dfbarchan%brock.CDN@ean.ubc.ca (jerry barchanski) (05/25/88)
I had to select a textbook to a course on design and implementation of operatingsystems last year and I have considered among others books by Comer on XINU and by Tannenbaum on MINIX. I would need both volumes of the Comer book as an user interface is described in the second volume only. The first volume containsdescription of communications protocol which did not fit the course on operatingsystems, but they can be skipped without problems. The problem however is the hardware for which XINU was designed and the price of the books. The hardware is LSI-11, rarely used nowadays and another UNIX host computer. There are other versions ( for Sun, Mac, IBM PC ) but the book describe LSI-11 only so they re- quire additional text and modified implementation description. The two volumes of the Comer book are sold in Canada for CDN$ 126 - a prohibitive price for a textbook. The new version of the book for IBM PC will be available in January 1989 only - at the earliest - it is not available yet as claimed by prof. Comer.The XINU is very simple in comparison with MINIX and cannot be used as a stand- alone system - the LSI-11 version has to be downloaded from the UNIX host to LSI while the Mac version runs under the native MAC operating system and usesits services. XINU does not have its own C compiler so it is necessary to by additionaly a C compiler - the one for Mac is Aztec for around $400. I wanted to get the updated version of XINU for the Mac but it looks that I have to pay for this another $200 as for the original version. Now about MINIX. It is a 12000 lines , full-blown, message passing operating system, fully documented in the book, with a C code containing over 3000 separate comments, designed for an IBM PC and compatibles. It costs $79.95. The hardware for which it is designed is fully described in the book - and it is the most popular personel computer. MINIX has its own C compiler and the languge guage is described in the appendix of the book. The book contains an introduction to each aspect of operating systems at first, overview of the mechanisms used in MINIX and detailed description of the MINIX implementation. Each chapter ends with exercises with solutions given in a manual for instructors. The book is self f contained and costs CDN$ 54.85 - a very good price for book of this kind. So the choice was obvious - I have chosen the Tannenbaum's book and software.
jsloan@wright.EDU (John Sloan) (05/30/88)
in article <85*dfbarchan@brock.cdn>, dfbarchan%brock.CDN@ean.ubc.ca (jerry barchanski) says: : > textbook. The new version of the book for IBM PC will be available in January > 1989 only - at the earliest - it is not available yet as claimed by prof. Comer. Perhaps you mean its not yet available in Canada. I ordered my copy of the P.C. Edition last week, picked it up yesterday, and its sitting on my briefcase within eyesight right now. No special thing to ordering it. I walked into my favorite book store and they had it on their distributor's microfiche. The P.C. Edition looks like the LSI-11 edition but for the blue background instead of the orange. I agree about the prices being steep. I paid US$40 for my copy. Dr. Comer of course has absolutely no say so about that. We have our friends at Prentice-Hall to thank for that, and they are not grossly out of line with what textbooks (unfortunately) cost now a days. At least it has a hard cover... I paid US$35 for a softcover book not to long ago. As for Minix vs. Xinu... I think it just depends upon what you really want to use it for. You point about the standalone machines versus the down line loading is also a good one. I've developed Forth based realtime control systems for academic laboratory use, and have used both approaches (downloading to an LSI-11 from larger system, and running standalone on an LSI-11). The downloading is much better if you're working on a group project, where you can have all the development staff accessing the same timesharing system, with all the tools and compilers and utilities etc., and sharing the source files. If you're working by yourself, the cost and complexity of downloading from a host system may be out of line. But even then, when doing operating system development, I like the warm fuzzy feeling I get from having a development engine that I can still use when I really hose up the target workstation. -- John Sloan, The SPOTS Group Wright State University Research Building CSNET: jsloan@SPOTS.Wright.Edu 3171 Research Blvd., Kettering, OH 45420 UUCP: ...!wright!jsloan +1-513-259-1384 +1-513-873-2491 Logical Disclaimer: belong(opinions,jsloan). belong(opinions,_):-!,fail.
news@udenva.cair.du.edu (netnews) (06/03/88)
In article <85*dfbarchan@brock.cdn> dfbarchan%brock.CDN@ean.ubc.ca (jerry barchanski) writes: >hardware for which XINU was designed and the price of the books. The hardware >is LSI-11, rarely used nowadays I must admit that this is news to me. We have 150+ LSI-11's still going strong.
pechter@dasys1.UUCP (06/04/88)
In article <10384@udenva.cair.du.edu> rneitzel@udenva.UUCP (RICHARD NEITZEL ) writes: >In article <85*dfbarchan@brock.cdn> dfbarchan%brock.CDN@ean.ubc.ca (jerry barchanski) writes: >>hardware for which XINU was designed and the price of the books. The hardware >>is LSI-11, rarely used nowadays > >I must admit that this is news to me. We have 150+ LSI-11's still going >strong. I've got a bunch of old PDT11/150's with EIS and FIS. Has anyone ever gotten Xinu up on these floppy (single density non-RX01 driver) based oddities? -- Bill Pechter {sun!hoptoad,cmcl2!phri}!dasys1!pechter USnail 103 Governors Road, Lakewood, NJ 08701 AT&T 201-370-0709 Evenings
awol@vpnet.chi.il.us (Al Oomens) (02/09/91)
I would appreciate any info/opinions regarding differances/advantages of XINU and or MINIX. If you would mail replys, I would be willing to summarize. I am completely new to both these OSs, and am considering implementing one of them. But would like a little more info first. Thanks!
jan@root.co.uk (Joseph Nave) (02/12/91)
In <1991Feb08.170830.28379@vpnet.chi.il.us> awol@vpnet.chi.il.us (Al Oomens) writes: >I would appreciate any info/opinions regarding differances/advantages of >XINU and or MINIX. If you would mail replys, I would be willing to >summarize. I would appreciate the same information Many thanks Joe -- "I opened Pandora's box, let the cat out of the bag and put the ball in their court" Hon. J. Hacker (The Ministry of Administrative Affairs)