[ncolug] Re: Minix3
- From: mike <mikebell@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: ncolug@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2005 21:06:51 -0500
On Thu, Nov 10, 2005 at 08:43:38PM -0500, Henry Keultjes wrote:
>
>
> nor thern wrote:
>
> >what is the smallest debian replacement for minix?
> >
> >
> >
> >That's like asking which apple is the best to replace a specific type of
> >orange like a Jaffa.
> >
>
> If you are a kernel hacker you can cut Linux down significantly,
> probably close to the size of Minix3, but you would probably have to
> remove about 95% of the drivers to do so and that would severely limit
> its use to the specific drivers that were left. A regular use would not
> be able to add or remove drivers.
This is just wrong! I'm far from being a kernel hacker but I can very
likely get a base install of Debian in < 100 meg. The Minix3 website
states different numbers in places from 100 - 200 meg. would seem to
be the min. though. One would *NOT* have to remove 95% of the drivers
and the base Debian system would still offer way more tools than the
current Minix3 offering. A regular user could certainly handle this
if they were willing to read a few documents and be able to follow
instructions. It just isn't that hard. Absolutely no kernel hacking
involved here.
>
> As all of you know, I am *not* a hacker and I have used loadable device
> drivers, possible with a micro-kernel architecture like Minix3, for
> fifteen years. So *as a user* I am used to having a very small core
> system and being able to customize it for my own needs.
>
What is different about loadable devices on Linux? Can you say
modprobe? Or perhaps insmod? I could teach the average Joe
sixpack Winders drone to do this is in a few minutes. Now if they
would recall how is another story. Can that same user load a device
driver on Winders manually? I doubt it.
> Is it fair to say that the average user cannot do that with Linux?
I disagree, as above, this ain't kernel hacking.
<rest chopped> It isn't worth hashing over the same old thing over
and over.
I have actually d/l Minix3 just to say I've given it a spin. Have
yet to get the disk burnt and fired up somewhere. After reading
on the website and looking at whats available I'm taken back about
ten + years. Although then atleast Linux even had a GUI if you
had enough persistance to get every little thing configured by hand.
I'll bite on the novelty and like Dave add it to the "list." The
nostalga of a couple of hours will be fun anyway. Perhaps someday
this will mature into something. I'll not hold my breath for that
day though.
Mike
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