The mostly-morubund Hurd project is well known for what it's not: the kernel at the heart of the GNU/Linux system. But there's a long and interesting story about what it could have been, too. From Linux User magazine: "The design of the Hurd was an attempt to embody the spirit and promise of the free software movement in code." Those are mighty ambitions, and this story is as much about competing visions as competing kernels. Says Thomas Bushnell: "My first choice was to take the BSD 4.4-Lite release and make a kernel. I knew the code, I knew how to do it. It is now perfectly obvious to me that this would have succeeded splendidly and the world would be a very different place today." This is a well-written and fascinating read.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2011-01-28
MOS6510,
"Why not put in the effort in to Linux instead?"
I target linux myself because of it's market potential, but I'd be remorseful if we lost alternatives all together.
Linux works because it's got tons of man hours going into it, but that doesn't mean it's always the greatest approach. Plan-9 was an OS designed with much more care going into well designed interfaces. The FreeBSDs are often leading the curb as well. Sometimes it is linux. I like the variety and wouldn't want to end up having only a few mainstream operating systems.
Speaking of hurd specifically, I concede that I'm not familiar with it 
but that doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't have merit in some way for those who have worked with it.
Member since:2011-05-12
I'm sure someone somewhere can find some merit for it, but I wonder how many people can and what kind of basis does this merit have.
If it's based on "I like it, just feels nicer, dunno" I don't give this kind of merit much merit.
You listed a couple of valid choices, but it's just hard to imagine Hurd taking up a valid place amongst them. Considering how long it has already taken I seriously doubt anyone could seriously have much faith in a happy marriage when going for Hurd.
I don't know anyone using Minix, but even that is a complete and working system.
If people like to work on Hurd then good for them, but it's a sizable project and I just wonder it the time and energy spend isn't better spend on something like Linux. Linux users are, probably, their target audience anyway, but I don't see Linux users leaving a mature and working system for Hurd.
Member since:2005-07-08
Member since:2011-05-12
Point one is valid, I guess, even though OpenBSD and even Linux are or can be made pretty secure.
Not sure what value point two has, it sounds more like preference than technical advantage.
An operating system can have its advantages and cool features, but you also need software and hardware support. A game console without games is pretty useless.
Linux, to pick one, has hardware support, software, documentation, "community" and a bunch of qualified experts. A company can implement Linux and be pretty sure it will work and if it breaks can find someone to fix it.
If Hurd comes alive my feeling is it will be much more difficult to make it useful and find experts on it. The ones you can find will probably be pretty expensive.
Is it worth all that trouble for the extra security and not being a UNIX clone? Organizations that require above average security usually have a lot of money. Why spend that on a "hobby" project and not get some hardcore Linux guru's and use Linux, which has proven itself over the years.
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.Nokia has posted its quarterly results for the first quarter of 2013, and just like the quarters that came before, there's not a whole lot of good news in there. The rise in Lumia sales still can't even dream of making up for the sales drop in Symbian phones, and when broken down in versions, the sales figures for Windows Phone 8 Lumias in particular are very disappointing. In North America, Nokia is getting slaughtered.
The day has finally come: Google has started shipping Google Glass to the lucky few early adopters. Now that it's shipping, Google has also unveiled a lot more about the API and the specifications of the device itself. While the company had already given out substantial details at earlier occasions, there are still a few surprises here.Almost exactly three years ago, I wrote about why OSNews was no longer OSNews: the alternative operating system scene had died, and OSNews, too, had to go with the times and move towards reporting on a new wave of operating systems - mobile, and all the repercussions that the explosion of smartphones and tablets have caused. Still, I was wondering something today: why aren't we seeing alternative operating systems on mobile?You can say what you will about Windows Phone and Windows 8's Metro interface (I refuse to drop that name) - it's inefficient, unpopular, cumbersome, beautiful, ugly, organised, clean, limiting - but there's one thing we can all agree on: it's unique and distinctive. CNet has published a profile of Microsoft's Albert Shum, the man behind Metro, and he highlights what I think is at the very core of Microsoft's problems in mobile right now.
Member since:
2011-05-12
Seriously, why bother?
Hurd would be in the same pool as Linux, but Linux is light years ahead. Even if Hurd becomes mature enough to be useful, why pick it instead of Linux? I'm afraid Hurd will have more developers than users.
Why not put in the effort in to Linux instead?