A/UX 2.0 New Features
---------------------
The Apple A/UX operating system Version 2.0 provides access to the Macintosh
desktop within the UNIX environment. Users can run multiple Macintosh
productivity applications, UNIX applications, and X Window System applications
simultaneously.
The Macintosh Finder is hosted by A/UX Version 2.0 and is the default user
environment. From the Finder a user can launch Macintosh binary files, UNIX
Toolbox applications, "vanilla" UNIX applications in terminal windows, and X
Window System applications. Both A/UX and Macintosh file systems appear on the
desktop with point and click access to all available files (eliminating the
need for the HFX utility).
A/UX Version 2.0 supports multiple, concurrent, Macintosh-Toolbox
applications, in addition to concurrent UNIX and X applications in the
Macintosh desktop environment. A/UX 2.0 implements the Macintosh Layer Manager
and the MultiFinder interface.
Menu-driven commands provide easy startup, login, logout, and shutdown. The
user no longer needs to know the technical details of the environment.
Macintosh applications that adhere to the specifications for the Macintosh
32-bit environment (referred to as "32-bit clean") run in the A/UX environment
without change. A/UX 2.0 also supports Macintosh applications that are not yet
32-bit clean. At login, you specify creation of a 24-bit, 32-bit, or console
emulator environment. To switch between environments, you log out and then
log back in without restarting.
The A/UX Version 2.0 Commando interface for all UNIX commands provides
dialog-based interfaces for all UNIX utilities that have command-line
arguments. You have the choice of typing command line arguments in the
conventional way, or running Commando.
UNIX shell windows are now accessible from the Apple menu on the desktop, and
a Macintosh, mouse-driven editor eliminates the need to learn a text editor
like vi. (The standard editing and processing utilities, including vi,
ex, ed, ditroff, nroff, tbl, eqn, and pic are available as alternatives.)
A/UX Version 2.0 supports Callbacks, simulating Macintosh asynchronous I/O by
associating a completion routine with a toolbox asynchronous I/O request.
When the I/O request is completed, control dispatches to the established
completion routine.
The Macintosh Sound Manager provides continuous sampled sound plus note
and wavetable synthesizing with calls for both synchronous and asynchronous
operations (with callbacks). The A/UX Sound Manager is compatible in all ways
with its System 6.0.x counterpart. One notable difference, a result of A/UX
virtual memory, is that the A/UX Sound Manager can play sound resources that
are larger than physical memory. However, A/UX doesn't implement the MIDI
interfaces.
A/UX 2.0 also supports Macintosh applications that require access to the
toolbox slot manager and the serial driver providing support for direct-connect
printer/plotter devices accessed by toolbox (non-UNIX) calls and for
applications like AppleLink and MacTerminal.
A/UX Version 2.0 implements Gestalt (replacing SysEnvirons), providing a
cleaner, more efficient method for applications to request information about
the current hardware and software operating environment. Gestalt provides the
ability to determine information about a large number of system dependent
features, like these:
- Type of machine the application is running on
- Version of the System file, AppleTalk driver, and QuickDraw
currently running
- Type of CPU, MMU, FPU, and keyboard
- Amount of available RAM, VM, and size of logical pages
- Whether A/UX is running or not
New Hardware Support
--------------------
A/UX Version 2.0 runs on all Macintosh II systems and on the Macintosh SE/30.
Macintosh IIfx support includes the new SCSI DMA, Floppy/ADB PIC (Peripheral
Interface Controller) chip, and the SCC PIC chip.
Version 2.0 supports HFS-, A/UX-, and DOS-formatted floppies with capacities of
400K, 720K, 800K, and 1.44M capacities. The AppleCD SC drive can be used as
a read-only UNIX file system of up to 500 megabytes, giving information systems
providers an inexpensive distribution medium.
Software Enhancements
---------------------
A/UX Version 2.0 includes the following software enhancements:
- There is now only one Eschatology partition. A new default partitioning
scheme accommodates MultiFinder. Version 2.0.1 of HD setup software includes
an option to partition a 160-megabyte hard disk.
- The newunix and autoconfig scripts have been augmented by a new script,
newconfig. Newconfig uses the same command line arguments as newunix. As an
example, to configure a new kernel with NFS and sound, you enter
"newconfig nfs snd".
- Processes using the same library routines can share a single copy of the
library's object code.
- The user address space, virtual memory maps, and page table management have
all been enhanced.
- Accomodation of 32-bit clean ROMs results in smaller patch files.
- The data encryption code is included in the A/UX file system.
- The SASH has been made more Macintosh-like; UFS, System VFS, and A/UX
floppies are now accessible through the SASH.
Connectivity Enhancements
-------------------------
A/UX Version 2.0 provides the following enhancements to connectivity:
- A/UX 2.0 supports both X11 (Versions X11R3 and X11R4) and MacX (Version
X11R3). (These products are bundled together and sold separately from A/UX
2.0.)
- AppleTalk 2.0 for A/UX is rolled into the 2.0 release.
- A/UX 2.0 supports the MacTCP programmer interface.
- A/UX 2.0 offers access to AppleShare volumes from the Finder Desktop.
Programming Features
--------------------
A/UX 2.0 offers an assembler, a C Compiler, debuggers, the Source Code Control
System (SCCS), and related tools to assist in developing new applications or
porting existing software to A/UX. Version 2.0 also includes a set of UNIX
libraries that let C programs access the functionality of the Macintosh
Toolbox. A/UX applications can thus present the Macintosh graphics-based user
interface and the traditional UNIX appearance.
Standards
---------
The A/UX operating system is source-licensed from AT&T and meets System V
Interface Definition (SVID) specifications. Extensions from Berkeley Software
Distribution (BSD) Release 4.3 are included in A/UX 2.0, and the release is
the IEEE POSIX 1003.1 1988 Full-Use Standard (FUS) and ISO 9945-1.