Re: [twuug] ROX

["S. Bergeron" <smbergeron@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sun, 2003-02-02 at 17:36, HoytDuff wrote:
> http://lemmit.offline.ee/home/green/Linux/
> 
> I suppose that you could say that this is Linux, but not UNIX?

Actually, you could say it's not Linux either, since after they're done
dicking with the libraries, a linux application wouldn't run anyway. 
They've got an interesting idea, with a flawed OS.  I suppose it could
be possible to get things adapted to sorta make this work, but remember,
authintication (file permissions, ownership, etc) is all done inside the
kernel in linux.  This would make it very difficult to have secure
directories that are off-limits to normal users (i.e. /sbin,
/usr/sbin).  In any event, a standard binary tarball wouldn't work, nor
would a source tarball and ./compile.  If you use the shell in OSX,
you'll find the standard unix filesystem layout, along with the weird
Apple directories.  The configure scripts look for things like, "Okay,
let's look for cc or gcc in /usr/bin, or /usr/local/bin."  This would
break things hardcore.  :-)  I'm not sure how OSX takes care of the
authentication, but I'd imagine the unix stuff is inside the BSD
subsystem, and the rest is inside core services.

I do like that they're working with GNUStep code.  GNUStep is a cool
project, and a great idea.  Cocoa Apps everywhere!  :-)  GNUStep just
needs the framework stuff in the right place, then you can have portable
apps just like OSX.  (i.e.  the Terminal Application is self-contained
in Terminal.App)  For you debian users, do an apt-cache search gnustep. 
I dunno what the RPM-based distros have anymore....I assume they've
still got WindowMaker, which is nominally a part of the project.

>From the Why We Still Need The Hurd Dept.:  UnionFS from the Hurd
development should do a better job.  It doesn't totally jettison the
conventional Unix filesystem (you can, of course, under the Hurd, that's
your choice), but you can remap things so it *looks* like the
conventional unix filesystem when it's not.  Here's a kerneltrap article
about it that tells some.  http://kerneltrap.org/node.php?id=520  And
you could run supercool mach/cocoa/objc apps on it, too!  :-)  /me gets
off his os soapbox.  :-D
-----
S. Bergeron, smbergeron@bigfoot.com
http://members.cox.net/smbergeron/


-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
* To unsubscribe from the TWUUG discussion list, either send e-mail to
-  twuug-request@twuug.org with the word "unsubscribe" by itself
-  in the body of the message or visit: 
-  http://www.twuug.org/lists/twuuglists.html