Alan Shutko wrote:
>
> >>>>> "L" == Lane J Bryson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>
> L> I can only talk about MacOS, Linux, Irix, HP-UX, and AIX: the
> L> windowing system in most of these isn't part of the core OS-- It is
> L> an important part of the distribution, but not part of the OS.
>
> The OS is most of the distribution, at the discretion of the person
> developing or marketing the OS. An Operating _System_ consists of a
> lot of things bundled to form a system.
Correction: An Operating _System_ MAY consist of a lot of things bundled
to form a system, including a GUI.
> In the case of those above, the window system _is_ part of the OS. Do
> you call application help to see why you're having a problem with the
> Mac window system? Does HP say, "Sorry, can't help you with the X
> server, because we may have written it and sent it to you, but it's
> not part of the OS?"
Wrong. The window system is part of the bundled package. You call HP
because they bundled it and sold it to you. They can call whatever they
want part of an OS, as long as they give their definition in the
license/
support agreements. But this does not change what the OS is. If they
were,
for example, to define the "supported OS" as everything but the X server
(as is the case with a few freebies included on my own Redhat CDs), then
the
_could_ tell you "We're sorry, but that is not part of the OS.
That's really what this whole spill is about-- definition. I say an OS
may be as little as it _needs_ to be. Someone's telling me that I
_have_
to include all this other garbage for it to be an OS?
> >> Considering that you couldn't even DO anything with your linux
> >> system but BOOT without things other than the kernel, how can you
> >> claim that it is an "Operating" system?
>
> L> Come on.
>
> Come on yourself.
>
> I give you a computer with the kernel on the drive. I don't give you
> libc, I don't give you init, I don't even give you sh, you try do do
> _anything_ with it.
>
We're not talking about what I can do with it. We're talking about what
an OS is, which is internal. All that's really at issue is what is
happening
inside the box.
> L> The fact that I can BOOT with my Linux
> L> kernel makes it an OS.
>
> I can boot with a few K of assembly. Is that an operating system?
It could be.
>
> I can also through some games in my Amiga at home which boot
> themselves. Are they OSes? No, they're programs. Remember, the key
> word is "system".
They could be. Do they manage memory and provide (any) system services?
Remember, the word system doesn't many "Many related parts". It simply
defines "related parts". Check your websters.
> L> It just has to manage the memory, peripherals, and
> L> hopefully do something useful to qualify under a strict definition,
> L> which is all anyone can argue anyway.
>
> All you have to do is cite your strict definition, and I'll shut up.
> We already have someone quoting Dr. Peter Denning disagreeing with
> you...
I did. Prove it wrong on its own merits:
"It just has to manage the memory, peripherals, and
hopefully do something useful to qualify under a strict definition,
which is all anyone can argue anyway."
> --
> Alan Shutko <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> - By consent of the corrupted
> You can't mend a wristwatch while falling from an airplane.
>
> --
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--
Lane J. Bryson Network Product Analyst
RULDS2 Interphase Corporation, Systems Analysis Group
--
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