Collapse OS

Bootstrap post-collapse technology

Winter is coming and Collapse OS aims to soften the blow. It is a z80 kernel and a collection of programs, tools and documentation that allows you to assemble an OS that can:

1. Run on minimal and improvised machines.
2. Interface through improvised means (serial, keyboard, display).
3. Edit text files.
4. Compile assembler source files for a wide range of MCUs and CPUs.
5. Read and write from a wide range of storage devices.
6. Replicate itself.

Additionally, the goal of this project is to be as self-contained as possible. With a copy of this project, a capable and creative person should be able to manage to build and install Collapse OS without external resources (i.e. internet) on a machine of her design, built from scavenged parts with low-tech tools.

The project lives on github and is progressing well! Highlights:

• Self replicates: Can assemble itself from within itself, given enough RAM and storage.
• Known to run on:
  • A RC2014 through a serial link. It can also have a PS/2 keyboard directly plugged in.
  • A Sega Master System or a MegaDrive (Genesis) with video output and D-Pad input and/or a PS/2 keyboard adapter.
• Has a shell that can poke memory, I/O, call arbitrary code from memory.
• Can read SD cards.
• Has a text editor modeled after UNIX's ed.
• Compact:
  • Kernel: 2700 SLOC. binary size varies wildly. Generally around 3K.
  • zasm: 5K binary, 2400 SLOC, 8K RAM usage to assemble kernel or itself.
  • ed: 1K binary, 500 SLOC.
• Extremely flexible: Kernel parts are written as loosely knit modules that are bound through glue code. This makes the kernel adaptable to many unforseen situations.
• Built from a GNU environment with minimal tooling: only libz80 is needed.
• An exciting roadmap!

See documentation for instructions.

Questions?

If you have further questions about the project, a big discussion about it occurred on Reddit and I answered a lot of questions there.

There was also a nice conversation on Hacker News about Collapse OS, but I didn't participate because I don't have a HN account. Also, this community doesn't seem collapse-aware so the idea of participation into this discussion seemed tedious to me. But the user "yellowapple" did a good job of answering many questions in a way that is similar to what I would have.