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OSDI '96

Panel Session

October 30, 1996
Seattle, Washington


What the OS Industry wants from OS Research

Jay Lepreau, University of Utah - Moderator

Marc Auslander , IBM
Michel Gien, Chorus
Rob Gingell, Sun
Larry McVoy, SGI
Jeff Mogul, DEC
Rob Short , Microsoft
John Sontag, HP

What do companies doing major Operating System development want from the OS research community? What, if any, current research seems relevant? What should researchers do to make companies aware and to make them care? To convince industry, should researchers build more extensive prototypes of real systems or instead focus on constrained, easily transferred ideas? Do companies really only want to consume universities' students?

The panel consists of key people at OS and computer vendors, including some responsible for OS development and products, some in senior technical positions, and one in a research lab. They will briefly present their needs and perspective on these issues. Discussion and argument will follow, with critical and inflammatory participation from the audience encouraged.