From 7e4ec33e095c6923fd13c56a9cf6c4083dbd116d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Stephen L. Favor" Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1999 14:45:29 +0000 Subject: Initial revision --- hurd-announce2 | 143 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 143 insertions(+) create mode 100644 hurd-announce2 (limited to 'hurd-announce2') diff --git a/hurd-announce2 b/hurd-announce2 new file mode 100644 index 00000000..dce41c43 --- /dev/null +++ b/hurd-announce2 @@ -0,0 +1,143 @@ +From mib@gnu.ai.mit.edu Wed Nov 3 21:51:03 1993 +Path: usenet.ee.pdx.edu!cs.uoregon.edu!ogicse!emory!nigel.msen.com!sdd.hp.com!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!spool.mu.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!ai-lab!prep.ai.mit.edu!gnulists +From: mib@gnu.ai.mit.edu (Michael I Bushnell) +Newsgroups: gnu.announce,gnu.misc.discuss +Subject: Hurd status and call for volunteers +Message-ID: <9311020719.AA02206@geech.gnu.ai.mit.edu> +Date: 1 Nov 93 21:19:05 GMT +Article-I.D.: geech.9311020719.AA02206 +Followup-To: gnu.misc.discuss +Distribution: world +Lines: 124 +Approved: info-gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu +To: info-gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu +X-Shopping-List: + (1) Chaotic casino griddles (2) Cervical congestion (3) Neoclassical + consoles +Xref: usenet.ee.pdx.edu gnu.announce:160 gnu.misc.discuss:3985 + +This message to help sate curiosity, as well as to ask for volunteers. +Until we are ready for alpha test, this is the last such message that +will be posted here. If you want to receive further such messages, +send mail to hurd-ann-request@gnu.ai.mit.edu and ask to be put on that +(moderated) announcements list. + + +What is already done with the Hurd: + +The filesystem is complete; it runs (read-only), and most of its calls +have been tested and work. The filesystem is able to download +programs, by a kludge similar to the kludge used to enable the kernel +to download the first task. In the actual bootstap sequence, it will +download the execserver. + +The proc and auth servers are completed; the exec server is nearly +complete (for a.out, not for bfd). + +C library support for Mach and Hurd rpc stubs, and some of the mach +and hurd specific code, is done. Much untested and probably wrong +code has been written to implement Unix "system calls". A large piece +of this (the descriptor management code) is believed by Roland to have +some architectural flaw, but he isn't sure. + +Some small filesystem servers (shadow directories, for example) have +been written, but have not been compiled, let alone tested. + + +There are currently three things happening wrt the Hurd: + +I am spending nearly all my time getting things to boot and run. My +work is currently directed toward that goal; in the immediate present +I am working with Roland on getting the library in its near-final +state (which will last a long time) to make compiling easier. It is +because this is nearly done that I can send this message. + +Roland is working on the library. Most of the remaining architectural +work is done and being tested. Then Roland will work on integrating +cthreads (which is mostly busywork), miscellaneous filesystem calls, +and then file descriptors. After that comes signals. + +Jan Brittenson will be working on the network server library. This is +a library that, when linked against a BSD protocol stack, will produce +a Hurd network server. (Such a server implements the socket interface +in socket.defs.) + + +There are four general tasks that can be done by other people: + +1. Completing the existing work on the terminal driver. The existing +work implements most of the logic you already associate with a Posixy +terminal driver; it needs the port management and buffering logic +added. + +2. Writing a readline terminal driver. We will want, as an +alternative to the Posixy terminal driver, a readline type terminal +driver. + +3. Writing miscellaneous shell utilities. Here we need shell +utilities to create translators, etc. They should have a nice rich +set of features to do all kinds of GNU things. + +4. Writing miscellaneous filesystem servers. Here we need a +transparent tar server, a transparent FTP server, and the like. + + +Future plans for work to be written by me (once the bootstrap works, +and in addition to testing library code as Roland finishes it): + +o split the existing filesystem into three parts: + o a library for port management for complicated multi-threaded + servers; + o a library for "normal" disk-based filesystems; + o ufs specific code. + +o Write the PF_FILE socket server (what you know as PF_UNIX). + +o Finish the posixy terminal driver if nobody else has. + +o Write miscellaneous shell utilities that nobody else has. + +o Build a self-hosting system. + + +What you need in order to be able to help now: + +o A 386 PC running Mach 3.0. If you have some other kind of hardware, + then you need to port the GNU C library support first. I'm not + entirely sure how much work that involves; you will need to contact + Roland. It might be too much trouble at this point to spend any + effort on it. It's best if it's a machine for which a free port of + Mach is available, though you could do useful work even if it's not. + + If you are not currently running Mach 3.0 with somebody's + single-server, then it is very unlikely you could help, unless you + have a Unix source license. In that case, you could talk to CMU + (write mach@cs.cmu.edu) to find out how to get Mach 3.0 running on + your machine. It is not possible to do development without a Unix + emulator of some kind; just bare Mach 3.0 is not sufficient. I have + neither the time nor knowledge to help someone get a 3.0 + single-server system running. + +o Clue. I don't have enough time to explain operating systems or Unix + to people. You need to have an iron-clad grasp of Unix semantics + (specificaly BSD); it's essential that things be exactly right from + that standpoint. It's not enough that you've programmed Unix + before; you need to understand all the nits. However, you may + disregard my previous comments about a "two question limit". You do + need the ability to intuit to some extent, however. + +o Time. It's not good for me to delegate a task and then have nothing + happen on it. If you have a full-time job where you can't justify + Hurd work as part of your job, you might find that you don't really + have as much time as you thought. Please make sure you really have + enough time before volunteering for a task. + +o Efficient net access. Without a real Internet connection (mail only + is not sufficient), it will be impossible for you to do development + right now. + + +If you think you can help, send me email. If you don't think you can +help right now, then don't give up: the list of conditions will change +as the list of delegatable tasks changes. + -- cgit v1.2.3