*BSD News Article 52144


Return to BSD News archive

Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!simtel!news.sprintlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!swrinde!sgigate.sgi.com!news.corp.sgi.com!inn
From: Ron Nicholson <rhn@sgi.com>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc,comp.sys.mac.system,comp.sys.mac.hardware,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: BSD UNIX on a PowerMac??
Date: 27 Sep 1995 23:40:26 GMT
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc.
Lines: 22
Message-ID: <44cnda$msf@murrow.corp.sgi.com>
References: <aberenzw-0909952243200001@pierson-college-kstar-node.net.yale.edu> <DEr9vL.vA@yedi.iaf.nl> <Mark_Cookson-1909951051180001@mac1002.kip.apple.com> <caradoc-2209951549440001@ppp-236-111.neta.com> <erik-2609950903080001@192.0.2.1>
NNTP-Posting-Host: waltz.engr.sgi.com
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Mailer: Mozilla 1.1S (X11; I; IRIX 5.3 IP22)
X-URL: news:erik-2609950903080001@192.0.2.1
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.sys.mac.misc:96035 comp.sys.mac.system:101559 comp.sys.mac.hardware:149676 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:6794

erik@hypermall.com (Erik Kloeppel) wrote:
>>I think they're at http://www.tenon.com/.
>
>I think that address is correct, but MachTen is not a true UNIX.. it's a
>SHELL over the Mac O/S that looks and acts like UNIX and lets you run many
>(even most or all ) UNIX applications.  IT sounds like a tiny difference,
>but the difference is non-trivial.  MachTen accesses the peripherals via
>the Mac software, where a true UNIX would talk to the peripherals
>directly.. 

What's the difference between accessing peripherals via Mac software, and
via the microcode that's inside most peripheral chips?  At least with Mac
software, you have a chance that any bugs can be fixed without needing
to buy a new motherboard.

I would think that the lack of hard links in MachTen would be a bigger
difference.

---
Ronald H. Nicholson, Jr.                rhn@engr.sgi.com, rhn@netcom.com
#include <canonical.disclaimer>         // I speak only for myself, etc.