Posted on 10/27/2005 8:49:24 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Today, Andy Tanenbaum has officially announced the release of MINIX 3.0, the third stable version of this rather legendary operating system. The launch of v3 has been accompanied by a new website and a new logo. From the new website: "MINIX 3 is a new open-source operating system designed to be highly reliable and secure. It is based somewhat on previous versions of MINIX, but is fundamentally different in many key ways. MINIX 1 and 2 were intended as teaching tools; MINIX 3 adds the new goal of being usable as a serious system on resource-limited and embedded computers and for applications requiring high reliability." Read on for more information.
In this announcement, posted in comp.os.minix June this year, Andy Tanenbaum announced he and his group were working on an updated version of MINIX, which had its last major release in 1996 with version 2.0. However, in an email conversation, Andy Tanenbaum asked me not to announce this; he did not want the press all over it until the official release, planned for the end of October. Which is now.
Legendary?
Now, why is MINIX considered legendary? Well, because MINIX, in combination with Andy Tanenbaum's books on operating system design, was the blueprint for what later would become the biggest free and open source operating system of the world-- yes, Linux. In Linus Torvalds' autobiography, "Just for Fun", Linus says that Tanenbaum's book "Operating Systems: Design and Implementation" and MINIX were what "launched me to new heights". More on this here.
That book, co-authored with Albert S. Woodhull, explains the inner workings of the MINIX operating system, and as a result the MINIX source code was sold together with the book. "Operating Systems Design and Implementation" has therefor also been revised, in order to reflect MINIX 3.0.
About 3.0
MINIX 3.0 is released under a BSD-like license, and can be freely downloaded, altered, and so forth. In contrary to the Linux kernel (monolithic) and the WinNT/OSX kernels (hybrid), MINIX is a microkernel operating system. This crucial difference between MINIX and Linux led to one of the most famous flamewars in computer history, between Torvalds and Tanenbaum, held in comp.os.minix. You can read an abstract here. As a result of MINIX being a microkernel, that part of the kernel that lives in kernelspace consists of only 3800 lines of code. All device drivers (except the clock) live in userspace.
Over 300 UNIX programs are available for MINIX 3. It is POSIX-compliant, available for x86 (ARM7 and PPC ports under way) and supports up to 4GB of memory. A port of X Windows is also underway.
On the website, it is made clear that MINIX 3.0 is by no means as complete and full-featured as BSD or Linux. It is also explained that besides the traditional education market, MINIX 3.0 is also aimed at the embedded market, and applications where the GPL is too restrictive.
--Thom Holwerda
BSD is currently considered completely legal and free, from my understanding. If having something for free is all people care about, why they can't use it instead of all these questionable foreign clones I'll never understand.
I'm gonna watch this $100 laptop story over the next 18 months. I want one. They look like a sharp little tool.
I thought these cheap laptops were going to be Lunix based? Has that already been scrapped?
Yes and it had to go through a legal battle to get that status. It was found to be an acceptable derivation.
why they can't use it instead of all these questionable foreign clones I'll never understand.
Because supporting capitalism and consumer choice might sometimes mean people make choice with which you are not comfortable. I use Linux because it has a better application base than BSD and is the recommended platform for Oracle, and other apps I use. I have to buy expensive hardware for apple (though they are getting better), and SUN will have to understand that their indecisiveness in the early part of this decade greatly hurt the adoption of Solaris on the x86 platform. I think a good question is if Linux proved my company which employees Americans a better TCO than Sun or Apple why should I not use it?
Depends who you ask MIT say Linux (though Minix might be a better choice) and AMD says CE. Maybe AMD is going to see their own line running CE.
Because Sun and Apple and SCO are longtime US-born products that are being undercut by the possibly illegal foreign-born clone Lunix. It also is completely released under the GPL license developed by radical leftist Richard Stallman, and has a far larger following of whackos than even Apple. Sun and Apple are resurging though, hopefully SCO will as well.
Instant on/off is a very compelling feature, I have 3 "handheld pc's" (H/PC) myself. Run the terminal server client and the sky's the limit.
Oh I cant wait until this SCO ordeal is over... then we can have these conversations without leading inflammatory language as "possibly illegal foreign-born clone Lunix". Sun nor apple meets my needs and RedHat (An American Company) Does.
and has a far larger following of whackos than even Apple.
Ill remind you Al 'I invented the Internet' and 'The internal combustion engine is the most evil thing ever invented' Gore sits on the board of Apple not RedHat
hopefully SCO will as well.
SCO uses GPL licensed products for their windows file serving, web management, network mapping software and many other features. Just goes to show you even the most rabidly anti GPL company can use Opensource software to make money.
Such as? Let me guess, you'll claim you're one of the 0.001 percent of people that actually have the need AND capability to openly tinker with your O/S source code. If that's it, give us some examples, including the code. I mean it's open source, right?
2) I want to use Oracles recommended os for distributed clusters: That nixes Solaris
3) I want an OS that does not tie my company to one vendor (that nixes both)..
Not too much experience with CE myself, my then Girlfriend now wife owned a PDA that used it and it seemed pretty nice...
It's about as far removed from the Unix code-base as can be imagined. Totally different creature altogether.
Now...Go play in traffic, kid...Ya bother me.
However, it *does* give me something to play with before I leave for the office.
Wait...Where's vim???
I suppose I can try my hand at porting some stuff to it this weekend after I work on my Volvo. :)
1 - Sun and SCO run on x86, Apple will soon.
2 - Oracle definitely runs on Sun clusters.
3 - RH and other versions of Lunix aren't directly interchangable, you still have to port just like you would with any version of *nix.
Lots of companies use some GPL, the ones I have a problem with are those that use it exclusively or are constantly releasing more products under it.
N3wbie is probably worried about your soul.
Apples ahrdware will still be restricted
2 - Oracle definitely runs on Sun clusters.
There recommended platform is Linux..
3 - RH and other versions of Lunix aren't directly interchangable, you still have to port just like you would with any version of *nix.
Sorry but I have probably done more migrations off from one Distro of linux to another than you have. Moving from Solaris to AIX or Linux is much more of a pain than switching distros..
What name calling? I only put out a hypothetical ("if"). I singled no one out. If you wish to take ownership of that, be my guest.
So you should no longer have a problem with these companies right?
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