KolibriOS: World of Minimalist Operating Systems
Having chosen Computer Science as my major in college, my admiration for open-source operating systems like the Linux Kernel and Unikraft has always been profound. However, my journey took an unexpected turn recently while going through the Google Summer of Code(GSoC) organization for 2024. I noticed a lot of different projects, but one organisation caught my eye: KolibriOS.
What interested me the most was its impressive claim of only needing 8MB of RAM to run. This small operating system is made with FASM and has all the important features you would expect. As an engineer, I was immediately fascinated and could see myself contributing to this project in the long term. It feels rewarding to be a part of something so small yet powerful. In a world where the Linux Kernel keeps getting bigger, KolibriOS offers a refreshing alternative. This is especially important as there is a growing need for lightweight operating systems in IoT devices and edge computing for Machine Learning. In IoT, there is a demand for devices that use less power, take up less space, and complete tasks quickly. In this context, few options can match the efficiency of KolibriOS.
How you can run this OS on MacBook in 2 minutes
- Download the qemu emulator using brew
brew install qemu
2. Add qemu in the Configuration file(~/.zshrc) so we can access the qemu from anywhere in the terminal. I’m using a Vim text editor to edit the file.
vim ~/.zshrc
3. To apply the changes run the below command:
3. To apply the changes run the below command:
source ~/.zshrc4. Now download the ISO file of KolibriOS from the official website:
5. Run the qemu emulator with the kolibri.iso file.
you can also use this command to use a directory for saving files in your VM
qemu-system-i386 -boot d -cdrom /path/to/iso -drive file=fat:rw:/dir_path/or
qemu-system-x86_64 -boot d -cdrom /path/to/iso -drive file=fat:rw:/dir_path/6. Now Enjoy the snake game with KolibriOS
When I installed KolibriOS and used it, it reminded me of the old days. It made me feel nostalgic about playing games on my old Nokia 1600 phone, which was very popular in India before smartphones. It’s amazing how technology has advanced, but the feeling of simplicity and fun is still the same.
