My interest in Redox

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1

I’m keenly curious about Redox.

I’ve been a Windows user since “Windows for Workgroups 3.11” and I do software development and IT support.

Lately, Windows 10 has been making me very angry. So much that I’m actually considering switching to a non-Microsoft Operating System despite the inconveniences that will cause.

I’ve been playing with Ubuntu and I’m not entirely happy with it, in part because Linux shares a design flaw with Windows - monolithic kernels.

I am extremely interested in using a microkernel OS like Redox for my primary operating system.

Among the other microkernels out there, sel4 seems to have the most promise, but it’s momentum is towards embedded markets. Formal verification isn’t a hard requirement for me with Redox (because Rust), but if Redox chooses to pursue formal verification, it will likely be a lot easier to accomplish than C/C++ (again because Rust).

So, in thinking about what I’d need in Redox to become my desktop of choice, this is the list I came up with. I realize some of this may be in the works or done already, but this is my personal needs list.

terminal: check ( although does Redox’s terminal window have problems with scrolling - it was acting weird on me )

browsers: Chrome and Firefox.

gnu toolchain: find, grep

support for building redox apps as well as cross-compiling to Windows/Linux/Mac using the following: rustc, gcc, Python

visual studio code for ide

steam for gaming would be eventual icing on the cake

where I’d be interested in contributing:

I’d be interested in helping implement support for dynamic libraries and getting wine to run in Redox so that we can natively run select win32/64 applications, but I would need some guidance on where to start.

4 Likes
2

We’re a long ways away from a browser like Chrome/Firefox and a monolithic application like Wine.

3

May I ask in your personal opinion, how does WIndows 10 make it more frustrating for you?

4

What bugs me about Win10 and Android is the embedded spyware in the OS’s themselves.

1 Like
5

You’ll have to wait 20 years.

6

As others said we’re a long ways away from that. If you want that reality to come faster the project needs everyone that can code to contribute that can. This includes writing drivers and porting software. For example to get servo running (Firefox new web engine in development) we need to refactor are screen rendering and gain support for a least opengl 2.1 as the minimum version.

1 Like
7

With Windows 10 you are correct, but with Android it is more of the applications rather than the OS itself that invade the privacy, for example Google Now, Gmaps, they all track you, but at least when you first start it up then you are told to agree on its tracking and stuff, and I just click no to that.