Redox OS Porting More Linux Software Over, Including COSMIC Apps

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Redox OS Porting More Linux Software Over, Including COSMIC Apps

The Rust-based Redox OS open-source project has published a new blog post outlining some of their recent accomplishments as well as a look ahead to other technical adventures planned for this year...

https://www.phoronix.com/news/Redox-OS-Starts-2024

[varikonniemi]

Feels like porting software is an endless catch-up game when they could instead provide linux translation layer and have all software work. If WINE could do it for windows, surely redox should find it much easier to do it for linux.

[Quackdoc]

Been using cosmic epoch for a little over a couple weeks full time now. It's still immature for sure, but it's shaping up to be quite nice. If I was still admining for a library, I could see myself using redox on the systems in the future.

[oleid]

Feels like porting software is an endless catch-up game when they could instead provide linux translation layer and have all software work. .

Well, the translation layer is POSIX. Sadly, this doesn't include GUI. The long term plan is to support Wayland, afair.

[skeevy420]

Feels like porting software is an endless catch-up game when they could instead provide linux translation layer and have all software work. If WINE could do it for windows, surely redox should find it much easier to do it for linux.

That's what FreeBSD does for Linux software and it's also an endless catch-up game. They've been at it for over 25 years now. By default FreeBSD uses CentOS 7, but their Linuxulator has support for up to Linux 4.4. For the software that's able to be compiled natively, the porting catch-up game is preferred since they're not necessarily trying to catch up with Sisyphus' kernel and supporting libraries like they would be with a compat tool.

It's taken WINE over 20 years and a corporate Linux boom to get where it's at.

Not saying that a LINE wouldn't be a bad thing, just that making existing software work with their OS shouldn't be seen as a negative since compatiblity layers can take a very long time to get right, especially since what what we're talking about trying to become compatible with, Linux, is just as much of an abstract ideal as it is something that tangibly exists like Debian, CentOS, or Void.

[mmstick]

Also see https://fosstodon.org/@soller/111852973860093652

[Quackdoc]

Also see https://fosstodon.org/@soller/111852973860093652

Universal theming is always appreciated, though chancing the "asking too much: I wonder if it could be in scope for cosmic-bg to try and implement something like android's theme from wallpaper stuff?

[kylew77]

I will watch Redox with great interest. It is an exciting project to follow. It fully featured will make a great comparison to OpenBSD. Will be so exciting watching them fight for most secure OS, maybe along with Geod OS.

[mmstick]

Universal theming is always appreciated, though chancing the "asking too much: I wonder if it could be in scope for cosmic-bg to try and implement something like android's theme from wallpaper stuff?

Yes, that option will be available eventually. Maybe I will implement this when I have some free time.

[mirmirmir]

they have changed their resource path format to be more Linux-compatible with a file-like scheme

Just rewrite linux in rust then...

There are many people who give positive expectation on this project. But let's be real here. It's most likely going to fail. Sure, if there's empty niche to be filled, I'll give a benefit of a doubt. But they are targeting desktop, which is... Yeah, only hobbyists are interested in it.