OSNews:

OSNews: http://www.osnews.com/story/19568/SkyOS_Build_6915_Released Exploring the Future of Computing en-us Copyright 2001-2009, David Adams adam+nospam@osnews.com Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:12:05 GMT http://www.osnews.com/images/osnews.gif OSNews.com http://www.osnews.com it keeps going and going and.... http://osnews.com/thread?307784 http://osnews.com/thread?307784 i am constantly amazed on what is being put into this OS. i am anxiously awaiting the final 5 version. man has it come along way since the 4 days haha. the future is now! Wed, 02 Apr 2008 21:09:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (poundsmack) Comments Looking good http://osnews.com/thread?307786 http://osnews.com/thread?307786 A small release by it's usual standards but the small features are extremely useful i look forward to testing it as usual

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 21:15:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (liamdawe) Comments RE: it keeps going and going and.... http://osnews.com/thread?307787 http://osnews.com/thread?307787 The want me to pay up to even try the damn thing?

MUUUWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 21:15:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (primelight@live.com) Comments RE[2]: it keeps going and going and.... http://osnews.com/thread?307789 http://osnews.com/thread?307789 Yes, they have not released the final version nor a trial livecd yet and as such, you have to pay to be able to get to try it. But paying that one-time-fee allows you to use any upcoming releases all the way to the final release. If that doesn't sound like a good deal to you then you are clearly not the target audience. Your loss, I'd say. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 21:21:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (WereCatf) Comments RE[2]: it keeps going and going and.... http://osnews.com/thread?307807 http://osnews.com/thread?307807 Give the guy a break.Its not a kill-cow donation and the end product is free to those who paid up for the testing.

If anything its well deserved. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 22:15:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (islander) Comments RE[2]: it keeps going and going and.... http://osnews.com/thread?307810 http://osnews.com/thread?307810 All money goes toward the various costs associated with development (hosting, hardware for testing, etc). No one is paid. And, as was said, you also get the final version once it is released. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 22:21:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (i3X171UM) Comments Not a lot has changed. http://osnews.com/thread?307811 http://osnews.com/thread?307811 Compared to the usual degree of difference between betas, there is not much worth mentioning with this release. It appears to me that it was a "fill the gap" release between this and the next beta, which will be a pretty complete rewrite of the entire 'kernel' (from what I gather, this includes basically all of SkyOS, sans the various GUI and ported apps, which admittedly make up a large portion of the codebase). It has been in developent for quite a while already, and is the reason that there has not been lot to report in SkyOS land. It will not premiere in a beta for at least a few more months.Edited 2008-04-02 22:28 UTC Wed, 02 Apr 2008 22:27:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (i3X171UM) Comments RE: Not a lot has changed. http://osnews.com/thread?307815 http://osnews.com/thread?307815 what are some of the objectives and features of the new kernel to justify a rewrite? Wed, 02 Apr 2008 22:39:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (ari-free) Comments RE[2]: Not a lot has changed. http://osnews.com/thread?307819 http://osnews.com/thread?307819 I think one majer reason is speed and restructure the kernel to allow integration of new features (like swap support) that would require a lot of work in the current kernel.

Now there is being taken care of that these features are well designed from the start.

I can't say to much about it but keep an eye on the site

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:03:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Darkness) Comments RE: Not a lot has changed. http://osnews.com/thread?307824 http://osnews.com/thread?307824 Rewrite the whole kernel again?!?!? LOL
It will be Beta Forever then! Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:13:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Gryzor) Comments RE[2]: Not a lot has changed. http://osnews.com/thread?307825 http://osnews.com/thread?307825 As any programmer will tell you, you're constantly gaining knowledge and technique. It's the very definition of experience. Not that Robert wasn't a brilliant coder years ago, but the current kernel's code quality can't compare to some of the code he has been producing recently. The kernel is essentially being "brought up to speed" with the rest of the system, some of which is still from the SkyOS 3.x days.

Briefly,

1) Unbelievable performance improvements. Scheduling is many orders of magnitude faster now that it's being done in software. One measurable metric I've heard from Robert was that thread creation went from tens-per-second to tens-of-thousands-per-second. Applications will start up seconds faster, boot time will be cut in half, etc. SkyOS will blaze.

2) Scalable driver framework. The driver API in SkyOS, as it exists now, is very ruidmentary. The new API will somehow be better, though I can't tell you specifically how. All I know is that many, many more drivers will begin to be introduced after the new kernel is put into production.

3) More features. Mostly C++ (where it doesn't hamper performance). Support for SMP/Hyper-Threading. Faster and more accurate timing. Kernel-level VESA support (allowing for graphical display immediately after POST). Better memory management. Architecture abstraction. Etc.Edited 2008-04-02 23:24 UTC Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:16:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (i3X171UM) Comments Comment by razor85 http://osnews.com/thread?307833 http://osnews.com/thread?307833 how is support for 3d hardware (read nvidia, ati and intel)? Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (razor85) Comments RE: Comment by razor85 http://osnews.com/thread?307835 http://osnews.com/thread?307835 Nonexistant

Adam Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:03:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (adamk) Comments RE[3]: Not a lot has changed. http://osnews.com/thread?307876 http://osnews.com/thread?307876

As any programmer will tell you, you're constantly gaining knowledge and technique. It's the very definition of experience. Not that Robert wasn't a brilliant coder years ago, but the current kernel's code quality can't compare to some of the code he has been producing recently. The kernel is essentially being "brought up to speed" with the rest of the system, some of which is still from the SkyOS 3.x days.

Well put, Alex. I've actually read the documentation on the new kernel, and it sounds very, very promising. The supposed speed gains as detailed in those docs are nothing short of astounding, and I must say, I'm looking forward to it. While responsive and fast, SkyOS always had this undefinable 'slothness' to it - I can't really put my finger on it though.

Let's hope the new kernel fixes that. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:17:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Thom_Holwerda) Comments Looks good! http://osnews.com/thread?307877 http://osnews.com/thread?307877 Now all they have to do is get rid of the _hideous_ default skin! Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:21:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (PJBonoVox) Comments RE: Looks good! http://osnews.com/thread?307891 http://osnews.com/thread?307891 Well your not wrong there, it does have a new theme engine on it from a previous version, hopefuly someone will step up and make a better one, i may even do it eventually. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 10:33:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (liamdawe) Comments RE[2]: Looks good! http://osnews.com/thread?307893 http://osnews.com/thread?307893 if you wait one or 2 days, you will get an extra tool that makes it possible to create themes without needing skyos to modify datacollections. People can just copy a theme and change it in windows then. I would say, give it your best

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:40:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Darkness) Comments RE: Looks good! http://osnews.com/thread?307896 http://osnews.com/thread?307896 It could never look worse than Ubuntu? Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:02:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (RawMustard) Comments At this point... http://osnews.com/thread?307906 http://osnews.com/thread?307906 ...SkyOS just plain doesn't interest me anymore. Open source OSes like Syllable are at a similar stage of development, while also having the advantage of being free for anyone to try out and help out with.

And the there's also Haiku and AROS which are both kickass in their own right, even if they're somewhat less "original"Edited 2008-04-03 15:55 UTC Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:49:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (madcrow) Comments RE[3]: it keeps going and going and.... http://osnews.com/thread?307933 http://osnews.com/thread?307933 "Your loss, I'd say."

I am one of the idiots who paid to be a beta tester.
If I hadn't, I wouldn't have lost anything, excepting for satisfying my curiosity. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:47:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Anonymous Penguin) Comments Feature freeze http://osnews.com/thread?307987 http://osnews.com/thread?307987 I like SkyOS, have no problem with contributing some $ to help development, and think Robert has done some amazing work.
But I think the constant beta program is working against SkyOS' interests. It seems to be a continually moving feast.
In my opinion, it would be better to get a Version 1.0 release "out there", even if it doesn't have a new kernel or the other new features that are being planned.
Plan for the future by all means, but solve the bugs, quirks and inconsistencies first, then get it out to the public.
Just a suggestion. Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:26:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (A30Guy) Comments Not a happy user http://osnews.com/thread?308000 http://osnews.com/thread?308000 I paid to join the beta programme but the only machine on which I could install SkyOS was a laptop with no serial port (MSI S270). SkyOS uses the serial port for debugging.

When it wouldn't boot properly, I sent Robert around 30 photographs of kernel debugging screens and tried various boot options as he requested. Then he ceased communication, my account was cancelled, but the beta fee was not refunded.

It's only a few Euros, it's not worth chasing, but it leaves a nasty taste in the mouth to be defrauded like that. Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:07:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (mounty) Comments RE: Not a happy user http://osnews.com/thread?308002 http://osnews.com/thread?308002 When it wouldn't boot properly, I sent Robert around 30 photographs of kernel debugging screens and tried various boot options as he requested. Then he ceased communication, my account was cancelled, but the beta fee was not refunded.

Wow, that sure sounds like a nasty thing to do :O I have no idea what Robert has in his mind but I don't really feel you either have any reason to lie here. Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:12:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (WereCatf) Comments RE: Not a happy user http://osnews.com/thread?308005 http://osnews.com/thread?308005 I would post this in the SkyOS forums to get this figured, if it hasnt already been looked at. Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:29:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Coldfirex) Comments RE: Not a happy user http://osnews.com/thread?308056 http://osnews.com/thread?308056 We never canceled any account and never will do so. Please contact me via email to get this issue solved. (me wonders why you didn't already) Fri, 04 Apr 2008 06:38:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Robert) Comments RE[2]: Not a happy user http://osnews.com/thread?308101 http://osnews.com/thread?308101 I did email you Robert, before posting here, at 00:27 GMT on 3 April.Edited 2008-04-04 12:47 UTC Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:45:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (mounty) Comments SkyOS http://osnews.com/thread?308195 http://osnews.com/thread?308195 I'm not that active in the SkyOS community anymore.
But I will try every beta release, and I still think
Robert is doing a great job creating SkyOS. Fri, 04 Apr 2008 19:17:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Andre) Comments