Re: [9fans] this is not an advocacy question

["Corey" <corey_s@qwest.net>]

On Friday 26 May 2006 00:16, geoff@collyer.net wrote:
> Inferno and Plan 9 kernels are similar, having common
> ancestry. 
>

So Inferno and Plan 9 kernels are both forks from a common source?

How far have the two divurged?  Do/can they share device drivers?

( Also, are there any design white-papers/documents that explain or
discuss the kernel implementations/concepts? ( similar to what is
available for the, say, L4 kernels ) )


> Both systems use essentially 9P2000 as their
> network filesystem protocol.
>

Is it accurate to say that "Styx" is a conformant implementation
of 9fs2000 that is written in Limbo rather than C? ( similar to v9fs
under linux? )


> If you want to write in Limbo, you have to run Inferno, but you can
> run Inferno on (l)unix, Windows or Plan 9.  If you want to write
> applications in C, you can't use Inferno.
> 

Aside from the considerable portability provided by Inferno via the
Dis virtual-machine, are there any other obvious/compelling
reasons for choosing to develop in Limbo?

After doing quite a bit of reading, I get the general notion that the 
primary functional difference between plan9 and inferno consists in a
choice/requirement of portability vs. language.( ie Inferno/Limbo vs. 
Plan9/C )

I'm wondering whether Inferno's current requirement of a new/"obscure"
language (limbo) as its sole development platform hindered wider usage.
i.e., I'm curious as to how many deployments resulted in Plan 9 over 
Inferno specifically due to language ( C vs Limbo ) 
considerations/requirements/preference.

The point of all this, is that - aside from sheer interest in the nuances of
these two operating environments - I've hit a point in my own independent 
evaluations of Plan 9 and Inferno, that I'm unable to decide where best to 
focus my future learning/experimentation - Plan 9 or Inferno. 

Since I lack any practical experience under either OS -- it's not a matter 
of "install them both and see which you like better", such as the case would
be with, say, two Linux distributions -- I'm hoping to get some further info
from an experienced/knowledgable forum.

Thanks for your time!