OSDev.org

Hi,

I have been working on an experimental open-source operating system called LiberSystem.

The motivation came from a few things I have never really liked in the traditional Unix/Linux model. I like Linux and use it, but I wanted to explore what an OS might look like if it was not designed around:

• “everything is a file”,

• one global filesystem tree,

• /proc, /sys, /dev-style pseudo-filesystems,

• mount points mixed into the same namespace as regular files,

• ambient authority / “root can do everything” as the basic security model.

So I designed something different from scratch.

LiberSystem is a microkernel OS written in Rust. The basic idea is:

• small kernel: memory, scheduling, IPC, capabilities, isolation, cleanup,

• drivers and system services run as isolated userspace components,

• resources are typed objects, not files,

• access to resources is granted through explicit capabilities,

• system APIs are described through a typed IDL,

• storage uses explicit volumes instead of classic mount points,

• applications are intended to run through a native typed ABI and eventually WebAssembly/WASI.

It currently boots in QEMU/KVM on x86-64, ARM64 and RISC-V, has a UEFI bootloader, userspace services, virtio drivers, a shell, typed IPC, capability handles, and a native filesystem called LiberFS.

I do not see this as a Linux replacement. It is more of an OS architecture experiment that I am making real enough to test the design, not just write about it.

I would be interested to hear what you think: does this direction make sense to you, or is the Unix model still the best approach in your opinion?

Project website:
https://libersystem.com

Source code:
https://github.com/libersoft-org/libersystem

Design document:
https://github.com/libersoft-org/libers ... CEPT_EN.md

I would appreciate your feedback.