Original Usenet Post for Linux

    From: torva...@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Linus Benedict Torvalds)
    Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
    Subject: Free minix-like kernel sources for 386-AT
    Keywords: 386, preliminary version
    Message-ID: <1991Oct5.054106.4647@klaava.Helsinki.FI>
    Date: 5 Oct 91 05:41:06 GMT
    Organization: University of Helsinki
    Lines: 55

    Do you pine for the nice days of minix-1.1, when men were men and wrote
    their own device drivers? Are you without a nice project and just dying
    to cut your teeth on a OS you can try to modify for your needs? Are you
    finding it frustrating when everything works on minix? No more all-
    nighters to get a nifty program working? Then this post might be just
    for you :-)

    As I mentioned a month(?) ago, I'm working on a free version of a
    minix-lookalike for AT-386 computers.  It has finally reached the stage
    where it's even usable (though may not be depending on what you want),
    and I am willing to put out the sources for wider distribution.  It is
    just version 0.02 (+1 (very small) patch already), but I've successfully
    run bash/gcc/gnu-make/gnu-sed/compress etc under it. 

    Sources for this pet project of mine can be found at nic.funet.fi
    (128.214.6.100) in the directory /pub/OS/Linux.  The directory also
    contains some README-file and a couple of binaries to work under linux
    (bash, update and gcc, what more can you ask for :-).  Full kernel
    source is provided, as no minix code has been used.  Library sources are
    only partially free, so that cannot be distributed currently.  The
    system is able to compile "as-is" and has been known to work.  Heh. 
    Sources to the binaries (bash and gcc) can be found at the same place in
    /pub/gnu. 

    ALERT! WARNING! NOTE! These sources still need minix-386 to be compiled
    (and gcc-1.40, possibly 1.37.1, haven't tested), and you need minix to
    set it up if you want to run it, so it is not yet a standalone system
    for those of you without minix. I'm working on it. You also need to be
    something of a hacker to set it up (?), so for those hoping for an
    alternative to minix-386, please ignore me. It is currently meant for
    hackers interested in operating systems and 386's with access to minix.

    The system needs an AT-compatible harddisk (IDE is fine) and EGA/VGA. If
    you are still interested, please ftp the README/RELNOTES, and/or mail me
    for additional info.

    I can (well, almost) hear you asking yourselves "why?".  Hurd will be
    out in a year (or two, or next month, who knows), and I've already got
    minix.  This is a program for hackers by a hacker.  I've enjouyed doing
    it, and somebody might enjoy looking at it and even modifying it for
    their own needs.  It is still small enough to understand, use and
    modify, and I'm looking forward to any comments you might have. 

    I'm also interested in hearing from anybody who has written any of the
    utilities/library functions for minix. If your efforts are freely
    distributable (under copyright or even public domain), I'd like to hear
    from you, so I can add them to the system. I'm using Earl Chews estdio
    right now (thanks for a nice and working system Earl), and similar works
    will be very wellcome. Your (C)'s will of course be left intact. Drop me
    a line if you are willing to let me use your code.

    		Linus

    PS. to PHIL NELSON! I'm unable to get through to you, and keep getting
    "forward error - strawberry unknown domain" or something.