LinuxSA Mailing list archives

  From: Daryl Tester <dt@picknowl.com.au>
  To  : Adam Hawes <adam_hawes@dingoblue.net.au>
  Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2000 18:17:46 +1030

Re: Operating systems.

Adam Hawes writes (and writes, and writes ...):

> BTW, do you know why M$ chose drive letters and the '\' over the
> traditional Unix / method??

1) OS limitation; you can't "graft" a file system tree with a limited
file system/OS (and later implementations of grafting were a kludge).
Hence the drive letters (original DOS didn't have directory hierarchies
either - it was just a straight CP/M ripoff).

2) Potential for lawsuit from the Unix camp (I think AT&T had just
started marketing Unix, as Bell Labs. couldn't).

I'm a bit rusty on the timelines[1], but bear in mind that in those
days, Microsoft had arranged for some little-known outfit called the
Santa Cruz Operation to port Xenix to Intel machines, so Microsoft
were influenced in some fashion by Unix at the time.

> they called it "innovation" and said it was for "ease of use".

Sounds like after-marketing history re-writing (what is that called,
where the "winners" get to rewrite history as they see it?).  The
above points (1 & 2) I read ~10 years ago, and have seen rewritten.
A bit like the original quote of the "Microsoft Vision" is "A
computer in every household, running Microsoft software", which I
have heard has been shortened to the more DoJ-friendly "A computer
in every household".

> I don't think I've heard of a case where
> a SCSI card hasn't been supported yet (unless it is VERY VERY new).

Or very very proprietary.  I think there are still a few RAID SCSI
cards that suffer from this.

> The command-line is where it is at.

Queue the GUI vs. command line debate :-)

   http://www.linuxsa.org.au/mailing-list/2000-07/971.html

(see, Netcraft?  This is why we wanted the archive online, to
hyperlink our rants into our messages :-).

> I apologise about my long rant to people.  I have been (unfortunatley)
> working with a particular M$ lover person for the last 12 months and he
> hindered all progress on the project because of his ranting about
> compatibility with the rest of the world.

I feel your pain, brother.  "Solidarity, Reg."

> until Linus rises up with his closet army and
> assimilates the world powers and forces everyone to use linux.

Hmmm.  It's the forcing I think we have the issue with.  I'd rather
it came down to choice (and not the choice of Managers, either ...).


-- 
Regards,
  Daryl Tester,  Software Wrangler and Bit Herder, IOCANE Pty. Ltd.

"You shouldn't mix meditation with management.  The mind gets too empty."
  -- Dilbert

[1]  Forgive me, I've just woken up, and most of my brain is still
     offline.

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