From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Message-ID: <20030211225021.21454.qmail@f.bio.cse.psu.edu> To: 9fans@cse.psu.edu Subject: Re: [9fans] Some Plan9 questions In-Reply-To: Message from "Matt Keeler" of "Tue, 11 Feb 2003 17:36:19 EST." <20030211223619.29018.qmail@scsi1.moonshynecomm.com> From: Scott Schwartz Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2003 17:50:20 -0500 Topicbox-Message-UUID: 57bf3404-eacb-11e9-9e20-41e7f4b1d025 | 1) My main question is how much compatibility is there between Plan9 and | other UNIX-based operating systems, like BSD, Linux, etc.? That includes | running applications that were developed for Linux, BSD, and UNIX systems in | general. Plan 9, unlike GNU, really is not Unix. Compatability with old mistakes is not a feature of this system. | 2) If Plan9 does not run applications that other UNIX operating systems can | run, how hard is it to port the code over? Some vanilla ANSI/POSIX programs can be ported with the help of a compatability library, and some degree of fuss. Mostly, though, Plan 9 users feel like the point is to not reinvent the old stuff. | 3) How hard is it for someone who is coming from a more common UNIX OS to | get used to Plan9? Not hard. Plan 9 has its quirks, but it was designed by just a few very smart people, so you get a clear sense of their vision. Read the man pages on the web site to see what I mean. | 4) How popular is Plan9? This is just a question I ask out of plain | curiosity. There are about 400 people on the mailing list. (Not counting list exploders and usenet readers.)