[DrSoupDragon]

good morning
is QNX able to be put on a PC as its OS ?
i know its a rather niave question given linux/ubuntu etc as alternatives to OSX and sWindles, i just wondered if currently or in foreseeable future this was possible

cheers

Liam

[polytope]

good morning
is QNX able to be put on a PC as its OS ?
i know its a rather niave question given linux/ubuntu etc as alternatives to OSX and sWindles, i just wondered if currently or in foreseeable future this was possible

cheers

Liam

I have seen a version of it running under a PC more than 10 years ago.

Check out their web page: QNX.

[GreyGhostRos]

Yes QNX was initially meant for that before RIM bought it.. It is very old I think from the 80s And if i'm not mistaken they are still actively developing though i don't really know what license they distribute under..

Wikipedia is your friend

[Geeoff]

I totally think that RIM should try and consciously develop a version of QNX specifically targeted towards PCs.

I`ve thought about this before and it is totally realistic. It would all be a slow evolutionary process and the Playbook OS is a great start.

Think about it.... Start with the Playbook OS. Increase the power, increase the number of compatible programs, add a permanent keyboard and a larger screen. This is a netbook and it would be the first step. ....... Then, continue improving the OS and increase the power, get more compatible programs, and you have a proper PC.

It could move RIM into some great new revenue streams. Governments and finance institutions would be very interested in a more secure OS than Windows. Also organizations that use a lot of bandwidth would like the compression. With an interface like a Playbook some consumers would buy in as well.

The only major hurdle I see is that Microsoft Office would be loath to open up their programs to a new direct competitor. If Apple, RIM, and Google would band together and make a common cross-platform standard for office programs (like word processors and spreadsheets), then this could really take off!

[diegonei]

Hmm... let's see... I think we aready have MS Office for Mac OS.

Should Microsoft see value on making the jump, trust me, they will.

I'm downloading the 290mb iso now. It picked up my curiosity...

[polytope]

I have read somewhere that QNX, as a real-time OS by default, is not so great as a desktop OS (I think the problem is with single-threading performance. But then I am not an OS expert so I can't really tell if that is the case.)

[samab]

QNX was originally a PC OS back in the mid 80's.

OLD-COMPUTERS.COM musem ~ Unisys Icon

[Laura Knotek]

I totally think that RIM should try and consciously develop a version of QNX specifically targeted towards PCs.



I`ve thought about this before and it is totally realistic. It would all be a slow evolutionary process and the Playbook OS is a great start.



Think about it.... Start with the Playbook OS. Increase the power, increase the number of compatible programs, add a permanent keyboard and a larger screen. This is a netbook and it would be the first step. ....... Then, continue improving the OS and increase the power, get more compatible programs, and you have a proper PC.



It could move RIM into some great new revenue streams. Governments and finance institutions would be very interested in a more secure OS than Windows. Also organizations that use a lot of bandwidth would like the compression. With an interface like a Playbook some consumers would buy in as well.



The only major hurdle I see is that Microsoft Office would be loath to open up their programs to a new direct competitor. If Apple, RIM, and Google would band together and make a common cross-platform standard for office programs (like word processors and spreadsheets), then this could really take off!

It would never be adopted by consumers. Linux is already available and free, yet it only has about 1% market share of desktop PCs.

Enterprises already use Linux and UNIX servers. They have no need of another OS.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

[app_Developer]

I think people forget that QNX has been around a very long time. Many people experimented with it many times at many different companies.

[CranBerry413]

good morning
is QNX able to be put on a PC as its OS ?
i know its a rather niave question given linux/ubuntu etc as alternatives to OSX and sWindles, i just wondered if currently or in foreseeable future this was possible

cheers

Liam

Yes you could. But QNX is generally a Command Line OS. Which means you have to know the Prompts and the commands. A lot like DOS. They have a form that is "Windows Like" with icons, but most of QNX on Computers is very tough to work with for the average Computer User.

Which is why it fell by the wayside of the Consumer Market and is used in other applications.

[Laura Knotek]

Yes you could. But QNX is generally a Command Line OS. Which means you have to know the Prompts and the commands. A lot like DOS. They have a form that is "Windows Like" with icons, but most of QNX on Computers is very tough to work with for the average Computer User.



Which is why it fell by the wayside of the Consumer Market and is used in other applications.

Does it use the same commands as Linux and. UNIX?


Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

[last_attempt]

I use to have a 1.44 Mb 3.5" floppy that was a QNX boot disk for a pc, it would boot and give you a working file browser and web browser on top of the QNX os. There were a few industrial inspection machines that used QNX at the time at least 15 -20 years ago that I remember using at my work.
They seem to be a solid, get the job done behind the scenes system. FWIW on the disk I remember them including a GUI, as the point was to make it a consumer friendly demo of what the could do on a floppy.

[SurrealCivic]

good morning
is QNX able to be put on a PC as its OS ?
i know its a rather niave question given linux/ubuntu etc as alternatives to OSX and sWindles, i just wondered if currently or in foreseeable future this was possible

cheers

Liam

Yes, it can. I used to run QNX 2.X and 4.X (with Photon GUI) on my x86 machines many years ago, and now I run QNX 6.X on my BlackBerry PlayBook. Gotta love the evolution of technology.

QNX is very different than the current mainstream operating systems. QNX is a micro-kernel operating system, compared to a monolithic operating system like Linux/BSD. What's the difference? According to my knowledge, A micro-kernel runs in a series of numerous small tasks (I think they are called servers). What this accomplishes is the ability of multitasking while maintaining stability and reliability. Meaning, the developer can turn off certain tasks while keeping others running, without actually 'rebooting' the operating system or compromising other apps. Compared to a monolithic operating system (ie. Linux/BSD/Mac OS, Windows, Android OS etc), where the operating system is one large 'program' with numerous parts to it (hence the need rebooting, multitasking issues like freezing, lock-ups, etc) which leads to less reliability.

Now think of this in the terms of your PlayBook, everything runs smooth, fast, multi-tasking is seamless. When an application using a certain part of the is OS experiences issues, it simply closes and you can re-open it without rebooting. If you have rooted your PlayBook before, especially some of the early Beta 2.0 OSs, if your Android Player locked up, you simply ssh'd into your PlayBook, killed the process and then you were able to run it again; This did not compromise any other apps that were running.

RIM purchased QNX from Harman for this sole reason. It is a strong, reliable, operating system that they can evolve into something that will be mainstream and widely used. No company has been able to do this with QNX. And RIM, already has gone further than anyone else.

Anyways, here's a GREAT post on Slashdot about QNX at the time when RIM purchased it; not many people talk about QNX because they are simply not experienced with it but you can be rest assured these comments on Slashdot are from people that have used this operating system.

BlackBerry Maker To Buy QNX For RTOS & Dev. Suite - Slashdot

[Scott8586]

The Audrey ran QNX, I used to debug apps on windows based QNX before flashing the Audery PROM. Used that as a kitchen computer for several years, had a touch screen, email, browser, even a caller id app.

[Wright_PC]

I program industrial robots. Our robots use a pc based control running QNX. We have a graphical environment, web browser, development environment, etc on the robot control. Most other companies use an embedded controller and use a windows based graphical environment for control but that approach puts too much distance between the user and the robot.

[Playbookjoe]

I do think rim has their eyes set on the pc, but not in the way you are talking about. Qnx is slated as the mobile computing revolution.
I think (total feeling - nothing more) that rim's end game is to have a tablet powerful enough to replace the pc.
I.e you get to work and dock your playbook and work like on a pc. Undock to take your work with you. Phone, tablet, car, home all recognize their companion devices and work together. I don't know if they have sacrificed the ultimate vision in the quest for partners and decided to just reach for a smaller goal, but I really got the feeling for a while that they were working on completely revolutionizing the way people use their devices.

[DrSoupDragon]

Interesting, I have an old Hp pc with windows xp on that I'd like to put an alternative OS on and did wonder if QNX was a possibility, any one got any weblinks to point me?

Thanks

Liam

[Superfly_FR]

Well in a way, developers already use QNX emulation on PCs; it's called the Blackberry Playbook simulator (BlackBerry - Smartphone Simulators) .
On a customer point of view, I think it'll be interesting to share PB apps and allow their execution into the PC simulator (whether the app being accessed from the PB - with USB/network or) being physically deported to the PC, with the PB mandatory connected (as an old fashioned yet efficient "dongle") to allow anti-piracy protections. It may offer easy(ier) integration of printing, file access and large bandwidth (wired cable) connexions.

0.2 cents.

[DrSoupDragon]

Ah ha thanks for that!

How interesting......

[CranBerry413]

Does it use the same commands as Linux and. UNIX?


Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

I'm not quite sure. In working with the Linuxes I've played with I haven't seen it to. However, it could and I'm just not as well versed. I can only do small manipulations of Linux. And By that I mean I can put it on a Thumb Drive so that I can boot from said Thumb Drive.

I can look deeper into this for you if you would like though.

And I apologive for my late response.

[Geeoff]

The more I think about this, the more sure I am that it is a great idea!

Security on PCs is a HUGE problem for various governments. I read somewhere once that a government had asked Blackberry about making PCs because of Blackberry`s deserved reputation for security.

So if RIM makes a PC, I could totally see the security paranoid buying into it. It would not become a best seller. And it would not be a gaming platform. But it would have a strong security based niche that RIM could build on.

[Stewartj1]

good morning
is QNX able to be put on a PC as its OS ?
i know its a rather niave question given linux/ubuntu etc as alternatives to OSX and sWindles, i just wondered if currently or in foreseeable future this was possible

cheers

Liam

While not the same version as on the Playbook, the company I work for has been using QNX on pc's to power chemistry analyzers in hospital laboratories for a long, long time. The version we use is highly specialized (obviously) but we use itvfor the same reasons you like it:. Fast, stable, true multitasking.

[CranBerry413]

The more I think about this, the more sure I am that it is a great idea!

Security on PCs is a HUGE problem for various governments. I read somewhere once that a government had asked Blackberry about making PCs because of Blackberry`s deserved reputation for security.

So if RIM makes a PC, I could totally see the security paranoid buying into it. It would not become a best seller. And it would not be a gaming platform. But it would have a strong security based niche that RIM could build on.

Well, I think that RIM took that idea and is working toward some sort of Compromise. Smartphones are the next tcehnological movement. If they are not presently, they will rival PCs in virtually every department. I think that was made clear when the PlayBook was released. I can't speak for all PB Users, But I have one, and it has more or less replaced my Laptop.

Now, as far as RIM making CPUs is concerned I would say that probably isn't too far from fruition. The Citrix Analyzer that they showed off at BBW was a step in that direction in the Short term. And the video that TAT released a few months back where people were placing their phones on a desk, where they would be able to connect to a monitor to be used as a desktop is definately a long term idea, and one that I'm incredibly interested in myself.

Something like that would change security forever. Being able to physically remove a Hard Drive from a work station would be something amazing. Not easily sold to the Corporate World, but those that can see an oppurtunity would take it.

[kill_9]

good morning
is QNX able to be put on a PC as its OS ?
i know its a rather niave question given linux/ubuntu etc as alternatives to OSX and sWindles, i just wondered if currently or in foreseeable future this was possible

The tablet is the form-factor of the next generation personal computer. There is no reason a dockable tablet could not be used in a manner similar as we use desktop/notebook computers today. Right now, my BlackBerry PlayBook is connected via HDMI cable to a 22-inch LED HDTV monitor and a keyboard and mouse via Bluetooth. If I could insert the tablet into the side of the monitor via a drawer akin to a CD/DVD tray to avoid the HDMI cable and provide a built-in rapid battery recharge capability within the drawer that would be my ideal configuration. Then if I need an application only available on a standard personal computer, I could and can access it via a remote desktop application on the tablet. In an office environment, knowledge workers could eject their tablet and carry it home and plug it into their own monitor or use it "free-style" as a tablet. This combined with a BlackBerry smartphone would provide the ultimate power-user tool set.

That was the long-winded way of saying we do not need QNX running a today's personal computers because Research In Motion has the potential to revolutionize how we think about the personal computing experience.

[kill_9]

Interesting, I have an old Hp pc with windows xp on that I'd like to put an alternative OS on and did wonder if QNX was a possibility, any one got any weblinks to point me?

You download the very old QNX for PCs on a single diskette, well it is actually an ISO image. Burn it to CD and boot your computer from the CD drive.

File name: qnx_demo_405_network.ISO
Website: QNX DEMO disk

It provided a GUI desktop environment with a web browser and a few simple utilities. You might have trouble getting it to connect to the network if your network adapter is not supported. This is definitely an example of the versatility of QNX.