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Review of AtheOS 0.3.7

Posted by michael on from the next-linux dept.

MAIC-32 writes: "OSNews features a very informative and detailed review of AtheOS, the promising 32-bit GPL Operating System. The article describes the installation process, the GUI (screenshots included), usage, internal design, developement and much more."

5 of 172 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Too many! by Uller-RM · · Score: 4, Informative

    Maybe it's fun to write something for the HELL of it, and not worry about it being useful. I'm sure whoever came up with linked lists back in the 60s was confronted by someone saying "they're so much slower than arrays - what's the point?"

    Who gives a rat's ass if it's not useful to you? It's useful to the author, because he's learned a lot doing it, and he doesn't owe you shit. He probably doesn't give a fuck what you think about it, either.

  2. This looks a lot like AmigaOS by /Wegge · · Score: 5, Informative
    Given the immediately accessible amount of API documentation available, to me it looks like this OS has captured the same spirit that AmigaOS was built upon: A lightweight microkernel, with device drivers as a separate entity.


    I'll be very tempted to make the switch from Linux just to be reminded of the good old days of the Amiga.

    --
    //Wegge
  3. Re:AtheOS takes a Windows approach by mlinksva · · Score: 5, Informative
    The AtheOS home page says
    "The GUI is server/client like X11 but communicate through the native messaging system and the protocol is private to the server and client library and entirely hidden from the applications."
    So it may not be hard to do remote display.
  4. The point is fun - for the author. by barneyfoo · · Score: 4, Informative

    The author doesn't want you to just use his OS. He's building it for himself, not for you or anyone else. He wont accept code (except bug fixes) into the main OS. He will only accept driver submissions.

  5. Re:What's the point? by Vanders · · Score: 4, Informative
    Well, lets look at the things AtheOS currently does that are different?

    • AFS (AtheOS File System) is 64bit & journalled. It also supports file attributes, meta data can be attached to your file as an attribute.
    • It has a client/server GUI model, similiar to X, but without the X overhead. The appserver is tightly integrated to the kernel (As apposed to X being loosly integrated to the Unix system)
    • Highlevel IPC is achieved through a flexible message system
    • An integrated, consistent GUI. No multiple toolkits.
    • A C++ API for GUI coding. GUI's & OO go together like bread & butter. Better (IMHO) than GTK+'s "C with objects" approach.
    • Extremly quick. Built from scratch with SMP & multi-threading in mind, and does them well.
    • A sensible kernel architecture. Not purely monolithic, nor anally microkernel. Drivers communicate with the kernel through a well defined API, rather than "becoming" part of the kernel as with Linux. New drivers can be installed & removed at run time just by copying them into a directory, or deleting them.

    I could probably go on, but I won't. There is more on it's way too, specifically the desktop re-write will see some of the sexier features put to good use, and the media framework should rock. Anything specific you want to see first though?
    --
    Syllable : It's an Operating System