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138 lines
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<!Converted with LaTeX2HTML 95.1 (Fri Jan 20 1995) by Nikos Drakos (nikos@cbl.leeds.ac.uk), CBLU, University of Leeds >
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<TITLE>1.7.4 Other implementations of UNIX</TITLE>
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<BR> <HR><A NAME=tex2html2014 HREF="node30.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="next" SRC="next_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2012 HREF="node25.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="up" SRC="up_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2008 HREF="node28.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="previous" SRC="previous_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2016 HREF="node1.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="contents" SRC="contents_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2017 HREF="node250.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="index" SRC="index_motif.gif"></A> <BR>
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<B> Next:</B> <A NAME=tex2html2015 HREF="node30.html">1.8 Hardware Requirements</A>
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<B>Up:</B> <A NAME=tex2html2013 HREF="node25.html">1.7 Differences Between Linux </A>
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<B> Previous:</B> <A NAME=tex2html2009 HREF="node28.html">1.7.3 Linux vs. The </A>
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<BR> <HR> <P>
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<H2><A NAME=SECTION00374000000000000000>1.7.4 Other implementations of UNIX</A></H2>
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<P>
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There are several other implementations of UNIX for the 80386 and 80486.
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The 80386 architecture lends itself to the UNIX design, and a number of
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vendors have taken advantage of this.
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<P>
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<A NAME=492> </A>
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<A NAME=493> </A>
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Feature-wise, other implementations of UNIX for the PC are quite similar to
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Linux. You will see that almost all commercial versions of UNIX support
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roughly the same software, programming environment, and networking features.
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However, there are some strong differences between Linux and commercial
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versions of UNIX.
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<P>
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First of all, Linux supports a different range of hardware from
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commercial implementations. In general, Linux supports the most
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well-known hardware devices, but support is still
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limited to that hardware which developers actually have access to.
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However, commercial UNIX vendors generally have a wider support base, and
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tend to support more hardware, although Linux is not far behind.
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We'll cover the hardware requirements for Linux in
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Section <A HREF="node30.html#secintrohardware">1.8</A>.
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<P>
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Secondly, commercial implementations of UNIX usually come bundled with a
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complete set of documentation as well as user support from the vendor. In
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contrast, most of the documentation for Linux is limited to documents
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available on the Internet---and books such as this one. In
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Section <A HREF="node43.html#secintrosources">1.9</A> we'll list sources of Linux
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documentation and other information.
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<P>
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<A NAME=496> </A>
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<A NAME=497> </A>
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As far as stability and robustness are concerned, many users have
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reported that Linux is at least as stable as commercial UNIX systems.
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Linux is still under development, and certain features (such TCP/IP
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networking) are less stable but improve as time goes by.
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<P>
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<A NAME=498> </A>
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<A NAME=499> </A>
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The most important factor to consider for many users is price. The Linux
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software is free, if you have access to the Internet (or another computer
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network) and can download it. If you do not have access to such a
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network, you may need to purchase it via mail order on diskette, tape,
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or CD-ROM (see Appendix <A HREF="node234.html#appvendornum">B</A>).
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<A NAME=501> </A>
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<A NAME=502> </A>
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Of course, you may copy Linux from a
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friend who may already have the software, or share the cost of purchasing it
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with someone else. If you are planning to install Linux on a large number of
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machines, you need only purchase a single copy of the software---Linux is
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not distributed on a ``single machine'' license.
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<P>
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The value of commercial UNIX implementations should not be demeaned:
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along with the price of the software itself, one usually pays for
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documentation, support, and assurance of quality. These are very important
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factors for large institutions, but personal computer users may not require
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these benefits. In any case,
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many businesses and universities are finding that running Linux on a
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lab of inexpensive personal computers is preferrable to running a commercial
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version of UNIX in a lab of workstations. Linux can provide the functionality
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of a workstation on PC hardware at a fraction of the cost.
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<P>
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As a ``real-world'' example of Linux's use within the computing community,
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Linux systems have travelled the high seas of the North Pacific, managing
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telecommunications and data analysis for an oceanographic research vessel.
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Linux systems are being used at research stations in Antarctica. As a more
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mundane example, perhaps, several hospitals are using Linux to maintain
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patient records. It is proving to be as reliable and useful as other
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implementations of UNIX.
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<P>
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<A NAME=503> </A>
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<A NAME=504> </A>
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<A NAME=505> </A>
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<A NAME=506> </A>
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There are other free or inexpensive implementations of UNIX for
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the 386 and 486. One of the most well-known is 386BSD, an implementation
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and port of BSD UNIX for the 386. 386BSD is comparable to Linux in many
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ways, but which one is ``better'' depends on your own personal needs and
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expectations. The only strong distinction that we can make is that Linux is
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developed openly (where any volunteer can aid in the development process),
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while 386BSD is developed within a closed team of programmers who
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maintain the system. Because of this, serious philosophical and design
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differences exist between the two projects. The goals of the two projects
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are entirely different: the goal of Linux is to develop a complete UNIX
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system from scratch (and have a lot of fun in the process), and the goal
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of 386BSD is in part to modify the existing BSD code for use on the 386.
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<P>
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NetBSD is another port of the BSD NET/2 distribution to a number of
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machines, including the 386. NetBSD has a slightly more open development
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structure, and is comparable to 386BSD in many respects.
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<P>
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<A NAME=507> </A>
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Another project of note is HURD, an effort by the Free Software
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Foundation to develop and distribute a free version of UNIX for many
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platforms. Contact the Free Software Foundation (the address is given in
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Appendix <A HREF="node246.html#appgplnum">E</A>) for more information about this project.
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At the time of this writing, HURD is still in early stages of development.
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<P>
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<A NAME=509> </A>
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<A NAME=510> </A>
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Other inexpensive versions of UNIX exist as well, such as Coherent (available
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for about $99) and Minix (an academic but useful UNIX clone upon which
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early development of Linux was based). Some of these implementations are of
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mostly academic interest, while others are full-fledged systems for real
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productivity. Needless to say, however, many personal UNIX users are moving to
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Linux.
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<P>
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<A NAME=511> </A>
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<A NAME=512> </A>
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<P>
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<BR> <HR><A NAME=tex2html2014 HREF="node30.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="next" SRC="next_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2012 HREF="node25.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="up" SRC="up_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2008 HREF="node28.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="previous" SRC="previous_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2016 HREF="node1.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="contents" SRC="contents_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2017 HREF="node250.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="index" SRC="index_motif.gif"></A> <BR>
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<B> Next:</B> <A NAME=tex2html2015 HREF="node30.html">1.8 Hardware Requirements</A>
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<B>Up:</B> <A NAME=tex2html2013 HREF="node25.html">1.7 Differences Between Linux </A>
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<B> Previous:</B> <A NAME=tex2html2009 HREF="node28.html">1.7.3 Linux vs. The </A>
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<BR> <HR> <P>
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<BR> <HR>
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<P><ADDRESS>
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<I>Matt Welsh <BR>
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mdw@sunsite.unc.edu</I>
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</ADDRESS>
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