Operating Systems Based on New Compiler Technology

• Aegis/Exo-kernel (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
  Group Members: Frans Kaashoek, Dawson Engler
  The Aegis kernel is built around the idea of an exo-kernel. An evolution from micro-kernels, exo-kernels export a virtual machine that securely multiplexes resourses among mutually distrusting spplications. The exo-kernel philosophy tries to export as few abstractions besides the basic hardware abstractions as possible, and to implement as little policy in the kernel as possible. Like SPIN, Aegis relies on techniques such as downloading code into the kernel to make the system fast.
• Inferno
  Inferno(tm) is a new network operating system and programming environment to deliver content in a rich environment of heterogenous networks, clients and servers. The Inferno system includes the Inferno kernel, the Limbo(tm) programming language, reference APIs that include interfaces for networking and graphics, network protocols, security and authentication, and various toolkits. Inferno was developed by members of the Computing Sciences Research Center of Bell Laboratories, the research arm of Lucent Technologies.
• Oberon
  Oberon is a freely distributable OS written in the Oberon language in the Pascal-Modula tradition, developed by Niklaus Wirth and Juerg Gutknecht at the Institute for Computer Systems at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ). The most recent development of it is called Oberon System 3. It is available as Native Oberon for Intel-based machines which is self-contained and makes no use of any alien software layer. In addition, ports exist for all flavors of Windows: 3.1, 3.11, 95 and NT, as well as for Linux and for Macintosh.
• Scout (University of Arizona) Group Members
  The Scout project is a new operating system project that aims to build a fast, customizable operating system for networked systems by looking at novel ways to structure and construct operating systems. The Scout operating system is designed around the path, which is how data flows between end-points in a system. Paths are primary objects to which resources are allocated in Scout. The Scout system is also exploring new compiler technologies for system design and implementation, based on the insight that extensible operating systems are worthless if no one can build or extend them.
• SPIN (University of Washington) Group Members
  SPIN is one of several research systems that aims toward run-time flexibility and specialization using techniques like type-safe languages and dynamic code generation to make a fast, dynamic, flexible system. It is an extensible operating system micro-kernel that supports the dynamic adaptation of system interfaces and implementations through direct application control, while still maintaining system integrity and inter-application isolation.
• Synthetix (Oregon Graduate Institute)
  Group Members: Andrew P. Black, Charles Consel, Calton Pu, et al.
  The Synthetix project is investigating the application of a technique called incremental specialization, a combination of fine-grain modularity and dynamic code generation, to create operating systems which are both highly modular and high-performance. Incremental specialization takes advantage of particular circumstances, not just at compile time, but also at load time and run time, to make specialized optimizations.