I'm old fashion, believing that True Users are End Users. Business/nonBusiness people (dotCom/dotOrg, or neither). The Ideal model I use is the mobile phone: Who really cares what drives it, as long s it works. I have two Integrated Development Environments, IDE's: 1. PDC VIP nc; Visual Prolog non commercial and, 2. Cincom VWnc; VisualWorks non commercial. The first is primarily Declarative (non procedural leaning toward procedural). The mindset is radical "close". The second primarily Procedural (non Declarative leaning toward declarative). The mindset is radical "open". I am stuck with a choice of which "one" to choose. Neither is making it easier for me. Background: Neither actually requires an Operating System at all, the earlier Borland and Digitalk (mid to late 80's) releases ran well on early DOS. From my experience both could have run just as well (if not better) on 64k bit CP/M. Since they are both true OO IDE's and can perform everything a modern computer should, then I don't see the OS as doing any more than provide what you describe so well in you opening statement in Linuxbios.org:
Reinout Heek wrote: The most minimal Linux I heard of is the one being adapted to run instead of the bios (requires reflashing your bios) http://www.linuxbios.org/
Will boot in seconds
In fact once my StV IDE has booted (DOS3.10) I can even delete c:\dos and the command.com. Both Cincom and PDC (owners of the above tools) have hitched their respective wagons to either Windows or Linux or both and End Users are being led a merry techno-political dance.; no insult intended. They now service only their Primary Users, who are nearly all committed to either Linux or Windows; one and all Programmers Secondary or End User are left wondering whether years of development are going to end up as junk. I am now faced with all the uncertainty which a technical "civil war" i.e "open v Close" or as in Gullivers Travels "Big-enders v Small-enders", presents. If there is anybody (with an open/closed mind), who can speak with me on the matter (soberly and Rationally), then: I would be delighted to hear from him/her,them. Regards Justin