ast@cs.vu.nl (Andy Tanenbaum) (02/27/91)
MINIX is a UNIX-like operating system for the IBM PC, XT, AT, 386, and PS/2, as well as the Apple Macintosh, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, and later in 1991, Sun SPARC. It is available with all the source code for the entire operating system, the libraries, and nearly 200 UNIX-like utilities. Demonstration disks for the IBM PC line and Atari ST are available for free via anonymous FTP for people on the Internet. A Macintosh version will be online soon. (If you can't wait, see below.) To get a free demo disk and the manual, use ftp to connect to ftp.cs.vu.nl (192.31.231.42) and look in pub/minix/demo. The READ_ME file describes the contents of the directory and how to use it. Be sure to fetch and read this first. It contains important information. If you don't have FTP access, you can buy the demo disk package from Prentice- Hall for $10 by calling (201) 767-5969 or FAX (201) 767-5625. Please DON'T ask me to send it by email. I have quite enough work already thank you. The ordering numbers for Prentice-Hall are: - MINIX 1.5 IBM demo disk (0-13-582768-x) (in stock now) - MINIX 1.5 Atari demo disk (0-13-582792-2) (in stock now) - MINIX 1.5 Macintosh demo disk (0-13-582784-1) (in stock now) Please note that although the demo disks are available for free on line, MINIX itself is copyrighted software and is not available on line. The demo disks are also copyrighted, but permission is hereby granted to upload and use them for evaluation purposes. The READ_ME file tells how MINIX can be ordered. AS A COURTESY TO US, PLEASE DO NOT FTP DURING BUSINESS HOURS (EUROPEAN TIME). PLEASE FTP AFTER 11 A.M. EASTERN STANDARD TIME. If you want to follow the MINIX discussion, read the comp.os.minix newsgroup, which is quite active and has almost 50,000 subscribers. Have fun! Andy Tanenbaum (ast@cs.vu.nl)