This is a toy OS based on the POSIX standards. The primarily goal of the project is for me to learn POSIX from the system side, understanding the design and constructon of an operating system on x86 hardware, and build a working implementation of the C standard library.
This will build the kernel and the ramdisk and, optionally, copy them to your boot directory so you can add them to your grub config. As of 10 Feb 2011, a bootdisk is no longer created and the git repository no longer carries a GRUB disk. Building a bootable floppy has been deprecated in favor of running with QEMU's built-in multiboot support.
Overall, the goal of this project is to write a relatively POSIX-compatible OS from the ground up. With a focus on generic hardware functionality and universal specifications like VESA, I hope to eventually get something fairly complete in terms of what an OS should be. At some times, I may focus on an actual piece of complex hardware (I am looking to write a basic driver for Intel graphics cards based on the X driver and the Mesa components), but in general, I will stick to generic interfaces.
### Basic Goals ###
* Create a working modular monolithic kernel capable of executing arbitrary ELF binaries
* Write, from scratch, a C standard library using past experience in writing standard library functions
* Support POSIX threads
* Implement an existing file system, specifically EXT2
* Be able to manipulate VESA modes to run at an optimal resolution for graphics
* Handle basic networking on a virtual Ethernet device (DHCP, TCP, etc.)
### Loftier Goals ###
Some things are far easier said than done, but I like to say them anyway. The time span for these depends greatly on how quickly the basic goals are completed and can range anywhere from a few months to years from now.
Currently, I have a kernel capable of reading its multiboot parameters, which is terribly un-useful. The current, ordered, plan of attack is as follows:
* Finish James M's tutorial (second half), which covers:
* [Skelix's OS tutorial](http://en.skelix.org/skelixos/) *Author is not a native speaker of English and makes some grammatical mistakes; can be hard to follow*
ToAruOS is under the NCSA license, which is a derivative (and fully compatible with) the BSD license. It is also forward compatible with the GPL, so you can use ToAruOS bits and pieces in GPL. The terms of the license are listed here for your convience:
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to
deal with the Software without restriction, including without limitation the
rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or
sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice,
this list of conditions and the following disclaimers.
2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimers in the
documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
3. Neither the names of the ToAruOS Kernel Development Team, Kevin Lange,
nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse
or promote products derived from this Software without specific prior
written permission.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
CONTRIBUTORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING
FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS
