[Info-vax] [OT] Portable operating systems, was: Re: PowerX Roadmap -

[GreyCloud]

On 09/21/16 07:58, Scott Dorsey wrote:
> In article<nrsf1n$ft1$2 at dont-email.me>, GreyCloud<mist at cumulus.com>  wrote:
>> On 09/20/16 14:18, Scott Dorsey wrote:
>>> In article<nrrrl7$84n$1 at dont-email.me>, GreyCloud<mist at cumulus.com>   wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Not totally true on the modes.  Why did Data Generals machines have 8 modes?
>>>> I know they went out of business, but why 8?
>>>
>>> Because if you want five modes, you might as well just make eight because
>>> it takes the same number of bits in your opcode.
>>
>> Now that sounds like more of a plausible answer.
>
> That is, in fact, the answer.  However, it brings up the question of why you
> would want five rather than four.  (If your kernel can trust your drivers then
> you really only need two, but who can trust drivers?)

You can't.  I remember Linus Torvalds giving NVidia company the finger 
on YouTube because Nvidia wouldn't write video card drivers for linux 
for their own products.  The almost drivers that the OSS community had 
written failed in some areas and made a lot of people mad.