Re: Some HURD questions.
> How far along is the HURD development for 0.3?
This is the place it is happening. The main criterion for a new release at
this point is having debian packages for the system and an arrangement to
make it easy to install.
> What services/drivers are implemented for graphics?
None in 0.2; there changes from a volunteer to port XFree86 at
ftp://ftp.nop.or.jp/pub/gnu-0.2/XFree86/3.3.2.3/. We hope to have X
support integrated in 0.3.
> Is it possible to use egcs with HURD?
Yes, it should be no problem. I have been doing builds with egcs 1.0.3a.
(Though probably the 0.3 binary distribution will be compiled with GCC
2.8.x; I don't know.)
> Where are the drivers from in HURD? Are they from Linux? BSD?
The device drivers are in the Mach microkernel (our distribution is called
gnumach). They are currently a hodge-podge, some old Mach drivers and many
glued-in Linux drivers, but from an older version of Linux (2.0.2x I
think). It is our goal to update these drivers and use more drivers from
Linux and/or BSDs, hopefully eventually with wholly source-compatible glue
so we can just track changes from those kernels and not worry about
maintaining and updating drivers at all. But most of the drivers we have
now work well enough, so this is not our priority. There will probably be
no substantial changes in Mach before the GNU-0.3 release.
> How can I install the HURD on my computer?
> How long before there are debian boot disks?
If you are not already familiar with all the components, then your second
question is the answer to your first question. There will be debian boot
disks some time in the not too distant future, it is a major goal. It is
unlikely that it will be really easy to install before those are ready.
If you are not interested in hacking on the Hurd yourself, then it is not
quite ready for you yet.
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