Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Tanenbaum-Torvalds Microkernel Debate Continues

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the arguements-that-never-die dept.

twasserman writes "Andy Tanenbaum's recent article in the May 2006 issue of IEEE Computer restarted the longstanding Slashdot discussion about microkernels. He has posted a message on his website that responds to the various comments, describes numerous microkernel operating systems, including Minix3, and addresses his goal of building highly reliable, self-healing operating systems."

4 of 534 comments (clear)

  1. Still Debating by Your+Anus · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Wasn't this debate won by Linus Torvalds 15 years ago? If microkernels were such a big win, we would be using them today. Did Andy Tennenbaum find some magical messaging protocol that works faster than shared memory?

    --

    In the USA, we like stuff watered down, like beer, television, and freedom.
  2. Obsolete Computing Technology by MOBE2001 · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    The very fact that this subject is still being debated is a sign of the chronic immaturity of the computer industry. Soon, people will begin to realize that we've been doing it wrong ever since Lady Ada wrote the first algorithm (table of instructions) for Babbage's analytical engine. As a result, we are all struggling with a mess of hundreds of operating systems and computer languages that are all competing against each other. Worse, our applications and OSes are buggy and some of us (Brooks) have given up hope of finding a solution. It's a veritable crisis. Switch to a non-algorithmic, signal-based sycnchronous software model and the problem will disappear, along with the interminable, useless debates. After more than a century and a half, I would say the time is just about right for a change of paradigm.

  3. Re:Andy Tanenbaum ? by TheBogie · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Tanenbaum pops up from time to time to give people lip. Eventually Linus gets fed up and smacks him down with sound arguments (Linus has won every argument thus far). If he keeps to schedule, Tanenbaum should go away soon and come back about 18 months from now with some other silly concern.

  4. The tradeoff... by Duncan3 · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Would any sane person on the planet sacrifice 5% of their performance (a whole month of hardware speedups) for security and reliability?

    YES!

    Would Linus?

    Not over his cold dead corpse.

    QED.

    --
    - Adam L. Beberg - The Cosm Project - http://www.mithral.com/