Ask HN: What would you change in Linux if building from the ground up?

1 pointsfulldecent8y ago1 comments

POSIX, GNU and Linux are great systems that set up our computer to run the programs we love. But they are all based on legacy systems that go back to the original mainframes and first computers.

We have never done a complete reset from the ground up. But history is littered with incomplete attempts. This is because driver support and other niceties of modern systems would take enormous time to reinvent.

But if you could start over and you were in charge, how would things work differently?

1 comments

PaulHoule8y ago

In 2017 the gap is in IoT. The Linux + 32 bit processor w/ MMU + WiFi stack adds up to a minimum cost of $30 for anything that connects to the internet.

Something super-lightweight that has a good network stack, doesn't require a conventional MMU, TLB and all that stuff that explodes the die area. (but ideally has some memory protection)

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