From: edguer@ces.cwru.edu (Aydin Edguer) Subject: Re: GNU kids on the block? (sorry... couldn't resist) Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1992 22:06:52 GMT
rick@ee.uwm.edu (Rick Miller) writes:
>roland@prep.ai.mit.edu (Roland McGrath) writes:
>>The GNU Project would like to find a volunteer to work on a
>>single-server for the Mach 3.0 microkernel based on Linux.
>
>QUESTION: What exactly *is* a "single-server"?
A single-server is a traditional kernel has been modified to run as
a single process on top of a microkernel. This goes against the design
goals of microkernels but helps to quickly supply a full development
environment.
>[...]
>>Since AT&T's [sic] lawsuit, we can no longer rely on using BNR2SS, the
>>single-server based on the Berkeley Networking 2 release.
>[...]
>
>I thought the GNU Hurd was supposed to be a UN*X look-alike *itself*.
>This sounds very fishy, folks.
What the h*ll do you mean "fishy"? You make it sound like it is some
underhanded deal. The GNU Hurd is based upon Mach 3.0. It is supposed
to be a group of cooperating servers providing services. Yes, in the
long run it would be good to reduce the functionality of UNIX to a set
of well defined (and easily optimized) servers for different functions
but that takes time. It is very *useful* to have the single-server
(i.e. a fully operational system) up and running while developing
those servers.
NET/2 has been called into question by USL [not AT&T]. If USL is successful
in its lawsuit then any programs based on NET/2 may require a USL UNIX source
license. [If you want to discuss this use the newsgroup alt.suit.att-bsdi]
The goal of the GNU project is a freely redistributable UNIX compatible
operating system. Thus using NET/2 code at this time would be dangerous.
Linux did not start with the NET/2 base and therefore has a lower risk of
becoming entrapped.
Free software [Linux] helping free software [GNU] is a wonderful idea.
Just look at the compiler and many of the tools that Linux use [GNU].
Good Luck Roland! Go FSF!
Aydin Edguer