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diff --git a/history/hurd-flash2 b/history/hurd-flash2 new file mode 100644 index 00000000..b1d4f66f --- /dev/null +++ b/history/hurd-flash2 @@ -0,0 +1,152 @@ +From: mib@churchy.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Michael I Bushnell) +Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss,comp.os.mach,comp.os.linux.development,comp.os.linux.misc,comp.unix.pc-clone.32bit +Subject: GNU Hurd Task List and Call for Volunteers +Followup-To: gnu.misc.discuss +Date: 18 May 1994 17:54:47 GMT +Organization: FOO +Lines: 140 +Message-ID: <MIB.94May18135447@churchy.gnu.ai.mit.edu> +NNTP-Posting-Host: churchy.gnu.ai.mit.edu +Xref: usenet.ee.pdx.edu gnu.misc.discuss:7630 comp.os.mach:1434 comp.os.linux.d +evelopment:9867 comp.os.linux.misc:16767 comp.unix.pc-clone.32bit:5854 + + +Now that the Hurd can run (albeit haltingly) on its own, it is +possible for people who do not have Mach 3.0 single-servers to +contribute without much trouble. (However, if you don't have a +single-server, you probably won't be able to use a debugger, but that +doesn't mean you can't do debugging, right?) + +We at the FSF don't have any expertise in setting up Mach 3.0 +machines; the machines that we do development on belong to the Open +Software Foundation and were set up by them. So one of the things on +the task list is to organize things so that people (like us and most +of you) who don't know how to do it can do it. It's not impossible to +figure out, it's just a pain and a marvelous thing for a volunteer to +do. + +You can get Mach 3.0 from CMU; you get the C library and the Hurd from +us. You need the soon-to-be-released version 1.07.6 of the C library +and the latest Hurd snapshot (as well as our special version of MiG) +from alpha.gnu.ai.mit.edu. + +All our work is based upon i386. The Hurd (except for a few programs; +see the Hurd README file) is machine independent. The C library +should not be too much trouble to port. Ports and information about +porting difficulty for either of these are greatly desired. + +The Hurd is not yet self-hosting. While you are welcome to fetch the +code and put things together, it is not likely that you will have a +useful system right now. But you might be able to do significant work +(see the task list below). And, even if you can't do significant +work, I'm interested in hearing about any places where you had +particular difficulty. + +If you want to start on one of these tasks, please let me know so I +can keep track of volunteers properly. This task list will be updated +periodically; gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu always has the latest version. + + -mib + +GNU Hurd Task List Version 1.0. + +If you would like to work on one of these, please contact mib@gnu.ai.mit.edu. + + +Mach 3.0 Work + + o Mach 3.0 comes with CMU makefiles that depend on a drecky environment. + It would be very helpful to have makefiles and installation stuff so + that it worked well for cross-compilation between systems and used + GNU tools. + + o MiG needs to be made able to support cross-compilation. + + o A replacement for MiG that understood C .h files. + + o Bootstrap tools and documentation to help people set up Mach 3.0 + machines if they already have Linux; if they already have Net BSD; + if they don't have anything. + + o Mach 3.0 needs to provide support for task virtual timers similar + in functionality to the Unix ITIMER_PROF and ITIMER_VIRTUAL timers. + + o Mach 3.0 needs to provide a way for users to do statistical PC + profiling similar to the Unix profil system call. + + o Mach 3.0 needs a facility to automatically send task and thread + status on task/thread exit to a port that can only be changed by + a privileged user; this would be used to implement process + accounting. + + o Mach 3.0 needs a facility to find out what task is the parent of + a given task. + + o Mach 3.0 needs a facility to find out which pages of a task's + address space are in core to implement Unix's mincore call. + + o Mach 3.0 needs a facility to do msync. + + o Mach 3.0 needs a replacement for MEMORY_OBJECT_COPY_CALL that + works at least for the cases needed in ordinary files. (Write mib if + you want to know what the problem is and some ideas about how to + solve it.) + + o Mach 3.0 needs proxy memory objects. (mib can tell you what these + are and why they are important.) + + o Mach 3.0 needs a way to do per-task resource counters that are + accessible to servers called by the task. + + o Mach 3.0 needs facilities to implement resource limits of various sorts. + + o Mach 3.0 needs a way to have a thread's CPU time statistics + include time spent by servers on its behalf. + + o Of course, free ports are always necessary to machines that don't + already have free ports. + + o Much work can be done doing research in how to improve Mach VM + performance and timesharing scheduling policy. + + +Hurd work (these are brief descriptions; mib can give more information): + + o We need a translator for /dev. + + o We need a replacement for utmp and wtmp that understands the + Hurd `login collection' concept. Programs like who and finger + then need to be changed to use this. + + o We need some existing shell programs changed to do Hurd things: + like ls, su, fsck, tar, cpio, etc. + + o Some new programs need to be written: login, getty, ps, tools + for new filesystem features. + + o Shadow directory translators. (Roland has the beginnings of this.) + + o A system for write, send, talkd and so forth to bleep users; + this should be integrated with the utmp replacement above. + + o X. + + o A filesystem for /tmp that uses virtual memory instead of disk. + + o Filesystem implementations (using libdiskfs) for other popular + formats, especially the Linux formats as well as MSDOG. + + o Transparent FTP translator. + + o NFS client implementation. You should start with BSD's 4.4 code + and support the extensions they support; don't worry about Hurd + extensions right now. (The server we want to write ourselves + because it will probably involve changing the Hurd interfaces.) + + o A fancy terminal driver that uses readline and supports detach/attach. + +-- ++1 617 623 3248 (H) | The soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, ++1 617 253 8568 (W) -+- and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. +1105 Broadway | Then Jonathan made a covenant with David +Somerville, MA 02144 | because he loved him as his own soul. |