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charleX OS

Logo

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Description

CharleX OS is a minimal, open-source operating system kernel written primarily in C with assembly components. It provides a basic terminal interface in VGA text mode, supporting keyboard input for a simple command-line experience.Inspired by early Unix-like systems such as Linux and FreeBSD.

The kernel includes features like:

• VGA text mode initialization and output


• Keyboard input handling with support for basic keys (enter, backspace, arrows, etc.)


• A simple shell-like prompt for user interaction


• Bootloader integration with GRUB

Architecture

CharleX OS follows a micro-kernel architecture design:

Kernel Core

• 
  Interrupts Handling: Manages hardware interrupts and exceptions.


• 
  Memory Management: Basic memory allocation and management (stubs for future expansion).


• 
  IPC (Inter-Process Communication): Simple message-passing system for communication between kernel services and user applications.

User Services

• 
  Shell Service: Provides a UNIX-like command-line interface with commands such as ls, pwd, cd, mkdir, touch, clear, disk, startx, cat, echo, and help.


• 
  Graphics Service: Handles switching to VGA graphics mode for simple visual output.

The micro-kernel approach keeps the core kernel minimal and secure, with most functionality implemented as user-space services that communicate via IPC.

File Structure

charleX-os-ng/

├── boot.s                 # Assembly bootstrap code

├── kernel.c               # Main kernel entry point and core functions

├── ipc.c                  # Inter-Process Communication implementation

├── utils.c                # Utility functions (VGA, disk detection, etc.)

├── char.c                 # Character handling utilities

├── logo.c                 # Logo display functions

├── linker.ld              # Linker script for kernel binary

├── Makefile               # Build configuration

├── grub.cfg               # GRUB bootloader configuration

├── include/               # Header files

│   ├── kernel.h

│   ├── utils.h

│   ├── ipc.h

│   ├── types.h

│   ├── char.h

│   ├── input_init.h

│   ├── keyboard.h

│   ├── reqs.h

│   └── ...

├── usr/                   # User-space components

│   ├── shell.h            # Shell implementation

│   └── screen_ptrns.h     # Screen patterns

├── iso/                   # ISO build directory (generated)

├── charleX.iso            # Bootable ISO image (generated)

└── README.md              # This file

Building and Running

Prerequisites

• GCC compiler


• NASM assembler


• GRUB tools


• xorriso for ISO creation

On Debian/Ubuntu

Install dependencies:

make deps

Build the ISO:

make mkiso

Run the OS using a virtual machine or boot from the generated charleX.iso.

On Windows 10

1. Install Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) with Ubuntu 24.04 from the Microsoft Store: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9nz3klhxdjp5?hl=en-us&gl=NL
   


2. Follow the Linux build instructions above.

For WSL configuration, refer to WSL_WINDOWS.CONF.

Contributing

CharleX OS is an open-source project, and contributions are welcome! Feel free to:

• Report issues


• Submit pull requests for bug fixes or new features


• Improve documentation


• Star the repository to show support

License

This project is licensed under the terms specified in the LICENSE file.

CREATE BY :Amin Azimi (AMZY31)