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 Post subject: Looking to join an existing microkernel project
PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 12:23 pm 
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Hello all,

I'm looking for an existing microkernel project to join. I've glanced over the projects page on the wiki, but it is difficult to determine the kernel model for many of the projects listed there and even more difficult to determine whether or not they are still active. There are a few things I am looking for in a project to join:

1. Minimalism. I'd like to focus on writing very simple, very high quality code rather than churning out a wide array of features.
2. Well defined, simple goals. I'd like to join a project with realistic aims and scope.
3. Emphasis on documentation. I'd like to work on a well documented microkernel that makes it easy for other programmers to come along and write userland modules for various services (optimistic, I know).
4. I'd like to work with someone who has some OS cred under their belt, previously completed projects, etc.

I've tinkered with various aspects of OS development in the past, but I don't have much to show for it short of a few simple multiboot programs. I'm a software engineer and my background is in mathematics, if that's important. If you think you know of a project or if your project sounds like something I'd be interested in and you're looking for assistance, then please let me know!

Thanks,
Bob


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 Post subject: Re: Looking to join an existing microkernel project
PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 12:32 pm 
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Location: Ukraine, Bachmut
Quote:
1. Minimalism
...
4. I'd like to work with someone who has some OS cred under their belt, previously completed projects, etc.

Minix?

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 Post subject: Re: Looking to join an existing microkernel project
PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 12:37 pm 
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I was thinking about getting involved with Minix, but I'd prefer a smaller project that is early in development. Thanks for pointing it out, though.


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 Post subject: Re: Looking to join an existing microkernel project
PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 12:46 pm 
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I didn't doubt you heard about it, I just wanted to ask why not it. They lack developers. They have a lot of things which are "at the early stage". And as you desrcibed your requirements, I think Minix woudl fit them much better than any hobbyist project here.
and honestly, I think it's better to start your own thing. this is just my own opinion.

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 Post subject: Re: Looking to join an existing microkernel project
PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 1:33 pm 
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Maybe you could elaborate on what you want to do / state what you're most interested in.

  • Do you want to write kernel code? Scheduling? Memory management? IPC mechanism? SMP?
  • Do you want to write drivers? Storage (AHCI, NVMe)? Network (Ethernet cards, the IP stack)? USB (host controller drivers, device drivers)? Graphics? Sound (Intel HD Audio)?
  • Do you want to work on other things? POSIX layers like the VFS?

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 Post subject: Re: Looking to join an existing microkernel project
PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 2:10 pm 
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Hi, what country are you in, would you travel?


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 Post subject: Re: Looking to join an existing microkernel project
PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 2:42 pm 
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Hi,

You can join me in writing OS/Z. It's small, minimalistic with well defined and realistic goals, and has a microkernel. Take a look, and drop me a PM if you're interested.
https://github.com/bztsrc/osz

What's done: booting, threading, messaging, timers, syscalls, memory management, most essential functions in libc. Currently I'm working on the VFS subsystem, next will be the UI.

Cheers,
bzt


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 Post subject: Re: Looking to join an existing microkernel project
PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 2:54 pm 
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orbitaldecay wrote:
if your project sounds like something I'd be interested in and you're looking for assistance, then please let me know!


I'm working on starting a project, but it's still in planning phase, so I'm researching and lurking on these forums, and reading the wiki so far. If you're impatient it might be better to look elsewhere. Right now we have two programmers, someone who has previous experience with kernels, memory managers and the like, but from long ago in the early to mid nineties, and myself, and I only have user mode experience so far.

If you're still reading at this point :lol:, the idea is to develop a microkernel that acts as a hypervisor, with paravirtualised system modules running in virtual kernel mode beneath it. Kind of like the Muen separation kernel but not as extreme. The end goal is to be able to have a heterogenous system similar to coLinux or WSL, but with potentially many more ABI subsystems while maintaining a core stability through virtualisation. The entire project is fairly ambitious but in fact the kernel itself should be as simplistic and small as practically possible, so you might still be interested.

There's no money involved whatsoever and the source licence is public domain.


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 Post subject: Re: Looking to join an existing microkernel project
PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 11:38 pm 
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Finding a project that fits 100% of what you need to do is very difficult. It would probably be better to find programmers that you feel that are just like you (projects, goals, feel, attitude, openness, true free time and attention availability). Then you could talk with them about projects, and I think that if you talk about the projects they have to learn, it would be easier than trying to ask them things that they aren't currently optimum at.

You can work with me if you want. I make things like a set of reusable test programs and small libraries, so you will always find use for something at some moment. Just tell me what you want and some test programs could be made to evaluate how possible it currently is to advance in some aspect. For example I want to implement the WinAPI and the Win9x/WinNT/XP driver interfaces as OS-less, OS-independent libraries so I can use them wherever I want without getting locked in another OS or without the need to have a full OS, even just a bootable or DOS application that launches and terminates.

Here you can see the main topic containing a download link, technical information and updates about my project:
http://devel.archefire.org/forum/viewtopic.php?&p=4263&hl=en

Here you can see a miniature of the map of current functions of my system. It's the actual anatomy of my current OS code base, of the functions that after all of its code, it makes available:
Image


I have also thought about the need to find other people who are in projects just like mine and who have a freely cooperative attitude as much as me (people who are just like me and who could become friend with). I have thought that it would be good to start looking for those persons locally, in my own country, to share achievements and efforts permanently. Then it would also be important to keep contact with other people through Internet, but finding local people who does the same things than me and who want to make a friendship to develop stuff would really be exceptionally good.

It took me around 12 years to achieve this and related things and projects that I will apply, but I'm of course still learning.

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 Post subject: Re: Looking to join an existing microkernel project
PostPosted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 12:52 am 
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You could learn and contribute to Magenta. https://fuchsia.googlesource.com/magenta/ https://github.com/fuchsia-mirror/magenta

You don't have to ask permission - its open source. They have no issue tracking, and are not going to be holding your hand or chatting with you, but they have omitted to turn off pull-requests ;)

Just quietly find and fix or enhance something, and put in a pull request out of the blue, and get the ball rolling. One day some small bit of code you contributed to might just end up in billions of somethings :)


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