Hi! >>>>> CJ writes:
CJ> hello, I was just reading you Debian GNU/HURD web page and I am CJ> really confused about the term OS and kernel. Understandably... not everybody involved with Debian GNU/Hurd has settled down on a common terminology. CJ> For sure, I know that "Linux" is a kernel and "Debian GNU/Linux" CJ> is an OS that ported on the "Linux" kernel. Exactly. Debian GNU/Linux is the Debian distribution of the GNU OS running on the Linux kernel. Debian GNU/Hurd is the Debian distribution of the GNU OS running on the Hurd kernel servers and Mach microkernel. >>>> But what about "HURD", is it an OS or is it a kernel like Linux? The GNU Hurd is a set of kernel servers that run on top of a microkernel (Mach). The ``Hurd OS'' is a misnomer that just causes confusion. The architecture of the GNU Hurd is that it is a set of programs that run on top of the Mach microkernel. The GNU Hurd and Mach together are a replacement for a standard kernel such as Linux. The problem you're running into is a gap in the existing terminology. You cannot really consider the Hurd in isolation, because it is middleware between the C library and the microkernel. ``Kernel servers'' is the best term I've heard for what the Hurd is. You can get more clues from the mutually-recursive acronyms that the ``Hurd'' stands for: HIRD of Unix- Replacing Daemons HURD of Interfaces Representing Depth The keywords are ``daemons'' and ``interfaces.'' The Hurd is both a set of interfaces, and the daemons that implement those interfaces to support real applications. >>>> Also, what is the different between a kernel and a microkernel? A microkernel is a kernel which attempts to provide a minimal set of machine-dependent services that are useful for building a ``real kernel''. A ``real kernel'' provides things that are useful to applications, such as filesystems, networking, etc. All of the above just reflects my understanding of the situation... I don't claim to have the best words for answering your questions, and I'm sure other people will add what they know to the discussion. I hope this helps, -- Gordon Matzigkeit <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> //\ I'm a FIG (http://www.fig.org/) Lovers of freedom, unite! \// I use GNU (http://www.gnu.org/) [Unfortunately, www.fig.org is broken. Please stay tuned for details.]
