Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!nih-csl!lhc!adm!cmcl2!yale!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!udel!mmdf
From: dfenyes@thesis1.hsch.utexas.edu (FENYES DAVID A)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Coherent
Message-ID: <31747@nigel.ee.udel.edu>
Date: 28 Sep 90 01:36:32 GMT
Sender: mmdf@ee.udel.edu
Lines: 48

>Since you are a user of Coherent I would like to ask if your Coherent
>will do a large memory model?  I have a 286 and have had my eye on
>Coherent for some time but have not found anyone else who has used
>it.  the only real drawback of the MINIX os is that the program size
>is so limited for us 16bit users. if Coherent absolves this, I'll
>happily switch.  If you have any suggestive comments about Coherent, 
>I'd love to hear about them!

Unfortunately, Coherent 3.0.0 has the same limitation.  The is the chief
complaint aired on the Coherent mailing list.  What makes it
worse is that recompile their kernel like Minix users can.  Mark Williams
is planning a 32-bit 386 version of Coherent for the 1st quarter of '91,
but judging by the delays in releasing the current version, I wouldn't hold
my breath.  If you already have Minix, you may want to keep it for a while.
One big advantage is that you can pick up free upgrades from the n.
Another is that there are thousands of people using MINIX on a broad base
of machines.  While Atari users may be able to do things that 286 users
can't,  Things that compile within the 286's limits will work.  Also, you
have the promise of a POSIX MINIX 2.0, which means that you can start plan
for the future when writing new code.  Minix is becoming a mature product,
and the source is out there, and A.T. describes it in detail, too!
You know who the MINIX Gods are, and they listen and answer your questions
personally.  These are powerful pluses.  A few years from now,  32 bit 
Minixes will be standard, and may evolve into a OS of choice for Universities.

  Coherent has several good points, despite its small size.  First, it is
quite a polished system, although you wouldn't know it reading the mailing
list.  Even though some of the utilities have quirks, It has the feel of
a system that has been around for many years.  Porting the Clam Shell,
Elle, Adventure, Elvis, GNU stuff, are fairly trivial tasks, so anything
that runs under 286 Minix will work for 286 Coherent.  The compiler is
good, considering that it too is limited in process size.  Coherent comes
with serious implementations of everything a *nix should have.  Also,
installation of new device drivers involves recompilation of only the 
driver, which can then be loaded by the system.  Installation is a breeze,
it takes up only ~5M of disk space *with* all online manuals.  The system
is supported by MWC, and they will *officially* support their 386 version.
Coherent also supports networking, etc.  I have not tried this.

I plan to stick with Coherent for now, but if Minix gets too far ahead,
or I get a 386 before the 386 Coherent is ready,  then make room for
One more Minixer.  If 386 Coherent comes out first,  I'm getting it, because
Coherent is truly a quality product, even if it's now only a toy.
all 32-bit versions will be the same, etc.

Hope that answers some of your questions

David