From: emike@sdc.com (E. Mike Durbin)
Subject: Re: LX and SUNOS 4.x - how ?
Keywords: Enterprising opportunity
Organization: Systems Development Corporation
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 15:30:14 GMT

In article <1ga8msINNf3q@seven-up.East.Sun.COM> kleigh@cache.Eng.Sun.COM (Kenneth Leigh - Sun BOS Software) writes:
>In article <1992Dec10.140917.20957@epas.toronto.edu> tagoldth@spine.med.utoronto.ca (Thomas A. Goldthorpe) writes:
>>In article <421@ftms.UUCP> brown@ftms.UUCP (Vidiot) writes:
>>>
>>>A little birdie has told me the following information....
>>>
>>(Interesting note on how the sun engineers were threatened with
>>termination due to 'simple to make 4.1.x work, lets do it' statements deleted)
>>>
>
>As project leader for the Classic OS port let me just say that yes it
>is TRUE that we have mentioned the 4.1.x issue many times but nobody
>on the "TEAM" has ever been threatened with termination. Sun does not
>work like this at all. In fact we are encouraged to speak up freely
>about issues or concerns without fear of termination. I have done so
>many times with no ill effects.
>
>As far as the 4.1.3 for the LX and classsic goes, the decision has been made 
>to go with Solaris 2.x and that's it (right or wrong).
>
>KeN

My $.02:

It is in everyones BEST interest, including Sun's, for this transition
to be put behind us.  Waffling between Solaris 1.x and 2.x helps
no one.  Even if you don't like Solaris 2.x, ONE supported OS (with
all the apps migrated) is better than a mixed up world with some apps
running in one environment and others only running in the other.

No one should be supprised that Sun isn't supporting Solaris 1.x on the
new mircoSPARC machines.  And to complain too loudly is to be against
moving forward, EVEN IF YOU THINK SOLARIS 2.0 IS *NOT* BETTER THAN SOLARIS
1.0!  I don't want Sun's resources split between two operating systems,
I want Sun to make it's OS better and better (hopefully, they will).

Most likely:
	Sun didn't want to expend the costs (money, resources) to support
	two OS's at a time when getting SMP and other hi-value and highly
	differenciating technologies to market.

Second most likely:
	Sun is using the low cost of the SPARCclassis to force, first
	end users, then ISV's, to move to Solaris 2.x.

I want:

	SMP, scaleable from low-end desktop to high-end transaction
	servers.

	Ease of use, I take it out of the box, turn it on, and answer
	1 or 2 questions, then login.

	Easy administration.  My customers can administer their own
	systems w/o a full time, on sight, administrator.

	Remote administration.  When my customers get in a bind, I
	want COMPLETE access to their system over a modem.

	Full traditional system access (for me).  Normal command line UNIX
	(in multiple windows, thought, I'm done with vt220 access).

	More Business Apps.

	More advanced toolkits (like OI with maybe a database kit ala
	NextSTEP and a kit for distributed applications (project DOE maybe?).


I don't believe I'd get most of this stuff if Sun split their resources
on os's.  An some almost require SVR4.

So, instead of complaining about what the underlying technology is,
complain about what FEATURE or FUNCTION you NEED so we can work on/with
Sun to get it.

			E. Mike Durbin
Systems Development Corp.		Open Business Systems, Inc.
emike@sdc.com				emike@obs.com