Linux vs Windows, obscure security features (was: Quarantining an account...)

[Benjamin Scott]

On Tue, Aug 17, 2010 at 5:22 PM, David Hardy <belovedbold357 at gmail.com> wrote:
> And we all know, I think, that Windows NT was created for Microsoft by Dave
> Cutler, former developer of RSX and VMS ..

  And Cutler moved to Microsoft because DEC just wanted to
maintain/extend VMS, while Cutler wanted to write a new OS ("MICA")
for the new hardware architecture ("PRISM") that was being designed.
Microsoft needed a better OS (where "better" included "not part-owned
by IBM"), Cutler wanted to continue MICA... and thus "OS/2 NT" was
born.  It was originally going to be the 3.0 release of OS/2.  Then
the IBM and MSFT alliance fell apart completely, and it became
"Windows NT".

  (Aside: Significant chunks of the PRISM technology ended up as the
Alpha architecture.)

> I remember how there were a number of similarities between
> the VMS user authorization parameters and the NT ones,

  Reportedly, the NT kernel and VMS share a number of architectural
similarities.  I read a 2-page technical analysis once; most of it was
over my head but it sure seemed like there was something to it.  I've
been told NT was so similar DEC threatened MSFT with legal action, and
MSFT settled out-of-court; one consequence was that NT was maintained
on the Alpha for longer than had MSFT wanted.  Or something like that.

-- Ben