Genode OS Framework
genode.org
genode.org
That's very interesting, but does it actually work in practice?
> Sculpt is an open-source general-purpose OS. It combines Genode's microkernel architecture, capability-based security, sandboxed device drivers, and virtual machines in a novel operating system for commodity PC hardware and the PinePhone. _Sculpt is used as day-to-day OS by the Genode developers_.
Or to see something recent, there's a developer talk about it (~2 weeks ago) that's pretty informative:
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...
The Sculpt OS articles on genode.org also provide a thorough overview: https://genode.org/documentation/articles/index
1. Is there going to be a disk image/installer for 25.08, or is that supposed to be self-compiled?
2. Does the OS download missing components on its own or something? The 25.04 image on the website is only 30+ MB.
Thanks!
The Base Platform https://genode.org/documentation/platforms/index mentions mostly microkernels even older than Genode. I wonder how does the microkernel landspace looking now? Is it just done or do people still release interesting new projects nowadays? Do real deployments of Genode use typically Linux due to HW support anyway?
How is RISV support anyway?
Makes me wonder if something like Nix and Genode could be combined for some interesting properties. Reproducible, flexibly nested OSes, etc.
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.
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
Trying to accomplish something with minimal value on top of it was a total nightmare. Only cons, no pros.
I checked the codee, you are talented guys, move on, stop wasting time.
If it's fairly easy to get working as part of a CI pipeline, that would let people and projects automate building their software for it. That'd be super useful for enabling adoption. :)
I'm asking because my brain read "Genocide OS" at the first pass, which seems a bit unfortunate.
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).
imo there's nothing wrong with discussing project names.
I see these comments almost daily, it’s a true plague. And never once have I seen it lead to an actual real-world change. Name-related comments most often serve as a sort of drive-by “dunking” for indirectly hating on projects. Do we really need a hundredth person commenting on a thread about Mastodon that there is also a band with the same name? What does that add to the conversation?
I recognize that I’m tilting at windmills, but someone has to speak up about it.
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
That said, the term genode is familiar to me, so I did not get the negative vibes.