From owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Wed May 10 13:29:54 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6D0DC16A4E9 for ; Wed, 10 May 2006 13:29:54 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from tyler@tamu.edu) Received: from smtp-relay.tamu.edu (smtp-relay.tamu.edu [165.91.22.120]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5D90043D5A for ; Wed, 10 May 2006 13:29:53 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from tyler@tamu.edu) Received: from [192.168.250.105] (cdm-208-180-234-40.bcst.static.cox-internet.com [208.180.234.40] (may be forged)) (authenticated bits=0) by smtp-relay.tamu.edu (8.13.4/8.13.3/oc) with ESMTP id k4ADTGk2074990 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=RC4-SHA bits=128 verify=NO) for ; Wed, 10 May 2006 08:29:41 -0500 (CDT) (envelope-from tyler@tamu.edu) Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v749.3) To: FreeBSD Hackers Message-Id: <923FBA2F-24D6-4134-B349-A92666CC6F97@tamu.edu> Content-Type: multipart/signed; protocol="application/pgp-signature"; micalg=pgp-sha1; boundary="Apple-Mail-6--690656098" From: "R. Tyler Ballance" Date: Wed, 10 May 2006 08:29:11 -0500 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Pgp-Agent: GPGMail 1.1.2 (Tiger) X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.749.3) Received-SPF: pass (smtp-relay.tamu.edu: 208.180.234.40 is authenticated by a trusted mechanism) X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.5 Subject: Xnu, and 'L4BSD' X-BeenThere: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Technical Discussions relating to FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 10 May 2006 13:29:54 -0000 This is an OpenPGP/MIME signed message (RFC 2440 and 3156) --Apple-Mail-6--690656098 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed All this recent microkernel talk has finally hit another mailing list i'm on (l4ka@ira.uka.de) regarding a possible "L4BSD" (https:// lists.ira.uni-karlsruhe.de/pipermail/l4ka/2006-May/001603.html) and this has brought up an interesting question for me. L4Linux exists, but it seems to be more of a means for testing out and developing the L4 microkernel, but would there be any practical reason to sandbox the FreeBSD kernel and force it to run as a user- land service on top of the L4::Pistachio kernel? (for example) Would this be an effective place to start in terms of pulling off an in-between kernel much like Darwin's Xnu kernel? I can forsee plausible long term goals that would make such a project worthwhile, such as eventually moving device drivers out of the kernel (FreeBSD's that is) along with other bits and pieces, and eventually morphing it into some middle-ground best-of-both worlds kernel, but if you remove the eventually move into a Xnu-like setup, is there a definite benefit that can be reaped from such a project? Does such a project contain any merit besides the obvious education aspect of it? (And the incessant need to kill time :)) Cheers, -R. Tyler Ballance p.s. I'm not a kernel hacker, but I do aspire to be one eventually, just so I can stop arguing about the color of the bikeshed :) --Apple-Mail-6--690656098 content-type: application/pgp-signature; x-mac-type=70674453; name=PGP.sig content-description: This is a digitally signed message part content-disposition: inline; filename=PGP.sig content-transfer-encoding: 7bit -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.3 (Darwin) iD8DBQFEYeqpqO6nEJfroRsRAvLmAKCAhrVg59w9OF8vDCKnCV6ymoL9GQCfbM6I c0AYeXR8tNz6PesAKfWuIJc= =IBS4 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --Apple-Mail-6--690656098--