SkyOS has gotten a new virtual filesystem, dubbed BranchFS. This makes it possible to branch filesystems, convert read-only media into read-write media, and add SkyFS attributes to non-SkyFS volumes. "BranchFS makes it possible to make a reversible filesystem. By using your system partition you can revert to a previous state (with just one reboot) and and when using a CD BranchFS makes it possible to make changes to the content. BranchFS is still in heavy development but branching a LiveCD works quite well already. The first SkyOS LiveCD will be based on BranchFS."
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I'm confused... There are so many people working on the Linux kernel, and many more working on X, KDE, GNOME, etc. - and yet, Robert and his team of like 5 people seem to be adding way more exciting features of SkyOS.
SkyOS now has so many device drivers, cool UI, applications that work consistently. How is this possible?
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I wouldn't call it a dictatorship; what I would call it is a small group of very skilled programmers who have layed out the direction in where they're heading; rather than throwing things at a problem and seeing what sticks; they see a problem, sit down, write a white paper, design it, and then implement it.
The problem with the Linux world, there are some good ideas (ALSA), but at the same time time there are situations where things are just abandoned - Rhythmbox and Pan Usenet Client being two prime examples of abandonware.
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Passion...and skill...
Another explanation might be that Robert is many ^_^
(like Shakespeare is rumoured to be)
In fact the "Robert" name hides an army of little leprechauns that works diligently at night when everyone is asleep to bring software goodness to SkyOs
Personnaly, I really hope it goes on forever like this (but I guess that at some point some bitter fellow will phone the Association of Defense of Leprechauns rights and tell them about how he abuse them
(At the pace SkyOS get features, I would bet that they work all day for no fee and that they only get 1 minute break every week to go pee and 20 minutes at christmas to go and visit their families)
Edited 2006-12-05 23:51
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Way more features? I hardly think so.
Each of the projects you cited have only a small handful of core committers that make major architectural decisions with many others contributing small improvements and bug fixes. This is the way most Open Source projects are.
So, it's not that unusual that a single person can make so much progress, and this especially so when most of the hard research work has been done for you. Lets be honest, SkyOS isn't breaking any new ground here. It's just yet another operating system with a process scheduler, memory management and a filesystem. Hell, it claims to use a POSIX API so it's already half way to being yet another UNIX.
Not much else can be said about its design since nobody other than its creator knows anything about such details.
Member since:2005-07-06
You're right, SkyOS doesn't tread new ground. A responsive system under heavy loads, a nice clean API, advanced feature integration (like using a browser or videoplayer as a widget) and user-friendlyness aren't new.
If only anything on Linux came even close though..
Member since:2006-03-23
you are right, NOTHING on linux comes close to it, this is why kde isnt responsive under load, it doesent have a good api either, and certainly not good integration with kparts (widgets) that can be embedded, its not userfriendly either, you must give all commands to it in simplified chinese, written as raw bits on a special keyboard only featuring a 0 and 1 button 
oh wait, i forgot, kde really does have all this, and oh wait, it also runs on linux.
Member since:2005-06-30
Alright, come on guys. Linux does some things nice, some things not. SkyOS is the same way. Everything has its nuances. It shouldn't be a battle; Linux should take ideas from SkyOS to make itself better, and vice-versa. I actually last week installed Ubuntu (first time using Linux in about three years), just because I had heard great things about it, to see if I could come up with any new ideas for Robert to try. I've seen a lot of cool things, and a lot of things that could be improved. The same holds true for SkyOS, MacOS X, and even Windows XP (all of which I use on a regular basis (read at least once a day)).
With many and varying choices for systems to use, there should be no losers; the only winners, in the end, should be the consumers, who are able to pick from many options and find the one that suits them best.
\Message posted from Ubuntu Linux, but it just as easily could have been SkyOS, MacOS X, or Windows XP.
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2006-12-06
sounds like it has something in common with CDWrite
http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/cdwrite.html
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The lead coder on SkyOS makes a lot of progress in a very short period of time. I think he has serious dedication to be working on a project like SkyOS when its obvious he could be putting his coding talents elsewhere and making a *lot* of money. I know I'd charge out the wazoo if I could pump out stable and working code at the demonic pace he does.
It's great to watch SkyOS grow: its kind of like watching a single-celled organism evolve into a human -- oops, er, sorry, "mindless ape."
Really, really good stuff here.
Member since:2005-07-09
Eh the thread was going good and until there was a post about open sourcing this...why do they have to open source it? THey are not writign it for you you know. They are doing it because of their passion and dedication for the project. Many people are quite happy with the closed source model. THey pay the os authors get a copy and off they go to enjoy the os's features. What is so wrong with not being open sourced?
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"What is so wrong with not being open sourced?"
Nothing is wrong with it not being open sourced. That's just a "saying" these days. "Wow, the only thing that could make that better is to 'Open Source' it!"
I am going to start using that phrase for everything. "Gee honey! This was the best meal ever. The only thing that could make it better is if you open source it!"
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for all we know, there WILL be a trial of some sort once it goes gold. lik, say, a liveCD version or some such. right now its still in beta, so they have no need to put extra effort into a trial version.
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To be perfectly honest, SkyOS just isn't at a state at present where having a LiveCD would give any sort of a meaningful experience with the system. A LiveCD has been a very popular request, and while certainly the BranchFS that has just been implemented is a step towards this goal, the simple fact of the matter is that other parts of the system need to mature a bit more before we are ready to make it available, "en masse".
But don't worry, we're listening...
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2005-07-08
This is not an innovation. "Branching", more usally called "union mount", is a well known concept. Using it to implement LiveCD is a commonplace. Actually, union mount was available in the system as old as 4.4 BSD!
See http://www.am-utils.org/project-unionfs.html for an implementation of this idea for Linux. Its homepage lists 30 Linux LiveCD projects already using it.
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I don't think Robert ever claimed to have "invented" this idea...
Additionally, it's just a name, a way for us to refer to this technology as it is presented in SkyOS. There are thousands of different processes and sub-systems in SkyOS, and naming them something unique is a good way of keeping them straight.
