< Back to index
MkLinux is an open source operating system, started by OSF Research Institute and Apple Computer in February 1996 to port Linux to the PowerPC platform, and Macintosh computers. In the summer of 1998, the community-led MkLinux Developers Association took over development of the system. The project is dormant and appears to be abandoned now, having not had a release since 2002. There are still occasional exchanges on the mailing list (still hosted by Apple until recently) indicating that there are still updates being produced, but no further development.
MkLinux is short for "Microkernel Linux," which refers to the project's adaptation of the Linux kernel to run as a server hosted atop the Mach microkernel. MkLinux is based on version 3.0 of Mach.
It, along with LinuxPPC, was one of the first Linux distributions for PowerPC computers.
Some recognize the potential of MkLinux to provide binary compatibility for linux ELF binaries on Mac OS X (PPC). The version of the Linux kernel used, and the amount of effort required, make this potential unlikely to be realized.
This entry uses material from from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. Disclaimer.