Writing a (BSD like) Operating Systems From Scratch

[Welcome, Traiano]

Hi Wojciech


> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-freebsd-hackers at freebsd.org [mailto:owner-freebsd-
> hackers at freebsd.org] On Behalf Of Wojciech Puchar
> Sent: 24 May 2013 22:33
> To: Welcome, Traiano
> Cc: freebsd-hackers at freebsd.org
> Subject: Re: Writing a (BSD like) Operating Systems From Scratch
> 
> >
> > I've been read thousands of pages of FreeBSD and Linux Kernel source
> code and books on the internals of BSD and Linux over the years in attempt
> to develop a complete understanding of operating systems (or at least, UNIX
> like ones). However, I feel that I'm as mystified as to the finer details as
> when I first started. So I've concluded that the best way to really understand
> the deep dark details of UNIX is to try and write one from scratch (using the
> general guidelines of standards like POSIX etc ...), and maybe taking a peek at
> BSD and Linux from time to time. My questions around this are:
> 
> except writing TCP/IP stack and filesystem it should be possible to do by
> single person.


Agreed. Like everyone else, I'd pilfer the TCP/IP stack. Although a rudimentary filesystem may actually be doable by one person (hmmm ... reiser comes to mind ;-) )


> 
> >
> > a)      What kind of hardware (processor) would I use as a development
> platform, given the requirements of cheap,  well documented, easily
> obtainable, easy to debug etc ... I believe the hardware platform chosen
> should satisfy the following requirements:
> 
> any except PCs unless you will like to deal with CPU and other
> (over)complexity.


Exactly my thinking. Most of the online links to operating system development involve x86 hardware, although more and more Microcontrollers are appearing for embedded market with features that previously only existed in mainstream microprocessors. Ideally, the platform I'd choose would have a small enough instruction set to learn (small relative to Intel's mainstream processors), maybe something like  the ARM processor used on Raspberry Pi, or Zilog's ez80 Acclaim series. 



> 
> 
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