================================================ Genode Labs Newsletter - October / November 2019 ================================================ Content 1. The ARM SoC landscape from our perspective 2. Join the microkernel developer room at FOSDEM 2020 3. Genode OS Framework 19.11 released 1. The ARM SoC landscape from our perspective --------------------------------------------- Even though the most prominently visible use case of Genode is our Sculpt OS targeting PC platforms, the framework is appealing for embedded use cases just as well. In this space, ARM is the dominating CPU architecture. Genode supports ARM since 2009. That sounds great at the first glance. But the CPU architecture is only a part of the story. The feasibility of real-world products depends on the device drivers for peripherals, which greatly vary between ARM chip vendors. When asked about hardware choices suitable for the use of Genode, there remain only a few options, with the SoC market leaders notably absent. As response to us being repeatedly asked for advice, we published the following article: https://genodians.org/nfeske/2019-11-20-arm-soc-landscape 2. Join the microkernel developer room at FOSDEM 2020 ----------------------------------------------------- The world's most important gathering of Free-Software and Open-Source enthusiasts opens its doors again in 2020. I am speaking - of course - of FOSDEM in Brussels, held during the weekend of 1st, 2nd of February: https://fosdem.org/2020/ Since 2012, FOSDEM has a special place in our heart because it hosts a dedicated developer room for microkernel and component-based operating systems. Genode participated in the developer room each year and 2020 won't be an exception - thanks to Julian Stecklina who shepherds the developer room this time. Note that the call for participation is still open until December 1st: https://lists.fosdem.org/pipermail/microkernel-devroom/2019-November/000156.html 3. Genode OS Framework 19.11 released ------------------------------------- Yesterday, we proudly released the version 19.11 of the Genode OS framework. As with every release, the accompanied documentation presents the technical achievements along with background stories: https://genode.org/documentation/release-notes/19.11 One particularly exciting story is the development of our custom block- device encrypter. It is the first non-trivial Genode component written primarily in the SPARK programming language, which was designed for the application of formal verification methods to real-world software. The second major addition is a new virtual machine monitor for 64-bit ARM platforms. It leverages the proof of concept we developed in 2015 for ARMv7, which we pursued as a technology exploration. In contrast, our aspiration with the new virtual machine monitor is a product- quality solution. With respect to tooling, the new release explores an intriguing new direction for Genode. Whereas Genode's regular development tools were designed for whole-systems development, our new tool called Goa puts the development of application software into focus. In particular, it bridges Genode with popular commodity tools like CMake. Among the further topics addressed by the current release are vast improvements of Genode's POSIX compatibility, multi-core support on 64-bit i.MX8 SoCs, and improved device-driver support for x86. 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
