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From: peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: dosread.c again
Message-ID: <6639@ficc.uu.net>
Date: 23 Oct 89 15:50:55 GMT
References: <695.254152F7@mudos.ann-arbor.mi.us> <3768@ast.cs.vu.nl>
Reply-To: peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva)
Organization: Xenix Support, FICC
Lines: 35

In article <3768@ast.cs.vu.nl> ast@cs.vu.nl (Andy Tanenbaum) writes:
>  2. Virtual memory.  I tend to regard this as obsolete.  With Bruce Evans'
>     protected mode kernel and a 2M 386 you can have up to 2M of programs
>     running at once.  That has to be enough for a personal computer.

My personal computer has 4 megabytes, and it's enough for now. *but* I have
frequently had less than 2 megabytes free, and on occasion I've gone down
as low as 1 megabyte.

>  7. Boot off hard disk. I suppose it is possible, but a low priority item.
>     Many people still use DOS and want to have the hard disk boot start DOS.
>     You can't have it both ways.

We have a few of thses sick individuals here. They run fdisk when they want
to change between booting System V and DOS.

11. Message queues in the kernel instead of depending on rendezvous, and
    make the messages visible to user programs. This would cut down the
    race conditions (that still occasionally show up), and pave the way
    for a real lightweight kernel a-la Mach.

> >> With the addition of these changes (or at least most
> >> of them), I might consider eliminating DOS entirely from my machine.

> I find this a bit odd.  As far as I can see, the scorecard is:

>   Item				DOS	MINIX
   0. Commercial applications		Yes	No.

This one is why I don't care too much about getting MINIX on my Amiga.
-- 
Peter da Silva, *NIX support guy @ Ferranti International Controls Corporation.
Biz: peter@ficc.uu.net, +1 713 274 5180. Fun: peter@sugar.hackercorp.com. `-_-'
"I feared that the committee would decide to go with their previous        'U`
 decision unless I credibly pulled a full tantrum." -- dmr@alice.UUCP