OSDev.org

Hey guys my name is squirrelos. i have 2-3 years of C++ experience, 1 month of C experience and know a little bit of many other programming languages (ActionScript 2.0, PHP, HTML, Java, etc.).

I've got a newbie question that i wanted to ask all of you:
Tell me everything i need to learn, have, etc. to make an OS.
I've already been to the wiki i searched all the threads there and everything but seemed that when i got to a thread that seemed helpful it would then point me to threadXYZ and threadXYZ would point me to threadABc and threadABc would point me to thread.... and so on and nothing told me really how to get started

So please, please you guys tell me how to get started.

Thanks in advance.
squirrelos

Can I attempt to save this one, please? Before the bombs start falling, let me point him to here: http://wiki.osdev.org/Getting_Started

Next, some tutorials: http://www.osdever.net/bkerndev/Docs/title.htm

Good luck.

Hi purage thanks for the help but i've already been to both tutorials/threads.

What's the problem then?

*poof*, everything you need to get started on a small tutorial-based OS.

Really, if you can't learn from those pages already posted, then you will have really big problems later on when documentation is scarce.

thanks for all the help guys but i don't think you understand what i need:

i just want someone to tell me the languages to learn and the programs to download/have.

sorry if i'm being rude or sound like a total idiot.

[edit] so basically: how did YOU get started? [/edit]

The language is your choice. Almost every language is possible to make an OS, but the most recommended is C (C++ is nearly the same). Assembly is mandatory, because you will need at least few line of asm to start your kernel.
Tools for developing is your choice too.
- Compiler, linker:
In case of C/C++:
If you are running on Linux/Mac OS X then GCC is the only option. If you're using Win, you may consider getting Cygwin GCC or DJGPP or MinGW.
In case of Pascal:
Free Pascal is good.
Others: I don't know.
Also NASM for asm compiling.
- Others tools like disk image, pc emulator... Google them and find what suit you the most.

thank you very much quanganht.

also is it possible to compile the c++/c code in dev-c++?
and how did you get started?

dev-cpp

better use the de-facto successor: code::blocks or just make/makefile

how did YOU get started?

I read Bran's (good) and JM's tutorial (forget the multitasking chapter, better look at http://www.henkessoft.de/OS_Dev/OS_Dev2 ... ocId114565), but decided to build my own bootloader for RM and PM (really fun, and educational reasons), now I am member of forum.osdev.org (often not very helpful, sometimes rude/arrogant: look here: http://forum.osdev.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=17134) and lowlevel.brainsware.org/forum (very helpful, really experienced people there, e.g. PortChicken), writing my own tutorial and searching for an open-minded OS community on a long-term basis.

How I got started. Was bored one evening and came across this site. Read the wiki. Read some of the tutorials. Downloaded the intel manuals. Built gcc cross compiler (in linux running in a virtual machine). Installed BOCHS. Created a grub image (following wiki instructions). Finally using a tutorial (thanks whoever wrote that) I got a "hello world" message on the screen. Awesome site when it worked on a real PC! wow, that was my OS 1.0

After that you have to scale the mount everest of OS development. I got as far as virtual memory, multiple tasks, simple IPC, but didn't get to user mode. I now seem to have run out of time.

All the best.
Mark
P.S remember everybody on this forum is busy coding their own OS's and are usually more than happy to answers questions that can't be found on the wiki. But read the wiki first. If the wiki isn't clear then maybe you could add to it.

For me, the idea of a new OS start when I was about 12 ( 5 years ago). That time I knew nothing about computer. Then I start with Pascal and quickly forget about the OS ( you know, kids can't remember anything for a long time ). After 4 years, the idea came back to me, so I join this forum and start looking around. But until now, I'm still beginner.

Edit: Well, after more than ten times rewriting the kernel, I'm a little better than beginners

Tell me everything i need to learn, have, etc. to make an OS.

-A general programming language (C, C++, Pascal, FreeBASIC)
-How that language works inside-out
-Data structures/Software Engineering
-System Architecture
-Processor Architecture
-A low level assembly language

Everything else that you need to learn depends on your OS.

also is it possible to compile the c++/c code in dev-c++?

Look at the switches for the compiler and linker and determine the answer to that yourself. Known tested solutions are c::b, DJGPP, GCC, and MSVC.

quanganht wrote:For me, the idea of a new OS start when I was about 12 ( 5 years ago). That time I knew nothing about computer. Then I start with Pascal and quickly forget about the OS ( you know, kids can't remember anything for a long time ). After 4 years, the idea came back to me, so I join this forum and start looking around. But until now, I'm still beginner.

Edit: Well, after more than ten times rewriting the kernel, I'm a little better than beginners

Hi, my idea of a new os started too when I was 12.
The difference is: I knew (and know) verry, verry (realy verry) much about computers.
Now, after 1 year, I'm tierd to hear I'm to young.
Becouse it looks like nobody can help me, I started a study at the OU (Open University).
So... Can someone ever be to young to learn making a os?

Not as long as you act mature and try to grasp as much as you can. I'm only 13, fourteen in one month and five days.

Troy Martin wrote:Not as long as you act mature and try to grasp as much as you can. I'm only 13, fourteen in one month and five days.

Oh really? So you are some kind of genius huh?