Re: [9fans] design issues in operating systems

[north_ <northern_snow78@yahoo.com>]

Ok, normally I do not take the time to write responses regarding
issues like these. However, I believe Linus is a bit misguided
and I would like to quickly postulate why. This isn't just a
Linux problem. Its a lifestyle problem. You will see why I
believe so in just one second or so ;)
> --- bla bla bla snip ---
> If you want to see a system that was more thoroughly _designed_, you
> should probably point not to Dennis and Ken, but to systems like L4 and
> Plan-9, and people like Jochen Liedtk and Rob Pike.
>
> And notice how they aren't all that popular or well known? "Design" is
> like a religion - too much of it makes you inflexibly and unpopular.
*G*.
Design is in actuality nothing more than a personal concept. Design
itself is a facade. Especially when you believe design is a laid out
perfected ideal that you have generated previous to an action. Action
itself is a flowing movement. It is not bound by time since action
can never be initiated at an exact time and can never be terminated
at one other precise moment in time. We only have approximations.
Thus, it can never be 100% prepared for. As you move the world around
you moves. The universe moves. We are constantly adjusting our theories
and reasoning based on new evidence and new ideas. This is the same
with both Linux and Plan 9. Things evolve over time in their own way.
Design in this case is just few people sharing mostly private ideas
as opposed to a global conglomeration of minds constructing solutions
to globally perceived problems. The latter gets quite sloppy as we
have all seen with the constant volatile state in which the Linux
kernel exists. Regarding flexibility? Who gives you a better develop-
ment system? Linux or Plan 9? If you have read anything about Plan 9's
development scheme or used it what-so-ever you will immediately see
important advances in debugging with imported namespaces cross-platform,
a ready-to-write cross compilation suite over many platforms and the
list just goes on. Bravo! As for the _lifestyle_ choice? This comes down
to one exact statement: The largest group in any society will always choose
the shortest path to its goal. The easiest and seemingly most 'robust'
road. This is why Linux is currently so popular and Plan9 is not.
A Linux user is more likely to install with aptget and the like. Bah!
Give me source! Give me challenge! Give me ideas and theory and a
fresh way at looking at our life! For people who crave knowledge and
really want to understand our world there will always be smart
projects like Plan 9. If you ever looked at an operating system, a
woman, a man, a house, a goal .. and you thought to yourself "That
is beyond me.." ask yourself "Is it really that I am not capable of
this or is it that I believe I am not." Society changes you. You
change society. Its a lifestyle choice. We make it every day.
Decide.

north_