[arch-general] A universal Operating System API - why don't we have it?

[Fabian Schölzel]

> For example slabs of aluminium have standard sizes

I would guess there are at least 50 different standards available for
alu plates. But the difference to the computer world is, you can take
any of that plates, drill a hole and mount stuff.

> building materials have well defined specifications

With an emphasis on specification_s_. Sometimes it's troublesome to
keep up with the changes (or complete overhauls).

> So why is that? Why hasn't someone stepped up and even try and create a
> universal operating system API? Is it because the computer business is still
> a "child" in some way, compared to other industries?

Computers are still in it's childhood, i would say, too. I would say,
if you create such unified API now, you would delimit the functionalty
to the intersection of all hardware that is now availbale. If
everybody would develop on this base, it would lead to restricted (and
slow) software. (I'm no programmer, so i mighty be wrong here.)

But i think we already have a big abstraction level in software
nowadays. Think of Java or Python. Nobody has to write everything in
assembler. I think things have to iron out themselves in the computer
bussines. I read today about the computer simulation of the
construction of the roof from the munich Olypmic stadium. The result
of that calculations is on 600.000 punched cards. That was only 25
years ago. Now think of what long way metallurgy has gone in our
history.

So i think it is too early for hat. Most people even don't know, what
they want from computers.

Cheers,
Fabian