Why Plan-9?

[Karsten M. Self]

on Fri, Oct 26, 2001 at 08:35:36PM -0500, Jim Choate (ravage at einstein.ssz.com) wrote:
> On Thu, 25 Oct 2001, Karsten M. Self wrote:
> 
> > > Being 'first' doesn't imply they were 'alone'. You misrepresent
> > > reality to your own end.
> > 
> > Define your market or relevant niche, with specificity.
> 
> Computers intended for single-user interactive processing. 

The problem I've got with this response is that Unix and GNU/Linux
aren't computers, they're operating systems.  Unix was written to run on
those computers "that didn't exist", largely the PDP 7 and 11.

I was seeing the market as the *operating systems* running on these
computers.  While I'll concede that Unix and GNU/Linux probably drove
hardware, the fact is that both emerged in environments where there were
existing OSs running, almost always preinstalled, on the hardware of
choice for each system:  RSX-11D, TWENEX, VMS.  The Jargon file has
TWENEX users migrating to Unix in the 1980s.  For larger systms, VM/CMS
still has its fans.

I guess the question would be:  what other OSs were popular in research
environments at the time?  What benefits did Unix offer?  What timeframe
are we discussing?  Again, public availability of Unix seems to have
come after 1974.

> A new class of machines was coming out (my first machine was a PDP 8e
> running BASIC) and while there were plenty of tools they tended to be
> vertical in intent or else not general purpose enough for this sort of
> computing. Look at the first couple of years of Byte or Dr. Dobb's for
> more specific examples (remember Godbout?) in the personal computer
> market.

As I've indicated, I'm not as old as you think I am.  Unix and I are
close to the same age.  My real awareness starts in the early to mid
1980s, some exceptions.

Incidentally, if you want to remenisce, there's a DEC timeline here:

    http://www.montagar.com/dfwcug/VMS_HTML/timeline/1964-3.htm
    http://www.montagar.com/dfwcug/VMS_HTML/timeline/DECHISTORY.HTM

> Which happens to be one of the primary reasons Unix was developed,
> there were no realistic choices in the market for this paradigm. So a
> solution can trotting along.

I'm unconvinced.

Again, the PDP series, notably the '7 & '11, as well as the HP 3000,
stand out in searches as significant mini systems of the day.  I have to
assume they included operating systems.

And again, GNU/Linux emerged in a universe of PC operating systems:
DOS, Macintosh, OS/2, Xenix, Minix, BSDi.  

In both cases, the newcomer (Unix/Linux) emerged as a technically
inferior system, but (rapidly or otherwise) outpaced its competition due
to architecture, licensing, and social factors.

Regarding your comment (two posts back) that Linux was coincident with
the Internet:  yes, I agree that this was a formative factor.  I have no
doubt that if Linus hadn't come along, another solution would have
emerged, the time was ripe.  GNU/Linux happened to be best-of-breed.

> We're facing the same sort of thing today with respect to 'grid
> computing' and such. All the current OS'es (Linux incl.) are focused
> on the old style of solutions. We'll also find that our current views
> of what IP means will be found to be as antiquated.

References?

-- 
Karsten M. Self <kmself at ix.netcom.com>       http://kmself.home.netcom.com/
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