Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!cmcl2!lanl!nmsc202
From: nmsc202@lanl.gov (Victor C. Limary)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: IBMPC Demo Disk
Summary: Minix questions
Message-ID: <16443@lanl.gov>
Date: 2 Mar 91 23:16:17 GMT
Organization: Los Alamos Natl Lab, Los Alamos, N.M.
Lines: 30


Although I haven't gotten the demo disk to work yet, the article by clk@Splash.Princeton.EDU seems like it might get the demo to work on my system, since I get the same error message.  From the manual, Minix seems pretty nice, for the price, but I have a lot of questions that I would like to know the answers to.

1) Does Minix V1.5 run in 386 protected mode? or do I have to buy Minix-386?

2) Is there such a program that lets me run MS-DOS programs from Minix.  I don't   quite understand the discussions here on that matter, but from what I could     figure out, people have gotten Minix to work under MS-DOS.  But what about      the other way around?

3) Exactly how would I install Minix on a system with MS-DOS already installed?    Would I have to reformat and repartition the hard disk?  Or does Minix use      a FAT, like MS-DOS?

4) Is it at all possible to run Minix from high density 5.25" and 3.5" floppy      disks?      

5) What exactly are the hardware requirements for Minix?  The demo disk's    
   manual made no mention of hardware reqquirements.  I have a 386 with 2 megs
   of memory, 65 meg hd, with a total of about 7 megs free, SVGA, and high
   density 3.5" and 5.25" disks.

6) How much support is there for Minix?  Could I find Minix software in stores
   or mail-order houses, or do I have to FTP everything?

7) I would assume that Minix cannot run Unix or Xenix software.  Is there an
   X windows software package for Minix?

Sorry if my list of questions is long, but before I spend my money on an operating system, I would like to know how strong the support for it is.  Price wise,  Minix seems like a better alternative to Unix or Xenix, for me, but I don't wantto end up with an operating system that is being kept alive by a handful of people.

Thanks.

Victor Limary
nmsc202@beta.lanl.gov
nmsc202@r.lanl.gov
mimas!vcl@bbx.basis.com