Re: Possibility of open-sourcing GS/OS

[The Wizard of Oz <wizard@emeraldcity.gov>]

On Mon, 07 Nov 2005 20:19:21 -0800, Kirk Mitchell wrote:

> jbooth...@gmail.com wrote:
>> better to get Unix or Linux running on a GS,
>> and Xwindows or another GUI front end...
> 
> Closest I ever saw anything like Unix or Linux on a GS was GNO.
> 
> http://gno.org
> 
> It did nifty stuff like psuedo-multitasking, and had lots of shell
> programs.

	There was also something called Davex which allowed *NIX like commands to
be used in the place of ProDOS commands.

>> Then a program that will either 1)modify GS/OS
>> programs to work with the new os or 2)create a piece
>> of code as a go-between the GS/OS programs and
>> the new OS or 3)just use linux or unix apps.
> 
> I don't really think a stock GS would have the horsepower to do much
> GUI stuff.  But I certainly hope folks don't think I'm raining on their
> parade.  Go for it!  B-{)

	The original UNIX (without GUI) was apparently four Meg. Given the
limited hardware and software even an accelerated GS would face, it
*should* be possible to knock it down to something a little smaller. If
the kernel can be written with loadable modules, it should help even more.

	I think you are right with the GUI. Most people running *NIX are running
either Gnome or KDE. We aren't going to get anything close to that on a
GS. Yet at the same time the three GUIs (GS/OS, Mousedesk, and GEOS) do
function. Each has its good and bad points. So a GUI (obviously) is
possible.

	What can we hope for with either a GS port of *NIX or an open sourced
GS/OS... Basically it would be to take out the bloat. Make the hardware
access more efficient. Allow for new hardware. Make graphics and
communications more generic. Allow for some multi-tasking. Multi-boot boot
loaders. Etcetera. In the context of modern computers it will be a little
disappointing. In the context of what Apple left us with it would be a
major advance.

> Kirk

				Later
				Mike