Subject: Re: ANNOUNCEMENT: Alpha release Linux/GNU/X unix clone on CDROM for PCs From: rmk@rmkhome.UUCP (Rick Kelly) Date: Sun, 29 Nov 1992 03:57:52 GMT
In article <1992Nov28.180313.28777@u.washington.edu> tzs@carson.u.washington.edu (Tim Smith) writes:
>In article <9211271953.00@rmkhome.UUCP> rmk@rmkhome.UUCP (Rick Kelly) writes:
>>I have seen a comment from SGI, which will sell NT on their bottom of
>>the line model, that stated that NT was unsuitable for high end systems
>>due to the inability of NT to be configured to system load, etc. This
>>seems to imply that SGI doesn't see NT source, either.
>
>It could just imply that SGI doesn't want to *change* the source too much
>lest integrating new releases from Microsoft become difficult. If they
>change it, and Microsoft doesn't put the changes in subsequent releases,
>then SGI is stuck making the same changes in each new release from Microsoft,
>or going through new Microsoft releases and picking out the parts they
>want to port over to their diverging kernel.
What they are saying, I think, is that UNIX comes with the ability to
change kernel variables on a per system basis to configure for optimum
efficiency at average system load. This is something that is needed by
a multiuser system. NT is a single user system and/or file server.
>If you are going to use someone else's operating system, a good case can
>be made for leaving it alone, except for (1) any changes needed for your
>specific hardware, and (2) fixing bugs that the OS vendor is also going to
>fix.
But SGI is talking about system administration functions.
>Given the possibility of some pretty hot competition between NT and OS/2
>and one or two Unix versions, I'd expect new releases of NT to take place
>fairly quickly, which would indicate that people with NT source should be
>cautious about making changes.
And a year from now, NT may still be in beta-beta-beta.
--Rick Kelly rmk@rmkhome.UUCP unixland!rmkhome!rmk rmk@frog.UUCP