This is an off topic response to Bob Browns last post.
Delete if you want hard core SMP talk.
Wow! What email. I just had one comment to your very
insightful story. I always believed that the big
impediment to UNIX on the desk top was perceived extra
administration overhead.
Let me explain. Why back when, I was looking for a 80x86 UNIX.
After talking to many people about the idea of using UNIX, the main
concern was administration (mounts, log files, user accounts, etc.)
not to mention the whole notion of "start up and shutdown".
In my opinion, DOS gave many users the false impression that
using an IBM PC with MS DOS was a plug and play adminstrationless
computer. Turn it on, do something, turn it off. I believe
that MS effective pulled of a great marketing ploy by extending
this belief to windows. But, as anyone knows as soon as you
allow users and applications to shot-gun your hard disk with
what ever files they wish you get an administrative nightmare.
Indeed, I can not think of one "non-computer-jock user" machine
that was not full of temp files and totally misconfigured
for their particular needs. I even had one person who bought
one of those uninstaller clean up programs and said, "I do not
even understand the questions it is asking me".
I think now we are seeing the results of the M$ OS mess.
People are fed-up with the additional cost (support and administration)
required for systems that seem to have an "ad-hoc" administration policy
The economics of a well engineered OS (UNIX) vs. an ad-hoc OS (Windows
3.1, 9X) is now being understood in painful economic terms.
I agree that had SUN produced a $50 UNIX for Intel, the world
would be quite different. It would take some time to catch on
because of the administration myth, but it would have caught on.
It has taken some time for people learn the lesson. This is
one reason why I believe Linux has become so popular NOW - as you
mention. Indeed, had even Apple ported their OS to Intel,
there would have been a real serious threat to M$ long ago.
"But hey, why port our software to a non-proprietary
hardware platform. We can make much more money selling
our hardware at high margins, charging lot's of money for
spare parts. Besides, only we can write an OS ..."
Doug
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