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From: p554mve@mpirbn.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de (Michael van Elst)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: MINIX on the Amiga...
Message-ID: <1243@mpirbn.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de>
Date: 21 Sep 90 17:09:42 GMT
References: <14066@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> <90262.224308JKT100@psuvm.psu.edu>
Reply-To: p554mve@mpirbn.UUCP (Michael van Elst)
Organization: Max-Planck-Institut fuer Radioastronomie, Bonn
Lines: 45

In article <90262.224308JKT100@psuvm.psu.edu> JKT100@psuvm.psu.edu (JKT) writes:
>Ok, we've all heard how MultiFinder on the Mac supposedly multi-
>tasks too, but when you actually inspected it, it actually task
>switches.  Because this posting did not use the term "multi-task"
>is it possible that the programs do not actually run at once, but
>task switch, with only one running at a time?
You'll need multiple processors to run multiple programs at the same
time. Neither the Amiga nor the Mac can do this. Nevertheless, the
question is wether the multitasking system is preemptive. AmigaDOS
and MINIX can force a task to release the cpu so you don't have to
do the taskswitching in your application code (by calling a dispatcher
routine like in MultiFinder).

>>4. HARDWARE REQUIRED
>>          Commodore Amiga 500 or 2000 with at least 1M of RAM. One 720K
>>          diskette
>Obviously someone thinks the Amiga is an IBM clone, saying that the
>floppies are 720K...  :-(
The Amiga will use 720K formatted disks for Minix since they are
written in a format compatible to the Atari and PC versions.

>More importantly, is it truly necessary for them to require a HD
>driver?  Is there no way they could make use of existing drivers
>with a simple interface?  Seems silly to re-invent the wheel....
Well, Minix is not AmigaDOS and it would be quite difficult to
simulate the regular environment to these drivers. If you have source
to your Exec harddisk driver (or know how the hardware works) it 
is possible to write a driver for Minix.

>Whoops.  This is what has caused many problems in the UNIX world.
>People making mods is a good idea, but history shows us that a central
>site to coordinate updates is required if a standard version is to
>be maintained.  Otherwise it won't be long until you get programs that
>require versions of MINIX you don't necessarily have, because there are
>dozens of dialects running around.
Yes, but MINIX isn't (yet) supposed to be an operating system where
you actually run applications. It might develop into one but until then
it is nice to have many people working on it.

Regards,
-- 
Michael van Elst
UUCP:     universe!local-cluster!milky-way!sol!earth!uunet!unido!mpirbn!p554mve
Internet: p554mve@mpirbn.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de
                                "A potential Snark may lurk in every tree."