What Is MINIX 3?

MINIX 3 is a new open-source operating system designed to be highly reliable and secure. It is 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.
This new OS is extremely small, with the part that runs in kernel mode under 4000 lines of executable code. The parts that run in user mode are divided into small modules, well insulated from one another. For example, each device driver runs as a separate user-mode process so a bug in a driver (by far the biggest source of bugs in any operating system), cannot bring down the entire OS. In fact, most of the time when a driver crashes it is automatically replaced without requiring any user intervention, without requiring rebooting, and without affecting running programs. These features, the tiny amount of kernel code, and other aspects greatly enhance system reliability.
MINIX 3 is initially targeted at the following areas:

* Applications where very high reliability is required
* Single-chip, small-RAM, low-power, $100 laptop 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)

http://www.minix3.org/index.html

Minix, as in Tanenbaum's Minix?

fishie you created minix?

Tanenbaum did.
A new version... eh?
He's apparently working a lot. He even launch in the summer the 5th version of Structured Computer Organization, after 4 years of the 4th version.

Minix? They're still working on that? I thought that was from the days 8088 processors and CP/M. Does it actually do anything useful or is it just a "look how small I can make an OS" type project?

Yes it can do quite a bit. It was an excellent teaching tool for those that wanted to learn about Unix before the days of GNU/Linux and when BSD was faced with legal issues.

With a question like yours I suggest you stay very far away from Minix. It's not some to or noob OS for you to play around with. Point and click is also out of the question.

If you really wanna know some uses for Minix you could try reading the information from the news release.

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 has a live cd that you can test out. i tested it out and it worked the way i expected it to. quite an improvement from the earlier releases