MenuetOS, an OS Written Entirely In Assembly Language, Inches Towards 1.0 372
angry tapir writes "MenuetOS is an open source, GUI-equipped, x86 operating system written entirely in assembly language that can fit on a floppy disk (if you can find one). I originally spoke to its developers in 2009. Recently I had a chance to catch up with them to chat about what's changed and what needs to be done before the OS hits version 1.0 after 13 years of work. The system's creator, Ville Turjanmaa, says, 'Timeframe is secondary. It's more important is to have a complete and working set of features and applications. Sometimes a specific time limit rushes application development to the point of delivering incomplete code, which we want to avoid. ... We support USB devices, such [as] storages, printers, webcams and digital TV tuners, and have basic network clients and servers. So before 1.0 we need to improve the existing code and make sure everything is working fine. ... The main thing for 1.0 is to have all application groups available'"
Assembly == SLOW ; JAVA == FAST! (Score:5, Funny)
ASSembly language? This OS will run as slow as frozen mollasses.
I want my computer to run FAST!
I want an operating system written in Java, running on a java interpreter written in java [add recursion here].
Java is faster than C, so logically, java must be faster than ASSembly. More java == more speed.
Lets get to it!
That's not the most important thing (Score:5, Funny)
So before 1.0 we need to improve the existing code and make sure everything is working fine. ... The main thing for 1.0 is to have all application groups available
Nah, main thing is to find a working floppy disk and drive.
Re:Assembly == SLOW ; JAVA == FAST! (Score:5, Funny)
Seriously, 13 years? (Score:0, Funny)
Microsoft, Apple and Google update their OS about every year or two. If MenuetOS took 13 years to get to version 1.0, how long would it take them to release a bug fix? Is there a guarantee of a hot fix in 7 years or your money back?
Re:Gotta ask ! (Score:5, Funny)
Masochism?
Re:I can beat that (Score:5, Funny)
But did it support USB, TV tuners, and webcams?
Yes it did! GEOS supported all the existing USB TV tuners and webcams of its time.
Re:Assembly == SLOW ; JAVA == FAST! (Score:4, Funny)
So, what you're saying is that the C compiler is better Assembly coder than you are. I feel your pain on that one.
Re:Gotta ask ! (Score:5, Funny)
Neither. That's why we write things in assembly.
13 Years to 1.0? (Score:3, Funny)
So obviously their development cycle is much faster than HURD!
NOT OPEN SOURCE (Score:5, Funny)
"MenuetOS is an open source"
Not the x64 version, which is the version that's actually worth a shit.
Re:Assembly == SLOW ; JAVA == FAST! (Score:5, Funny)
What a... (Score:2, Funny)
What a senseless waist of human life.
Re:Gotta ask ! (Score:5, Funny)
Because * It's fun? * They can? * They want to? * To learn something? I'm sure there are a few more. Does anyone have not-boring questions?
* he's following in the great Finnish tradition of writing your own OS... :-)
Choose your own adventure, drinkypoo (Score:5, Funny)
"Help! Help!" she cried.
Most of them all just walked by, ignoring her. She might be jaw-droppingly gorgeous 36-24-36 redhead with pouty lips in a light dress, but she was clearly crazy, waving that weird plastic thing around. "You!" she urgently growled, as she seized a suited man's lapels. "Can you help me read this? It's the only copy!" This looked like a successful man, so surely he could afford a decent computer, right?
He blushed. He wanted her, and maybe could use it to get her back to his place, but the lie would eventually come out. And this woman had just the sort of sincere bearing, that he knew the lie would be punished, not accepted. He sighed. He glanced at the disc again, just to make sure what he was seeing, and sighed. "No. Sorry. What is that, anyway?"
She let go, and cast her glance around the crowd.
And that's when it happened: Drinkypoo. The moment she saw him, she knew. This was the one. She didn't even have to ask, because she knew. But she decided to ask anyway, so that he could have the pleasure of saying yes and offering to help. It would be the first of many pleasures that he would experience.
"Can you read it? There are some really important files from the 1990s on here. I've got to have them. I'll do anything, Drinkypoo. Anything."
There was a time when Drinkypoo would have grinned nervously, or asked followup questions. But by now, he knew the story. He didn't want to hear the story anymore; he just wanted the reward. Drinkypoo didn't so much as even glance at the disk. Why so many unbelievable hot women always had invested in LS120s and floppies to store their critical records, he didn't know. Maybe some freak effect of a one-shot Imation advertising campaign, long ago. No one even really knew why, for sure; they just knew that a shitload of the drives had somehow ended up in the possession of that demographic.
He squinted and recalled his depleted inventory. That blonde with the 1.4MB floppy from two nights ago. "Got to stop at the drugstore on the way. C'mon," he replied. She stuffed the disc into her purse for safekeeping and they walked to his car.
Half an hour later, at his place, she sat on the couch, nervously clutching her purse containing the precious disc. Drinkypoo sauntered over, and held out the glass of rye bourbon on ice. "Here, relax. Everything's going to be okay." She sighed with relief, set her purse upon the coffee table, accepted the glass and sipped. "Thanks."
"You can't imagine what this means to me," (though Drinkypoo actually knew very well), "I need those files so badly." She reached for his belt buckle for a brief moment, but paused. "First things first, though, I suppose."
Drinkpoo shrugged. What did it matter to him? It would all work out the same. This was going to be fun no matter which order things occured. "Sure." He walked over to the computer desk and nudged the mouse, waking it up from sleep, casting monitor light across the room. "Let's have the disc."
She smiled, and reached into her purse, pulling out a .."
[CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE:
1) .. gun.
2) .. Zip or Jaz disc.
3) .. 3.5" floppy or LS120 disc. (Drinkypoo, it will cost you 0.01 BTC for me to write this version.)
]
Re:Assembly == SLOW ; JAVA == FAST! (Score:5, Funny)