Minix 3 vs portability - was Re: Looking for a small fast VAX development machine

[Toby Thain]

On 2016-02-22 11:17 AM, Liam Proven wrote:
> On 22 February 2016 at 16:54, Toby Thain <toby at telegraphics.com.au> wrote:
>> Portability was a fundamental free software tenet. It has technical benefits
>> and it would make the project more relevant. The original Minix was far more
>> portable.
>>
>> If it can't adapt to what comes after x86 and ARM in whatever markets(?) it
>> is pursuing then it will be in danger of extinction. Surely if it is chasing
>> things like QNX then that would be vital - it's a different market with more
>> diversity of architectures.
>>
>> I don't think the current perceived size of x86/ARM markets will protect it
>> as effectively as a diversity of targets would. Remember how ubiquitous
>> SPARC, VAX, 68K were at one time; if you were stranded there, you don't
>> exist now.
>
>
> Again: *it's an experimental research and educational project*.

There were more than a few experimental operating systems on SPARC. 
Where are they now? :-)


>
> It is not a replacement for NetBSD. If you want lots of platforms,
> then NetBSD still exists.
> ...
> But while it's still an incomplete project that is in development,
> they're only targeting the 2 main arches which comprise about 99.9% of
> the modern computer market.

*Today's* "modern computer market."

Are they doing _that_ or are they going after QNX? Or both? #confused


--Toby