KolibriOS

KolibriOS

Developer	KolibriOS Project Team
Written in	FASM
Working state	Active
Source model	Open source
Latest release	0.7.7.0 r8542 / January 23, 2021 (2021-01-23)
Repository	websvn.kolibrios.org/listing.php?repname=Kolibri+OS
Available in	English, Russian, Italian, Spanish
Platforms	x86
Kernel type	Monolithic
Default user interface	KolibriOS Kernel API
License	GNU General Public License v2 and binary blobs
Preceded by	MenuetOS
Official website	www.kolibrios.org

KolibriOS, or Kolibri, is a small, open-source x86 operating system written completely in assembly. It was forked from MenuetOS in 2004 and has run under independent development since.

In a 2009 review piece on alternative operating systems, TechRadar called it "tremendously impressive", noting its performance and streamlined code-base.

Features

• Pre-emptive multitasking, streams, parallel execution of system calls
• Boots in few seconds from various devices; NTFS and Ext2/3/4 also supported. Can be started from Coreboot and Windows (Windows will shut down)
• Graphical user interface based on and optimized for VESA
• Development kit: code editor with a macro assembler (FASM) integrated
• Most distributions will fit on a single 1.44 MB floppy disk image

Commands

The following list of commands is supported by the KolibriOS Shell.

• about
• alias
• cd
• clear
• cp
• date
• echo
• exit
• free
• help
• history
• kill
• ls
• mkdir
• more
• ps
• pwd
• reboot
• rm
• rmdir
• shutdown
• sleep
• touch
• uptime
• ver

System requirements

• i586 compatible CPU required
• 8 MB of RAM
• VESA-compatible videocard
• 1.44MB 3.5" floppy drive, hard disk, USB Flash or CD-drive
• Keyboard and mouse (COM, PS/2 or USB)

Supported hardware

• Hard disks and most USB-sticks. Supported file systems are FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 (long names support), ext2, NTFS (partially), ext3 and ext4 (partially), CDFS (read only), XFS (in development)
• Audio: AC'97 audio codec support for Intel, nForce, nForce2, nForce3, nForce4, SIS7012, FM801, VT8233, VT8233C, VT8235, VT8237, VT8237R, VT8237R Plus and EMU10K1X chipsets
• Audio: Intel High Definition Audio support for certain motherboards
• Video: AMD, ATI and Intel chipsets
• Network: TCP/IP stack and certain Ethernet network cards support

Development branches

• KolibriACPI: extended ACPI support
• Kolibri-A: Exokernel version of KolibriOS optimized for embedded applications and hardware engineering; only few AMD APU-based platforms are currently supported.

Reception

Dedoimedo reviewed KolibriOS in 2012:

I allocated a more than sufficient 64MB of RAM to KolibriOS and let it fly. Now, to really show you how fast this thing is, I recorded a boot session. It shows the simple KolibriOS boot menu. Next, I press the Enter key. Soon thereafter, we are inside a fully functional desktop. How soon? Well, you can enjoy the video embedded below or follow the Youtube link if you hate embedded stuff. Now, keep your eyes on the screen, as the video is rather short. I mean, really, really short.

Jesse Smith from DistroWatch Weekly wrote review about KolibriOS:

The application menu is broken down into familiar groupings, such as Development, Games, Data Processing, Network and Help. There are also demo programs showing off various graphics and screensavers. Programs are easy to find and most applications work well. The help documentation is a bit scattered, as it covers a number of different topics, but there doesn't seem to be a pattern to what is explained and what isn't. In short, finding help is hit or miss, but what is explained is done so clearly.

See also

• MenuetOS - MenuetOS 32-bit version is a base of KolibriOS

Further reading

• Kolibri-A: a lightweight 32-bit OS for AMD platforms—University of Exeter, PCCAT 2011 p. 20-22 (2011)

External links

• Official website
• KolibriOS at DistroWatch