diff options
-rw-r--r-- | advantages.mdwn | 4 | ||||
-rw-r--r-- | faq/posix_compatibility.mdwn | 32 | ||||
-rw-r--r-- | hurd/interface.mdwn | 4 | ||||
-rw-r--r-- | hurd/status.mdwn | 9 |
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 |