Why do you like your OS?

[mat at hou5e.UUCP]

Why do I like UNIX?  Let me see if I can put it into a few words.

Many (most) systems work well if you are doing just exactly what the
system designers though you might want to do.  Some don't even do that
without hassle.  By hassle, I mean things like JCL, or like the horrible
efficiency and response problems that HP's rather reliable IMAGE database
system has.  It IS possible to make IMAGE (a trademark of HP, I am sure)
run well.  You have to know how to do it, and what NOT to do.  And IMAGE is
built into the OS, and is another case of things being good if you use them
just so.

UNIX seems to be free of these problems.  What is more, things like stty/ioctl
give you almost as much control over your terminal (the device that you care
about most) as you would have on a stand-alone real-time system.  And you
don't have to worry about garbage like blocking factors.  And temporary vs.
permanent file domains.  You have indefinately extensible directory trees.

How many systems give easy access to shell variables, exporting, etc.  And
to command line arguments?  Some more modern, enlightened systems do.  Finally.

How many timesharing systems could support vi fully?  While letting things
run in the background?  And how many systems have a command language
as rich as even the first Shell?  Much less the Bourne Shell?!  DTSS,
perhaps.  But BASIC isn't as well suited as the shell to the things
that the shell does for you.

In short, the system gives a lot for the costs involved in using it.

					Mark Terribile
					Duke of deNet