From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 MIME-Version: 1.0 In-Reply-To: References: Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:17:37 +0100 Message-ID: From: Robert Raschke To: Fans of the OS Plan 9 from Bell Labs <9fans@9fans.net> Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=001636d3413103938d0492558204 Subject: Re: [9fans] So, why Plan 9? Topicbox-Message-UUID: 61551424-ead6-11e9-9d60-3106f5b1d025 --001636d3413103938d0492558204 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 On Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 12:07 PM, Robert Raschke wrote: > > On Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 10:05 AM, Mark Carter wrote: > >> I was reading the suckless.org website the other day, and they seemed >> quite keen on Plan 9. I am running Linux. Is there a useful summary >> document that explains where plan9port fits in with Glendix, and why >> anyone should care about Plan 9 anyway (hope that doesn't come across >> as rude)? >> >> > Most of the people who can answer best are currently at the Plan 9 Workshop > (http://www.iwp9.org/), so they'll doubtless chip in a wee bit later. > > Plan 9 is a research OS that has had a quite amazing impact on most other > Unix type OSes. For example: UTF-8, process filesystem (generalised to "use > a filesystem as a well defined abstraction mechanism"), recursive window > systems (ie. a full windowing system inside a window, not 100% sure who did > it first, but the Plan 9 one is amazingly consistent and so easy to use it > makes others look clunky), and full historical filesystem (remember > everything you ever did using snapshots). > > Plan 9 is not a polished end user OS! > > Robby > > Oh, and most of the Plan 9 tools were first made available to use outside the Plan 9 OS through Russ Cox's plan9 in user space effort ( http://swtch.com/plan9port/). And there's the virtualisation project vx32 that includes Plan 9 as an example. Not sure how they fit into a holistic view. They're more like pragmatic ways forward when you can't (or don't want to) run a stand alone OS. One of the great things in Plan 9 is the readability of the code. You can actually dive in and see how it all works without needing an augmented brain. Although it may require adjusting your thinking to a "let's try to manage all this complexity a bit better" mindframe. And that can take a bit of time and effort. But it's well worth it. Robby --001636d3413103938d0492558204 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
On Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 12:07 PM, Robert Ras= chke <rtrli= sts@googlemail.com> wrote:

On Mon, Oc= t 11, 2010 at 10:05 AM, Mark Carter <alt.mcarter@gmail.com> wrote:
I was reading the suckles= s.org website the other day, and they seemed
quite keen on Plan 9. I am running Linux. Is there a useful summary
document that explains where plan9port fits in with Glendix, and why
anyone should care about Plan 9 anyway (hope that doesn't come across as rude)?


Most of the people who can answer best a= re currently at the Plan 9 Workshop (http://www.iwp9.org/), so they'll doubtless chip in a = wee bit later.

Plan 9 is a research OS that has had a quite amazing impact on most oth= er Unix type OSes. For example: UTF-8, process filesystem (generalised to &= quot;use a filesystem as a well defined abstraction mechanism"), recur= sive window systems (ie. a full windowing system inside a window, not 100% = sure who did it first, but the Plan 9 one is amazingly consistent and so ea= sy to use it makes others look clunky), and full historical filesystem (rem= ember everything you ever did using snapshots).

Plan 9 is not a polished end user OS!

Robby


Oh, and most of the Plan 9 tools were first made ava= ilable to use outside the Plan 9 OS through Russ Cox's plan9 in user sp= ace effort (http://swtch.com/plan9p= ort/). And there's the virtualisation project vx32 that includes Pl= an 9 as an example. Not sure how they fit into a holistic view. They're= more like pragmatic ways forward when you can't (or don't want to)= run a stand alone OS.

One of the great things in Plan 9 is the readability of the code. You c= an actually dive in and see how it all works without needing an augmented b= rain. Although it may require adjusting your thinking to a "let's = try to manage all this complexity a bit better" mindframe. And that ca= n take a bit of time and effort. But it's well worth it.

Robby

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