On Thu, 31 Mar 2005, Zak B. Elep wrote: > Orlando Andico <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > > I don't think the OS is *just* the kernel (one place where I agree > > with M$). And this might sound radical or inflammatory, but personally > > I don't think the *kernel* is all that important (!!!) -- you can run > > the familiar tools on most any kernel, be it Windows, MacOS X, > > Hurd..... and, with the Free *userspace* you can do almost everything. > > You're not really losing any freedom. > > I agree that the OS is not the kernel. Like I wrote earlier, it is a > convienient abstraction, actually convenient enough to argue about. And
Now we have an agreement!! huurayy!!.. anyway, just to join in the fray, I guess it's all the matter of semantics. A little bit of history... Before OS were born, they started with monitors (ROM monitors to be more precise). It's simply a collection of routines that helps you operate the computer - like printing routines, comm routines, etc.. Eventually the disk came along and it's the hardest to work with as it is time sensitive (I guess PICs weren't invented then)...hence the term Disk Operating System came along (not PC-DOS nor MS-DOS..this was way too early yet), which no longer fits on ROMs, hence are loaded in disks storage, hence the invention of the bootstrap...that is loading the Disk Operating System from the disk itself.. ...and then somewhere along the line, Unix got written based on the GE project...there you have the kernel and the shell, of which one operates on the protected space, the other in the user space, but both parts of the operating system. So there...and what was your argument all about?... > > Choice. Unless we don't even enjoy that responsibility. > > Otherwise, we're dead. > Oh...then you have the choice of going up to heaven or going down to hell. ok...just kidding...couldn't resist...B-) -- Kelsey Hartigan Go Linux Registered User #5998 -- Philippine Linux Users' Group (PLUG) Mailing List [email protected] (#PLUG @ irc.free.net.ph) Official Website: http://plug.linux.org.ph Searchable Archives: http://marc.free.net.ph . To leave, go to http://lists.q-linux.com/mailman/listinfo/plug . Are you a Linux newbie? To join the newbie list, go to http://lists.q-linux.com/mailman/listinfo/ph-linux-newbie
