TOPS-20

From: Eric Smith <eric_at_brouhaha.com>
Date: Mon Oct 19 16:48:41 1998

Someone asked:
> [Why is TOPS-20 so much better than Unix?]

"Daniel A. Seagraves" <DSEAGRAV_at_toad.xkl.com> wrote:
> I like the idea of being able to DETACH CONTINUE something,
> log in from elsewhere, re-attach my job, and continue without stopping the
> job (Unless is tries to do TTY I/O, then it has to wait).

Which is available under Unix using the 'screen' program. 'Screen' may
not be part of the operating system, but it is widely recognized these
days that implementing things in user space instead of a monolithic kernel
is often a win (in cases where it doesn't seriously harm system throughput).

> Also, if you suddenly decide you want to go poke at your program's interior,
> you and ^C^C it and say DDT, and (provided you know how to operate DDT) it
> will snag the program you just stopped and let you play with it. Or, if you
> do this accidentally, you can say CONTINUE and it will go along like
> nothing happened.

Under Unix you can do the same thing. Just hit control-Z to suspend the
job, fire up GDB, and attach to it.

I like TOPS-20, but many of the capabilities that I liked are available
in Unix. They weren't available in Unix 20 years ago, but OTOH 20 years ago
a full Unix system would fit on an RK05.

Eric
Received on Mon Oct 19 1998 - 16:48:41 BST