[unios] Re: Networked GUI (was Posix and Networks)

[Pieter Dumon]

From: Pieter Dumon <Pieter.Dumon@rug.ac.be>

> 
> From: Anders Petersson <anders.petersson@mbox320.swipnet.se>
> 
> At 22:01 1998-12-15 , you wrote:
> >From: Pat Wendorf <beholder@ican.net>
> >
> >1) Remote Dumb (graphical) Terminal Access
> 
> I'd want a remote access that does not differ from local access.

I want both explicit terminal access. (Oh yes, I do like Unix/X),
and hidden remote access. 
 
> >2) Server side processing (goes with #1, but not always thought of when using
> >smart terminals)
> 
> Yes. Distributed computing should be possible to implement too (later on).
> Some users need that.

A disrtibuted system is something that has to be implemented from the
start or not. You must change the whole idea of your system. Look at
Amoeba. 

> >3) User Profiles (not new, but very important)
> 
> Network-wide home directories... Log in anywhere and it'll look the same.

This is distributed computing. I would like a system which can do both,
but it's almost impossible to do that.

> >4) Multiple Desktops using the same or multiple servers (done in Unix,
> nice to
> >have)
> 
> Hmm... do you mean multiple GUI desktops? That would be easy, different
> windows could even be used by different servers. No problem if networking
> is sufficiently transparent.

Of course... Windows NT Terminal Server does it too, now. (Well , I like
to stress the word "Terminal", but in another sense.)
 
> >6) Machine Resource level security (more an OS thing, but I'd imagine
> locking out
> >a re-map of the supervisors terminal screen to stop external security
> threats)
> 
> Security is very important when incorporating networking.

                 *******************************
GOD ! What are y ou talking about? Locking out the supervisor terminal?
OF COURSE. Ever been a sysadm???? Do you know what it feels like being 
root on a multi-server network??? Do you know what one would do to obtain
this? Of course a supervisor terminal cannot be reached. It's the most 
important thing in the whole system! Such as simple security is something
that is VERY BASIC to implement. (At least on servers)
Also,we really don't want to make the networking errors Unix made back in
the seventies and NT does now again. NT doesn't even survive a 
denial-of-service attack! You have to add third-party software. 
                 ****************************** 
 
> Oh yes. I see no need to use the same program (as long as the effect is
> equal, the method dones't matter), but sharing data is very useful. Just
> have all users open the same file in a special shared mode, and they are
> notified when changes are made by others and what's changed (changes are
> seen directly). This requires little effort from the application programmer.

I think it shared programs would be useful too.
 
> An ordinary home user is not in possession of a network. In those cases,
> these features are not loaded or even not installed at all. Flexibility...

That's exactly why we need the flexibility. The normal user's don't need
it, but the UniOS designers will, and sysadms on servers, powerusers and 
developpers will.

 
> I have another suggestion. Redundance in networking, which allows one or
> several nodes to fail without loss of the joint computation or information.
> To how big degree this can be done by the OS I don't know, but it's
> certainly useful. What if you could just declare some data to logically
> exist on the network, and it's automatically mirrored on several nodes,
> with accesses made to the nearest copy without any effort from the
> application's side? 
> binEng
> 

Hm. What you are referring to, is ont of the buzz-words of the last year,
 CLUSTERING. Unix can do it, MS just starts to get some in-the-field
experience. It's really important for a corporate server-OS.

An OS that can run _really_ non-stop (off course on the best hardware),
should be able to be implemented too. Although... Tandy and some others
seem to be the only firms able to do this... So it is rather difficult, I
think.   

Pieter

----------------------------------------
 Pieter.Dumon@rug.ac.be               
                                      
 http://studwww.rug.ac.be/~pdumon     
 
 ICQ  : 12428974
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