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

[David Hardy]

Very interesting, and additional information that I was not aware of,
naturally.  For a short while, maybe nine years ago, I had an office with an
Alpha machine that was running OpenVMS 6.something, and then when my
"managers" found out that it could run NT, they made me change it to NT.  I
wish now that I'd told them it could also run Red Hat.  There was even a web
site back then concerning running NT on Alphas, with available downloads,
and, if memory serves, which it often does not these daze, a pseudo-'for
Dummies' book about VMS and NT interoperability;  I may still have it around
here somewhere.  (there is also another 'for Dummies' book on running VMS
together with Linux.)

Aha, the web site;  here it is: http://www.alphant.com/

I also remember having to install firmware to do the change, and it looks
like some of it may still be available at Microsoft.  I may even have some
floppies around here, too.

Ah, the glory daze...miniscule hard drives, nit-noy RAM...green
monitors...9-track reels...and midnight shift operators who looked like
they'd escaped from the bar scene in *Star Wars*...

<http://www.alphant.com/ant_faq.shtml>

On Tue, Aug 17, 2010 at 5:41 PM, Benjamin Scott <dragonhawk at gmail.com>wrote:

> 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
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