Future of Unix (was: Help us defend agains VMS! -- DEC perspective)

[Sharan Kalwani]

In article <8803160024.AA06947 at decwrl.dec.com> devine at cookie.dec.com (Bob Devine) writes:
>Doug Gwyn wrote:
>
>> If you refer to the requirement that VARs advertising their systems
>> as UNIX System V conform to the SVID, why is that a problem?  It's
>> exactly what many customers want, and what has been specified in many
>> government procurement actions.
>
>  Customers don't want SVID conformance, per se, they simply want
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>a standard Unix.  Period.  In today's market they have a choice
>of SVID or waiting for Posix.  But many sales are made according to
>what is available *now*.

Hmmm.. strange that vendors start dictating what customers want or think their
customers want. Smacks of the kind of thinking large companies ... this is
the same kind of thinking that says "Oh customer! You are really dumb!
We are the big boys and know everything and will decide what's right for you 
and what we think we should support!".

>  If the Posix/FIPS is not a replacement for SVID then the hoped for
>growth of Unix as a vendor-independent OS will suffer from the split
>identity problem it now does.

Bob, let me ask you this what is DEC doing ensure vendor-independent OS?
Merely complaining isn't what you have in mind I'm sure.

>  Finally, for those who are not bored with this discussion, take a
>look at the April issue of UnixWorld.  I've been told it has some articles
					^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>on the Sun/AT&T and DEC/HP/Apollo/etc. competing views on Unix's future.


Instead of saying "I've been told", I would suggest you take a look and give us
your straight views  instead.

>Bob Devine


-- 
sharan "alf" kalwani.  110 east warren detroit mi 48201. (313) 833-0710 x411
USENET: ...!{ihnp4!mibte, uunet!umix, philabs!fmsrl7, ucbvax!mtxinu}!mcf!shan
INTERNET:  shan%mcf.uucp at umix.cc.umich.edu	BITNET: mcf!shan at psuvax1.BITNET
DEC's EASYNET:	DECWRL::"umix.cc.umich.edu!mcf!shan"