AT&T
is suing BSDI.  Consider the commercial competition.  The future of BSD
looks pretty grim.  Do you really hate SVR4.2 that much?  Or Solaris 2.0?
I see those as being the most likely flavors to survive.  How would you
feel if NeXT were to adopt one of these versions of "UNIX"?

Ironically, I think the most likely future is for NeXT to take their
flavor of Mach and BSD "private", in the same way that HP has with
SVR3.  They will no longer rely on CMU or UCB to provide code for them,
but rather will develop what they have now into their own proprietary
system (just like everyone else is, note).  If this makes the "free
software" and "open systems" people unhappy, tough.  I think NeXT has
no other choice if they wish to compete.

Summary

Relax, NeXT "UNIX" isn't going away, and NeXT isn't going to do anything
that will give other "UNIX" vendors an advantage.

Perry
-- 
caro@adobe.com	...!{sun,decwrl}!adobe!caro   Contents: my opinions, no others