PhoenixOS

PhoenixOS is a custom UNIX-like operating system built from scratch, featuring a monolithic kernel called EmberKernel, a retro Windows 1.0/3.0-inspired desktop environment called AshDE, and a complete userspace stack — all written in C and Rust.

This is not a Linux distribution and it is not a UNIX clone. PhoenixOS draws design inspiration from UNIX (POSIX-compatible syscalls, fork/exec process model, hierarchical filesystem, shell pipeline) but uses its own original kernel, init system, libc, shell, package format, and desktop environment — none of which are derived from Linux, GNU, or any other UNIX project.

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Components

Component	Name	Language	Description
Kernel	EmberKernel	C + NASM	Custom monolithic kernel
Init system	Kindle	C	PID 1 service supervisor
Shell	PyreShell (pyre)	C	POSIX-inspired command shell
libc	libflame	C	Userspace C runtime library
Desktop	AshDE	C	Retro tiling/floating WM
File Manager	Scroll	C	Dual-pane file manager
Control Panel	Forge	C	System settings GUI
Package format	.phx	—	Phoenix Package (tar+zstd)
Package manager	phx	Rust	Package installer/manager
Service monitor	phx-svcmon	Rust	Background service supervisor

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Quick Start

Prerequisites

• x86_64-elf cross-compiler (GCC + binutils)
• NASM assembler
• QEMU (qemu-system-x86_64)
• GRUB 2 (grub-mkrescue)
• Rust toolchain with x86_64-unknown-none target

Setup Cross-Compiler

bash scripts/setup-cross.sh
export PATH="$HOME/opt/cross/bin:$PATH"

Build

make all

Run in QEMU

bash scripts/run-qemu.sh
# or:
make run

Debug with GDB

bash scripts/debug.sh

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Project Structure

PhoenixOS/
├── boot/           GRUB configuration
├── kernel/         EmberKernel source
│   ├── arch/x86_64 Architecture-specific code (boot, GDT, IDT, interrupts)
│   ├── mm/         Memory management (PMM, VMM, heap)
│   ├── sched/      Scheduler
│   ├── fs/         VFS + ext2 driver
│   ├── drivers/    TTY, framebuffer, keyboard, timer
│   ├── syscall/    System call interface
│   └── ipc/        Inter-process communication
├── userspace/      Userspace programs
│   ├── init/       Kindle init system
│   ├── shell/      PyreShell
│   ├── coreutils/  Core Unix-like utilities
│   ├── login/      Login manager
│   └── services/   Rust system services
├── lib/            Runtime libraries
│   ├── libflame/   libc-like runtime
│   ├── libgui/     GUI widget toolkit
│   └── libipc/     IPC client library
├── desktop/        AshDE desktop environment
│   ├── wm/         Window manager
│   ├── panel/      Taskbar/panel
│   ├── fileman/    Scroll file manager
│   ├── control/    Forge control panel
│   └── themes/     UI themes
├── scripts/        Build and utility scripts
├── docs/           Documentation
└── tests/          Unit and integration tests

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Minimum Requirements

Component	Minimum
CPU	x86_64 (64-bit)
RAM	64 MB
Disk	256 MB
Display	BIOS VGA / UEFI GOP, 32 bpp
Bootloader	GRUB2 (Multiboot2)

See Hardware Requirements for full details, VirtualBox setup tips, and QEMU options.

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Documentation

• Architecture Overview
• Boot Flow
• Building
• Hardware Requirements
• Roadmap
• GUI Design
• Contributing

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License

MIT — see LICENSE.