Sun poised to take open-source Solaris step

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Solaris vs Linux kernel

``I wonder what Solaris' major feature is compared with the above list.
By far and away Linux is the most successful in the list above, and I can't see an open source Solaris replacing Linux. ''

Solaris has a far more mature and feature rich kernel but it lags behind in applications. Solaris is POSIX compliant (although Linux is struggling to become one and make its point of view included in the open standards community).

Solaris is already a mature, almost fully pre-emptible 64-bit kernel running from small workstations to very large ccNUMA SMPs. Linux is NOT there yet. Only SGI Altix (IA-64 Linux) has been successful in providing a decent kernel that can scale to 256 (and soon to 512) CPUs. To my knowledge no other Linux (even the 2.6.x) can scale effortlessly to very large CPU counts. However, 2.6.x is getting there but it will have to go through a number of iterations to reach maturity and high efficiency. Other Linux kernel problems include the lack full-premption property (2.6.x's promise), high capacity I/O subsystems and decent file cache infrastructure.

Linux is GREAT for the vast array of applications and utilities that are available. But ALL these are outside the kernel.

In short, I would like to run Linux and Solaris apps on the more feature rich and robust Solaris kernel. In theory, if Linux becomes fully POSIX compliant, porting back and forth between Solaris and Linux should be just a matter of recompilation (if different target ISAs are invlolved) and I wish that for the same ISA (x86-64) Linux and Solaris apps run interchangeably on either kernel.

-m

Posted by: michael-t   Posted on: 01/24/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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