Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!hao!ames!ucsd!sdcsvax!darrell
From: murray@minster.york.ac.uk (Kevin Murray)
Newsgroups: comp.os.research
Subject: Wisdom, a pedantically named operating system
Message-ID: <4600@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU>
Date: 9 Feb 88 11:40:13 GMT
Sender: darrell@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of York, England
Lines: 35
Approved: mod-os@sdcsvax.uucp

Wisdom is a Distributed Operating System that is just entering its
implementation phase (with some design still to be done).  It is intended
to run on an array of processors, initially targetted at transputers.  
It is to be implemented in an augmented version of occam.  

The system design is one of a minimal set of modules (routing, load
balancing and naming) providing the necessary services for the system, with
all of them (hopefully) dynamically replaceable.

The extensions currently under consideration for occam are to allow dynamic
processes (hence load balancing) and to allow CHANnels to be passed over
CHANnels (hence routing).

All other services (e.g. filesystems, device drivers) are viewed as user
processes and would be implemented as such.

The resultant model of the system is one of dynamic objects (processes)
communicating dynamically: i.e. object oriented model, with the hardware
layout hidden, when necessary, by the ``operating system''.

Finally it is possible that I may get a travel grant allowing me to spend
some time abroad visiting several research institutions, so if anyone out
there has interest in the work I am doing, or feels that they have work
which is relevant, could the contact me please.

------------
Kevin Murray, Dept. of Comp. Sci., University of York, York, UK, YO1 5DD

  "A dead body can be very difficult to explain,
		especially if it's your own"
	      -- Rod Gallowglass, A Wizard in Bedlam by Christopher Stasheff
  "I'm going to live forever, or die trying"
	      -- Vila, ??, Blake's Seven

  murray@minster.york.ac.uk or ..!uunet!mcvax!ukc!minster!murray