Subj : Re: Writing an OS
To   : comp.os.linux
From : Stefan Patric
Date : Fri Nov 05 2004 09:37 am

On Thursday 04 November 2004 03:57, Darrell Blake wrote:

> I'm thining of writing an OS for my final year project at University
> but I havn't got a clue where to start. I was hoping someone on here
> could give me some good places on the net to look at or advise me on
> some good books to read on the subject?
> 
> I've been using Linux as my primary OS for nearly six years now and
> have realised that OS programming (and low level programming in
> general) is one area of programming that I really don't know much
> about.
> 
> The problem with Universities these days is that they only teach
> high level stuff and I imagine it would be pretty tough to write an
> OS in Java or, heaven forbid, C#! Ideally, I would want to write one
> in C++ as that's my main language of choice (plus, I've ever even
> looked at C) what is your opinion on this?

Writing an entire OS -- one that is really useful, not just a student
project -- is a rather daunting task for one person.  Are you going
to write its kernel, too?  Why not do a blindingly fast, Open Source,
Linux micro-kernel for use in realtime applications or embedded
systems or older, memory limited computers or just to have a kernel
that doesn't require 3 megs of RAM?  (QNX's micro-kernel is about
40K, IIRC.) It would have to be 100% compatible with the current
Linux kernel, the OS, and the applications.

This should get you started: http://www.hprog.org/fhp/MicroKernel

In either case, you'll want to learn C (Not C++ or any of the
variants), and have knowledge of x86 assembly code for hand
optimizing.  It would better, if you were competent IN x86 assembler,
too, and did the whole thing in assembly code. ;-)  Now, THAT would
be a project!

-- 
Stefan Patric
tootek2@yahoo.com

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