🚀 go-pugleaf

Received: by chenengo.steinmetz (3.0/1.1x Steinmetz)
	id AA21539; Fri, 2 May 86 15:47:16 EDT
Date: Fri, 2 May 86 15:47:16 EDT
From: Skip Montanaro <montnaro%chenengo.tcpip@csbvax>
Posted-Date: Fri, 2 May 86 15:47:16 EDT
Message-Id: <8605021947.AA21539@chenengo.steinmetz>
To: nike!caip!cbmvax!daveh@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
Cc: info-atari16@score.stanford.edu
Subject: Standard OS for 68000-based PC's


Dave,

Your idea of one supported OS for the various 68000 machines is not unique.
I think the main reason that various workstation vendors (Sun, Silicon
Graphics, Masscomp, etc.) went with Unix rather than develop their own
operating systems was that they bought into a big software base and saved
themselves countless amounts of money developing something that just
wouldn't cooperate with anything else. Why Apple, Atari, and Commodore
didn't see this light I am not sure. Since they now each have their own
(proprietary) operating system, it's unlikely that they will change.

What if you could pick and choose between three pieces of hardware, one
unifying operating system (some dialect of Unix jumps to mind), and three
(or more!) graphic shells?

Mac -----\		    /----- Mac Shell
	  \		   / 		   
Amiga ---------- Un*x ------------ Intuition Shell
	  /                \		     	 
Atari ST-/       	    \----- GEM Shell     

It sure would be nice! Perhaps we could all start off with a decent base of
software tools: compilers, SCCS, make, {n,t}roff, etc. Oh well, someday
maybe someone will market a PC with that kind of foresight...

==========
Skip Montanaro
ARPA: montanaro@ge-crd.arpa
US Mail: General Electric Company
	 Corporate Research and Development
	 P.O. Box 8
	 Bldg KW, Room C210
	 Schenectady, NY 12304
Phone: 518-387-7312
==========