Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 28th Jun 2007 20:35 UTC, submitted by Vanders
Kaj de Vos made two big announcements at SylCon 2007. The first was a new web browser, based on a port of WebKit. The second is Syllable Server, which will bring together the Syllable GUI with the Linux kernel to create a server operating system that compliments Syllable on the desktop. Syllable Server is not based on any existing Linux distribution and will look and feel as much like Syllable as possible.
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Member since:2007-03-29
Don't think Unix, think Windows. When Microsoft produced Windows NT it did so because it knew that it would be advantageous for a Server/Workstation OS to look and act similar to the Desktop OS.
However, at this point Windows was already a well-established desktop OS with lots of apps. Syllable has almost no apps, therefore it is of very limited use on the desktop. I feel that this would have to change first.
Edited 2007-06-29 13:46
RE[2]: Server means server
by Vanders on Fri 29th Jun 2007 16:16
in reply to "RE: Server means server"
Member since:2005-07-06
Member since:
2006-01-16
Why is the idea of Syllable Server so hard to understand for people here?
Don't think Unix, think Windows. When Microsoft produced Windows NT it did so because it knew that it would be advantageous for a Server/Workstation OS to look and act similar to the Desktop OS. Now Microsoft is working on a Home Server version because it knows that more people and small business (think one man) have multiple PCs and could benefit from a server.
The same holds true for Syllable. If you have multiple Syllable PCs running it would be nice to have a server, if you need to have a server it would be nice for it to look and act like Syllable on the desktop.
Making the Syllable kernel a good server kernel is possible but do you really want that if it means sacrificing features that make it a good desktop kernel? Besides, looking at how long it took for Linux and Windows NT to become decent server Operating Systems leads me to believe you need about 10 years for that.
There are also tradeoffs in using the Linux kernel instead of the Syllable kernel that make the resulting OS less desirable as a desktop.
* The result will be ABI incompatible.
* Startup and shutdown will be significantly slower.
* DirectFB is not the type of graphics subsystem suitable for a desktop OS.
Syllable Server is the best solution for somebody running Syllable on their desktop and needs a server. It is also a good solution for Windows users that want a Linux based server with good GUI.