mr_majestyk - Slashdot User

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1782613 comment

Comment Re:"Microsoft doesn't make machines." (Score 1) 219

by mr_majestyk on Tuesday November 25, 2008 @10:43AM (#25885787) Attached to: Groklaw Says Microsoft Patent Portfolio Now Worthless

Your link didn't make it, but it's a good find. I didn't know the Smithsonian collected computer documentation. As the description of this item points out: "Although Windows 3.0 proved to be successful, Microsoft wished to continue developing a 32-bit operating system completely unrelated to IBM's OS/2 architecture. To head the redesign project, Microsoft hired David Cutler and others away from Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC).".

1787587 comment

Comment Re:"Microsoft doesn't make machines." (Score 1) 219

by mr_majestyk on Monday November 24, 2008 @10:05PM (#25880455) Attached to: Groklaw Says Microsoft Patent Portfolio Now Worthless

NT was a rename of the OS/2 3.0 development snapshot which Microsoft ended up with after their spat with IBM in the early 1990's and continued to evolve into the NT kernel

That's not entirely correct. Microsoft did use some OS/2 technology in the development of Windows NT, but the NT kernel itself was based on a rewrite of VMS, which was performed by one of the key developers of VMS, Dave Cutler. The OS/2 technology built into NT was primarily included for compatibility with earlier versions of OS/2.

The reason NT started at version 3 is because versions 1 and 2 were already released as the collaborative effort and named OS/2 versions 1 and 2.

Actually, from what I understood, the reason that NT started at version 3.1 is because it matched the release level of the existing (16-bit) version of Windows at the time, and Microsoft wanted to emphasize NT's compatibility with 16-bit applications in the hopes of upgrading mainstream users to NT as quickly as possible. Of course, delivering acceptable compatibility for 16-bit Windows applications in NT turned out to be a lot harder than expected, and most mainstream users did not migrate to the NT kernel until Windows XP was released in 2001.

648390 submission

Submission + - UNIX Functions Compared w/OpenSource Web Interface (eval.com)

Submitted by

Loge

on Wednesday April 30, 2008 @03:15AM

Loge writes: "The IT research firm Ideas International has released a detailed comparison of the functional capabilities in the leading UNIX operating systems, including AIX 6.1, HP-UX 11i v3, and Solaris 10. Unlike previous studies of UNIX functions that were published in the form of written reports, the results of this evaluation have been released with a new methodology called Collaborative Product Evaluation (CPE), which uses a transparent research process with a web-based interface that allows the community to participate in the evaluation. On the CPE web site, users can customize the comparison of the products based on their own requirements by adding weights to individual functions reflecting their importance. Also, if visitors want to, they can contribute their own ratings for specific functions when they agree or disagree with the "expert opinion" of IDEAS analysts. Submitted ratings are qualified with a distributed moderation process similar to the Slashdot system. You can try out the interface and see the results of the evaluation at http://ideasint.eval.com/unixos."

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