Re: No Microsoft Breakup

From: Chris Rehm <javadisciple@earthlink.net>
> On Friday 07 September 2001 05:49 pm, Jim Damato wrote:
> > Are the AS/400's TCP/IP services, spool management, and integrated file
> > system part of the operating system?
>
> Short answer, no.
> The TCP/IP stack is mostly a broker between applications (local and remote)
but
> it will of course be managed by the OS which is responsible for providing a
> means for communication between tasks.
>

wrong Chris, the OS does not *manage* the stacks  (there are two of them).
The stacks may *utilize* OS primitives. We should not lose sight of who
is in control. Also, strictly speaking TCP/IP is WAY below the application
layer, so TCP/IP is in no way a broker. It is (as its name says) just a
transportation protocol.

Now, one could be justified to view TCP/IP as part of the OS as viewed
from an application, if the application does not interact directly with the
OS, but only through TCP/IP. Bottom line: there is no absolute definition
of what is an OS (except from people that KNOW what it is :-)