On Mon, 2004-02-09 at 08:39, Ross Werner wrote: > On Sun, 8 Feb 2004, Jan L. Peterson wrote: > > > > 1) "Operating System" does not mean "what is essential for a computer > > > to operate" or "what is a core component of the system". An Operating > > > System is the memory-resident program that acts as a go-between for > > > the user-land programs and the CPU, RAM, input devices, etc. > > > > I submit that what you have described here is the "kernel", a component > > of an operating system. Linux, for example, is a kernel, while Debian, > > RedHat, Solaris, HP-UX, etc. are operating systems. > > I would submit to you that Debian and RedHat are "distributions", not > Operating Systems.
Yes, but you're missing the somewhere in between where the real truth is: X is not part of the OS. I can have a working usable OS without it. GNOME is definitely not part of the OS. Nor is KDE. It's hard to live without OpenOffice.org, but I can't say it's part of the OS. init is part of the OS. I could replace it with rc scripts, but I've got to have something there or I can't use the silly thing. libc is definitely part of the OS. I can use GNU libc, or some other libc, but I've got to have a libc in order to do anything. bash, I'd say, is also part of the OS. Again, you can use whatever shell you want, but you've got to have a shell of some kind. This one may be debatable. In general take a look at the minimal install of several OSs. Some have a more generous idea of minimal than others, but they all have some components in common. If you want to be real strict about it go build yourself whatever your idea of minimal is and tell us what it includes (actually build it, don't just dream it up). To be an OS the system must be able to operate. The kernel is the kernel of the OS, not the OS itself. ____________________ BYU Unix Users Group http://uug.byu.edu/ ___________________________________________________________________ List Info: http://uug.byu.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/uug-list
