4.2 on 8600 (repeat)

[Tim Radzykewycz]

In article <339 at mcgill-vision.UUCP> mouse at mcgill-vision.UUCP (der Mouse) writes:
>ULTRIX IS NOT 4.2.  IF THEY ASK FOR 4.2,  DON'T ASSUME A
>CLOSE LOOKALIKE WILL DO!!  Functionally, from the user level,
>it's very close,  granted.

Actually, from the user level, it's not as close as I'd like.  There
are several programs missing, all the /usr/new stuff is absent, and
a few other things along the same lines.

>From a programmer's point-of-view, however, it is almost identical.
Binary images from a vanilla 4.2 system will work on an Ultrix
system.  (Guess why I can't remember specific names of programs
that are missing.)

The only problem with having Ultrix instead of 4.2bsd is if you
want to make kernel mods, then:

>No kernel source!  Ultrix source costs an obscene amount.

Yes, you don't get kernel source.  Actually, you should be able
to re-make a bunch of the binary files and libraries direct
from your 4.2 source, but not everything, of course.  The only
real difficulty here is knowing what you can use from the 4.2 source
and what has changed (for example, where is the window-system code).

As for the cost, it is roughly equivalent to the sources for:
	SUN
	Pyramid
	Masscomp
	etc etc ad nauseum

If you need to buy hiked up DEC hardware for some reason or
other, then the fact that the source is available (cheaply)
is a boon, otherwise, getting some non-DEC hardware and
source license is equivalent in cost to getting DEC hardware
and 4.2 source.

>     Sorry for such a long and heated posting, but this sort of attitude
>"whaddya  want  4.2 for when you  can have Ultrix for 1000% more" really
>gets to me.

I agree with the statement here, but I think the poster
sort of flew off the handle a bit.  When you look at things
objectively, there's a lot less of the "whaddya want ..."
attitude than it seems.

Oh.  One other thing.  With Ultrix, you can get DECnet support.
That probably doesn't mean anything to most of you out there,
but here, we're trying to put together a UNIX product, and it *needs*
to have some kind of communication with our existing VMS products.
It really is important.
-- 
Tim (radzy) Radzykewycz, The Incredible Radical Cabbage
	calma!radzy at ucbvax.ARPA
	{ucbvax,sun,csd-gould}!calma!radzy