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Oswald
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 5031 |
kernal or kernel
In computer science the kernel is the core of an operating system. It is a piece of software responsible for providing secure access to the machine's hardware and to various computer processes (computer programs in a state of execution). Since there can be many processes running at the same time, and hardware access is limited, the kernel also decides when and how long a program should be able to make use of a piece of hardware: this function is called scheduling. Accessing the hardware directly can be very complex, since there are many different hardware designs for the same type of component. Kernels usually implement some hardware abstraction (a set of instructions universal to all devices of a certain type) to hide the underlying complexity from the operating system and provide a clean and uniform interface to the hardware, which helps application programmers to develop programs that work with all devices of that type. The Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) then relies upon a software driver that provides the instructions specific to that device's manufacturing specifications.
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a kernel is/does:
- a core of an operating system
- secure access to the machine's hardware
- secure access to various computer processes
- scheduling (when and how long a program should be able to make use of a piece of hardware)
- usually implements some hardware abstraction
which of the above is applicable to kernal ?
none.
kernal does basic IO stuff. |
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Graham
Account closed
Registered: Dec 2002
Posts: 990 |
BASIC is definitely not the OS of the C64. You also don't call "bash" the OS of the Linux-kernel :D |
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trident
Registered: May 2002
Posts: 79 |
Quote: BASIC is definitely not the OS of the C64. You also don't call "bash" the OS of the Linux-kernel :D
KERNAL + BASIC is the OS of the C64, just like the Linux kernel + bash (and most of the other stuff in the directories immediately below /) is a Linux OS. |
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hannenz
Account closed
Registered: Nov 2002
Posts: 24 |
BASIC is NO OS. It's an interpreter. nothing more.
In my eyes, KERNAL is the OS of the C64 - whether you call it a kernel or not - well, who cares??!
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Oswald
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 5031 |
I do :). Everyone should take respect, and learn a lesson, the c64 ROM is called KERNAL, and it should be called that. The term kernel is used for 1000 times more sophisticated OS'es, and in meaning is not close enough. |
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Graham
Account closed
Registered: Dec 2002
Posts: 990 |
If BASIC was the OS, why don't C64 programs without hardware banging run on Atari XL or Amstrad CPC? They also start with a BASIC prompt. |
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Krill
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 2855 |
trident said: "KERNAL + BASIC is the OS of the C64" - BOTH together are the OS, and there's no debating about that. You switch on the computer and can immediately operate it via BASIC + KERNAL.
I totally agree with trident. See, we have a jump table at the end of the KERNAL. Looks like some hardware abstraction layer to me.
Also Oswald's connection only to linux is not quite clear to me. WinNT has a kernel, as well as unix systems and whatnot.
There are kernels that don't have some of the functionality of the KERNAL, and of course vice versa. |
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Radiant
Registered: Sep 2004
Posts: 639 |
MSDOS.SYS isn't really that much more sophisticated... |
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Oswald
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 5031 |
IMHO kernal is lightyears far from the concept kernel means.
I give up.
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trident
Registered: May 2002
Posts: 79 |
Quote: If BASIC was the OS, why don't C64 programs without hardware banging run on Atari XL or Amstrad CPC? They also start with a BASIC prompt.
Just because two operating systems share the same programming language doesn't necessarily mean that they are binary compatible (i.e. that programs written and compiled for one system can "just run" on another system).
Obviously simple BASIC programs run under both the C64 BASIC and most other BASICs (e.g. 10 print "hello world", 20 goto 10). A tokenized C64 BASIC program probably wouldn't run on an Atari without some kind of translator. This is similar to how a simple C program in source code would compile and run unmodified under x86 Linux and SPARC Solaris, whereas a compiled program wouldn't run without some type of emulator or translator software. |
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chatGPZ
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 11150 |
Quote:
IMHO kernal is lightyears far from the concept kernel means.
i'd go back to the 70s and have a look at what kinda trivial stuff they called "kernel" of their OSs back then. the c64 "kernal" is lightyears ahead of them probably.
"kernal" is just the name for the "kernel" of the commodore operating system (not limited to c64 afterall) - just like "linux" is the name for the "kernel" of a typical gnu/linux <insert holy RMS pee> OS. |
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