Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcvax!hp4nl!targon!gert
From: gert@targon.UUCP (Gert Kanis)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: The future of MINIX
Summary: What about MINIX ST (Atari)
Keywords: MINIX , Atari ST , disk compatibility
Message-ID: <575@targon.UUCP>
Date: 12 Jul 89 19:37:05 GMT
References: <2835@ast.cs.vu.nl> <563@prles2.UUCP>
Reply-To: targon!gert@nluug.nl (Gert Kanis)
Followup-To: comp.os.minix
Organization: Nixdorf Computer , P.O. Box 29,Vianen, The Netherlands
Lines: 64

In article <563@prles2.UUCP> meulenbr@cstw01.prl.philips.nl (Frans Meulenbroeks) writes:
>[lots of text discarded]
>In article <2835@ast.cs.vu.nl> ast@cs.vu.nl (Andy Tanenbaum) writes:
>[...]
>>Anyway, I have decided to use Bruce's code as the basis for V2.0 (subject to
>>Prentice-Hall not vetoing a 900 page book).
>>[...]
>>When all that is done, we will have a protected mode system that is based
>>on POSIX and reasonably fast for small machines.  MINIX seems to be
>>evolving in the direction of something more than an academic toy ...
>>

Sounds good, I'll bet all those with 80x86's will be most happy about
this decission.  But what's the future of those other versions?

>>An additional note.  Amiga MINIX is actually up and running.  It is now
>>being tested.  Furthermore, MINIX 1.3 is being ported to the SPARC.
>>
>>Getting all these versions back together,and then POSIX-based is going to be
>>a job on the order of cleaning out the Augean Stables, and I don't have a
>>Hercules card.
>>Andy Tanenbaum (ast@cs.vu.nl)
>
>Ok. That amounts to 5 different versions:
>for 8088, 286/protected, ST, Amiga, SPARC. 
>
>As far as getting these together: 
>This can really become a pain. 
>However, I would support such an integration very much.
>
>Frans Meulenbroeks        (meulenbr@cst.prl.philips.nl)
>	( or try: ...!mcvax!phigate!prle!cst!meulenbr)

So we see a clear path concerning the devellopment of MINIX in the next few
years. One of the goals was (apart from the teaching aspects) portability.
Looking at already 5 versions one cannot deny this has succeeded. But will
we have 5 different versions soon?  I really hope not, that would depart
from the original idea.
OK , I know that everybody can hack around to make his own version,
what I mean is the reference, the thing you can make your diffs to, the
version of The Book.  (or Books :-) )

SOME QUESTIONS I'D LIKE TO SHARE.

1)At this moment we have MINIX ST 1.1  that is said to equal MINIX PC 1.3 .
So why isn't it CALLED MINIX ST 1.3 ?
2)Why is it impossible to read disks written on the other version although
the original OS'es of PC and ST can do so easily?  (don't know about these
other versions).   The (ST) documentation says: The goal is not TOS (Atari)
but UNiX compatibility.  What about making MINIX compatible with itself.
(I know someone said this before).

I hope 2.0 will again become available for many computers. There is
more than this PECEE. (You might have guessed I have an Atari :=) )

Don't think I'm unhappy with MINIX  but this keeps bothering me.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| The smoker you drink,|  Gert Kanis, SWP                         |
| the W.C.             |  Nixdorf Computer BV, Postbus 29         |
|----------------------|  4130 EA Vianen, Netherlands.            |
| I do not represent   |  E-mail :    targon!gert@nluug.nl        |
| anyone elses opinion.|  or ..!mcvax!targon!gert                 |
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