Interactive and me - An open letter to ISC.

[Tom Yager]

In article <MPP4MEA at xds13.ferranti.com>, peter at ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) writes:
> In article <55 at maxx.UUCP> tyager at maxx.UUCP (Tom Yager) writes:
> > DOS systems run just dandy on networks
> 
> Depends on what you mean by "just dandy". Every time I have to interact with
> folks using a DOS network I'm frustrated by the things they *can't* do, that
> I just expect to be able to do.

DOS systems DO run just dandy on networks--I was referring to networks of DOS
and OS/2 systems. They are quite useful on TCP/IP networks, as well. Some of
the anonymous FTP sites out there are running on DOS systems. Yes, you have to
give them over to it. But how else could you set up such an arrangement for
around $1000?

> Such as remotely accessing a DOS machine's files without having to turn that
> machine into a dedicated server. Sure, you can ALL access the file server...
> but you can't get to each other's local files.

Not so. We just published a product focus on DOS peer-to-peer LANs. You can
share files and other resources with impunity. Every machine can be both a
client and server without sacrificing the ability to run normal DOS
applications. Some vendors do this better than others, but the best of the
LANS bring to bear all of the power of a UNIX network except remote-execution
capability.

> > Can I run AmigaOS or Mac System 7 on other vendors' hardware?
> 
> Since OS/2 is restricted to one hardware platform this is pretty much
> irrelevant, but you can run Windows, GEM, and Mac/OS on an Amiga.

Using your example, I can also run OS/2 on that same Amiga with a 286
Bridgecard. Does that make it as "portable" as the others?

I'm no great lover of DOS or OS/2, but if we're going to trash them, let's have
good reasons.

> -- 
> Peter da Silva.   `-_-'
> <peter at ficc.ferranti.com>


-- 
+--Tom Yager, Technical Editor, BYTE----Reviewer, UNIX World---------------+
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|  Always looking for qualified UNIX,Mac,DOS and OS/2 software reviewers-- |
+--mail to "reviews" instead of "tyager" above.---I speak only for myself.-+