From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
Message-ID: <7f45cadfe5a8a6362c772cab2f56be53@proxima.alt.za>
To: 9fans@9fans.net
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:55:08 +0200
From: lucio@proxima.alt.za
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Subject: Re: [9fans] security questions
Topicbox-Message-UUID: e03e49a6-ead4-11e9-9d60-3106f5b1d025

> what it is that Inferno does for a user or what a user can do
> with it; what distinguishes it from other (operating?) systems. I've
> decided to try it because documentation says it will readily run on Windows.

Let's start with the fact that Inferno is a small-footprint, hosted
operating environment with its own, complete development tool set.  As
such it is strictly portable across many architectures with all the
advantages of such portability as well as all the useful features
Inferno inherited from Plan 9.  Not least of these is Limbo, a
programming language based on the mourned Alef and, conveniently,
interpreted by the Limbo virtual machine, not dissimilar from, but
much better thought out than the JAVA virtual machine.

You can pile on any number of additional great attributes of Inferno
and Limbo that make them highly useful.  There is also the option to
run Inferno natively on some architectures (I've never dug any deeper
than the PC for this, so off the top of my head I can provide no
exciting examples) with all the drawbacks of needing device drivers
for all sorts of inconsiderate platforms.

In a way, I guess Inferno is a slightly different Plan 9 with built-in
virtualisation for a wide range of platforms.  But the differences are
notable even if the philosophy is the same between the two
environment.

++L