Brussels / 31 January & 1 February 2015

schedule

What is wrong with Operating Systems

(and how do we make things better)


The talk will be a thought-provoking exploration of operating systems and the software/hardware stack. It will be a high-flying tale of low-level gore, and is intended for everyone with an understanding of programming and/or software systems.

The focus of the talk is in core operating system architecture. While that is sometimes seen as a highly technical topic, the talk will put the subject into common terms to disband the illusion of magic, and to give the audience an idea of what the purpose of the OS is in 2015 and why they should care beyond just having one installed.

Some of the subjects that the talk will graze upon include:

  • the need for an operating system (or lack thereof)
  • historical perspective and what has actually changed since time immemorial
  • hardware/software interface
  • userspace is the new kernelspace (or is it?)
  • why actually good ideas fail

Every discussed subject will not be backed by experimental evidence, nor does the presenter claim that all insights are original. The intent is to raise awareness of good ideas so that they can be implemented more widely, and to raise awareness of bad ideas so that they can be unimplemented more widely.

Speakers

Photo of Antti Kantee Antti Kantee

Attachments