Re: Ada Microkernel?

["chris.danx" <chris.danx@ntlworld.com>]

> Ok, let me mull this over for awhile amd figure out what to do.
> It seems to me like building a microkernel with Ada should be
> a rather pleasant task. Except I want to make it plug and play for
> Debian/Hurd, and I really want to use OSKit for my hardware
> drivers.

When i was wandering through the USENIX archives i stumbled upon a paper about
something called Devil.  I couldn't get the paper since i'm not a member but i
found the homepage via google.  Basically Devil is an IDL -- interface
definition language -- for writing device drivers.  It simplifies the task by
allowing you to specify the interface and it will generate C code that follows
the spec you give it.  You may want to look at that instead of the OSKit, since
it looks very simple and free of fuss.  I can't experiment with it since they
don't do windows but i think Linux and solaris are supported so you might want
to have a go.  The plan for sorcerer (my OS project) is that Devil will be
ported to it (if the Devil source was available -- which it will be in a wee
while (it's written in Caml) -- it should be quite easy to do this).  I thought
about writing a version that generates Ada code instead of C, but i'm waiting
for the next release which should be along in a few months.

Devil can be found at http://compose.labri.u-bordeaux.fr/prototypes/devil/


> Basically nobody except he really understands the new
> Hurd microkernel.

Sounds like a recipe for disaster!

> I would like to change this. The Hurd is supposed to be the OS
> for the rest of us. I think Hurd's kernel should be written in some
> better language ( such as Ada ) so that it is easier to modify in
> the future.


> Have you tried Hurd yet? A 1Gb partition will get you going!
> Download Hurd at http://www.debian/org/ports/hurd

Haven't tried it yet, last time i wandered by it didn't look like much was
happening at all.  So now there's a microkernel, cool.  I may look at it in the
future, however i'm trying to avoid the design of other OSes at the minute so i
don't just copy one of those.  Is hurd a linux flavour, just microkerneled or is
it something different?


> Unfortunately, GNATS has not yet been ported to Hurd, but I
> can attest to the platform's viability as I can boot Hurd and run
> X11 and it really does work.

Once more Ada folk start using it someone will do a port and then maybe more
will.  May take a while though.