UNIX Futures

[Bill Tuthill]

Let's not lose perspective by emphasizing differences between 4 BSD
and System V.  The two UNIX variants are at least 95% similar.  It's
not overly difficult to write software that will run on both (the more
complicated the software, the harder it is, though).  What's really
good about UNIX was implemented by Thompson and Ritchie in the early
days, and described in the famous CACM paper.  The good stuff hasn't
changed substantially since then.

Just think of all the things that work on both 4.2 and SV: | > < cc,
to name just a few.  Adherents of 4 BSD think of themselves as rebels
fighting evil Darth Vader and the Death Star, but in the real world,
the distinction between good and evil isn't as clear as in the movies.
Some people I know at a prestigious west-coast university just finished
implementing alternatives to "cut" and "paste"; had they been familiar
with System V, this wouldn't have been necessary.  I can't help but
form similar opinions about AT&T's networking efforts.

I regularly use both 4 BSD and System V, and find the transition even
less difficult than driving someone else's car.  The main thing that
bothers me about System V is the lack of word erase (^W) in the tty
driver.  It's like driving a car with no windshield washer.  Others
no doubt have different pet peeves.

Bill Tuthill