Cosmos (C# Open Source Managed Operating System) is an operating system project implemented completely in CIL compliant languages. The team is committed to using C#, however any .NET language is usable.
Cosmos runs in QEMU, VMWare, and VirtualPC. QEMU is best for debugging as it has extra debugging support which we use to integrate with GDB.
Cosmos includes a compiler (IL2CPU, which is part of Cosmos) that reads the input file (usually the shell) and Cosmos libraries and compiles the resulting IL to x86 code. IL2CPU has a layer for cross platform and we plan to support other processors and platforms, including x64. IL2CPU also supports certain extension methods which allow C# code to interact directly with the CPU, registers, and ports in the kernel. IL2CPU contains some inline assembler, but there are no ASM files that need to be linked in.
Currently IL2CPU first outputs raw asm files (with IL comments) and then processes them through nasm (a free assembler). Later they are planning to emit directly to binary.
If you just want to play with Cosmos:
- Install the user kit.
- Join the discussion list
Other resources:
- Read the FAQ.
- Subscribe to the Cosmos Blog
- Documentation – Most developer documentation right now.
If you are interested in kernel development:
- Get source from CodePlex
- Read the full requirements. They are pretty basic though, and everything you need except for Windows (For development) is free.
- Read Getting Started
source:cosmos