Genode OS Framework 22.08 With Improvements For Mobile Phone OS Ambitions

Genode OS as the open-source operating system framework based on a micro-kernel abstraction layer and a set of user-space components is out with its newest feature release. A big focus this cycle has been on making Genode OS more practical as a smartphone operating system.

Genode OS with its SculptOS general purpose operating system has its eyes set on running as a mobile phone OS. In particular, much of the work to date has been focused on getting Genode OS / Sculpt running well on the PinePhone.

In the Genode OS 22.08 release announcement this morning they wrote:

The vision of a Genode-based smart phone is certainly our most ambitious undertaking since we created Sculpt OS for the PC. Over the past two years, we relentlessly pursued this vision while targeting the PinePhone hardware. The scope of work reaches from custom firmware for the system-control processor, over kernel development, a staggering variety of device drivers, to the user-interface and application level. With Genode 22.08, those efforts culminate in a first complete system - a phone variant of Sculpt OS.

Genode OS with its Sculpt OS work for mobile has been to use voice call functionality, mobile Internet browsing with Morph, and more. They have been working on various low-level hardware support improvements for running on the PinePhone as well as improvements up the stack for ensuring applications can work.

As part of the hardware work, they have also ported the Lima open-source Arm Mali 400 driver from Linux to Genode. They've got the basic GLMark2 test case running with GPU acceleration and their Lima driver support will improve their Morph web browser experience.

Genode OS shows off porting the Ubuntu Touch UI to run on Genode.

More details on the Genode OS 22.08 work for getting up on mobile can be found via the project's release notes.