The version 0.73 of MenuetOS includes a tiny HTTP & Mp3 server, IRC client, real-time additions & demos. Also, SkyOS redesigned their driver handling, while Syllable is preparing an IDE driver.
MenuetOS version 0.73 Released
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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It’d be useful to see some kind of collaboration between the Hobby OS’s on drivers. Obviously a Hobby OS is just that, and they rightfully implement things in the way they want to. But if they were pooling their resources for drivers, they’d give themselves a much higher platform from which to show off their OS.
Obviously a Hobby OS is just that, and they rightfully implement things in the way they want to. But if they were pooling their resources for drivers, they’d give themselves a much higher platform from which to show off their OS.
Somehow I think that you are actually missing the point what making a hobby OS is actually about. Of COURSE they can pool their resources and/or use one grand unified driver scheme, but that is not what building a hobby OS is about. Hobby OS builders want to figure out things themselves, implement their own vision on what a kernel should have, and implementing their own vision can be hindered by using someone else’s visions. It is also the case that OS builders don really care about showing off, all they strive for is technical excellency and not popularity (or am I the one that is mistaken now and are there hobbyists out there that are hoping to be the new Linus?)
Hobby OS builders want to figure out things themselves, implement their own vision on what a kernel should have, and implementing their own vision can be hindered by using someone else’s visions.
I agreed with this. However, a lack of drivers is the major issue for people trying to test out an OS. Even if the API was inefficient to a degree, but was broad enough not to encumber most approaches to driver integration into an OS, it would allow Hobby OS designers to concentrate on what you identify as the exact reason they chase their dreams; to find out for themselves and implement their own vision of what an OS should be.
On another note, MenuetOS is amazing.
I dont think lack of drivers is a huge issue. As long as it works on the developer’s box isnt that all that really matters when it comes to Hobby OSes? Sure it’d be nice if all OSes had the hardware support that linux had, and it would also be nice if linux had the hardware support that windows has, but that just wont happen. There are sufficient standards out that make it possible to support quite a bit of hardware without making a million drivers. Once you have a VESA driver you can work on 85% of video cards (sure its not fast, but it works), SB16 support for sound, 3com nics, PS/2 support. An OS that supports that will work on most pcs that use standard hardware. You should never expect a hobby os to work on a discount budget box you bought at walmart, they are cheap for a reason.
I’ve seen a lot of sites for hobby OS’s that are always willing (and very often asking) for testers. Even if it’s their vision, I’m sure there are a lot of hobbyists who would like a unified driver blueprint, if only because they could get more drivers that way, and their testers would return more useful information than, “it works great!!!!
On your computer. Not mine. Couldn’t boot the thing. Sorry.”
Of course, if that happened, people who want to impliment their own driver stuff would be hassled by idiots who don’t understand that they’re not trying to be MS.
I love Menuet OS. Last time I tried it, it wouldn’t boot on all the machines I tried, but it wasn’t bad at all. Since then, it’s got good looks, and even apps! And it’s written in assembler! Incredible.
You just have to admire the beauty of the thing, like a house of matchsticks.
agreed. many hobby OSs don’t want to implement someone else work. However, why hasn’t the _major_free OS projects attempted to share drivers. BSD for instance. Net, Open, Free why should they build there own drivers 3 times, why not be able to share them?
One of the main reasons, for hobby OS’s not to share drivers, is a simple fact: the lower level driver interfaces and driver architecture models are never the same. This is becuase a hardware driver tends to work below the HAL rather than above it…
Some driver models, use sync-blocking calls, others are async-nonblocking calls, callback methods are different, general kernel calls are different, linux uses int 0x80, DOS int 0x21, my OS uses call gates 0x08 and 0x10, WinXP AFAIK uses SYSENTER and SYSEXIT within the kernel. Some drivers need to know how the paging system works, for DMA transfers, and other need to know about the IO restrictions in place (using the TSS and IO map, or just the IOPL). Also some are using pure micro-kernels, other monolithic kernels, and others macrokernels, and some brave souls are using exokernels. So for something as simple as reading a floppy disk, or the keyboard, can take more code in interfacing with the rest of the OS, than actually doing what it is meant to do.
FYI, there is ProjectUDI, supported by some of the big players in the industry, but only a few hobby OS developers have taken it into consideration. I have read it, and found it doesn’t fit the driver model, I have in place, so I can’t use it. This is the same case as many other OS developers out there…
What each hobby developer would love, are the datasheets and programming manuals for all the hardware/filesystems out there… That would help the driver problem more than an effort to construct a write-once/use everywhere hardware driver…
I mean what else can you say about a modern OS with GUI, coded in x86 assembler? The mind boggles. Truly the ‘Real Programmer’ has not disappeared from the face of the Earth.
Mad props to them, even if I do think they’re absolutely barking.
Probably my favourite of the really alternative OS’s. Hmm, Mayabe something like this might breath new life into my old Pentium one laptop, if I can get it to run. Tried 6.? and it wouldn’t work on the laptop, great otherwise.
Any word on a light weight web browser for this thing, or should I dig out my old assembly book and get to coding!?!?!
The world needs another choice besides mac and linux
WHat a beautiful gui!!! It’s the most cool thing i have seen since BeOS many years ago,the QNX folks should take a page from this book so to speak, the 1.4MB minuetOS has the 1.4MB QNX demo beat by a lomg shot!and there are actuallly a few apps for this thing!now to get sound and netwoking fuctioning and to get it to run on the hard disc….(yep,that’s right !! the bigfoot has got a new toy to play with!!!)Thanks MinuetOS!!!!! ;-}