Linus Torvalds says "Mac OS X is Crap"!
- Thread starter xaqintosh
- Start date
xaqintosh
Master of Reality
Linus' UNIX kernel, known as linux, is based on the original architecture. it is a monolithic UNIX kernel. in other words, it is a dinosaur.
in the 80s and 90s, a lot of research was done into OSes and kernels at universities, and a lot of new ideas were come up with. ideas that are more suited to the modern computer than the original monolithic kernel designed in 1969-1970.
for a while microkernels were touted as the best new idea. they are small and portable, stable and extentible. when richard stallman chose a kernel for the GNU system, he chose CMU mach kernel.
other examples of new kernels that are the results of a few decades of research and the microcomputer revolution are the exokernel from MIT, and the plan 9 kernel. these are all great different approaches to kernels, and next to them the monolithic UNIX kernel really shows its agge.
linus himself admitted when he first started his kernel, that he didn t have a really professional kernel like GNU did (work on GNUs kernel was started but not far enough along).
linus started his kernel when he was a student, and his professor told him that doing a monolithic kernel was a "fundamental error". linus replied implying he [the prof] had brain damage.
when linus got working on his kernel, he made a whole OS by taking all the parts of the GNU OS except the kernel. these days, richard stallman asks that that OS be called GNU/linux instead of just linux, but no one listens. richard stallman chides linus for not advocating free software, and linus makes fun of him for being too political.
now that millions of people use the linux kernel, and it has become the more professional OS, and has even learned to become portable and extendible a little bit, linus is bashing richard stallmans choice of kernel, the mach kernel.
doesn t suprise me, under the circumstances. linus is quite defensive about his bad decision.
i find it entirely irrelevant that OSX uses the mach microkernel. i don t think that article said that linus said OSX is crap, but rather that mach is crap.
the OSX headline was added by a journalist, who knows how fanatic and defensive mac users are.
in the 80s and 90s, a lot of research was done into OSes and kernels at universities, and a lot of new ideas were come up with. ideas that are more suited to the modern computer than the original monolithic kernel designed in 1969-1970.
for a while microkernels were touted as the best new idea. they are small and portable, stable and extentible. when richard stallman chose a kernel for the GNU system, he chose CMU mach kernel.
other examples of new kernels that are the results of a few decades of research and the microcomputer revolution are the exokernel from MIT, and the plan 9 kernel. these are all great different approaches to kernels, and next to them the monolithic UNIX kernel really shows its agge.
linus himself admitted when he first started his kernel, that he didn t have a really professional kernel like GNU did (work on GNUs kernel was started but not far enough along).
linus started his kernel when he was a student, and his professor told him that doing a monolithic kernel was a "fundamental error". linus replied implying he [the prof] had brain damage.
when linus got working on his kernel, he made a whole OS by taking all the parts of the GNU OS except the kernel. these days, richard stallman asks that that OS be called GNU/linux instead of just linux, but no one listens. richard stallman chides linus for not advocating free software, and linus makes fun of him for being too political.
now that millions of people use the linux kernel, and it has become the more professional OS, and has even learned to become portable and extendible a little bit, linus is bashing richard stallmans choice of kernel, the mach kernel.
doesn t suprise me, under the circumstances. linus is quite defensive about his bad decision.
i find it entirely irrelevant that OSX uses the mach microkernel. i don t think that article said that linus said OSX is crap, but rather that mach is crap.
the OSX headline was added by a journalist, who knows how fanatic and defensive mac users are.
Oscar Castillo
Registered
Well I've tried several flavors of Linux, and aside from all the bundled GNU stuff and free apps which are great. Linux is no closer to the desktop today than it was when it first was hyped up against Windows. And from what I've seen it'll never happen untill it gets more mainstream apps, but most importantly it needs to be easy to maintain. Its come a long way. Installs are far smoother now than they use to be, but looks like it's running out of steam.
Apple has done with OS X what all Linux distros have been trying to do from the start - make the OS easy to use and maintain, but still retain the solid foundation of UNIX for pros not needing or wanting a GUI environment to deal with all the time.
If all Linux is being used for is for web servers and file servers, then that's where it will remain.
By the way I saw an interview with Torvalds not too long ago. The man seems bitter.
Apple has done with OS X what all Linux distros have been trying to do from the start - make the OS easy to use and maintain, but still retain the solid foundation of UNIX for pros not needing or wanting a GUI environment to deal with all the time.
If all Linux is being used for is for web servers and file servers, then that's where it will remain.
By the way I saw an interview with Torvalds not too long ago. The man seems bitter.