Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
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From: danh@qnx.com (Dan Hildebrand)
Subject: Re: Minix on a palmtop
Message-ID: <wc9b2x3t@qnx.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Jul 95 14:28:43 GMT
Organization: QNX Software Systems
References: <3trnvm$6lq@utdallas.edu> <3tuq54$4md@innuendo.tlug.org> <3ui169$ftk@usenet.srv.cis.pitt.edu>
Lines: 31

In article <3ui169$ftk@usenet.srv.cis.pitt.edu>,
Scott Locklin <locklin@minerva.phyast.pitt.edu> wrote:
>
>Wow; a 16bit unix guru! I've heard of a number of these unixes on various
>newsgroups (comp.unix.pc-clone.16bit, actually). I only know bits & pieces
>about any of 'em (mostly from FAQs), and have only used VMIX and QNX.
>Some I have heard of: VMIX, QNX, Coherent, Microport UNIX V/286, Lanetix,
>Xenix, Venix, SCO/PC Unix, Xinu, PC/IX and, of course Minix.
>
>Apparently QNX is working on support for palmtops, as a recent comp.sys.palmtop
>post evidenced. Though QNX is a great little number, it would be an awfully
>neat trick to use Minix instead, as QNX seems to cost & it is just a hobby
>for now...

Putting a UNIX-like OS on a palmtop or PDA requires more than just making 
the OS small, via a microkernel approach or other techniques.  You also 
need to be able to provide a GUI and networking that fit the resource 
constrained platform.  This was one of the reasons we created the Photon 
microGUI (a microkernel GUI).  Photon essentially provides a Motif-like 
user interface and API in only 256 to 300 Kbytes.  It also provides 
capabilities that allow a user of a PDA with a wireless network link to 
walk up to a desktop machine, drag an application from the desktop on their 
PDA, and walk away with it.

The paper at ftp.qnx.com:/pub/papers/qnx-pen.ps.Z describes how the 
architecture works.
-- 
Dan Hildebrand (danh@qnx.com)               QNX Software Systems, Ltd.
http://www.qnx.com/~danh                    175 Terence Matthews
phone: (613) 591-0931 (voice)               Kanata, Ontario, Canada
       (613) 591-3579 (fax)                 K2M 1W8
