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AtheOS 0.3.5 Released
JigSaw writes "AtheOS 0.3.5 has just been released. Lots of changes to the core of the OS, but the most important upgrade is the port of the Konqueror web browser (the author had to wrap around X/KDE/QT calls in order to port it). AtheOS is a modern OS, written from scratch using OOP and C++, it features a 64-bit journaled/attributed filesystem and (surprise) it doesn't use X, but rather its native GUI system (screenshots). Changelog is here, while you can download it here (only around 23 MB for the basic installation). There is already a number of posix software ports and third party native software available."
it's always fun to read the latest articles on slashdot, so I can see the pages that I will actually be able to load 6-24 hours from now ;)
If you're reading this, please update to SourceForge! you're .CX server is utterly bogged by the slashdot effect. I would love to try it out, I have a box just rarin' to go, but we'll never get at it while this is on the front page of slashdot, unless you post something like an ISO somewhere fat.
At least it's better than Be's "close it up and then abandon it" approach to replacing X.
I think you're confusing that with Be's "we're trying to make some money and survive, so kiss our ass" approach.
But I could be wrong.
"And like that
Sever timed out while trying to access www.atheos.cx.
Sorry, AtheOS, we just zeroed your uptime counter.
STOP . AMERICA . NOW
The IDE driver is quite mature. The problem is, instead of interfacing with the IDE chipset directly, like Linux, and most other modern OSes, it goes through the BIOS. Not only does this cause a speed reduction, but it creates a HUGE geometry translation headache - if the BIOS is not setup to see the drive the same way non-BIOS-dependant OSes see it, your OSes are going to start overwriting each other's partitions. From what I gather, Kurt only has AtheOS on his development machine so has no real need to write another IDE driver.
Using X11's driver API is a good idea, but if you're gonna write a whole new OS and API from scratch, you may as well break the driver interface while you're at it...
this agnostic OS, has not accepted jesux as his savior OS!
Several reasons:
1) AtheOS is being actively developed, BeOS is not.
2) AtheOS is opens source (see (1) for results).
3) AtheOS has better POSIX complience.
4) AtheOS has better development tools (more modern GCC).
Of course, BeOS is still technalogically more mature, but given 1-4, and Be's lack of lifesigns it won't be for long.
No, the irony of this post is not lost on me.
A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
Mirrored screenshot of the Konqueror port to AtheOS
One impressive factor is SMP support: already! OpenBSD still doesn't support SMP and NetBSD just added it recently (not a flame of the BSD folks -- obviously, they're focusing on different goals. But I still think it's an impressive feature to have this early in its development).
What about Mac OS-X?
What about it? Apple has released their BSD core OS, but the GUI, which most users consider the computer, is still strictly proprietary. How many times do we have to trot this old dog out before we realize it's the same old dog that's been given a shearing and a flea-dip?
I, for one, don't feel like spending $1500-2000 for the same bang-per-buck I already have in my Athlon-based PC for under $500 just to use MacOS.
The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and slashdot the links early!
Ok, the site has loaded (finally), the actual changelog is at: http://www.atheos.cx/download/0.3.5/base/changes.t xt
The One Rule Of Chess You'll Ever Need: Don't play someone who carries a kit in their bookbag.
AtheOS is not a microkernel. It's a strange hybrid design in which most drivers live inside a monolithic kernel but drivers not needing to service interrupts (and maybe other kernel-only features I'm not aware of) can work in userland. Also, the kernel is not programmed in object oriented C++, like the rest of the system - it's 100% C.
AtheOS and HURD also had very different goals. HURD was designed to be a scalable, clusterable microkernel-based OS with lots of advanced features, while AtheOS was designed to be something that works, here and now. Albeit heavily inspired by BeOS's "multimedia OS" idea.
I do admire Kurt for getting so much done, almost all on his own, but I wonder if AtheOS is ambitious enough to survive in the future, or whether adding new features will be like flogging a dead horse.
The best part about AtheOS is that it is everything that the HURD tried to be but hasn't become yet. AtheOS is an object-oriented microkernel OS that is already up and running - something that the HURD should have been about six years ago. RMS is stuck playing catch-up to the newcomer now, and it's anyone's guess as to whether he bows out of the race or starts making good on the HURD's promises. Only time will tell.
-vort3x
(posting anonymously to preserve my precious karma)
Surely it's time for HURD to stop being vapourware and actually get something working.
The HURD is certainly far from "finished" but it is by no means vaporware. Nowadays development is happened under the Debian HURD project. It does boot, it has networking, it's got X11, it's got install disks (Linux based at this time). The last month has seen the first PPP support.
At present there are over 1000 hurd-compiled packages - 25% of the Debian archive. (a full list of packages with statuses here (big page))
For more information, check the afore mentioned Debian HURD pages, Kernel Cousin Debian Hurd (mailing list summaries) and the HURD Documentation Project.
New version. There has been a long time since the last release of AtheOS but finally V0.3.5 is ready for release. There is several reasons for the long delay like the fact that I have been rather busy at work lately and that we have had a great summer here in Oslo so AtheOS have not always been at the top of my priority list. Also quite a lot of work have gone into this release and quite a lot of new features and improvements have been made.
Many of the changes are additions and modifications to the various API's and toolkits but also a few user-visible aspects are improved in this release. Many bugs are fixed in the text editor and list-view widgets. The scrollbar have got a totally new look and a few new features like "paging" (jump one page when clicking beside the knob) and small arrow buttons that can be used to move the know.
Some crash-bugs have been fixed and the general robustness of the application server has been improved. Also several kernel crash-bugs have been fixed so the general stability of AtheOS have improved quite a bit. The uptime on my heavily stressed developer machine is 34 days when I write this (the time since the last HW upgrade).
This version also have two new keymaps (German and Sweedish) and support for a wide range of nVidia graphics adaptors.
The main focus for V0.3.5 however has been on the KHTML based web browser. I have ported the HTML parser/renderer used in the Konqueror web browser (KHTML) to AtheOS. KHTML is a very capabel HTML parser and renderer that support both CSS and javascript and so does the AtheOS web browser. Finally a high-quality web browser for AtheOS! The browser is part of the 0.3.5 base install and the 0.3.4->0.3.5 upgrade archive. Take a look at the changes list for a more detailed list of changes since V0.3.4.
The One Rule Of Chess You'll Ever Need: Don't play someone who carries a kit in their bookbag.
As 'the guy' writing ( or at least trying to write) the IDE driver I might as well respond. The reason for a driver, which is not just for speed is for cdrom support. So its two fold. I tried picking up where Jasper, the orginal writer left off (kernel 0.1.1). Kurt really hasnt had a need for an IDE driver since, unless im mistaken, he is running an all SCSI system. However even though i crashed, and lost the little progress I made I am gonna probally end up trying a different route. Someone already has ported the ISO9660 filesytem and that gentlemen is also working on the IDE driver seperately when he has time. I havent had much time lately due to work to actually work on the driver but am starting up again, heck i might have alot of time since I might be joining the pink slip parties soon :)
I believe after the cdrom driver is released more 'normal' people will start trying this OS due to the ablity of a bootable cdrom and a nice install... by normal I mean 99% of the people reading this site on a daily basis. After that I have a feeling a large influx of developers are bound to come.
Joe Radkowski
JoeRadkowski@hotmail.com