summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
-rw-r--r--advantages.mdwn4
-rw-r--r--faq/posix_compatibility.mdwn32
-rw-r--r--hurd/interface.mdwn4
-rw-r--r--hurd/status.mdwn9
4 files changed, 42 insertions, 7 deletions
diff --git a/advantages.mdwn b/advantages.mdwn
index 8b41f3cd..100c8ff8 100644
--- a/advantages.mdwn
+++ b/advantages.mdwn
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ terms of the [[GNU General Public License (GPL)|GPL]].
It's compatible as it provides a familiar programming and user environment.
For all intents and purposes, the Hurd provides the same facilities as a modern
[[Unix]]-like kernel. The Hurd uses the [[GNU C Library|glibc]], whose
-development closely tracks standards such as ANSI/ISO, BSD, POSIX, Single Unix,
-SVID, and X/Open.
+development closely tracks [[standards such as ANSI/ISO, BSD, POSIX, Single
+Unix, SVID, and X/Open|faq/posix_compatibility]].
Unlike other popular kernel software, the Hurd has an object-oriented structure
that allows it to evolve without compromising its design. This structure will
diff --git a/faq/posix_compatibility.mdwn b/faq/posix_compatibility.mdwn
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1525a7ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/faq/posix_compatibility.mdwn
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+[[!meta copyright="Copyright © 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc."]]
+
+[[!meta license="""[[!toggle id="license" text="GFDL 1.2+"]][[!toggleable
+id="license" text="Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this
+document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
+any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant
+Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license
+is included in the section entitled [[GNU Free Documentation
+License|/fdl]]."]]"""]]
+
+[[!meta title="POSIX compatibility"]]
+
+Is it favorable of rather a hindrance to be compatible to POSIX and similar
+standards?
+
+A lot of things in POSIX et al. are designed for [[UNIX]]-like systems with
+traditional monolithic [[kernel]]s.
+
+Thus, a [[microkernel]]-based system, as ours is, has to employ a bunch of
+detours, for example to implement the [[`fork` system call|glibc/fork]].
+
+On the other hand, (mostly) complying to these standards, made a really big
+body of software *just work* without any (or just trivial) [[hurd/porting]].
+Especially so for command-line programs, and libraries.
+
+But: a large part of today's user programs are not written according to POSIX
+et al. low-level interfaces, but against GNOME, GTK+2, and other high-level
+frameworks and libraries. It may be a valid option to enrich these instead of
+striving for total POSIX compliance -- and the high-level programs (that is,
+their users) may not even notice this, but we would avoid a lot of overhead
+that comes with wrapping the [[Hurd interfaces|hurd/interface]] to be POSIX
+compliant.
diff --git a/hurd/interface.mdwn b/hurd/interface.mdwn
index 75fda808..53cd31f0 100644
--- a/hurd/interface.mdwn
+++ b/hurd/interface.mdwn
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-[[!meta copyright="Copyright © 2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc."]]
+[[!meta copyright="Copyright © 2009, 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc."]]
[[!meta license="""[[!toggle id="license" text="GFDL 1.2+"]][[!toggleable
id="license" text="Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this
@@ -10,5 +10,7 @@ License|/fdl]]."]]"""]]
[[!meta title="Interfaces"]]
+/!\ Incomplete.
+
[[!map pages="hurd/interface/* and !hurd/interface/*_*"
show=title]]
diff --git a/hurd/status.mdwn b/hurd/status.mdwn
index 721cdeda..fe56f183 100644
--- a/hurd/status.mdwn
+++ b/hurd/status.mdwn
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ id="license" text="Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this
document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant
Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license
-is included in the section entitled
-[[GNU Free Documentation License|/fdl]]."]]"""]]
+is included in the section entitled [[GNU Free Documentation
+License|/fdl]]."]]"""]]
The Hurd, together with the GNU Mach microkernel, the GNU C Library
and the other GNU and non-GNU programs in the GNU system, provide a
@@ -30,8 +30,9 @@ and advanced server applications like the Apache webserver.
On the negative side, the support for character devices (like sound
-cards) and other hardware is mostly missing. Although the POSIX
-interface is provided, some additional interfaces like POSIX shared
+cards) and other hardware is mostly missing. Although the [[POSIX
+interface|faq/posix_compatibility]] is provided, some additional interfaces
+like POSIX shared
memory or semaphores are still under development.
All this applies to the current development version, and not to the