From: udo@umunk.GUN.de (Udo Munk)
Newsgroups: comp.os.coherent
Distribution: world
Subject: Re: Tcl to replacement most of /bin & /usr/bin (was: Tcl on Linux
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Organization: Udo Munk's private BBS
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 92 11:56:52 GMT

Rick Kelly (rmk@rmkhome.UUCP) wrote:
: In article <9211150337.AA12188@PCS.CNU.EDU> "Coherent operating system" <COHERENT@indycms.bitnet> writes:
[...]
: >3) a single user mode that can run without ttys (what for with no other users?)
: 
: UNIX is a multiuser operating system.  How would you use modems or serial
: printers?

Every UNIX system has a single user mode, that runs without ttys, for 
save administration of the system.
Under COHERENT change the "exit 0" to "exit 1" in /etc/brc and you
get what you want. But I'm sure you don't want this :-)

: >4) fast response for games (hey, games sell computers!)
: 
: Get an Amiga.

Why? There are lot of games which are running fine on a PC under DOS.
If COHERENT gets an GUI like MGR or X11 it's no problem to write or
port some games which uses graphics. There are some nice games available
which runs in text mode using curses. Of course nothing like Wing Commander,
but also interesting (try to solve all the D&D's:-).
Also if we get the device driver kit in our hands, it should be possible
to write a device driver for an soundblaster.

: >5) A better graphics system than X.  X is too big, tries to do to much, and is
: >   does everything against the rules of a well-done graphics system.  I like
: >   it OK as far as using it goes, its just that it is too much.  MIT has been
: >   saying they will make it small, remove redundancy, shink the net stuff,
: >   and other things for awhile.  Meanwhile it seems to get bigger.  Then,
: >   Sun makes this Open Windows stuff which slows things down even more.
: 
: Dump Motif and right something new.

Or take a look at MGR.

: >6) A simplification of administration.  File permissions are a real big
: >   problem for most users.  Perhaps a new file system that would be real
: >   simple, like DOS but with long filenames and extended attributes.  The
: >   kernel would still support a standard FS but if you don't need it...
: 
: Right.  Turn UNIX into DOSIX.  Bleah!

Administration is _not_ a problem of the filesystem. Sit down and write
an administration program like SCO's sysadmin shell or like AIX's smit.

: In the Linux and BSD groups, I've seen a lot of new users who want to turn
: UNIX into MSDOS.  I will fight to keep this from happening.  I have a decade
: of experience with UNIX, and think it is the best OS that I ever used.  I used
: to have a PC/XT running MSDOS, and have written diagnostics for dedicated
: applications running on MSDOS machines to exercise and test commodity hardware
: in a factory setting.  I am about as interested in using DOS as I would be in
: programming on punched cards.

If someone writes some user interfaces for UNIX, which makes it easyser
for DOS users to use the system, fine, do it. As long as everyone can
select how to use UNIX (at shell level or with an X11 user interface
or whatever) all is fine. But it's a very poor idea to reduce the
functionality of UNIX back to DOS.

(Only my opinion)
--
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