Freqeuently Asked Questions
Q: What is the advantage of using HelenOS over the other operating systems?
A: In the first place, HelenOS is not yet in a state in which it could be used for anything else than pure development and testing. Nevertheless, the fact that you can learn a lot by merely developing HelenOS and still have fun can become number one attractor for many people. Additionally, it is very difficult to compare HelenOS to all other operating systems at once. Its kernel is pretty developed as of now so the biggest functionality gap is in the absence of userspace libraries, frameworks and servers. Compared to other alternative operating system projects, HelenOS is falling behind in the number of "desktop" features. On the other hand, HelenOS would beat most other alternative operating systems in portability and some hi-tech core features like SMP. HelenOS is also very modular, which brings some advantages such as self-contained and less complex components, and improved robustness.
Q: Why is the system called HelenOS? Is your girlfriend's name Helen?
A: No, to the best of my knowledge, no HelenOS developer has ever had a girlfriend named Helen. The idea that HelenOS is called after a girlfriend is a common misunderstanding when people see the name HelenOS. Therefore we prefer to pronounce the project's name like
The origin of the name HelenOS reaches back to the time when there was only the kernel. The kernel itself was called the SPARTAN kernel, owing to Jakub's fascination by ancient Greece and the fact that the kernel was pretty minimal, simple and, well, spartan. When more developers joined the project, a name that would identify the broader system was sought. We decided for HelenOS, because we felt, and to our Czech ears it sounded like, that it preserves the Hellenic naming tradition. And finally, Helen of Sparta, who was later known as Helen of Troy, was one of the most famous Spartans.
Q: Is HelenOS based on Linux or BSD?
A: No, HelenOS builds from ground up, using its own custom kernel called SPARTAN and userspace libraries. Small parts of userspace layer are actually taken from other projects (details). Besides being unrelated source-wise, it also has different design based on a microkernel multiserver architecture.
Q: What is this OS good for?
A: If your question is driven by curiosity and you are really interested in what has HelenOS to offer, please see What is the advantage of using HelenOS over the other operating systems? above or try to find what you need on this site or our wiki. Nice and good-hearted people should stop reading here. The rest of this paragraph is only for ugly people. If your question is rather spiteful and poisonous, we guess you do not even expect a reasonable answer to come. Please do not present disdain and do not seed anxiety and frustration in the HelenOS community or potential HelenOS fans by the implied answer. If you are a militant zealot like that, just before creeping back into your narrow hole, you may learn that we actually know that there is Linux, BSD, Solaris or pick-your-own-OS. We use some of these systems every day, fancy them and even fix their bugs for living. On the other hand, we enjoy taking the freedom to be creative and do things the way we like.
Q: Why don't you work on operating system XYZ instead?
A: Whatever XYZ ends up substituted with, we do not care about the possible hype around it. You should not care either, because the hype often obfuscates the real technical merits of XYZ. If you have not heard about HelenOS yet, it does not necessarily mean that it is technically inferior to XYZ. HelenOS may have a different set of goals than XYZ, which means that HelenOS will have a different set of features too. In any case, we recommend you have a closer look and make your own educated opinion.
Regardless of the technical superiority or inferiority of XYZ to HelenOS, the HelenOS developers have most likely already heard of XYZ, individually evaluated it and for one reason or another found themselves not interested enough. That is why they are now HelenOS developers and not XYZ developers.