Re: [MiNT] Future (was Re: MiNT 1.16)

[Maurits van de Kamp <maurits@bassment.nu>]

On Fri, 1 Nov 2002, Konrad M. Kokoszkiewicz wrote:

> Let's face it, Atari hardware is dead. Eventhough these are great machines
> (if I thought something else, I wouldn't be using one of them to this time
> :-)), no new ones will get produced. So, if MiNT and GEM has to be
> preserved and avoid the death, it must migrate to another hardware.

Also, let's not forget that MiNT is a beautiful thing as it is now, for
users of old hardware and old tos programs that want to integrate some
unix functionality into their system. Taking development into a direction
where compatibility with old dirty tos apps (or < 030 machines for that
matter) goes away, does not mean these people can't use MiNT anymore. They
just have to stick to 1.16. So they won't have any of the new
functionality, but it's exactly that functionality that they can't run
anyway, and don't want to either. :)

So my $0.02 is, let's go on with our new generation MiNT (MiNT is New
Technology) ;) in a new major version number, and leave the possibility
for further development of the 1.x version, which would mainly be bugfixes
and the occasional backport of new functionality that does not require
threads, virtual memory, control over traps or a 030 processor. (If any).
:)

As far as I can see, all development that can be done WITHOUT loosing
vintage compatibility, is bugfixes and new hardware/filesystem/network
drivers. The latter could easily be developed for MiNT 2 and 1 at the same
time.

Any flames? ;)

Maurits.

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