Item Subject: Message text
Martin writes:
> Is it just me, or do I detect a lot of animosity towards Unix in the
> HP3000 world?
 
Can you imagine what the world would be like if the Axis won World War II?
That's the way most non-unix users feel these days. Unix is like an
unwelcome occupying force, telling everyone how to behave and how wonderful
the world will be now that they are in charge and how good this is for
everyone and how wrong they are to feel otherwise :-)
 
> I read so many messages slagging off Unix, that I can't keep myself
> from talking about some of the great things you _can_ do with Unix.
 
Well, lets take a look...
 
> Here's one (just one!): NFS
> We have an HP9000 and an IBM AIX system. It took about an hour to set
> up the NFS configuration, and I can now connect to the HP and use
> disks on the IBM completely transparently. It's incredibly easy, and
> incredibly fast! And these are machines from two different
> manufacturers. You couldn't do this with an HP3000 and an AS/400!
 
Sure you can. I have NFS on my 3000. I can mount my unix systems from
the 3000 and vice versa. Works keen. NFS/iX from Quest Software.
 
> I also use NFS from my PC (via FTP's PCTCP, and no, I don't get any
> commission for mentioning it!). I have two drives defined on the HP,
> one of which is private to me, the other I can share with other users
> on other PC's, and on Unix. Again, very easy to set up, very fast,
> incredibly easy to use. The nearest I have seen to this on the HP3000
> was portable Netware, and .... least said soonest mended!
 
Quest has customers using the 3000 in the very same way using PCNFS.
There are even customers using the 3000 as a server for diskless
workstations like the HP Windows Clients. They can BOOT them from the
3000, load the operating system, load windows, and map all their
disk drives to points in the MPE directory structure. Works just like
unix.
 
> Here's another one: Telnet. You'll notice there are quite a few
> client-server products for the HP3000 which use WRQ's PtoP software
> embedded in the product, to handle communication with the server. We
> took the option, on Unix, of using Telnet. This has the huge
> advantage of being available on all Unix systems, and being supported
> as standard by all the Winsock PC comms packages as well, so it makes
> our software very easily portable. Now HP say they are doing Telnet
> (and I mean Telnet server, not client, on the HP3000). I'll be
> delighted to see it when it comes!
 
Well, as you point out, HP is doing TELNET support for the 3000, and it
will be released as a free enhancement this year I understand. Um, are
you aware that HP has already released Telent Cleint for the 3000 and
that it is bundled into all 5.0 systems for free?
 
> That's all for now.... If this arouses any interest I'll put forward
> why I think Unix is wonderful for both the vendors and purchasers of
> computer software.
 
That's ok, no hurry.
 
G.