[darby_nine]

While microkernels play a vital role in our software ecosystem, most of the software anyone interacts with is not coordinated with a microkernel. Furthermore most of the software on the internet is not run by a microkernel, nor most of the software available on the internet. I suspect such a course would not prepare one well to either work with kernels or reason about the kernels you work with as a professional.

[pjmlp]

You right, it is run by a pile of containers in Kubernetes clusters, on top of type 1 hypervisors. The irony.

[vkazanov]

And? What's wrong with k8s and containerized setups?

Linux evolved numerous features over the years responding to server room challenges. Some of them look monolithic, others are decomposable, in any case linux became the default dev target platform for everything.

Minix might be nice, but linux has won, and it was NEVER about os architecture.

[pjmlp]

Because it is travesty of what is effectively a microkernel architecture.

A free beer UNIX clone won, that is quite different than any technical advantages.

Even Android does the same with Binder IPC, since Project Treble.

[vkazanov]

Android, SteamOS, WebOS and all the numerous Linux-based projects, mostly show that the world needs a stable target platform everybody can do a meaningful contribution to (and then make sure nobody steals the work later).

Linux literally ate the world with its POSIX-compatible open-source proposition. I don't have a single device without Linux at home, and this includes a NAS, 5 notebooks, 1 PC, a handheld gaming console, my TV, a bunch of mobile phones, a washing machine.

The world just couldn't care less if it is a microkernel, a hybrid or a monolithic kernel. Like you said, it's not about some boring technical advantages, and it never was.

[pjmlp]

Just wait until the Linux founding fathers are no longer around.

Try to write Linux POSIX code for Android, WebOS, and ChromeOS apps, and see how many normies will buy your wonderfull app.

Free beer ate the world, everyone likes free beer, even it is warm.

[anthk]

Alan Cox will do it fine, and the rest of the people have similar skills on GNU licensing and such.

[vkazanov]

Yes, free as in beer and free as in freedom. No complicated licensing, code open for change, any scale, any use-case.

Hard to compete against with all these "license per working space" or "tcp stack not included" or "no code for you" of the usual competitors.

> Just wait until the Linux founding fathers are no longer around.

Yes, things change all the time. People come and go. Just as companies do.

[EasyMark]

I would say the masses won in this case, instead of academics and CEOs in high towers… now they have to share some power with the rabble.