Uniflex OS, Force Computers?

[Larry Lippman]

In article <180 at intek01.UUCP>, mark at intek01.UUCP (Mark McWiggins) writes:
> Any body have experience with these?  Force makes real-time VME-based
> single-board machines running Uniflex, and we're considering them
> for a project.

	I don't know anything about Force, but I do know something about
UniFLEX, which is sold by Technical Systems Consultants, Inc.

	UniFLEX is the most awful "lookalike" to UNIX that I have ever seen.
On page one of the UniFLEX manual it is claimed "The system's design has been
influenced primarily by two operating systems, FLEX (tm) and UNIX.  UniFLEX
retains the flexibility and ease of use of FLEX while incorporating some
of the widely accepted structures of UNIX."  Don't believe it; in fact, any
resemblence to UNIX is purely coincidental.

	Don't take my word for this; just ask to examine a UniFLEX manual
for yourself.

	Want to bring the system to single-user mode?  Forget about any
UNIX init(1) commands - there ain't any; just use "shutup-1".  I kid you
not!

	What to create a zero length file?  Well, forget about using
something like "> foo".  However, we do have the command "create-1".

	How about the "info-1" command, which will "display the contents of
the information field associated with the specified binary file"?  Hmmmm...
features of UNIX, you say?

	How about "jobs-1" instead of ps(1)?  It returns "No tasks active"
if nothing is running other than the login shell.

	Ain't no cat(1), but there is "list-1".

	How's this to logout?  No ^D, or logout.  Nope, we have "log-1".

	Forget about chmod(1) or chown(1), we have "perms-1" and "owner-1"
respectively.

	"Widely accepted structures of UNIX"?!  Pardon me while I barf.

<>  Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. - Uniquex Corp. - Viatran Corp.
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