Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!menudo.uh.edu!lobster!sugar!peter
From: peter@sugar.hackercorp.com (Peter da Silva)
Subject: Re: NeXT software size
Message-ID: <1991May13.005323.859@sugar.hackercorp.com>
Organization: Sugar Land Unix -- Houston, TX
References: <4d7Gypu=1@cs.psu.edu> <1991May5.124008.24559@sugar.hackercorp.com> <81en02.g073H01@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com>
Date: Mon, 13 May 1991 00:53:23 GMT

In article <81en02.g073H01@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com> kls30@DUTS.ccc.amdahl.com (Kent L. Shephard) writes:
> Only when it is running UNIX is it a workstation.  Amiga DOS does not
> qualify as a workstation OS.  It is definitely not multiuser and does not
> do virtual memory.

Oh boy, now we get to argue definitions again for a while.

In case you hadn't noticed, I *like* doing that.

Let's start with the definition of "workstation". How about the Carnegie
Mellon "3M" rating? The 3000 certainly blows that out of the water. Of course,
it's a trifle dated...

How about definig a workstation in terms of *functions*. Not specs: all the
folks with 486 boxes running MS-DOS know all about how badly specs can
mislead. What does a workstation have to do to make it a workstation?

> >But even as UNIX workstations go the NeXT is pretty wasteful of space. Plain
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> How??????

Well, it takes more memory to run NeXTStep efficiently than it does to run
X. QED.

> >with the NeXT is they took an intermediate port of a research O/S (Mach) and
> >used it. They didn't wait for (or do themselves) a real microkernel version,
>           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> It is not an intermediate research port.I suppose Mt XINU is a research
> port too?????

Uh-huh.

> >so the NeXT system image takes up 30M of VM before you load any apps. Why?
>                                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Where do you get your numbers from.

NeXT employees at trade shows.

> >It's got two operating systems in there: Mach *plus* most of BSD.
>          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> You should learn something about the NeXT and Mach.  Mach is a kernal that
> runs under BSD.  The NeXT uses UNIX with a Mach kernal.

No, BSD is an emulator that runs under Mach. I think you need to learn
something about it yourself. Send off to CMU for the Mach documents. They're
happy to mail them to anyone who asks. It'll put all this specmanship in
perspective.
-- 
Peter da Silva.   `-_-'
<peter@sugar.hackercorp.com>.
