===================================================== Genode Labs Newsletter - December 2016 / January 2017 ===================================================== Content 1. Genode's participation at FOSDEM 2017 2. Road Map 2017 3. Open-source license update 4. Upcoming Hack'n'Hike in May 1. Genode's participation at FOSDEM 2017 ---------------------------------------- In the previous newsletter, we announced the microkernel developer room at FOSDEM 2017. FOSDEM 2017 will be held during 4th - 5th of February in Brussels. The microkernel developer room will be held on Saturday in the room AW1.125. This year, the developer room is shepherded by Genode Labs. We are happy that our call for participation prompted responses by both recurring contributors such as HelenOS, Hurd, MINIX, as well as first- time participants such as Redox OS and the F9 microkernel. In line with the previous years, Genode will have a strong presence as well. The following presentations are particularly related to Genode: 10:45 A kernel in a library - Genode's custom kernel approach 12:45 Deterministic replay support for Genode components 14:24 Introducing kernel-agnostic Genode executables 17:10 The VFS paradigm from the perspective of a component OS The complete schedule of the developer room is available at: https://fosdem.org/2017/schedule/track/microkernels_and_component_based_os/ 2. Road Map 2017 ---------------- After a vivid brainstorming discussion on our mailing list, we finalized the official road map of Genode for this year: http://genode.org/about/road-map The overall theme is stressing the scalability and stability of the framework. With stability, we refer to our line of work towards a long-term stable binary interface, which will have two effects. First, it will allow us to subject our base-framework implementation to rigorous quality-assurance measures. And second, it paves the ground for a growing community participation because contributors will no longer need to keep up with a moving target. Most of the milestones outlined for this year's release schedule are directly related to this long-term plan: Among the topics are package- based Genode systems, updated tooling, a revised boot concept, and several topics that are important for the use of Genode as day-to-day OS. 3. Open-source license update ----------------------------- Since our first release in 2008, Genode has been available under two flavors of licenses addressing different user bases. With Genode's regular Open-Source license, we address the Free-Software community, researchers, and technology enthusiasts. With Genode's commercial license, we enable product vendors to leverage our technology for their business. For our Open-Source license, we picked the time-tested GNU General Public License version 2 (GPLv2). However, the time did not stand still. After 9 years, it is time to update the license to a more recent version. After careful review of the Open-Source licensing landscape, we settled on the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPLv3), which is based on the GNU GPLv3 and thereby rectifies several shortcomings of the GPLv2. Furthermore, it closes loopholes of the GPLv3 license with respect to web applications. Unlike 2008 when most applications were programs executed directly on the end user's computer, web applications have become predominant by now. To address possible concerns about the interoperability of the AGPLv3 with other Open-Source licenses, Genode's license will be accompanied with a linking-exception clause that clarifies our consent to link Genode with all commonly established Open-Source licenses. In December, we presented our plan of the license change to the subscribers of Genode's mailing list. The following constructive discussion within the community helped us to refine our linking clause and to create a common understanding of the rationale behind our licensing choice. Thanks to everyone who participated in this discussion! 4. Upcoming Hack'n'Hike in May ------------------------------ Once again, Genode's developer community will get together for joint hiking and hacking activities! This year's Hack'n'Hike will take us to the far-eastern part of Germany close to the Czech and Polish borders. During May 12th to 15th, we will live in the beautiful Villa Lückendorf: http://www.villa-lueckendorf.com/cms/en/3/Home The Hack'n'Hike event is open for everyone interested in Genode's development. Genode Labs sponsors the accommodation, breakfast and dinner. If you enjoy outdoor activities in beautiful nature sites as well as joint programming sessions as much as we do, please contact us by writing to hacknhike@genode-labs.com. About the newsletter -------------------- If you have friends or colleagues who might be interested in our projects, we would appreciate you to forward this email. If you received this newsletter as a forwarded email, you may subscribe to the newsletter here: https://genode-labs.com/newsletter In the case of receiving this newsletter unintended, you can cancel your subscription at any time by replying to this email with the subject set to "unsubscribe". Best regards -- Dr.-Ing. Norman Feske Genode Labs https://www.genode-labs.com/ · https://genode.org/ https://twitter.com/GenodeLabs · /ˈdʒiː.nəʊd/ Genode Labs GmbH · Amtsgericht Dresden · HRB 28424 · Sitz Dresden Geschäftsführer: Dr.-Ing. Norman Feske, Christian Helmuth
