Pop kernel is a x86 kernel written almost completely in C. Some of the current features include:
- PS2 keyboard
- MBR reading/writing
- WIP AHCI driver
- WIP PCI driver
- WIP SATA driver
The main goal for Pop Kernel is to be fast and able to run on low-end computers. The kernel will be built using "modules" of lua files. Many drivers will be downloadable and would be run as a process. For example, the UI would be some lua files which could be edited/worked on while the operating system is running. This would be done by having a reserved ram disk that will hold all system files. if the operating system finds the refresh command, it will test to see if the modules are runnable. I chose to use lua because of its speed, portability and size.
To get started with Pop Kernel, you will have to clone the repository. This could easily be done by thegit clone command. After cloning, you will need to edit the CMakeLists.txt file. For the PROJECT_PATH variable, insert the full path to the cloned source. You can install any prerequisites by running install.sh. you will need the cross-compiler, which you can find the link by running the install script.
To build, run the following commands:
mkdir build
cd build
cmake ../src
To finish the build process, run make. For ease of use, you can run build.sh. You can comment out the line for starting virtualbox and manually do it, or download the extensions package off their website.