Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!cica!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!mgm.mit.edu!wolfgang
From: wolfgang@mgm.mit.edu (Wolfgang Rupprecht)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: What kinds of things would you want in the GNU OS?
Message-ID: <13296@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU>
Date: 6 Aug 89 04:08:18 GMT
References: <20514@adm.BRL.MIL>
Sender: daemon@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU
Reply-To: wolfgang@mgm.mit.edu (Wolfgang Rupprecht)
Organization: Freelance Software Consultant, Washington DC.
Lines: 19

In article <20514@adm.BRL.MIL> rbj@dsys.ncsl.nist.gov (Root Boy Jim) writes:
>I think the more immediate question is *what* would you like the GNU
>OS to run on?  [...]  Sun's would be an obvious choice, but what
>about the MMU?  Does anyone without proprietary knowledge know what
>it does?

There are much more "open" platforms than Suns.  

A 386 PC clone has well defined *and* documented register layouts.  It
is also quite a bit cheaper (due largely to competition and the fact
that anyone can design a PC workalike due to the "open" specs.) 

Wouldn't it be ironic to spend a lot of effort to write a free kernel
for a proprietary hardware base?

-wolfgang

Wolfgang Rupprecht	ARPA:  wolfgang@mgm.mit.edu (IP 18.82.0.114)
TEL: (703) 768-2640	UUCP:  mit-eddie!mgm.mit.edu!wolfgang