>> comparing unices and Windoze, is the question "What is an operating
>> system"? Is the kernel the OS? Are the libraries part of it as well?
>IMHO, the operating system is whatever is reached through system
>calls, i.e traps. MS seems to define it as whatever they bundle on
>the CD.
99,95+% of the computer users base out there tend to differ. This
makes your point rather moot :-) (To me, the "OS" consists at least of
the kernel, c standard library/ies with their support files and enough
infrastructure to start programs without having to hard code them on a
kernel boot line or in code. Which is at least /sbin/init and might
even contain a simple user command shell).
This definition could fit on a floppy, though. Might even fit on an
720k diskette. :-) Kernel + /sbin/init + busybox is IMHO an OS.
If you define "OS" at the syscall layer you end up with what we
started. Two threads printing 1 0 1 0 1 0 on your screen.
Regards
henning
-- Dipl.-Inf. (Univ.) Henning P. Schmiedehausen -- Geschaeftsfuehrer INTERMETA - Gesellschaft fuer Mehrwertdienste mbH hps@intermeta.deAm Schwabachgrund 22 Fon.: 09131 / 50654-0 info@intermeta.de D-91054 Buckenhof Fax.: 09131 / 50654-20 - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/