lkml.org 
[lkml]   [1996]   [Mar]   [9]   [last100]   RSS Feed
Views: [wrap][no wrap]   [headers]  [forward] 
 
Messages in this thread
/
Date
From
SubjectRe: What is an OS (Was: Linux isn't an operating system)
On Thu, 7 Mar 1996, Ulrich Windl wrote:

> I think you are unfair here. What then is a filesystem? Only the code
> to mount it? Usually the organization of files is also labelled
> "filesystem" (the method you use to organize your files). It's a bit
> uncommon to me, but "operating system" must be more than a kernel. If
> in doubt, remove command.com from your DOS partition...

The cli (I guess that it is called a shell in Unix, but I learned about
this long before I came anywhere near Unix) is hardly the thing that
defines an O/S. Is Linux bash or csh or zsh? As a matter of fact, I did
remove command.com from my DOS drive MANY years ago - I replaced it with
4dos.exe. Even DOS allows the cli to be changed. It is just another
application program.

As you may have gathered, I am of the school that the O/S IS the kernel.
But then I don't use a computer just to run an operating system; not much
fun or value in that. I regard the O/S as just the hardware manager that
enables me to run all those wonderful utility and application programs.
Such as the GNU suite...

Harvey

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harvey Fishman |
fishman@panix.com | Sum, ergo cogito.
718-258-7276 |


\
 
 \ /
  Last update: 2005-03-22 13:36    [W:0.065 / U:0.708 seconds]
©2003-2020 Jasper Spaans|hosted at Digital Ocean and TransIP|Read the blog|Advertise on this site