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Genode OS Framework

genode.org

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Re: Genode OS Framework

#11

Post by iamnothere »

pkphilip wrote: post #8

Very interesting OS but it is a bit difficult to get my mind around this one as it is so different from any other OS out there. Is there a default option within Sculpt where you can easily get access to a desktop with a app launch option, editors, a browser etc without having to click through a lot of very obscure menus to add components one at a time?

I believe this can be done (clumsily) by setting up presets for different groups of apps, one preset per use case: https://genode.org/documentation/articles/sculpt-25-04#Custo...

Not ideal, but the Sculpt “desktop” is still immature. Genode is primarily a framework for building secure OSes, with Sculpt being a kind of demonstration piece to help devs understand how it works. It’s only recently that the project has had the resources to expand and grow Sculpt usability. I’m hoping they continue this work, as Sculpt has a lot of potential to be a usable and secure desktop OS. The backend is mostly ready, but it lacks UX investment.

Re: Genode OS Framework

#12

Post by nfeske »

Antibabelic wrote: post #2

> The framework aligns the construction principles of L4 with Unix philosophy. In line with Unix philosophy, Genode is a collection of small building blocks, out of which sophisticated systems can be composed. But unlike Unix, those building blocks include not only applications but also all classical OS functionalities including kernels, device drivers, file systems, and protocol stacks. That's very interesting, but…

Genode developer here. Surprised seeing the project at HN, I'm very happy about the interest.

My colleagues and me are indeed using the system on a daily basis. Personally, I'm running it on an Intel-based Gen12 Framework laptop and on an i.MX8-based MNT-Reform laptop.

Earlier this year, I recorded a casual walk-through of the Genode-based Sculpt OS.

https://genodians.org/nfeske/2025-01-30-sculpt-os-walkthroug...

Re: Genode OS Framework

#13

Post by lucideer »

blauditore wrote: post #5

Has "genode" any meaning in English, or is it just an artistic blend of "generic" and "node" or similar? I'm asking because my brain read "Genocide OS" at the first pass, which seems a bit unfortunate.

Curious if you're a native English speaker - the "-cide" suffix has a general root meaning of "to kill", which means that words ending in it generally have the opposite connotation to the word with the suffix.

E.g. "Eco" has positive connotations whereas "ecocide" has negative ones. Similarly, here "geno" would never naturally seem to have negative connotations without the suffix.

Just my 2c

Re: Genode OS Framework

#14

Post by calvinmorrison »

blauditore wrote: post #5

Has "genode" any meaning in English, or is it just an artistic blend of "generic" and "node" or similar? I'm asking because my brain read "Genocide OS" at the first pass, which seems a bit unfortunate.

your reply had me reread this and its apparently "Genode" not "Geode OS" which sounds cooler to me.

Re: Genode OS Framework

#15

Post by chelmuth »

justinclift wrote: post #10
Antibabelic wrote: post #2

> The framework aligns the construction principles of L4 with Unix philosophy. In line with Unix philosophy, Genode is a collection of small building blocks, out of which sophisticated systems can be composed. But unlike Unix, those building blocks include not only applications but also all classical OS functionalities including kernels, device drivers, file systems, and protocol stacks. That's very interesting, but…

There are Youtube video's of it for a few years now, so you can watch it's progress over time. Or to see something recent, there's a developer talk about it (~2 weeks ago) that's pretty informative: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=N624i4X1UDw

A list of Genode videos can be found at https://genode.discourse.group/t/collection-of-genode-video-...

Re: Genode OS Framework

#16

Post by dvh »

iamnothere wrote: post #6
blauditore wrote: post #5

Has "genode" any meaning in English, or is it just an artistic blend of "generic" and "node" or similar? I'm asking because my brain read "Genocide OS" at the first pass, which seems a bit unfortunate.

Please don’t make insubstantial comments about project names. There is a plague of this kind of comment here.

Well op has 3x more karma then you which means he's 3x more likely to understand the hn vibe then you. Secondly, the famous joke says that there are 2 hard problems in computer science - cache invalidation and naming things, so names of the computer projects are legitimate topic.

Re: Genode OS Framework

#18

Post by nfeske »

pkphilip wrote: post #8

Very interesting OS but it is a bit difficult to get my mind around this one as it is so different from any other OS out there. Is there a default option within Sculpt where you can easily get access to a desktop with a app launch option, editors, a browser etc without having to click through a lot of very obscure menus to add components one at a time?

Sculpt OS features a couple of presets, which are examples of several components wired-up for you. For a quick test, enable the "Use" button in the RAM-fs component (so everything will be deployed into RAM) and find the default presets in the "System" menu at the upper left screen corner.

The "Window manager" preset gives you a suitable starting point for a desktop scenario. Or the "Falkon web browser" preset gives you a disposable web browser. Upon selecting a preset, all the needed components will be downloaded and deployed automatically.

Even though the presets are a convenient starting point, to actually make use of the system, I'm afraid there is no way around studying the documentation: https://genode.org/documentation/articles/sculpt-25-04

Re: Genode OS Framework

#20

Post by iamnothere »

dvh wrote: post #16
iamnothere wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please don’t make insubstantial comments about project names. There is a plague of this kind of comment here.

Well op has 3x more karma then you which means he's 3x more likely to understand the hn vibe then you. Secondly, the famous joke says that there are 2 hard problems in computer science - cache invalidation and naming things, so names of the computer projects are legitimate topic.

I rarely comment hence the low karma, which isn’t a reliable indicator anyway (plus this is not Reddit). And besides, this is my fourth or fifth account.

Naming comments are too frequently used to derail conversations here, particularly threads on FOSS projects. These threads never lead to a productive conversation and I fail to see any purpose other than trolling or “joking around” (if you can even call it that).

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