 Advanced Computing Environment | [ brix-os project page ] |
Advanced Computing Environment
[ brix-os project page ]
BRiX is a new operating system that redefines how operating systems should be designed. Like conventional operating systems, it will provide features such as SMP, preemptive multi-threading, virtual memory, a secure multi-user environment and an easy to use graphical interface.
BRiX is not a conventional operating system and some of its new features include:
- Small, fast and responsive -- There is no reason why operating systems should be bloated, slow and unresponsive.
- Data-centric -- All data is stored in a flat filesystem and accessed using search queries on the attached metadata. The traditional hierarchical filesystem requires the user to remember where files are stored and what they were named. An easy-to-use graphical interface plugs the data into special interface objects that provide multiple means of viewing and modifying the data. The traditional approach launches applications to display data and requires the user to manually launch additional applications if the default is not what the user wants.
- Persistence -- All changes to data are automatically saved and can be undone even after the current session has been closed.
- Reconfigurable User Interface -- The interface objects, that present the user with multiple views of data, can also be modified by the user. This allows the user to add or remove features to or from interfaces and change the layout to be more efficient and easier to use.
- Safe-language -- BRiX uses a special language that guarantees fine-grained program safety instead of relying on hardware which only provides coarse-grained protection. Some people associate the term 'safe-language' with Java and think BRiX will use an interpreted language, this is not true. The language used is very much compiled and not even possible to interpret due to its design.
- Security -- Other operating systems use special hardware features and lots of runtime checks to secure the system but programmers aren't perfect and sometimes make mistakes. These mistakes can lead to the system being exploiting and data being lost or stolen. BRiX makes use of its safe-language to provide fine-grained protection and frees the programmer from writing runtime checks.
- Repository -- BRiX uses a repository to give users a trusted location from which all code can be easily and automatically downloaded.
See the Design Concepts page for a more detailed description.
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