Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!oliveb!sun!bitbug From: bitbug@lonewolf.sun.com (James Buster) Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards Subject: Re: What kinds of things would you want in the GNU OS? Message-ID: Date: 26 May 89 03:39:42 GMT References: <106326@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> <10317@smoke.BRL.MIL> <106584@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> <10322@smoke.BRL.MIL> Sender: news@sun.Eng.Sun.COM Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc. Lines: 37 In-reply-to: gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL's message of 25 May 89 17:17:28 GMT In article <10322@smoke.BRL.MIL> gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn) writes: >In article <106584@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> bitbug@lonewolf.sun.com (James Buster) writes: >>By the way, what do you think about my idea for kernel design? > >Which idea was that? If it was to keep the actual kernel as minimal >as possible, I don't think anyone could have conceptual disagreement >with that. However, one has to be careful not to force gross >inefficiency by doing too little in the kernel. An example of this >is the user-mode XT protocol and multiplexing via ptys typically >done on BSD-based systems to support 5620/630-class ("Blit-like") >terminals; the context switch overhead is horrendous. This was my original idea. It clearly needs refinement. I also probably used the term "user process" incorrectly in this description. Oh well. # How about this? Make everything a user process which serves # a resource to a client. Resources include the CPU (scheduler), # memory (VM), disk (file system), network (sockets, etc), # serial lines (terminal handlers), etc. Each server determines the access # method and security criteria for its service. Make no arbitrary policy # decisions regarding a service! Don't like the VM server? Replace it! You # could have a security monitor provide a security policy on behalf of # your file system or IPC mechanisms. If you have no need for security, # don't run the monitor. -------------------------------------------- James Buster Mad Hacker Extraordinaire bitbug@lonewolf.sun.com -------------------------------------------- -- -------------------------------------------- James Buster Mad Hacker Extraordinaire bitbug@lonewolf.sun.com --------------------------------------------