"Revolution OS" (The Movie).

[Sridhar Dhanapalan]

On Friday 29 December 2006 01:48, Derek Broughton <news at pointerstop.ca> wrote:
> Sridhar Dhanapalan wrote:
> > On Thursday 28 December 2006 14:32, Derek Broughton <news at pointerstop.ca>
> >
> > wrote:
> >> Care to define "Operating System"?  By any definition I've
> >> read, the kernel IS the operating system.  Everything else is just bells
> >> and whistles.  Credit _is_ given to those who wrote components of the
> >> kernel that weren't in his original version.
> >
> > I don't know where you get your definitions from, but you'd be
> > hard-pressed to do _anything_ with your computer with just a kernel. It
> > may form a central component of an operating system, but most kernels
> > aren't particularly viable on their own. Linux is no exception: it
> > requires a userland (GNU or otherwise) in order to operate.
>
> From wikipedia: "An operating system (OS) is a computer program that
> manages the hardware and software resources of a computer. At the
> foundation of all system software, the OS performs basic tasks such as
> controlling and allocating memory, prioritizing system requests,
> controlling input and output devices, facilitating networking, and managing
> files. It also may provide a graphical user interface for higher level
> functions."
>
> Essentially the same thing is said in my OS references. ALL of those
> functions - excepting the optional GUI - are in the Linux kernel.

Linux (i.e. the kernel) provides the means for higher-level software (e.g. the 
GNU toolchain) to interface with the system, but it does not provide a means 
for a _user_ to use the system.

I am still not convinced that you could use a computer with just plain vanilla 
Linux.

-- 
"We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in 
which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology."
			- Carl Sagan
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