AIX Isn't uniX. Really, AIX is a legacy OS. IBM
doesn't seem to
be really putting any significant resources into advancing it.
When you say "advancing it," though, what kind of stuff would you
like them to be doing?
Stuff like a dependency-based boot process, something like Linux vServer
or KVM support (NOT LPARs, but equivalent to zVM or KVM/Xen on x86).
I'd also add getting rid of the ODM, but I guess that's what makes AIX,
AIX (and not UNIX). Oh, and can you shrink filesystems yet?
I don't know enough about KVM/Xen, so I can't comment on that (but while I'd
like it as well myself, dependency based boot, if I understand what you're
referring to, isn't so old or mature in Linux either). Also, you can shrink
a JFS2 fs as of AIX 5.3.
On
server-grade OSes, at some point you cover all the basics. There's
no dancing babies to be had in smit.
I'm not sure that smit would be necessary on any other UNIX, once you
"know" the platform. On AIX it's pretty much required because of its
strange commands, and dependency on the ODM.
That's not what I meant. At some point features become frivolous, hence,
"no dancing babies in smit."
I'm sure the ODM is very alien to people who aren't used to AIX, but
Linux's oddities have only become the de facto standard oddities because
Linux has numerical dominance. Apple is very strange with certain things
about Mac OS X and Darwin, such as dyld, but no one calls that a "legacy
OS," just unusual.
Myself,
I've decided I'll be getting a brand new IBM server next year
for my home network. Natch, it'll be running AIX, not Linux, so I can
use all the RS/6000 and Apple Network Server software and such I've
accumulated over the years.
Mind you, I have IBM RS/6000 and pSeries hardware, and even have AIX
installed on some of it, but I don't see why anyone would deploy a new
server running AIX when they don't have existing applications for AIX to
run on it.
That's a fair criticism, but an unfortunate one.
--
------------------------------------ personal:
http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ --
Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems *
www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at
floodgap.com
-- To err is human -- to forgive is not company policy. -----------------------