Reply to: On

[utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!menlo70!sri-unix!gwyn at UTEXAS-11]

Yes, UNIX can be made more regular.
No, this is not symptomatic of a system design flaw.

People who want TENEX (or whatever) should get themselves one.
Some of us NEED a small i/o multiplexer kernel that permits us to
build applications on top without undue interference.  This doesn't
need to be UNIX, but UNIX satisfies the requirement rather well.

As I have suggested before, if you have to supply computer services
to naive users on your UNIX, you can easily build a nice menu-driven
(or whatever you prefer) login shell for them.  The standard shell
is best for people who LIKE plumbing and such.  Some of us do.

It WOULD be nice if there were "recommended" argument schemes.  G.C.
will be supplying one candidate on the next USENIX conference tape.

I don't think one could design a flexible argument interface
such as UNIX's without some fool programmer coming up with a complex
scheme for his particular application.  Yet I have no desire to be
prohibited from using the argument scheme according to application
needs just to keep SOMEONE from using a peculiar design.
-------