3 ms·
Is there source available for this or QNX?
by serge2k 11y ago
Is there source available for this or QNX?
- jacquesm 11y agoNot for my stuff, I do have it (obviously) but it is definitely not worth sharing in the state it is in. Essentially it is a kernel, some userland device drivers and a rudimentary (but functional) network stack cobbled together from various bits and pieces. The toolchain was GCC and djgpp to bootstrap the development until it was capable of self hosting. It would need serious work (several man-months) before it could be opened up. QnX had an open source program going for a while but it was shut down again. See: http://www.qnx.com/news/pr_2471_1.html http://www.qnx.com/news/pr_2471_1.html
- protomyth 11y agoWasn't there a patent on the message passing part of the QnX kernel?
- jacquesm 11y agoI don't know. Frankly I don't give a rats ass if there is or isn't but if there is such a patent it would now be the property of RIM (or whoever gets it after RIM folds). Message passing pre-dated QnX by a considerable time, they just did a really nice and clean implementation of it. I'd absolutely support their copyright claims on their code, at the time their implementation was unique but I'd totally object against any patent claims, message passing systems had been used widely by that time, also at the kernel level. QnX may have been the first microkernel on that principle that received wide adoption because of the strength of the implementation.
- ori_b 11y agoDid anyone here manage to snag the code before the open source program was shut down?
- jacquesm 11y agoEven if, it all depends on the terms of the license whether or not it could have been used to fork it or to base a free version of it. " Access to QNX source code is free, but commercial deployments of QNX Neutrino runtime components still require royalties, and commercial developers will continue to pay for QNX Momentics® development seats. However, noncommercial developers, academic faculty members, and qualified partners will be given access to QNX development tools and runtime products at no charge. Customer and community members will also have the ability to participate in the QNX development process, similar to projects in the open source world. Through a transparent development process, software designers at QNX will publish development plans, post builds and bug fixes, and provide moderated support to the development process. They will also collaborate with customers and the QNX community, using public forums, wikis, and source code repositories." Suggests that it was open source more in name than in fact.
- ori_b 11y agoI'm more curious to read it than to use it, though.