🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <BuCytz.1IG@world.std.com> geoff@world.std.com (Geoff Collyer) writes:
>Marcus J. "Buddy can you spare a clue?" Ranum:
>>	What *IS* an "Open System"??
>
>Gee, that sounds like my cue.  I'll give my usual commentary first and

[...]

>I'm told that 386 systems tend to be pretty well documented (allegedly due
>to competition), but I can't vouch for that claim.  I do know that the
>Sun systems I've used since that VAX 750 have had miserable hardware
>documentation; the situation is improving slightly only because Sun is
>now using more third-party hardware in their systems, and you can buy the

You can get documentation about Mbus & Sbus - Actually, as I understand it,
Sun does not own those formats so Sun may not be the one to get the info
for but they should be able to send you in the right direction.  Just like
Sun does not own SPARC.  Hmm, now that I think about it I'd have to mention
that Sun does encourage clone makers (at times - they flip flop on this
at times).  They also sell their "engine".  Of course this does not mean
that they are "open" - or that the info is easy to get at but it does seem
like a step forward... 

>documentation from the third parties.  The SGI systems I have used are
>essentially undocumented: the processor manual (the Kane book) can be
>bought on the open market, but the rest of the system (notably the kernel

Actually SGI would be quite attractive if they were not so proprietary.  One
big item to disintrested me is that their expansion boards are of a proprietary
format.

>virtual address map) is undocumented.  (MIPS looked promising, but they
>don't make computer systems any more.)
>
>Of course vendors don't care about this stuff now.  `Just buy our Open
>System and run our wonderful software and all your problems will be
>solved.' `But your software stinks; I just want to use the hardware and
>write my own software.' `Sorry, the hardware in our Open System is a
>proprietary secret.' `My oxymorometer just went off; don't call us, we

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  Isn't it always!

>won't call you.'
>-- 
>Geoff Collyer		world.std.com!geoff, uunet.uu.net!geoff
>
>``Leave the evil grasping to us.'' - A. L. Arms, UNIX licensing, WECo.

How about HP?  I'm not too familiar with their systems but I have heard their
workstations use an EISA bus...


-- 
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  John Navitsky                        e-mail   johnn@eskimo.celestial.com
                                               johnn@locke.hs.washington.ed
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