Building a hobby OS with Bochs and Qemu
Hobby Time
Reading and understanding the complete Linux kernel is a challenging project. A hobby kernel lets you implement standard OS features yourself in a few hundred lines of code.
Everyone who works professionally with Linux is used to building software from the source code, perhaps implementing small changes, automating routine work with shell scripts, or developing their own software in one of the many current programming languages. Tinkering with your own, completely new operating system, on the other hand, is a pretty unusual pastime. If you start from scratch, it will take a long time before your system is useful for anything.
If you are looking for a challenging amateur project (for example, if you are a computer science student) or you want a better understanding of the theoretical basics of interrupts, memory management, scheduling, and other OS features, working on your own kernel can provide valuable insights. Linus Torvalds actually created Linux through a similar tinkering project. In 1991, he posted in a Minix news group, "I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones." [1]
A development environment for an operating system is more complex than one for an application, because you cannot simply compile the source code and run it on a trial basis. Instead, you need to create a bootable disk that can be used to boot a VM or emulated PC. It makes the work easier if there are debugging possibilities. The Qemu [2] and Bochs [3] emulation tools have proven useful for building a virtual environment.
[...]
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Debian 13.0 Officially Released
After two years of development, the latest iteration of Debian is now available with plenty of under-the-hood improvements.
-
Upcoming Changes for MXLinux
MXLinux 25 has plenty in store to please all types of users.
-
A New Linux AI Assistant in Town
Newelle, a Linux AI assistant, works with different LLMs and includes document parsing and profiles.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Released with Minor Fixes
The latest Linux kernel doesn't really include any big-ticket features, just a lot of lines of code.
-
EU Sovereign Tech Fund Gains Traction
OpenForum Europe recently released a report regarding a sovereign tech fund with backing from several significant entities.
-
FreeBSD Promises a Full Desktop Installer
FreeBSD has lacked an option to include a full desktop environment during installation.
-
Linux Hits an Important Milestone
If you pay attention to the news in the Linux-sphere, you've probably heard that the open source operating system recently crashed through a ceiling no one thought possible.
-
Plasma Bigscreen Returns
A developer discovered that the Plasma Bigscreen feature had been sitting untouched, so he decided to do something about it.
-
CachyOS Now Lets Users Choose Their Shell
Imagine getting the opportunity to select which shell you want during the installation of your favorite Linux distribution. That's now a thing.
-
Wayland 1.24 Released with Fixes and New Features
Wayland continues to move forward, while X11 slowly vanishes into the shadows, and the latest release includes plenty of improvements.