Contents:
Design goals
The design goals of any OS determine general characteristics of the
programming environment. This is certainly the case with PowerMax. Here's
a list in order of preference:
Modularity - everything is dynamically loaded, replaced or removed
Resource sharing - the local network is used as if it's a single machine
Speed - assembly everywhere, who wants a slow OS anyway?
Efficiency - this generally means using what's there to the fullest
Flexibility - the OS should be good for servers and stand-alone uses,
etc
Simplicity - both for users and (application) programmers
You'll notice compatibility isn't even on the list. Being compatible with
something else generally means restricting the design to conform a standard
that may not be applicable. PowerMax is radically different from other
OS's therefore I felt no need be compatible with most things (DOS, DPMI,
Posix, VESA, Unix, C calling conventions, etc.). If (for example) your
looking for DOS compatibility, your looking in the wrong place.
