Linked by Thom Holwerda on Sun 12th Aug 2007 20:23 UTC
A few years ago, I was an avid QNX user. I used the non-commercial desktop version of this wonderfully clean and elegant pure-microkernel operating system for a long period of time, as a desktop operating system. I liked the whole style of this operating system, its Photon user interface, and its excellent package management system. I even wrote a three-page article about it. Sadly, QSS, the company behind QNX, lost all interest in the non-commercial desktop version, and ditched it, leaving only a hard-to-find 30-day evaluation version alive. Community interest dwindled, and so did mine. Despite my lost interest, it saddened me today to learn that QNXZone.com, a community portal for QNX, has been shut down. Read on for a few short thoughts.
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Member since:
2005-07-24
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QNX is doing extremely well in its intended space
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Granted. Microkernels can do well in niche areas.
It seems that whenever a general purpose OS developer tries to go microkernel, they end up backpedaling and end up with a retrofitted monolithic design.
Except for Minix which, despite what Tanenbaum claims during his combination dog and pony show / microkernel pep rallies, performs abysmally.
And, of course, for The HURD. That shining example of the power of the microkernel design concept.