Re: NOS is evil

["Brian A. Lantz" <brian@lantz.com>]

On Thu, 8 Dec 1994, Brandon S. Allbery wrote:

> The *biggest* plus of [JT]NOS for most users is that they can move 
> step-wise, learning as they go.  I haven't played with TNOS, but I've done 
> everything I could to keep JNOS/Linux compatible with the DOS 1.09 
> distribution

TNOS/Linux 1.10 and TNOS/DOS 1.10 come from the same source tree and with 
only a few cosmetic functions, work the same on both platforms.


> A DOS JNOS user can move their existing system, virtually unmodified, to 
> JNOS/Linux.  From there, he can establish a link between JNOS and Linux's 
> native networking, then begin moving services from JNOS to Linux.  
> Ultimately, all that will be left in JNOS is the AX.25 protocol; the final 
> step, of course, being the move to kernel AX.25.

Exactly the same with TNOS


> While Linux's (or, for that matter, BSD's) native networking is
> superficially similar to NOS, in fact configuring it --- and all the
> services --- is an order of magnitude more complicated.  JNOS (and,
> presumably, TNOS) give the NOS user a chance to make the move in stages,
> learning how to configure Linux services and switching them over *one at a
> time* instead of having to learn and configure *everything* before moving.

I had originally said that there would be NO TNOS for Linux, because I 
wanted to put together an easy way for Joe Ham to use the Linux services 
out of the box. I was also going to take the unique servers out of TNOS 
and make them standalone on Linux.

While this still remains the eventual plan, necessity led to TNOS/Linux....


Ron/N8FOW said:
> The needs to be just a bit more work done in the code to operate
> in a more 'real world' environment for it to work correctly like
> what you describe, and due to that reason a lot of people that I've
> noticed have gone back to JNOS or TNOS since they don't like it when the
> Linux system backs off and just sits there for a very very long time
> not doing anything.

I ported TNOS to Linux because of my OWN need for a 'real world' 
environment. The AX25 Kernel is THE WAY to go, but it's not there, yet.

Brandon had done a good job with JNOS/Linux, but I was used to my OWN 
extensions and servers, so I took a little code I did when I ported TNOS 
to OS9-68000, and a little code from JNOS/Linux, and wrote a little more 
and <poof>, there was TNOS/Linux.

I hope that I won't be sidetracked from AX25 Kernel development too much 
longer, but at this time there IS a real need for JNOS/TNOS on Linux. 
Until someone produces one of those subliminal message learning tapes on 
Unix, Joe Ham can use a way to take his trek from the bootstrap loader 
(DOS) to an OS (Unix/Linux) a piece at a time.


-----------------------------------------------------------
Brian A. Lantz/KO4KS                        brian@lantz.com

REAL PORTION of Microsoft Windows code:
	while (memory_available)	{
		eat_major_portion_of_memory (no_real_reason);
		if (feel_like_it)
			make_user_THINK (this_is_an_OS);
		gates_bank_balance++;
	}