RE: is Unix dead?

Joe Barrera (joebar@MICROSOFT.com)
Mon, 2 Feb 1998 09:57:03 -0800


> From: CobraBoy [SMTP:tbyars@earthlink.net]
> Well Sun has Solaris so in essence they have already abandoned "pure"
Unix.
> As far as Unix being dead I suppose were talking about a OS that isn't
> Microkernal based. Is Rhapsody/Linux/Be Unix? The BSDI's have a pretty
good
> distribution also. So what is the definition of Unix that they speak of?

What the heck is pure Unix? Why is being microkernel-based a
disqualification?

Remember, "pure" Unix ran in 64K, with no virtual memory (just swapping),
and certainly no networking stuffed into the kernel. It has in fact been
argued that Unix *was* the original microkernel (e.g. with traditional OS
functionality, such as the shell, moved out to user space).

- Joe

PS. Tim, was your message BCC'd to FoRK? I received two copies and it looked
like a public message...

Joseph S. Barrera III <joebar@acm.org>
<http://research.microsoft.com/~joebar/>
Phone, Office: (415) 778-8227; Cellular: (415) 601-3719; Home: (650)
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The opinions expressed in this message are my own personal views.