1.6.17 summary and why I think AST is right.
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1.6.17 summary and why I think AST is right.
I will first give a summary of what you can expect from MINIX in *near*
future, and then explain why I think AST is right.
Some time ago, I asked for details about the next MINIX release (1.6.17).
I got some response, but only from people running 1.6.16. The following
informations are not official and may be wrong, but they are all I know
at the moment. Correct me if something is wrong:
- The 1.6.17 patches will be relative to 1.5 as shipped by PH.
- The header files are clean.
- The two types of filesystems can be used together.
- The signal handling is rewritten for POSIX. The old bug is removed.
- The ANSI compiler (available from Transmediar, I guess) comes with
compiler binaries and new libraries.
- There don't seem to be support for the Amoeba network protocol.
- times(2) returns a correct value. termios(2) is implemented, but it's
more a hack. I don't know if "implemented" means in the kernel, or the
current emulation.
- There is no documentation about the new filesystem. There is a new fsck
and a new mkfs, don't know about de.
- With the ANSI compiler, there is better floating point support.
- The scheduler is improved, but not as good as written by Kai-Uwe Bloem.
I asked these things to get facts for the decision if I should upgrade to
MINIX 1.6.17 or to Linux after the examens are over. Well, the decision
is made: I will upgrade to Linux at the end of the month and remove MINIX
from my winchester, when Linux runs all the software I need and which currently
runs under MINIX 1.5 with heavy patches. I guess this may take up to two
months. These are the main reasons for my decision:
- There is no "current" MINIX release, which can be used as basis for
patches and nobody knows, when 1.6.17 will appear.
- The library contains several bugs and from what I have heard, there is
no work done at them. There will not be a new compiler, and the 16 bit
users still have to use buggy ACK.
- 1.6.17 should offer more POSIX, but a complete termios is still missing.
- I doubt that there is still much development for 16 bit users.
I think I will stop maintaining the MINIX software list in a few months.
Anyone out there, who would like to continue it? Until Linux runs
*perfect* on my machine, each update of Origami will still run on 16-bit
MINIX. I will announce when the last of these versions appears.
In my opinion, AST is right in his decision about MINIX. I read the flame
war and can't resist to say that I like MINIX the way it is, now where
there is Linux. MINIX has some advantages:
- You can start playing with it without a winchester, you can even
compile programs. I did this a few years ago.
- It is so small, you don't need to know much to get a small system which
runs ok.
- There is the book. Ok, only for version 1.3, but most of it is still
valid.
- MINIX is an example of a non-monolithic kernel. Call it a microkernel
or a hack to overcome braindamaged hardware: It demonstrates a concept,
with its pros and cons -- a documented concept.
In my eyes, it is a nice system for first steps in UNIX and systems
programming. I learned most of what I know about UNIX with MINIX, in
all areas, from programming in C under UNIX to system administration
(and security holes:) MINIX grew with me: 1.5.xx upgrades, virtual
consoles, mail & news, text processing, crosscompiling etc. Now it is
too small for me. I don't need a teaching system anymore, I would like
to get a more complicated and featureful UNIX, and there is one: Linux.
Back in the old days, v7 was state of the art. There was MINIX which
offered most of it. In one or two years, POSIX is what you are used to
see. Hopefully, there will be MINIX, offering most of it, with a new
book, for people who want to run a small system to play and experiment
with.
Stop flaming, MINIX and Linux are two different systems with different
purposes. One is a teaching tool (and a good one I think), the other is
real UNIX for real hackers.
Michael