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Xref: sserve comp.os.misc:3042 comp.os.lynx:483 comp.os.os2:2991 comp.os.386bsd.questions:10514 comp.os.os2.programmer:13799 comp.os.lynx:484 comp.os.mach:3877 comp.os.minix:23804 Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!yeshua.marcam.com!MathWorks.Com!solaris.cc.vt.edu!maddog.async.vt.edu!balister From: balister@maddog.async.vt.edu () Newsgroups: comp.os.misc,comp.os.lynx,comp.os.os2,comp.os.386bsd.questions,comp.os.ms-windows.programmer,comp.os.os2.programmer,comp.os.lynx,comp.os.mach,comp.os.minix Subject: Re: Need good OS for intel X86 platform. LINUX!!! Followup-To: comp.os.misc,comp.os.lynx,comp.os.386bsd.questions,comp.os.lynx,comp.os.mach,comp.os.minix Date: 28 May 1994 12:54:43 GMT Organization: Mad Dog Enterprises Lines: 87 Message-ID: <2s7euj$ahp@solaris.cc.vt.edu> References: <1994May27.141723.13104@eplrx7.es.duPont.com> <n9044144.770068471@honeydew> <JRICHARD.94May27170016@charon.uml.edu> Reply-To: pbaliste@vt.edu NNTP-Posting-Host: maddog.async.vt.edu NNTP-Posting-User: balister X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] Well I tried to mail this. It bounced and the rest of the Linux crowd joined in. Some of the earlier posts indicated linux is has a real time scheduler. It doesn't. I think preempitive multitasking means a high priority task can interupt a lower priority task even if it's in the kernel. If someone has a better explanation please mail me so I can get smarter. I use both Linux and LynxOS. If I had to choose between the two I would only pick lynxos if I had to use the real time features. For any other task Linux is FAR superior. Check out Linux. It's a free unix for 386/486 type machines. For more info look in comp.os.linux.announce. I'll put some comments below. In article <1994May27.141723.13104@eplrx7.es.duPont.com> you wrote: : - : I would like some advice on choosing an operating : system for an 386/486 standard PC-AT box. Any help : would be appreciated. : core requirements (have to have): : 1 - Memory map access to isa / eisa bus, : no device drivers needed. : eg. : int i, *ptr = 0x00C00000; : read would be i = *ptr; : write would be *ptr = i; With the mmap call you can do this (I think) There is a book called the kernel hacker's guide that has an example with a vga card. : 2 - Flat memory, ability to malloc available memory : in system without having to do some sort of : translation. Yes. : 3 - TCPIP and Socket support. Yes. : end of core requirements. : ######################### : Would be nice if: : 4 - preemptive multi-tasking. : 5 - Real-time (not necessarily fast but able to : execute an instruction at a specific time) Linux makes no pretense of being a real time system. But it's pretty quick. : 6 - NFS support. Yes. : 7 - ROM'able / Small. Not Rommable. Smaller than NT and OS/2. (Well I don't know how to put it in a ROM, ask in the newsgroups maybe someone has) : 8 - Good documentation / support. You get what you pay for. Yggdrasil will sell support. The Linux documentation project has some excellent books available. (electronically) : 9 - X windows (yea right). Yes. : please e-mail me any help and or post if you think others : would be interested. Good Luck, Philip -- Linux: The choice of a GNU generation! -- Linux: The choice of a GNU generation!