DarkOS - Building an OS from Scratch

DarkOS is a simple 64-bit operating system that I built from scratch. This project was an intensive study into low-level programming, covering everything from bootloading to kernel development.

Preview

This is the setup page of DarkOS, displaying the initial boot sequence.

This is what happens when DarkOS is running, executing the core functionalities.

This is the Pong game that runs in DarkOS (W/S to move paddle 1, I/J to move paddle 2).

How I Built It

DarkOS was built using the following tools and files:

• Docker: Used to create a reproducible build environment.
• Qemu: Emulated the OS without needing real hardware.
• Assembly & C: Developed core OS components, including bootloading, kernel execution and Pong.
• Key files used in the build process:
  • .gitattributes, .vscode/ (configuration files)
  • LICENSE, Makefile (project setup and build rules)
  • build/, dist/, src/ (compiled files and source code)
  • buildenv/Dockerfile (Docker environment for compilation)
  • targets/ (ISO and linker setup for booting)

Future Plans

In the future, I plan to add interactive shell features to DarkOS, allowing users to input commands and interact with the system.

Prerequisites

To build and run DarkOS, you will need:

• A text editor such as VS Code.
• Docker for creating the build environment.
• Qemu for emulating the OS.
  • Make sure to add Qemu to your system's PATH for easy access.

Setup

Build an image for the build environment:

docker build buildenv -t myos-buildenv

Build

Enter the build environment:

# Linux or MacOS
docker run --rm -it -v "$(pwd)":/root/env myos-buildenv

# Windows (CMD)
docker run --rm -it -v "%cd%":/root/env myos-buildenv

# Windows (PowerShell)
docker run --rm -it -v "${pwd}:/root/env" myos-buildenv

Build for x86_64:

make build-x86_64

Note: If you are using Qemu, close it before running this command to prevent errors.

To leave the build environment, enter:

exit

Emulate

Run DarkOS using Qemu:

qemu-system-x86_64 -cdrom dist/x86_64/kernel.iso

If this command fails, try one of the following:

• Windows:

  qemu-system-x86_64 -cdrom dist/x86_64/kernel.iso -L "C:\Program Files\qemu"

• Linux:

  qemu-system-x86_64 -cdrom dist/x86_64/kernel.iso -L /usr/share/qemu/

• Alternatively, install a custom BIOS binary file and link it to Qemu using the -L option.

Cleanup

To remove the build environment image:

docker rmi myos-buildenv -f