ALEXCELI.ORG

Hoy es el propio Linux el que celebra su aniversario, llegando a la mayoría de edad.

A partir de hoy nuestro aprecido sistema operativo ya puede tener DNI y votar, y sacarse el carné de conducir. Y todo empezó el 25 de Agosto de 1991, cuando Linus Torvalds escribía un mensaje en el grupo de noticias comp.os.minix pidiendo sugerencias para su nuevo sistema operativo:

Aquí tienen el primer mensaje que Linus Torvalds mandó al grupo de noticias comp.os.minix:

From:torvalds@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Linus Benedict Torvalds)
Newsgroup: comp.os.minix
Subject: GCC-1.40 and a posix question
Message-ID: 1991Jul13, 100050.9886@klaava.Helsinki.FI
Date: 3 Jul 91 10:00:50 GMT

Hello netlanders,
Due a project I’m working on (in minix), I’m interested
in the posix standard definition. Could somebody please
point me to a (preferably) machine-readable format of the
latest posix rules? Ftp-sites would be nice.

Linux Torvalds torvalds@kruuna.helsinki.fi

Aquí el que le siguió; este mensaje es considerado por muchos como el comienzo de Linux:

From:torvalds@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Linus Benedict Torvalds)
Newsgroup: comp.os.minix
Subject: What would you like to see most in minix?
Summary: small poll for my new operating system
Message-ID: 1991Aug25, 20578.9541@klaava.Helsinki.FI
Date: 25 Aug 91 20:57:08 GMT
Organization: University of Helsinki.

Hello everybody out there using minix-

I’m doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won’t
be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones.
This has been brewing since april, and is starting to get ready.
I’d like any feedback on things people like/dislike in minix; as my OS resembles it somewhat (same physical layout of the file-sytem due to practical reasons) among other things.
I’ve currently ported bash (1.08) an gcc (1.40), and things seem to work.
This implies that i’ll get something practical within a few months, and I’d like to know what features most people want. Any suggestions are welcome, but I won’t promise I’ll implement them 🙂

Linux Torvalds torvalds@kruuna.helsinki.fi

Y aquí el que podíamos definir como el anuncio “oficial”:

From: Linus Benedict Torvalds (torvalds@klaava.Helsinki.FI)
Subject: Free minix-like kernel sources for 386-AT
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Date: 1991-10-05 08:53:28 PST

Do you pine for the nice days of minix-1.1, when men were men and wrote their own device drivers? Are you without a nice project and just dying to cut your teeth on a OS you can try to modify for your needs? Are you finding it frustrating when everything works on minix? No more all-
nighters to get a nifty program working? Then this post might be just for you 🙂

As I mentioned a month(?) ago, I’m working on a free version of a minix-lookalike for AT-386 computers.
It has finally reached the stage where it’s even usable (though may not be depending on what you want), and I am willing to put out the sources for wider distribution. It is just version 0.02 (+1 (very small) patch already), but I’ve successfully run bash/gcc/gnu-make/gnu-sed/compress etc
under it.

Sources for this pet project of mine can be found at nic.funet.fi (128.214.6.100) in the directory /pub/OS/Linux. The directory also contains some README-file and a couple of binaries to work under linux (bash, update and gcc, what more can you ask for :-). Full kernel source is provided, as no minix code has been used. Library sources are only partially free, so that cannot be distributed currently. The system is able to compile “as-is” and has been known to work. Heh.
Sources to the binaries (bash and gcc) can be found at the same place in /pub/gnu.

ALERT! WARNING! NOTE! These sources still need minix-386 to be compiled (and gcc-1.40, possibly 1.37.1, haven’t tested), and you need minix to set it up if you want to run it, so it is not yet a standalone system for those of you without minix. I’m working on it. You also need to be something of a hacker to set it up (?), so for those hoping for an alternative to minix-386, please ignore me. It is currently meant for hackers interested in operating systems and 386’s with access to minix.

The system needs an AT-compatible harddisk (IDE is fine) and EGA/VGA. If you are still interested, please ftp the README/RELNOTES, and/or mail me for additional info.

I can (well, almost) hear you asking yourselves “why?”. Hurd will be out in a year (or two, or next month, who knows), and I’ve already got minix. This is a program for hackers by a hacker. I’ve enjouyed doing it, and somebody might enjoy looking at it and even modifying it for their own needs. It is still small enough to understand, use and
modify, and I’m looking forward to any comments you might have.

I’m also interested in hearing from anybody who has written any of the utilities/library functions for minix. If your efforts are freely distributable (under copyright or even public domain), I’d like to hear from you, so I can add them to the system. I’m using Earl Chews estdio right now (thanks for a nice and working system Earl), and similar works will be very wellcome. Your (C)’s will of course be left intact. Drop me a line if you are willing to let me use your code.

Linus

Feliz Clumpleaños LINUX

Alex Celi