From mib@PREP.AI.MIT.EDU Tue May  7 12:07:53 1991
From: mib@PREP.AI.MIT.EDU
Newsgroups: gnu.announce
Subject: FSF work on a GNU OS
Date: 6 May 91 22:15:22 GMT
Reply-To: mib@prep.ai.mit.edu
Distribution: gnu
Organization: GNUs Not Usenet

The Free Software Foundation is beginning work on a GNU operating
system built on top of the Mach 3.0 microkernel.  There are three
goals to this project worth noting:

o Binary compatability with 4.4 BSD, and other U*x or U*xish systems
  on other hardware where appropriate, convenient, and consistent with
  the design;

o Posix compliance (in combination with the GNU C Library and the GNU
  C Compiler); and

o Ease of use as well as several new features and functionality.


I am interested in constructive criticism on the interfaces, design,
and implementation from experts in the field of OS research and design
consistent with the above goals.  Advice from seasoned U*x hackers is
especially welcome.

We have a mailing list for discussion.  Currently there is little
discussion on the group; the major contributors to the ideas behind
the design all live in the Boston area at this point, and work has
been done via face-to-face communication.  I would like to open the
field of discussion to a broader base, both to get wider dissemination
of the ideas behind the current design, as well as to get a greater
breadth of criticism.  Periodic postings are currently made to the
mailing list containing a snapshot of the interfaces used by the
various pieces of the system.  I would like to see discussion as well;
perhaps we need a critical mass to get this.

Interested individuals should send me email.  I don't regularly read
the newsgroups to which this message is posted.


[U*x is an abbreviation for a well-known trademark of AT&T.  :-)]

	-mib