RE: Should I continue to study linux-based GNU?
> Hi, I'm Dion E. Viglione, a 1st-year Computer Science major.
> My school is using the GNU-linux operating system (Red Hat).
That's great!
> I read that HURD will replace Unix and Linux, so it a waste of time
> to study Linux?
I am so pleased to learn that the Hurd is going to replace Linux! ;-)
Rest assured that even if it does, it will most likely take place
after you finish your 4-year degree. While the Hurd is now functional,
and even usable for many day-to-day tasks, it is has nowhere near
the reliability/functionality/tuning of Linux (yet). You are welcome
to help our effort -- it will almost certainly help you in your
studies.
> Should I begin to learn HURD--to get that "head start" on everyone?
It is always beneficial to learn new things. Even if your subject
becomes a computer-science "dead end", the ideas you learn and the
concepts you are exposed to will help in other endeavors.
> Please help. All my professors tell me to stay away from it;
> some even go as far to tell me to learn MicroSoft Windows NT!
It is not a bad thing to learn Windows NT -- sometimes it is as
instructive to learn from "bad" designs as it is from "good" ones.
> I only have one operating system on my Pentium II at home--
> Linux-Mandrake (next month I'm definitely switching to
> Debian GNU/Linux 2.2).
Linux-Mandrake is an excellent distribution, although you have
wisely decided to switch to Debian, which is (of course) the
best system available ;-)
> Some of my fellow students have this question, too. Can someone
> provide some guidance for us children?
> dionv@spots.ab.ca
>
The only advice I can give you is to do what your professors ask
(so you can get your degree), and do what you ENJOY on the side.
If playing with the Hurd is more pain than enjoyment, don't bother.
However, I think you will learn a lot if you play with it. But
don't erase your Linux partition (yet)...
-Brent
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