Newsgroups: comp.os.minix Path: sparky!uunet!wupost!udel!louie!minix From: S90405...@hsepm1.hse.nl Subject: Linux? Message-ID: <1992Sep21.110338.21830@udel.edu> Originator: m...@louie.udel.edu Sender: use...@udel.edu (USENET News Service) Nntp-Posting-Host: louie.udel.edu Organization: University of Delaware Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1992 11:05:25 GMT Approved: usenet=re...@louie.udel.EDU Lines: 8 Hi, Can smebody, in a few wrds, tell me wha linux is? I've seen it mentined in info minix a few times. Thanx, Jan Ever van Grootheest -- Mail System (MMDF)
Path: sparky!uunet!mcsun!news.funet.fi!hydra!klaava!torvalds From: torva...@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Linus Torvalds) Newsgroups: comp.os.minix Subject: Re: Linux? Message-ID: <1992Sep21.123312.27713@klaava.Helsinki.FI> Date: 21 Sep 92 12:33:12 GMT References: <1992Sep21.110338.21830@udel.edu> Followup-To: comp.os.linux Organization: University of Helsinki Lines: 60 In article <1992Sep21.110338.21...@udel.edu> S90405...@hsepm1.hse.nl writes: > >Can smebody, in a few wrds, tell me wha linux is? >I've seen it mentined in info minix a few times. [ This should be in comp.os.linux - see the Follow-Up. If you have c.o.minix, but not c.o.linux, you should contact your newsfeed administrator ] Linux is a unix-like OS for the 386 - it's *not* available for any other architecture (and it currently doesn't work even on PS/2 (ie MCA) machines). Like minix, it comes with full source code, and is copyrighted. Unlike minix, it's freely re-distributable under the GNU copyleft (ie it doesn't cost you anything if you have ftp access). Linux has some ties the the minix community: I originally used minix for linux developement, and the standard filesystem is still mostly compatible with the original minix fs (ie you can mount the same partitions both from minix and linux). That's about the only thing minix/linux have in common any more, but it may make a transition easier. The best way to get a picture of linux is probably to read comp.os.linux for a while, and/or ftp to 'tsx-11.mit.edu' (pub/linux) or 'nic.funet.fi' (pub/OS/Linux) and try it out. Documentation isn't too hot (if you are timid about that, you should probably get minix or coherent), but it's possible to set up a linux system even with very limited unix knowledge. Linux runs in full 32-bit protected mode, giving each process a 3GB process space (1GB used for virtual kernel memory). It supports paging to disk, shared libraries etc, and runs about everything from gcc to X11r5. 2MB physical RAM minimum, with >=4MB preferred for good performance. Linux supports virtual filesystems: the standard kernel understands the minix fs, DOS disks (non-stacked), and a ext-fs format, giving 255 char character names and bigger partitions than the minix format. There are also patches for a xenix-filesystem mode as well as for actual emulation of some xenix binaries (but this isn't part of the standard kernel). Additional patches include tcp/ip (which will be in the next major release, probably next week), a soundblaster driver and a CDROM fs. There is some work going on to use linux as the base for the FSF single-server (ie not Hurd, but a simpler unix-server) on top of mach-3.0, but this is so far only in it's infancy. Additional info from the newsgroup and ftp-sites. I'd also suggest you check out "comp.os.coherent" and "comp.unix.bsd" for other alternatives to DOS - while I obviously think linux is the best of minix/linux/coherent/386bsd, there are those who disagree: Minix is good for education (source, the book), coherent for simpler home use (easier installation, manual), linux for hacking (source, completeness) and 386bsd for people who simply want "the real McCoy" (source, compatibility). Linux and 386bsd are both freely distributable, although under different conditions, while minix and coherent are commercial (although cheap: $169 v $99 USD). Linus