From: dwight@geohub.gcn.uoknor.edu (Dwight D. Moore)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: openVMS or UNIX.
Date: 16 Dec 92 15:33:09 GMT
Article-I.D.: constell.BzCz7A.3px
Reply-To: dwight@geohub.gcn.uoknor.edu
Organization: Geosciences Computing Network, Univ. of Oklahoma
Originator: usenet@kittyhawk.ecn.uoknor.edu

In article <1992Dec16.084621.25138@unix.brighton.ac.uk>, jmd6@unix.brighton.ac.uk (Morgoth.) writes:
|>Path:
|
constellation!mimbres.cs.unm.edu!ncar!destroyer!gumby!yale!yale.edu!spool.mu.edu!uunet!mcsun!uknet!g
glasgow!unix.brighton.ac.uk!jmd6

|>I am currently doing some research for a disertation for the final
|>year of my degree in computer science. I have chosen to do the
|>research on unix and its standadisation.
|>
|>My research has uncovered the fast growing standard of POSIX, and DECs
|>adoption of this standard for open VMS. I'm there fore intrested in some
|>DEC users optinions of POSIX and Operating System Standadisation.
|>
|>Has POSIX compatibility on proprietry systems (eg OPEN VMS) killed
|>unix?
|>
|>Why has DEC chosed to have open VMS, Windows NT and OSF/1 running on
|>its new alpha systems?
|>Is it due to the uncertanty of which operating system might succeed in
|>the marcket?
|>
|>Are Open propriatry operating systems goin to become the future of computing?
|>
|>
|>Thanks for you help
|>
|>Jon Durrant 
|>
POSIX on OpenVMS nice, but it isn't very useful in its current state.
The way I understand it, the development team was under a tight
time table (to do Alpha porting) and had to get it done. So they 
wrote it in at a high level which isn't the most effiecient. They
are supposed to optimize it later.

At any rate, altough it has been useful, its performace limitations
are its biggest drawbacks at this point. POSIX will not kill UNIX,
but only strengthen it since it will enable some standard interfaces
for porting software, a current problem between most platforms.

My guess that DEC is putting OpenVMS AXP, OSF/1, and Windows/NT
are:
	1. It covers the low end market (Windows/NT), 
	     business market (OpenVMS), and
	     techinical/scientific market (OSF/1).
	2. It pushes their newest and greatest offering, a fast CPU
	    for all occasions and systems ... :0)
	3. Hedge their bets and get back into the competitive 
	    price/performace race with a fast CPU (instead of
	   just dropping the price on the slower VAX systems
	   which increases price/performace but doesn't necessarily 
	   help  your application run any faster)

Finally, do you know of any open, non-proprietary systems?
Each company, even USL, protect their products and enhance
them such that no two are just alike.  The key to "open" systems
competition will be what a vendor can offer over and above the
standards. The standards (by which we are using the term
"open") just define a more friendly software and user environment
between systems (not necessarily better or easier to learn...).

The really interesting question to ask is "After everyone is "open",
what then differentiates the vendors from one another?" 

My answer is hardware/software reliability, speed, and 
layered products.
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Dwight D. Moore
Geosciences Computing Network
University of Oklahoma

dwight@geohub.gcn.uoknor.edu (129.15.40.10)
These opinions do not necessarily represent the opinions of OU or the GCN.
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