Re: LINUX is obsolete Linux Inside
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Re: LINUX is obsolete

 In article <12595@star.cs.vu.nl> ast@cs.vu.nl (Andy Tanenbaum) writes:
 
 >   While I could go into a long story here about the relative merits of the
 >   two designs, suffice it to say that among the people who actually design
 >   operating systems, the debate is essentially over.  Microkernels have won.
 
 Can you recommend any (unbiased) literature that points out the strengths
 and weaknesses of the two approaches?  I'm sure that there is something
 to be said for the microkernel approach, but I wonder how closely
 Minix resembles the other systems that use it.  Sure, Minix uses lots
 of tasks and messages, but there must be more to a microkernel architecture
 than that.  I suspect that the Minix code is not split optimally into tasks.
 
 >   The only real argument for monolithic systems was performance, and there
 >   is now enough evidence showing that microkernel systems can be just as
 >   fast as monolithic systems (e.g., Rick Rashid has published papers comparing
 >   Mach 3.0 to monolithic systems) that it is now all over but the shoutin`.
 
 My main complaint with Minix is not it's performance.  It is that adding
 features is a royal pain -- something that I presume a microkernel
 architecure is supposed to alleviate.
 
 >   MINIX is a microkernel-based system.
 
 Is there a consensus on this?
 
 >   LINUX is
 >   a monolithic style system.  This is a giant step back into the 1970s.
 >   That is like taking an existing, working C program and rewriting it in
 >   BASIC.  To me, writing a monolithic system in 1991 is a truly poor idea.
 
 This is a fine assertion, but I've yet to see any rationale for it.
 Linux is only about 12000 lines of code I think.  I don't see how
 splitting that into tasks and blasting messages around would improve it.
 
 >Don`t get me wrong, I am not unhappy with LINUX.  It will get all the people
 >who want to turn MINIX in BSD UNIX off my back.  But in all honesty, I would
 >suggest that people who want a **MODERN** "free" OS look around for a 
 >microkernel-based, portable OS, like maybe GNU or something like that.
 
 Well, there are no other choices that I'm aware of at the moment.  But
 when GNU OS comes out, I'll very likely jump ship again.  I sense that
 you *are* somewhat unhappy about Linux (and that surprises me somewhat).
 I would guess that the reason so many people embraced it, is because it
 offers more features.  Your approach to people requesting features in
 Minix, has generally been to tell them that they didn't really want that
 feature anyway.  I submit that the exodus in the direction of Linux
 proves you wrong.
 
 Disclaimer:  I had nothing to do with Linux development.  I just find
              it an easier system to understand than Minix.
 --
 Doug Graham         dgraham@bnr.ca         My opinions are my own.