Using Hurd features (was: Re: Hurdish applications for persistence)

[olafBuddenhagen]

Hi,

> A problem here is that programs aren't and shouldn't be written solely
> for the Hurd.

Yes they should! What's the use in all those nice Hurd features, if we
aren't allowed to use them??

Compatibility with legacy applications, and familar interfaces, are very
important -- that's why we take quite a lot of trouble to implement
POSIX. But ultimately, we definitely *do* want to have native, hurdish
applications. The possibilities for a better application infrastructure
are actually my premier interest in the Hurd!

For (Hurd-aware) authors caring about portability to other platforms, I
suggest not restricting themselfs to POSIX, but instead doing it the
other way round: Using native Hurd features, and a layer emulating those
on top of other systems. Some thoughts on this at

   http://tri-ceps.blogspot.com/2005/09/welcome-to-hell.html

-Olaf-