IBM X implementation [ was: Re: grep ]

[Stan Hanks]

In article <1762 at awdprime.UUCP>, marc at stingray..austin.ibm.com (Marc J. Stephenson/140000;1C-22) writes:
> AIX Version 3 is still in development.  It is unclear how back-level an
> operating system and X was in use, but it was definitely a development level

Hmmmm. Having worked for vendors before, and having been active in the
workstation marketplace since Sun was in 2-digit serial numbers, and having
been a software consumer for a hell of a lot longer than that, I feel that I can
safely say that the stuff proporting to be an operating system on the 6000 is
nothing I would be comfortable calling "beta", much less "pre-release" which
implies damn near done. Hell, I wouldn't have shipped that stuff as "early
alpha".

> I would suggest that that be kept in mind.  Many of the systems which are
> out at vendors are 8943Q systems, meaning they came from the 43rd accounting
> week of 1989 (October).  Nonetheless, final judgments about the software
> implementation (rather than the specs, interfaces, designs, etc.) should be
> taken with a grain of salt at this point.  IMHO.

Indeed I did; I also considered the meaning of "pre-release" in standard
software-speak. But while I feel that the hardware is a good design, and a 
good value for the money, but that the software is a real crock. In a way,
it's the worst of all possible worlds: the RT was so S L O  W that you didn't
notice that the software was crap; however, it's pretty hard to miss something
like that on an alleged 27 MIP platform. Maybe if the CMU guys get Mach and 
X11R4 running on it....

> Followups, if any, should be directed to comp.unix.aix, please.

Done.

Stanley P. Hanks                                      e-mail: stanh at bcm.tmc.edu
Director, Technology Planning and Development             voice: (713) 798-4649
Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston TX 77030, Mail Stop: IR-3