Hi,
Kazinsal wrote:
MS-DOS 1.0 filled the void of an OS that wasn't a bad CP/M port or UCSD Pascal for launching the IBM PC with. MS-DOS 2.0 was a complete rewrite. Don't believe me? Both OSes are source-available, go see for yourself.
Windows filled the void of a standard GUI environment for IBM PC compatibles. NT filled the void of a stable protected mode standard GUI operating system for PCs. Linux filled the void of a working free kernel that could run GNU as a userspace. FreeDOS filled the void of a working free DOS replacement for situations where it's just not possible to move to a protected mode operating system.
The important question is not "how do I write an OS that others will use", but "what void does my OS fill".
You make a valid statement and I tend to agree with it, when it comes to mainstream mainstream OSes. But, I was not really talking about being mainstream or anything like that; I was talking about getting others to use the OS for specific purposes, where "others" equals "about 100 people" and "specific purposes" equals "some tasks the OS handles really well, like being used in a secure database, or as a server that shall handle thousands of connections simultaneously".
onlyonemac wrote:
Personally I think that hobby OSdev with the intention of becoming popular/mainstream is a waste of time. There are plenty of good OSes out there, and I prefer OSdev as a technical form of experimental programming.
It's not necessarily a waste of time. You will understand business moves, how major companies persuaded their customers to buy their products (not only OSes) and how can this apply to your products (not only OSes). You will also have to provide support if your OS is mainstream.
As for the "plenty of good OSes out there" statement, I tend to disagree. No OS is perfect, and no OS I have used as good enough. They just work. I'd go into enumerating what I hate in both Windows and Linux, but this thread is not about this.
And that you prefer OS development as a technical form of experimental programming, well, it's your hobby and you decide how do you handle it.
Regards,
glauxosdever