"An early preview of the next version has been released under version number 3.1.3, an interim release intended for developers who want to see the bleeding edge of MINIX and perhaps then track the current source. For more information, see the 3.1.3 release notes and the download page." MINIX3 will now also release weekly snapshots.
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Member since:2005-07-06
>Minix could only be a viable alternative if the embedded system used x86 architecture.
What do you mean? Does Minix only run on x86?
If this is the case, I find it very funny, remembering that in the flamewar Tanenbaum vs Linus, one criticism against Linux was that it was x86 only at the time.
Member since:2005-12-31
> What do you mean? Does Minix only run on x86?
I'll quote from the main page of minix3.org:
> To run MINIX 3, you need a PC driven by a 386, 486,
> or Pentium CPU or compatible.
and the FAQ:
> What hardware do I need to run MINIX 3?
> You need an Intel 386 or higher with 4 MB of RAM, an
> IDE hard disk with100 MB of free disk space, and an
> IDE CD-ROM for booting. It is not possible to boot
> off a USB CD-ROM drive (yet).
And from the Tanenbaum vs. Torvalds debate (Tanenbaum quote):
> MINIX was designed to be reasonably portable, and
> has been ported from the Intel line to the 680x0
> (Atari, Amiga, Macintosh), SPARC, and NS32016.
> LINUX is tied fairly closely to the 80x86. Not the
> way to go.
I'll omit a quote that tells what hardware Linux runs on. Seems like one of AST's arguments has turned against him.
Mr Tanenbaum still deserves credit for engineering an architecture that makes bug-free programming and porting simpler by design. Yet he obviously missed that good engineering is not all you need. From actually looking at the Linux code, I can tell that the code is rather messy, but I can't deny the fact that it works well and was ported to more platforms than Minix can ever hope to reach.
Member since:
2006-08-18
Minix could only be a viable alternative if the embedded system used x86 architecture.
But IIRC, ARM is used much more frequently.