Re: YotH 2010 -- a Year of the Hurd 2010

[Michael Dorrington]

Thomas Schwinge wrote:
> Hallo!
> 
> Prompted by Karl Berry who is currently preparing a general GNU status
> report, I just contributed the following text -- a Year of the Hurd 2010!
> 
> If you'd like something changed / added / removed, please tell so
> quickly.
> 
> 
> GNU Hurd (<http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/>)
> 
> Yeah, that's right!  The GNU Hurd, the GNU project's replacement for the
> UNIX kernel, implemented as a collection of servers that run on the Mach
> microkernel.  Contrary to popular belief, this project is not yet dead.
> Of course, it's not the world's most active project either, but a small
> group of volunteers (a handful, mostly) are still plowing their way
> through the terrain of a steadily changing (and improving) Free Software
> world, striving to keep this advanced research prototype system going.
> They are accompanied by another handful of Debian GNU/Hurd, and (new:)
> Arch Hurd packagers.  So, what happened in the last year?

Also the Debian GNU/kFreeBSD port has done a lot to pave the way for
GNU/Hurd. Both by de-Linux-ifying userland and getting an easy to use
and modern installer, the debian-installer, for a non-Linux GNU system
(not to detract from the excellent work of Philip Charles). This
combined with the current high level of usability of GNU/kFreeBSD and
release schedule of Debian Squeeze encouraged participation on work that
directly benefits a GNU/Hurd system.

Debian GNU/kFreeBSD still needs work but by the next release of Debian I
expect that the rough edges will be smoothed and it will move from a
"technology preview" to be as equally finished as Debian GNU/Linux. I
also hope that Debian GNU/Hurd could be released as a "technology
preview" at that time, this would be a huge milestone in GNU/Hurd.

> Grüße,
>  Thomas

Tschüss,
Mike.