January 29, 1992
Andrew Tanenbaum posts "Linux is obsolete"
Andrew Tanenbaum tells comp.os.minix that Linux's monolithic kernelThe core of an operating system that manages hardware, memory, and processes — everything else depends on it. is a step backward compared to microkernels like Minix.
Quote
“LINUX is obsolete. I think I know a bit about where operating systems are going in the next decade or two. Multithreaded programs are the way things are going to be in the near future.”
What it was for
Linus Torvalds replied the same day — the thread became legend. Tanenbaum was wrong about market outcome but right that the debate would run for decades (monolith vs microkernelAn OS design where only minimal core services run in kernel mode — most services run as user processes., Linux vs HURD).
People
- Andrew Tanenbaum — author
Why it's here
One of the most famous flamewars in operating-system history.
Why it mattered
It crystalized the architectural divide Linux chose and never really left.
What it solved
Minix users were debating whether a hobby kernelThe core of an operating system that manages hardware, memory, and processes — everything else depends on it. could be taken seriously.
Media
ImageAndrew S. TanenbaumJantangring, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Related
- Linus Torvalds announces LinuxAugust 25, 1991
- Andrew Tanenbaum creates MINIX1987