[9fans] Linux pioneers! Time to clone Plan 9! (forw)

[9fans] Linux pioneers! Time to clone Plan 9! (forw)

[Markus]

On Tue, Oct 06, 1998 at 12:58:43PM -0400, Scott Schwartz wrote:
> Someone, Andy Valencia I think, built a system (VSTA?) that is a
> microkernel glued together with 9p.

no. it's not 9p. VSTa uses its own protocol. (http://www.zendo.com/vsta/)

-markus

[9fans] Linux pioneers! Time to clone Plan 9! (forw)

[Richard]

>We need a new Linus to start writing a Plan 9 kernel.  GNU's Hurd doesn't
>go as far, as a cloned Plan 9 would.

for example, one of Plan 9's 3 central design principles is that the file
name space is customizable on a per-process basis.  in contrast, the Hurd
retains the Unix design choice that at any given time, every process 'sees'
the same file name space (modulo a file that is deleted while a process
still has it open and probably other minor situations).

I'm relatively new to 9 and to Hurd, so if that is wrong, say so.

[9fans] Linux pioneers! Time to clone Plan 9! (forw)

[Scott]

Nikolai writes:
| What wrong with current filenames?

There's the specific problem that 28 bytes is just too short for some
useful names, especially when some characters take three bytes.  (One
place where this always shows up is with ftpfs.)  But more generally,
9p is not just about files, since every service presents itself via
9p.  Even if humans don't type long names very often they might like
to click on them in acme, and programs might want use long names
without having to go through an extra layer of indirection.

[9fans] Linux pioneers! Time to clone Plan 9! (forw)

[Nikolai]

> >>What wrong with current filenames?
> 
> they make it harder to call a spade an agricultural digging implement.

It alway can be called  agricultural/digging/implement. ;-)

[9fans] Linux pioneers! Time to clone Plan 9! (forw)

[forsyth]

>>What wrong with current filenames?

they make it harder to call a spade an agricultural digging implement.

[9fans] Linux pioneers! Time to clone Plan 9! (forw)

[Nikolai]

> >(We need 10p, however, with larger filenames.)
> 
> Already done.  I have Plan 9 with 256 octet file names.

So everyone would be able to encode in filename itself
a lot of useful information? ;-)

[9fans] Linux pioneers! Time to clone Plan 9! (forw)

[Nikolai]

> Someone, Andy Valencia I think, built a system (VSTA?) that is a
> microkernel glued together with 9p.  That would be a good start.
> (We need 10p, however, with larger filenames.)

What wrong with current filenames?

[9fans] Linux pioneers! Time to clone Plan 9! (forw)

[G.David]

>(We need 10p, however, with larger filenames.)

Already done.  I have Plan 9 with 256 octet file names.

[9fans] Linux pioneers! Time to clone Plan 9! (forw)

[Scott]

James A. Robinson quotes:
| Hasn't the coolness of Linux worn off?  If you want true excitement with
| how cool an OS is and the fun of pioneering again, how about cloning
| Plan 9?

Someone, Andy Valencia I think, built a system (VSTA?) that is a
microkernel glued together with 9p.  That would be a good start.
(We need 10p, however, with larger filenames.)

[9fans] Linux pioneers! Time to clone Plan 9! (forw)

[James]

Saw an interesting message on Deja News...


Subject: Linux pioneers! Time to clone Plan 9! 
Author: AquaMan
Email: aquaman@shore.net
Date: 1998/10/04
Forums: comp.os.linux.advocacy 

Seriously, 

Hasn't the coolness of Linux worn off?  If you want true excitement with
how cool an OS is and the fun of pioneering again, how about cloning
Plan 9?

Written by some of the same people who invented Unix, but taking the ideas
even further yet, Plan 9 outdoes Unix in flexibility and elegance.
Read about the OS, here:

http://plan9.bell-labs.com/plan9/vol2.html

I program in Unix myself (system), but it needs an update.  We need a 
new Linus to start writing a Plan 9 kernel.  GNU's Hurd doesn't go as far,
as a cloned Plan 9 would.  Does anyone else want a 21st century OS?

Jeff

(not a real return address)