"UnixLite is a lightweight UNIX/Linux compatible operating system written in c++; it is open source and released under the GNU General Public License. The complete operating system is made up of a kernel and applications; just like Linux, UnixLite is only the kernel. The kernel itself is written from scratch and the biggest part is written in c++; however, the library used by UnixLite comes from uClibc and applicaitons running on UnixLite come from the GNU project."
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Member since:2006-06-08
Member since:2006-05-02
Sorry I bring this question up, it might be somewhat offtopic with regards to UnixLite, but I find it interesting as part of the already started discussion.
Why should all new kernels be clones?
Why write new kernels at all? What is wrong with existing kernels? Okay, programming kernels might be fun for some, no question, but what do we hope to gain from new kernels? In terms of user-visible gains, directly or indirectly.
Can new OS's with new kernels become faster? Provide more features? If so, what are the features that require modification to the kernel? Can we make OS's more secure with changes to the kernel? More reliable? (whatever that means)
If security is a major point, how can a new kernel be more secure than one that got some ugly patches but is well tested?
What can a new kernel give us that is not provided by one of the many existing kernels?
Def
Member since:2005-07-06
What can a new kernel give us that is not provided by one of the many existing kernels?
It's not a production kernel. It's simply an educational kernel to let folks wrap their heads around the hows and whys of kernel development, implementation, trade-offs, etc.
The modern produciton kernels are simply vastly complex organisms not amenable to casual study, or a single semester course on operating systems. UnixLite and Minix are kernels that run "real" software, that do "real" work, yet are small and lightweight enough to be approachable for a novice.
As for developing new production kernels, that's a different problem completely. A production kernel will be designed with specific goals in mind that are clearly not met by modern kernels, whatever that aspect may be.
Real time, micro kernel, whatever.
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Member since:
2005-10-30
If you wanted to write a VMS clone, you get to write the kernel, shell, editors, utilities, etc.
Why should all new kernels be clones?