Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 12:59:22 -0500 (EST)
From: "Richard B. Johnson" <root@chaos.analogic.com>
Reply-To: root@chaos.analogic.com
To: Michael Meissner <meissner@spectacle-pond.org>
cc: Michael Rothwell <rothwell@holly-springs.nc.us>,
        Linux kernel <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: Advanced Linux Kernel/Enterprise Linux Kernel
In-Reply-To: <20001114120641.A13361@munchkin.spectacle-pond.org>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.95.1001114125808.24889A-100000@chaos.analogic.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org

On Tue, 14 Nov 2000, Michael Meissner wrote:

> On Tue, Nov 14, 2000 at 11:41:33AM -0500, Richard B. Johnson wrote:
> > On Tue, 14 Nov 2000, Michael Rothwell wrote:
> > 
> > > "Richard B. Johnson" wrote:
> > > > Multics???  [..] way too many persons on this list who know the history of
> > > > Unix to try this BS.
> > > 
> > > So, you're saying their nine goals were bullshit? Multics had a lot of
> > > problems. But it did a lot of ground-breaking. Perhaps you should reply
> > > to the nine goals, or the general topic of "Enterpriseness," rather than
> > > merely express your irrelevant hatred for Multics.
> > >
> > 
> > Relating some "nine goals of 'Enterprise Computing'" to Multics is
> > the bullshit. When Multics was being developed, the singular goal
> > was to make an operating system that worked on DEC Equipment without
> > having to use DEC software. The emphasis was on trying to make it
> > work period.
> 
> Ummm, the way I parse the above statement, you are saying that Multics was
> developed to work on DEC equipment without having to use DEC software.  Maybe
> we are inhabiting parallel universes, but I'm pretty sure that in my universe,
> Multics ran first on GE computers, and then on Honeywell computers when
> Honeywell bought the division from GE.  Note, DEC did bid for the Multics
> contract but was turned down.  Maybe you are thinking of Tenex or UNIX?
> 
> The original machine was a GE-645, which was a segmented, virtual memory system
> using 36 bit words.  The operating system and system software was written in
> PL/1.  Bell Labs had bought a GE-645 and was one of the three development
> partners (along with GE and MIT) until they withdrew in April 1969.  You might
> want to browse:
> 

No parallel universe. When Multics was being developed by AT&T,
it was found to be unusable on the DEC. It was a PDP-8, so the
story is told.  General Electric got the first contract to make
a machine specifically designed for Multics and development
continued.

The original DEC was "given" to W. M. Ritchie and his staff in
"Department 58213". He wanted to use it for games. To do so, required
him to write some sort of OS, which became Unix.

As I said, when Multics was designed, the only criteria as to
get it to work on a DEC. It didn't. To use this development as
an example of "enterprise computing" is absurd and belies its
well documented history. 


Cheers,
Dick Johnson

Penguin : Linux version 2.4.0 on an i686 machine (799.54 BogoMips).

"Memory is like gasoline. You use it up when you are running. Of
course you get it all back when you reboot..."; Actual explanation
obtained from the Micro$oft help desk.


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