MINIX Goals

MINIX 3 is a new open-source operating system designed to be highly reliable, flexible, and secure. It is loosely based somewhat on previous versions of MINIX, but is fundamentally different in many key ways. MINIX 1 and 2 were intended as teaching tools; MINIX 3 adds the new goal of being usable as a serious system on resource-limited and embedded computers and for applications requiring high reliability.

MINIX 3 is initially targeted at the following areas:

• Applications where very high reliability is required
• Single-chip, small-RAM, low-power, $100 laptops for Third-World children
• Embedded systems (e.g., cameras, DVD recorders, cell phones)
• Applications where the GPL is too restrictive (MINIX 3 uses a BSD-type license)
• Education (e.g., operating systems courses at universities)