News Report: Sculpt OS Release 24.04
The team at Genode Labs recently presented Issue sculpt 24.04, unveiling the latest developments in their operating system based on the Genode OS framework. This new version is designed to be user-friendly, allowing ordinary users to easily execute everyday tasks. The project’s initial texts are distributed under the AGPLV3 license. Users can access the live USB image, which is only 30 MB in size, for loading the system. Sculpt OS is compatible with systems running on processors and a graphic Intel subsystem with included VT-D and VT-X extensions, as well as ARM systems with VMM expansion.
Main Innovations in Sculpt 24.04:
- The sound stack has been completely redesigned, with new features including the ability to use connected drivers, install arbitrary sampling frequencies, flexible routing of sound flows, and sound mixing. Optimization has been added to reduce delays in sound processing.
- An experimental sleep mode feature has been implemented.
- Support for screens with 4K resolution (3840 x 2160).
- Added support for touchpads using the I2C protocol.
- Support for binding USB devices to virtual machines and applications.
- Enhancements in the configuration interface, including tools for managing additional capabilities, adjusting application sources, and installing applications.
- Promotion support added in the visualization window of components and the configurator.
- Improved processing of events from HID interface devices.
- Changes made in the interface for controlling device drivers.
- A new TCP/IP stack utilizing the DDE layer based on the Linux 6.1.20 kernel.
- Ability to use Sculpt OS in the Goa SDK as an external goal for testing applications.
The operating system is equipped with a graphical interface called Leitzentrale, which allows users to administer the system efficiently. The interface features a menu in the upper left corner for controlling users, connecting drives, and configuring network settings. The configurator in the center provides a graphical representation of the system components, allowing users to interactively manage their system environment or virtual machines by adding or removing components as needed.
Users also have the option to switch to console control mode for more advanced management capabilities. By launching a virtual machine with Tinycore Linux, users can access a traditional desktop environment with browsers, text editors, and various applications. Additionally, the Noux environment offers a command line interface for efficient task execution.