The GNU Hurd - Overclock.net

endo · 10-15-07

Quote:

Most Linux users out there, think that their whole system is named just “Linux” (or perhaps the distribution name). For a large number of reasons, which I do not intend to analyze in this post, this is not, and should not be the case. The actual name is GNU/Linux since only the Linux Kernel is “Linux” and the rest of the system (including some vital parts such as glibc or GCC) are parts of the GNU Operating System. Linux was chosen as the kernel for the GNU system at a time when the GNU project had a nearly working operating system, which however lacked a working kernel (although an initial implementation of the Hurd existed).

A main difference between the Linux Kernel and the GNU Hurd, is that while Linux is a monolithic kernel, the Hurd is a microkernel (actually it uses the GNU Mach microkernel). This might seem like a little and unimportant detail to the average user but someone with enough knowledge and experience can understand the fundamental differences of these kernel implementations.

Not being stable and fast enough (yet), makes Hurd unsuitable for use in production systems. This is mainly the reason why there are very limited distributions that use Hurd as their kernel (actually there are only two, the Bee GNU/Hurd and the Debian GNU/Hurd). This lack of distributions has kept Hurd outside the “OS wars” and thus limited its target group to developers and very experienced *nix users.

This post was written for two reasons: one is to raise awareness about the existence of the GNU Hurd kernel and maybe bring it to the attention of people who want to help with its development.

max302 · 10-15-07

But at this stage where operating systems are getting hell of a lot complex, is it really the time to start thinking about developing an old, primitive kernel which failed in the past?

I think not. Dev people might get some lulz, but otherwise...I might install this on an old box though, just to see how it works.

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The GNU Hurd

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