OS News Archive

GNU/DOS 2006 SR1 was released today. It features various minor updates and bug fixes. Also, due to popular demand, the installation CD is now bootable. Download it here. GNU/DOS is a distribution of FreeDOS with various packages included, such as the OpenGEM GUI, a webbrowser and email client, the VIM editor, and much more.

The micro vs. monolithic kernel debate is now very much alive. Not too long ago, I wrote an article on the merits of microkernels, while a week later we featured a retort. Now, the greatest proponent of the microkernel steps in-- yes, Andy Tanenbaum writes: "Microkernels - long discarded as unacceptable because of their lower performance compared with monolithic kernels - might be making a comeback in operating systems due to their potentially higher reliability, which many researchers now regard as more important than performance." Now, we only need Torvalds to chime in, and it's 1992 all over again.

Version 0.62 of Visopsys was released today, including Qemu support, initial USB support, and some little games and bits of flair, in addition to the usual tweaks and bug fixes. Meanwhile, the offshoot project, "Partition Logic" continues to gain converts in the market for free partitioning tools. Detailed change log and downloads.

Wade Reynolds and David Marshall offer handy security tips and advice on how and where to use virtualization in the data center. Also, this article briefly examines the current state of affairs for multiple server deployment, with an emphasis on modern advancements in virtual servers and workstations.

After the Why I like microkernels article, I thought it'd be useful to have a view from the "other side" of this endless war. While some of the reasons given by microkernel fans are true, the big picture is somewhat different and it's what I think it keeps traditional-style kernels in the top. Note: please take note that the author is not a native English speaker, so forgive any grammar or spelling mistakes.

"Sometimes we don't really see what our eyes are viewing. That's true with your computer screen, and it's true in nature as well. Oh sure, we can say what we think we're seeing, but we're missing the big story such as the man behind the curtain, to recall a famous phrase from an even more beloved movie." Read the article here.

Right in between a car crash and Easter, I knew I had to write a Sunday Eve Column. So here I am, digesting vast quantities of chocolate eggs (and I don't even like chocolate), craving for coffee (for me about as special as breathing), with the goal of explaining to you my, well, obsession with microkernels. Why do I like them? Why do I think the microkernel paradigm is superior to the monolithic one? Read on.

Linux programmers are moving toward a change that would put virtualization software from VMware on a more even footing with open-source rival Xen. Xen was expected to be built tightly into the Linux kernel at the heart of the open-source operating system. But Andrew Morton is advocating an interface in the Linux kernel that would let it work with any virtualization foundation.

"This write-up is intended to discuss the general principals involved in booting the operating system. We can define the booting process as something that starts an operating system when the user turns on his machine. This process, in addition to other factors, includes a boot sequence, which is a set of operations the system performs to load the OS."

Over the past few months, Ivan Kelly has been working on porting MINIX to Xen as part of a university project. As last Monday was the final submission date for the project, he is now free to release it in the wild. Currently only the microkernel and the console driver have been ported, but a block device driver is in the works. The code and a compilation guide can be found on the website. Contributors are welcome to join the project. On a related note, a new test version of MINIX has been released as well. OSNews reported extensively on MINIX 3 last year.

The NeXT Information Archive is back. "NIA has evolved from being an information place to being the actual place for ALL NeXT related material; We provide you with information, guides, articles - yes, all the classic stuff, that you know us for - but we've also started to bring you software directly on our site. Help you on your way with learning programming and in general just bring resources to you – everything needed for being able to use NeXT as your daily operating system and of course thereby using NeXT software."

VMware is taking another step to try to maintain its market dominance. VMware announced today that it is opening its virtual machine disk format specification to allow other vendors to use it in their products.

Folks, as the webmaster of OSNews, I'm sorry to report that the OSNews server was hacked early this morning by a l33t haxx0r known only as "osV_rul3z." Although our database server does not appear to have been comprimised, all of the advertising code was deleted and our code was slightly modified to make everyone a premium level subscriber. Rest assured, we are working on the problem and hope to have OSNews restored to its original state as quickly as possible. UPDATE: As everyone suspected, April Fools!

Andy Tanenbaum has released 3.1.2-B2 of MINIX, a preview version of 3.1.2. We reported extensively on the initial release of MINIX3 last year. The most important new feauture of this release is the inclusion of the X windowing system.