From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: "jody@jodybruchon.com" Subject: [ELKS] Should we resume ELKS development? Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2011 01:51:02 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <2031216664.565084.1302501062526.JavaMail.open-xchange@oxusltgw11.schlund.de> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: QUOTED-PRINTABLE Return-path: Sender: linux-8086-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" To: "linux-8086@vger.kernel.org" Greetings, everyone. As you may be aware, a long time ago I was "handed= the keys" to the ELKS project.=C2=A0 I'd like to discuss the possibility of= continuing development. =C2=A0 I have seen a reference to the RTOS "NuttX" and discovered an exchange = in which Gregory Nutt indicated ELKS and NuttX were too different in their goals= =2E Additionally, NuttX has no i86 port, and as we all know, the hardest st= eps are usually the first ones.=C2=A0 Because of these factors, I am hesitant t= o say "abandon ELKS and develop NuttX instead."=C2=A0 I am, however, left with the que= stion of duplicated efforts: what operating systems exist that do the same gener= al thing as ELKS, and how much overlap is there?=C2=A0 How "far" are they, in te= rms of overall usefulness? =C2=A0 I'm also becoming curious about what it takes to retarget the bcc compi= ler for other 8-bit and 16-bit processors (i.e. MOS 6502/65816, Zilog Z80/Z8000= , Motorola 6800/68000), particularly since there is evidence in the curre= nt Dev86 bcc source code where the original compiler supported a Motorola 6809 t= arget that has been subsequently removed.=C2=A0 While ELKS is currently very = i86-specific, it could prove very beneficial to open up the ability to target more pl= atforms. =C2=A0 =46inally, I'd like to ask everyone who still reads this list: consider= ing it is the year 2011, and 8086 machines were superseded more than 20 years ago= , should ELKS development continue at all, and if so, what direction should it t= ake? (The retargeting suggestion is part of this question.) =C2=A0 I have taken the liberty of downloading as much ELKS-related code and m= aterials as possible, and I am prepared to set up a Git repository for ELKS if e= nough interest in such a thing exists. =C2=A0 Thanks in advance, and I'm looking forward to hearing from everyone onc= e more. =C2=A0 Jody Bruchon -- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-8086" i= n the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html