Xref: utzoo comp.os.minix:15180 comp.sys.3b1:737
Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!linac!att!cbnews!mvadh
From: mvadh@cbnews.att.com (andrew.d.hay)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix,comp.sys.3b1
Subject: Re: Port of MINIX to Unix-PC
Keywords: AT&T-Unix/PC, 3B1, 7300
Message-ID: <1991Mar15.130239.20389@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 15 Mar 91 13:02:39 GMT
References: <1991Mar9.180250.15471@cbnewsj.att.com> <1991Mar14.054318.25699@chance.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 36

In article <1991Mar14.054318.25699@chance.UUCP> john@chance.UUCP (John R. MacMillan) writes:
"|Is anyone working on a port of MINIX to the AT&T Unix PC?
"|The machine is also called the 3B1 or 7300.
"
"A friend and I have just started, using the Atari ST source as a
"base.  We don't think it will be too hard, but we're both pretty busy,
"so it may be a while.  When we have something working, I'll post a
"notice, and interested people can ask for the diffs.

while this is an interesting exercise, i think minix is deficient in a
few areas.  for instance, no future version of minix will ever have
paging or swapping virtual memory; tanenbaum is actively opposed to
including it.

i'd be much more interested in a port of mach 3.0, or maybe amoeba...

i also have a Modest Proposal (TM):  set up a non-profit corporation
under the umbrella of ASCRC (a small computer software foundation?).
get a source license from AT&T for the 3b1 (or convince them to turn
over the source, with the obligation to support the 3b1) *and* from
convergent/unisys for miniframe ctix.  this would be funded by selling
shares to us on the net.  there's another benefit from funding it this
way: as owners of the corporation, we'd have access to source (or at
least executables) in the corporation's possession without the need
for any kind of redistribution license.  nothing would ever be sold!

why would we want to include ctix?  well, it's an evolution of the
same code the 3b1 is based on; this makes it an easy (trivial?) port.
but it has some valuable features, like sVr3 compatibility and
loadable disk drivers...

-- 
Andrew Hay		+------------------------------------------------------+
Ragged Individualist	| 			JAAAAAAANE!		       |
AT&T-BL Ward Hill MA	|	    HOW DO YOU STOP THIS CRAZY THING?	       |
a.d.hay@att.com		+------------------------------------------------------+