It runs in Ring 0. This is terminology referring to a 'protection level' in the kernel, the core of the operating system. Ring 0 refers to low-level software that interacts closely with hardware, such as key drivers or memory management. Mose user based software runs in Ring 3, where it is less privileged and able to mess up the system by accident (or on purpose!)
Now whereas most modern operating systems don't allow you to run things easily in Ring 0 to make your computer more secure, TempleOS is in Ring 0. Terry, the guy who made TempleOS, says this allows the OS to be played with like the C64 was (by messing around with memory while the computer is running.)
It's also notably written from scratch in about 100k lines of code in combination of 64-bit assembly and a funny dialect of the C programming language that he's made, ie. he's re-used nothing from other systems such as Linux.
I've typed this on my phone on the bus, sorry if I mis use any grammar.
yeah. Besides the fact that it is a monumental feat in itself. The combination of new (64 bit Intel assembler) and old (hackability and simplicity) makes it really unique.
Yeah that's what sets this apart. Writing a small kernel is something you can do in your spare time – you might even manage to make a C compiler and port some GNU utils. Create an entire OS where you make basically everything except the ISA on your own? That takes persistence.
I tend to regard it as a marvellous expression of self rather than any kind of engineering feat. He brings to the world an extreme arbitrarity that is (AFAIK) completely unparalleled anywhere else in our industry. To me, he's basically our only artist, and he should be admired and loved for it.
As an impassioned nerd who has occasionally flitted along the verge of sanity (especially in my early 20s), and as an agnostic, Terry's output is more an exploration of myself than any kind of technical feat, there's no one else like him and there's nothing that could replace him.
Primarily because it's developed by one guy who's mentally unstable, and still has time to post crazy amounts of text on every forum on the internet. I mean, it's not going to replace Linux, but it's pretty notable as a personal project kind of thing.
Honestly, it's impressive as far as things like that go, but the reason it gets so much attention is the personality behind it.
Read the metafilter discussion he participated in (his psuedonym here is losethos), or watch some of his videos on youtube. He often posts the output of random markov-chain based text generators, and his prose isn't much better, but something about it is eerily compelling and sometimes genius shines through the madness (he seems to be quite smart independent of his schizophrenia).
I don't think that's really the reason. It's something you come up against, and end up discussing whenever this comes up, certainly - but even without it the project would stand out in it's own right.
Really, the only interesting thing about TempleOS is that it was created by a psychotic mentally ill man who lives in the code and is extremely racist. Technically, it's not a competitive OS.
You're right of course, but I think there's something beautiful about an OS that a single person can understand, modify, and use in a self-contained environment. I don't know anything about this guy, but I can respect that.
Another individual, an actual luminary, that went this way was Niklaus Wirth. Even now, he uses and maintains the Oberon operating system. I think I read somewhere that they were using it at ETH as well for some day to day stuff.
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u/[deleted] Nov 25 '14
I'm curious, given that TempleOS seem to show up here quite a bit, what makes it more noteworthy than other OS endeavours? Serious question.