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diff --git a/community/weblogs/ArneBab/niches_for_the_hurd.mdwn b/community/weblogs/ArneBab/niches_for_the_hurd.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 00000000..34ebd3c9 --- /dev/null +++ b/community/weblogs/ArneBab/niches_for_the_hurd.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,179 @@ +Niches for the Hurd +=================== + +In the bug-hud mailinglist we did a search for niches where the Hurd is *the biggest +fish in the pond*. + +This search was segmented into four distinct phases, three of them major: + +- Brainstorm +- Reality check: can already do vs. could be used for +- Turn ideas into applications +- Find a compromise -> About which niches should we talk in the wiki? + +Brainstorm +---------- + +"Which niches could there be for the Hurd?" + +### Basic Results + +The result is a mix of target groups, +nice features and options of the Hurd, reasons for running a Hurd and areas where +the Hurd offers advantages: + +#### Nice features and options the Hurd offers + +- Give back power to users: arbitrary mounts, subhurds +- Nice features: dpkg -iO ftp://foo/bar/*.deb +- Easier access to low-level functions +- Advanced lightweight virtualization +- operating system study purposes as its done with minix +- The possibility to create more efficient and powerful desktop environments +- Having a _complete_ GNU System +- All-in-one out-of-the-box distro running a webserver for crash-proof operation. + + +#### Target groups and strong environments + +- Tinkerers who like its design. +- multicore-systems + + +### The keyphrases in more detail or with additional ideas + +#### Give back power to users: arbitrary mounts, subhurds + +Simpler virtual computing environments - no need to setup XEN, everyone can +just open up his/her computer for someone else by creating a new user account, +and the other one can login and easily adapt the system for his/her own needs. +If most systems just differ by the translators setup on them, people could +even transfer their whole environment from one computer to another one without +needing root access or more root interaction than creating a new user account. +"I want my tools" -> "no problem, just setup your translators". + +Also it would be possible to just open an account for stuff like joining the +"World Community Grid" allowing for easier sharing of CPU time. + + +#### Easier access to low-level functions + +One important use is for very technical people, who don't always go with +standard solutions, but rather use new approaches to best solve their +problems, and will often find traditional kernels too limiting. + +Another interesting aspect is application development: With the easily +customized/extended system functionality, and the ability to contain +such customizations in subenvironments, I believe that Hurd offers a +good platform for much more efficient development of complex +applications. Application developers can just introduce the desired +mechanisms on a very low level, instead of building around existing +abstractions. The extensible filesystem in particular seems extremely +helpful as a powerful, intuitive and transparent communication +mechanism, which allows creating truly modular applications. + + +#### Advanced lightweight virtualization + +There is also the whole area I called "advanced lightweight +virtualization" (see +http://tri-ceps.blogspot.com/2007/10/advanced-lightweight-virtualization.html +), i.e. the ability to create various kinds of interesting +subenvironments. Many use cases are covered by much bigger fish; but the +flexibility we offer here could still be interesting: I think the middle +grounds we cover between directly running applications, and full +isolation through containers or VMs, are quite unique. This could +simplify management of demanding applications for example, by partially +isolating them from other applications and the main system, and thus +reducing incompatibilities. Creating lightweight software appliances +sounds like an interesting option. + +#### The possibility to create more efficient and powerful desktop environments + +While I believe this can be applied to any kind of applications, I'm +personally most interested in more efficient and powerful desktop +environments -- these considerations are in fact what got me seriously +interested in the Hurd. + +Even more specifically, I've done most considerations (though by far not +all) on modular web browsing environments. Those interested can read up +some of my thoughts on this: + + +http://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/message.php?msg_name=20080909073154.GB821%40alien.local + +(Just skip the text mode browsing stuff -- the relevant part is the long +monologue at the end... I really should put these ideas into my blog.) + + + +#### Nice features + +Another example of features which would be easily possible with the Hurd: + +* media-player translator: + - settrans play /hurd/mediaplayer_play + - cp song1.ogg song2.ogg play + - # -> files get buffered and played. + +or even: + +* cp ftp://foo/bar/ogg play + +that's KDEs fabled network transparency on the shell level. + + +Reality check +------------- + +Check which of the ideas can already be done easily with the Hurd in its current +state, which ones are a bit more complex but already possible, which ones need a bit +of coding (could be accomplished in a few months judging from the current speed of +development), which ones need a lot of work (or fundamental changes) and which ones +aren't possible. + +### Already possible and easy + +### Already possible but complex or underdocumented + +### Need a few month of coding + +### Need a lot of coding or fundamental changes + +### Unfeasible ideas + + +Applications +------------ + +A minor phase, which will surely be interleaved with the others: Making the ideas +tangible to turn them into ways how people can use the Hurd. + +"Hey, look, this is the Hurd. You can use it like this to do that which you can't do +as well/easily/elegantly in any other way." + +### Applications for private use + +### Applications for companies + + +Compromise +---------- + +For each niche: + +- How many additional programmers can the Hurd get in this niche? +- How does choosing this niche limit the flexibility of further development? +- Can we easily move on to conquering the next niche once we got this one? +- What should the Hurd accomplish on the long term? Which possible niches help that? + +Each participant: + +- Give your personal priorities to the niches: + * Must -> all of these of all developers must be included; + remember that at most 3 to 4 ideas can be conveyed in any text. + * Should -> The number of shoulds can be used for ranking and similar. + +("must", because in a community people can do what they perceive as important, and +telling someone to stop what he's doing is no option (in my opinion)) + |