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Live Demo CD of Microkernel-Based TUD:OS Released 103

Norman Feske writes "The OS Group of Technische Universität Dresden (TUD:OS) has released a live demo CD of their custom operating system project. TUD:OS is a microkernel-based operating system targeted at secure and real-time systems. Some highlights of the demo CD include a new approach for securing graphical user interfaces called Nitpicker, multiple L4Linux kernels running at the same time on top of a custom L4 microkernel, a survey on the reuse of device drivers on the TUD:OS platform, native Qt-applications, the DOpE windowing system, games, and a lot more. More information is available at the demo CD website demo.tudos.org. And yes, there are screenshots, too!"
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Live Demo CD of Microkernel-Based TUD:OS Released

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  • by gEvil (beta) ( 945888 ) on Monday March 13, 2006 @10:49AM (#14907282)
    ...the DOpE windowing system...

    That's all I needed right there. I'm checking this out right now.
  • TURD OS (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anoraknid the Sartor ( 9334 ) on Monday March 13, 2006 @10:49AM (#14907291)
    so near, and yet so far....
  • Not too shabby lookin. I say we get all these underground OS's together. And overthrow Vista before Microsoft takes over the world. Oh wait, too late...
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • in debian (Score:3, Funny)

    by Janek Kozicki ( 722688 ) on Monday March 13, 2006 @11:05AM (#14907437) Journal
    so in debian a package kernel-image*.deb was renamed to linux-kernel*.deb just so that packages netbsd-kernel*.deb, hurd-kernel*.deb or openbsd-kernel*.deb can be added. Now I'm anxious to see plans for including tudos-kernel*.deb in debian.
  • FINALLY! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Eli Gottlieb ( 917758 ) <eligottlieb@noSpAm.gmail.com> on Monday March 13, 2006 @11:05AM (#14907439) Homepage Journal
    Hurray for TUD:OS! Kudos for actually managing to get a functional but custom operating system into working live-CD form.

    The system architecture looks fine and dandy (L4 is a pretty good base microkernel), and I love the capability to make this system perform 9 different scenarios, including running L4Linux for when they lack their own software.

    Mazl tov!
    • Indeed, KUD:OS to TUD:OS
    • "Some input device configuration may end in arbitrary mouse movements or lockups."

      You don't see that as being a bit of a fundamental flaw?

      "Here's your new super-secure machine. Oh - by the way, the keyboard mightn't work, and may screw your usage of the mouse, which might lock up entirely"

      "Gee, thanks"

      • No. That's just what you expect of an alpha (or even beta) product of this kind. They aren't calling this a release, they're calling it a demo.
      • I take it you've never seen Bill Gates give a presentation of "the new big thing" MS has to offer. :)
        • Hmmm, when put in perspective, this ain't a bad demo after all.

          Selective amnesia has caused me to purge all memories of M$ crap out of my mind. I'll forgive you, just this once, for reminding me!
  • by 10Ghz ( 453478 ) on Monday March 13, 2006 @11:16AM (#14907540)
    Why is HURD still nowhere near finished (as in: ready to be used)?
  • Ok they specify that this "L4Linux" is a modified kernel to allow linux programs to run. Now is it using a virtualiztion layer and running a FULL kernel or is it a PARTIAL kernel that simply provides familliar hooks that the real linux kernel uses.

    If it is a Partial kernel do they have plans to include something like Xen [cam.ac.uk]to allow for the use of this as a server base and then have linux on top?

    Somebody set me strait.
    • by Anonymous Coward
      L4Linux is para-virtualized, that means the Linux kernel was adapted to run as an application on top of the Fiasco microkernel. Xen is really virtualized - it emulates a virtual machine that the OS runs inside.
    • There has been a similar project before. MkLinux [mklinux.org] for 68K Macs was a port of a Linux to the Mach microkernel (same microkernel used by OSF/1, Nextstep, and OS X).
  • by jarom ( 899827 ) on Monday March 13, 2006 @11:32AM (#14907679)
    Anyone have a torrent, or has downloaded the ISO and can make one?
  • Trusted computing (Score:3, Insightful)

    by js_sebastian ( 946118 ) on Monday March 13, 2006 @11:38AM (#14907722)
    This kind of thing goes to show that an OS designed for security can provide it without the need for the so called "trusted computing": the user can still have the machine entirely under your own control.. programs can be isolated from each other so that keylogging and other spyware techniques do not work, but the user can still do what the hell he wants with his machine (including tampering with the "secure" applications he is using if he wants to).
  • As I was scanning the Slashdot RSS feed, I had a "bite the wax tadpole" moment when I misread the article title as "Live Demo CD of Microkernel-Based TURD:OS Released".

  • TurdOS, Dope (Score:3, Insightful)

    by zerojoker ( 812874 ) on Monday March 13, 2006 @11:47AM (#14907827)
    and I always thought that germans are known to have no sense of humor...
    • "and I always thought that germans are known to have no sense of humor..."

      That's the name of your OS? That's hilarious!

      I fail to see your humour.

      Do you speak english?

      Yes, what is your point?
  • by Florian ( 2471 ) <cantsin@zedat.fu-berlin.de> on Monday March 13, 2006 @12:02PM (#14907977) Homepage
    "TUD:OS" is simply an acronym of "Technical University Dresden Operating System". Their computer science department has done amazing work on the l4 microkernel, and continues to release all its code under free licenses, btw.
    • They should turn the acronym around and call it "OS:TUD". That would avoid most of the issues with the existing name, yet still communicate the same information.
  • They have ISOs and vmware configuration files... I have to say, it looks like they want to get the word out. I'll bite soon as I get home and download the puppy... :-)

  • how about firefox or lynx on it?
  • multiple L4Linux kernels running at the same time on top of a custom L4 microkernel
    Sorry if this is a stupid/obvious question, but is this similar to HURD?
    • Not really, no. The HURD is a project to implement a Unix-like API on top of a microkernel (originally Mach, now L4) as a set of servers. This is distinctly different from running an entire Linux kernel as a single L4 process (which is what is done with L4Linux).
      • Right, so is running multiple L4Linux kernels simultaneously on top of an L4 microkernel similar to running the HURD set of servers on top of an L4 microkernel?
        • by Anonymous Coward
          At a glance, it looks like they have something like the HURD:

          L4VFS is the IO infrastructure for a Posix-like multi-server system on top L4 and DROPS. It comprises a set of client-side libraries gluing together typical C library functions in the client and a service providing set of servers on the other side. In the demo we show how terminal IO works, demonstrate some VT100 escape sequence magic, GNU Readline Library support and file system browsing.

          which seems seperate from their Linux kernel:

          L4Linux is a p
  • That's great. (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Kickasso ( 210195 )
    I wonder if they're able to load closed-source drivers like nvidia, and have accelerated OpenGL graphics...
  • Naming??! (Score:3, Funny)

    by cerberusss ( 660701 ) on Monday March 13, 2006 @03:16PM (#14909814) Journal
    From the screenshots:

    ...applications running natively on the L4/Fiasco microkernel

    Indeed, a complete fiasco ;-)

  • First, I had to install proprietary software, mvplayer, to run it.

    When I had tudos up and running I tried the qtdemo, but after I browsed the pages descibing how great it was, it wouldn't work. Then I tried the games. Quake wouldn't run, it just gave a bunch of error message trying to setup the video screen, I guess, and then a blinking red-orange ball just set at the "]" prompt and no further keyboard or mouse interaction was functional. Barrage wouldn't allow keyboard or mouse input, so I couldn't run
    • Re:Not impressed (Score:4, Informative)

      by ArsenneLupin ( 766289 ) on Monday March 13, 2006 @05:11PM (#14910773)
      First, I had to install proprietary software, mvplayer, to run it.

      Wrong.

      It runs in qemu just fine. It's even described on their site how to do it.

      And you can always burn it onto a physical CD-Rom, and boot it up in a physical machine.

      several of the demos didn't supply a "reboot" option so I had to exit the whole thing, delete the vmware files, except the vmx, and refire wmplayer so I could get the tudos menu again. It's been years since I've run a Linux distro that was this buggy or hard to use.

      It's a CD-based demo, so your vmware files won't have "state" in them anyways. Just kill your vmware, and restart it, without wiping any files.

    • ok. Runs in QEMU. Running it within VMWare is not going to be fast, nor will it have very reliable video, so no, Quake doesn't work from within VMWare. The QT Demo gave me some trouble too, but like said, it runs slow in a virtualized machine (not as slow as emulated, but hey) After a minute or so, the demo came up.

      Also, it's not a linux distro. It's a technology demo. If it's buggy, it's cos they didn't have you in mind. (shame on them).
    • OK, if that was just some weird kind of troll, more power to you, I guess. But otherwise, I'm afraid you have to turn in your /. uid and be reissued with a 6-digit one, which is the standard procedure for the poster of a -9, Clueless post.

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