From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.4 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_00 autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,a073fa836a03b290 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2002-05-16 20:04:17 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!news-out.nuthinbutnews.com!propagator-sterling!news-in.nuthinbutnews.com!news-x2.support.nl!psinet-eu-nl!psiuk-p4!uknet!psiuk-p3!uknet!psiuk-n!news.pace.co.uk!nh.pace.co.uk!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: [OT] Gnat cross compiling FreeBSD to Win32 ? Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 10:12:58 -0400 Organization: Posted on a server owned by Pace Micro Technology plc Message-ID: References: <3CD1FFC5.4050607@qwest.net> <5ee5b646.0205030057.7cb47a2d@posting.google.com> <3CDD3699.2090809@qwest.net> <4519e058.0205130633.478cc872@posting.google.com> <3CE15DC0.480B8FE8@san.rr.com> <3CE2D238.50F3EFD1@san.rr.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: dhcp-200-133.miami.pace.co.uk X-Trace: nh.pace.co.uk 1021558380 18665 136.170.200.133 (16 May 2002 14:13:00 GMT) X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@news.cam.pace.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 16 May 2002 14:13:00 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:24247 Date: 2002-05-16T14:13:00+00:00 List-Id: "Darren New" wrote in message news:3CE2D238.50F3EFD1@san.rr.com... > > Agreed. I'd missed that conflation the first time I read it. Yeah, Linux > is a wash on the desktop right now because there aren't desktop apps for > it of the same quality as what you can get for Windows, but that doesn't > mean there wouldn't be closed-source apps if Linux was out there a lot. > I think the point was that even though Linux *does* have desktop apps, your typical Windows user has some *specialized* need as well as the general needs everyone has. Linux (in its current state) doesn't have the bazzillion specialized apps out there - just some good general ones that make it fit well with server applications at the moment. For example, I need a word processor, a spreadsheet, an e-mail program *and* a cross-compilation environment to a particular set-top box & OS. Linux can give me the word processor, spreadsheet and the e-mail program. I can't get the cross-compiler? No way can I use Linux. Others would have similar needs, but not identical ones. This was where the article was going with saying Linux has a problem in catching up with Windows. I agree - to the point where Linux becomes of sufficient mass that many major developers see some money to be made in porting their apps to it. > And yes, the problem with the AdaOS is the lack of apps. The chicken-egg > thing. But if an OS is supposed to provide general services, it would > seem a "killer app" wouldn't need a new OS, yes? Unless no existing OS > was suitable for developing the app, at which point the app and the OS > become one? > The problem with AdaOS is *existence* not lack of apps! :-) What I was suggesting is that AdaOS could take a lesson from that article and be sure to (Lean close and pay attention because this *will* be on the final exam! :-) a) Be Something Different!!!!!!! and b) Target A Domain Where It Doesn't *NEED* A Bazillion Apps To Compete. I've suggested that AdaOS have some ability to service realtime apps because developers in that domain don't necessarily need to execute every app in the world - just the one they are custom-developing. (Or that, and a handful of other things that are running non-real-time.) However, other domains might present similar opportunities - Servers being an example. (A server needs a few apps running on it to get its job done, but it isn't something that typically demands thousands of specialized apps to be useful to a large number of people.) Or possibly target the users of computers for solving large-scale math applications. They don't need to have Autocad or Video-Toaster or Sim City running on the machine. (And they don't generally need realtime - so a more Unixish/Windowsish approach to scheduling and device driving can work)They're going to suck up nearly all the CPU executing some custom math application they built, so they aren't going to demand a bazillion apps. (They'll demand that the OS give them something they don't get elsewhere - and probably that it at least "play nice with others" in the network.) See my point? If AdaOS targets an appropriate market that they can realistically offer something to, it might find a following. If it finds a following, it might grow to a sufficient user base to start attracting more developers. Then you'll get your chickens and eggs thing solved. MDC -- Marin David Condic Senior Software Engineer Pace Micro Technology Americas www.pacemicro.com Enabling the digital revolution e-Mail: marin.condic@pacemicro.com