Re: Distributed Ada (Annex E)

[Wes Groleau <wesgroleau@despammed.com>]

> This has proven enlightening -- GNU sed 3.02 behaves differently
> on Linux than on XP -- with the same shell.

GNU should be GNU anywhere, eh?  There's a big difference
between GNU vs. GNU and Unix vs. Microsoft, but here's
a good story anyway:

from http://slashdot.org/articles/01/02/06/2030205.shtml

Question 5) True Story?

Was the story about you embarrassing a Microsoftie at a conference true? 
Specifically, that he was insisting that their implementation of ksh in 
their unix compatibility kit was true to the "real" thing and trying to 
argue the point with you.  The argument ended when someone else finally 
stood up and informed the speaker who he was arguing with.

Just curious ...

Korn: This story is true.  It was at a USENIX Windows NT conference and 
Microsoft was presenting their future directions for NT.  One of their 
speakers said that they would release a UNIX integration package for NT 
that would contain the Korn Shell.

I knew that Microsoft had licensed a number of tools from MKS so I came to 
the microphone to tell the speaker that this was not the "real" Korn Shell 
and that MKS was not even compatible with ksh88.  I had no intention of 
embarrassing him and thought that he would explain the compromises that 
Microsoft had to make in choosing MKS Korn Shell.  Instead, he insisted 
that I was wrong and that Microsoft had indeed chosen a "real" Korn Shell. 
After a couple of exchanges, I shut up and let him dig himself in deeper. 
Finally someone in the audience stood up and told him what almost everyone 
in the audience knew, that I had written the 'real' Korn Shell.  I think 
that this is symbolic about the way the company works.