Re: Difference between Unix and Linux?

Article View: comp.unix.admin

Article #4371

#4371

From: Steve Mading
Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2002 23:18

26 lines
2740 bytes

In comp.unix.questions Robert Uhl <ruhl@4dv.net> <ruhl@4dv.net> wrote:
: Jeffrey Siegal <jbs@quiotix.com> writes:
:> 
:> Actually, Linux is a kernel, not an OS.

: A kernel _is_ an OS.  The OS + userland utilities might accurately be
: called an operating environment, but as every CS student knows, an
: operating system is not the behemoth of applications and utilities put
: out by every OS vendor, but rather the relatively small bit which
: manages limited resources and interfaces with the hardware.

What would you call these processes:

root         1     0  0 Jun04 ?        00:00:04 init [5]
root         2     1  0 Jun04 ?        00:00:00 [keventd]
root         3     1  0 Jun04 ?        00:00:00 [kapm-idled]
root         4     1  0 Jun04 ?        00:00:05 [kswapd]
root         5     1  0 Jun04 ?        00:00:00 [kreclaimd]
root         6     1  0 Jun04 ?        00:00:00 [bdflush]
root         7     1  0 Jun04 ?        00:00:00 [kupdated]
root         8     1  0 Jun04 ?        00:00:00 [mdrecoveryd]

They are processes, but are very much a low-level part of the OS,
and are strongly tied to changes to the kernel, without BEING the
kernel.  Take them away and you won't be able to run any sort of
userland process properly, so yes they ARE part of the OS.

Technical Details

Message-ID: <afiqt1$t1j$1@news.doit.wisc.edu>

Path:

arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!archiver1.google.com!news2.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!news.doit.wisc.edu!not-for-mail

References:

<25fc8d92.0206150829.2aba827b@posting.google.com> <Xns922EAE616F7DFjasonbaugherpikeilus@209.242.76.10> <aelarj$5qt$1@tilde.itg.ti.com> <aermut$1vt9$1@agate.berkeley.edu> <n36dhucf8bochbnh1lfhtp78lkrrerjpug@4ax.com> <afddm8$94k$1@tilde.itg.ti.com> <3D1A3FFD.4CE18AAC@quiotix.com> <m3ptyc6872.fsf@latakia.dyndns.org>

Show Full Headers

Complete Article Headers

X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit
X-Google-Thread: f8c9b,c2f5a7a6eb2eb0a9
X-Google-Attributes: gidf8c9b,public
X-Google-Thread: 1020c6,c2f5a7a6eb2eb0a9
X-Google-Attributes: gid1020c6,public
X-Google-Thread: 1025b4,7144e36039d56e89
X-Google-Attributes: gid1025b4,public
X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2002-06-28 16:30:25 PST
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!archiver1.google.com!news2.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!news.doit.wisc.edu!not-for-mail
From: Steve Mading <madings@baladi.bmrb.wisc.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.unix.admin,comp.unix.questions,gnu.misc.discuss
Subject: Re: Difference between Unix and Linux?
Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2002 23:18:57 +0000 (UTC)
Organization: University of Wisconsin, Madison
Lines: 27
Message-ID: <afiqt1$t1j$1@news.doit.wisc.edu>
References: <25fc8d92.0206150829.2aba827b@posting.google.com> <Xns922EAE616F7DFjasonbaugherpikeilus@209.242.76.10> <aelarj$5qt$1@tilde.itg.ti.com> <aermut$1vt9$1@agate.berkeley.edu> <n36dhucf8bochbnh1lfhtp78lkrrerjpug@4ax.com> <afddm8$94k$1@tilde.itg.ti.com> <3D1A3FFD.4CE18AAC@quiotix.com> <m3ptyc6872.fsf@latakia.dyndns.org>
NNTP-Posting-Host: baladi.bmrb.wisc.edu
X-Trace: news.doit.wisc.edu 1025306337 29747 144.92.167.208 (28 Jun 2002 23:18:57 GMT)
X-Complaints-To: abuse@doit.wisc.edu
NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2002 23:18:57 +0000 (UTC)
User-Agent: tin/1.4.2-20000205 ("Possession") (UNIX) (Linux/2.2.17 (i686))

Reply to Parent Message