[X4U] "Backwards Compatibility"

[Ed Gould]

On Jun 18, 2008, at 2:26 AM, Christopher Collins wrote:

>
> On 18/06/2008, at 1:17 PM, Zane H. Healy wrote:
>
>>   Backwards compatibility should be any OS vendors primary objective.
>>
>
> What a load of absolute crap this line is!
>
> It is "backwards compatibility" that always limits innovation.
>

I will have to disagree with you on this. Another vendor is  
progressing and fast, yet does remain backwards compatibility  
extremely well and they now offer to run UNIX on the same box as  
their other OS. They have offered TCP/IP for over 10 years   and yet  
99.99 percent of the programs they run have really not changed  
significantly in over 40 years.  The security on the system is (it  
keeps changing the security level so I might be off by off a little  
but the last I heard it was certified B1) which is really up there.  
The networking compatibility  are *FAR* superior to most anything  
else. They offer the best of just about everything (as far as  
software and hardware) as to scalability (currently they offer a  
processor options that has 50 cpu's as well as just 1). They have  
over the years been far ahead of the rest of the computing world  
support for various disk and tape systems. They run all (AFAIK) all  
the worlds airlines reservations systems and most if not all of the  
worlds banks. They are not at the bleeding edge of technology but at  
a spot where if something new comes around they will offer it if  
there is a demand for it.

So I think you should rethink  the above statement.

Ed