MenuetOS
Encyclopedia
MenuetOS is an operating system
with a monolithic
preemptive
, real-time
kernel, including video drivers, all written in FASM
assembly language
, for 64-bit
and 32-bit
x86 architecture
computers, by Ville M. Turjanmaa. It has a graphical desktop, games, and networking abilities (TCP/IP stack), yet it still fits on one 1.44MB floppy disk
.
MenuetOS was originally written for 32-bit x86 architectures and released under the GPL
, thus many of its applications are distributed under the GPL.
The 64-bit MenuetOS, often referred to as Menuet 64, remains a platform for learning 64-bit assembly language programming. The 64-bit Menuet is distributed without charge for personal and educational use only, but without the source code
.
Menuet 64 works in QEMU
which can emulate 64-bit machine atop a 32-bit machine. Multi-core support was added on 24 Feb 2010.
The main focus of Menuet has been on making an environment for easy assembly programming, but it is still possible to run software written in high-level programming language
s on the assembler core. The biggest single effort towards high-level language support is Jarek Pelczar's work in porting C libraries to Menuet.
Version 0.98 supports up to 1280x1024 screen resolution with window transparency. It has support for USB 2.0 peripherals. Quake can be played on MenuetOS.
For disk storage, MenuetOS supports the FAT32 file system.
, Chinese
, Czech
, and Serbian
.
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
with a monolithic
Monolithic kernel
A monolithic kernel is an operating system architecture where the entire operating system is working in the kernel space and alone as supervisor mode...
preemptive
Preemption (computing)
In computing, preemption is the act of temporarily interrupting a task being carried out by a computer system, without requiring its cooperation, and with the intention of resuming the task at a later time. Such a change is known as a context switch...
, real-time
Real-time operating system
A real-time operating system is an operating system intended to serve real-time application requests.A key characteristic of a RTOS is the level of its consistency concerning the amount of time it takes to accept and complete an application's task; the variability is jitter...
kernel, including video drivers, all written in FASM
FASM
FASM in computing is an assembler. It supports programming in Intel-style assembly language on the IA-32 and x86-64 computer architectures. It claims high speed, size optimizations, operating system portability, and macro abilities. It is a low-level assembler and intentionally uses very few...
assembly language
Assembly language
An assembly language is a low-level programming language for computers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and other programmable devices. It implements a symbolic representation of the machine codes and other constants needed to program a given CPU architecture...
, for 64-bit
64-bit
64-bit is a word size that defines certain classes of computer architecture, buses, memory and CPUs, and by extension the software that runs on them. 64-bit CPUs have existed in supercomputers since the 1970s and in RISC-based workstations and servers since the early 1990s...
and 32-bit
32-bit
The range of integer values that can be stored in 32 bits is 0 through 4,294,967,295. Hence, a processor with 32-bit memory addresses can directly access 4 GB of byte-addressable memory....
x86 architecture
X86 architecture
The term x86 refers to a family of instruction set architectures based on the Intel 8086 CPU. The 8086 was launched in 1978 as a fully 16-bit extension of Intel's 8-bit based 8080 microprocessor and also introduced segmentation to overcome the 16-bit addressing barrier of such designs...
computers, by Ville M. Turjanmaa. It has a graphical desktop, games, and networking abilities (TCP/IP stack), yet it still fits on one 1.44MB floppy disk
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
.
MenuetOS was originally written for 32-bit x86 architectures and released under the GPL
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
, thus many of its applications are distributed under the GPL.
The 64-bit MenuetOS, often referred to as Menuet 64, remains a platform for learning 64-bit assembly language programming. The 64-bit Menuet is distributed without charge for personal and educational use only, but without the source code
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
.
Menuet 64 works in QEMU
QEMU
QEMU is a processor emulator that relies on dynamic binary translation to achieve a reasonable speed while being easy to port on new host CPU architectures....
which can emulate 64-bit machine atop a 32-bit machine. Multi-core support was added on 24 Feb 2010.
Features
MenuetOS development has focused on fast, simple, efficient implementation. MenuetOS has networking abilities, and a working TCP/IP stack. Most of the networking code is written by Mike Hibbett.The main focus of Menuet has been on making an environment for easy assembly programming, but it is still possible to run software written in high-level programming language
High-level programming language
A high-level programming language is a programming language with strong abstraction from the details of the computer. In comparison to low-level programming languages, it may use natural language elements, be easier to use, or be from the specification of the program, making the process of...
s on the assembler core. The biggest single effort towards high-level language support is Jarek Pelczar's work in porting C libraries to Menuet.
Version 0.98 supports up to 1280x1024 screen resolution with window transparency. It has support for USB 2.0 peripherals. Quake can be played on MenuetOS.
For disk storage, MenuetOS supports the FAT32 file system.
32-bit
- Menuet32
- GridWorks "EZ" distribution (comprehensive 32-bit archive packages) (CD/HD Boots)
64-bit
The 64-bit main distribution is now proprietary. Several distributions of the 32-bit GPL MenuetOS still exist, including translations in RussianRussian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
, and Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
.
External links
- Compared to AtheOSAtheOSAtheOS was a free and open source operating system for x86-based computers. It was initially intended as an AmigaOS clone, but that objective was later abandoned...
and SkyOSSkyOSSkyOS was a prototype commercial, proprietary, graphical desktop operating system written for the x86 computer architecture. As of January 30, 2009 development has halted and no plans to resume its development have been announced.- History :...
as of 2002 - MenuetOS homepage (Menuet64 oriented)
- MenuetOS C Library
- an interview with Ville Turjanmaa and Madis Kalme, two of the MenuetOS developers