Robert Allan James
5689c397fc
Code review fixes, all compile clean (hosted gcc + aarch64/riscv64 kernel flags):
- repl.c (H1): reentrancy guards on the MSG-TICK idle pump. sk_repl_idle()
now defers when Hera is mid-interpret (g_mama_interpreting) or when its
own vm_interpret is on the stack (g_idle_pump_active), so a blocking
KEY/EXPECT/QUERY inside a dispatched line can no longer re-enter the
interpreter and clobber the in-flight input buffer.
- virtio_rng.c: clamp device-returned used_len to VRNG_BUF_SIZE before the
caller's data_buf copy, closing a device-controlled OOB read.
- block_subsystem.c: first-write path now keys off created_time==0 instead
of dead magic==0 so fresh blocks get a real created_time stamp; first_free/
last_allocated fixed to absolute Forth LBNs (set in blk_compute_fresh_geometry
from slot->start_lbn, no longer the wrong physical-BAM-index values from
compute_totals_from_B); physical-bounds guard on blk_meta_zone_read/write
prevents unsigned underflow on a corrupt fence >= device size.
- capsule_zuse_boot.c / capsule_wirebind.c: identity seed validated magic ->
version -> CRC-64 (compute_crc64 over offsetof(crc)) before trusting it,
so a corrupt/format-mismatched record is refused, never loaded.
- log.h / starkernel/log.h: unused LOG_LINE_MAX 256 renamed LOG_MSG_LINE_MAX
to lift the include-order collision with vm.h's LOG_LINE_MAX 64; stale
include-order comments dropped (kernel_main.c, shim.c, capsule_birth.c).
- FABRIC-3.md: three stale-doc carry-forward items closed [x] with cbe7b49
notes.
Real KEY/?TERMINAL/QUERY/EXPECT bodies (console WIP):
- repl.h/repl.c: sk_console_getkey()/sk_console_key_available()/
sk_console_readline() public bodies; non-destructive peek buffers the
found byte so a following KEY returns it.
- shim.c: getchar()/fgetc()/fgets()/sf_terminal_ready() routed through the
real console paths instead of stubs; sf_terminal_ready() in platform_io.h
with sf_terminal_ready() implemented for the hosted build (linux/io.c,
POSIX select on fd 0) wired into Makefile.
- io_words.c: ?TERMINAL now returns actual terminal-readiness, not constant 0.
Artifacts: minted disk/artemis.img + rebuilt lfs kernel; BLOCK_MAP.md,
doe csv + qemu log regenerated.
LithosAnanke v1.5.4
UEFI-bootable FORTH microkernel. Boots from firmware, initialises memory and interrupts, then runs the StarForth VM as its sole userspace runtime. No libc. No OS. Just stone and necessity.
Lithos (foundation) + Ananke (necessity) — the kernel under StarshipOS.
Status — M7.1 (Capsule System · Multi-VM Fleet)
| Milestone | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| M0–M6 | UEFI boot · PMM · VMM · IDT · APIC · heap · framebuffer VT100 console (v1.5.1-FINAL) | ✅ Complete |
| M7 | StarForth VM integration + parity validation | ✅ Complete |
| M7.1 | Capsule birth protocol · Mama FORTH vocabulary · Tripod multi-VM fleet (Hermes/Artemis) · Word-level ACL (Phases 1–7) | 🔄 In Progress |
| M8 | REPL — keyboard input, interactive Forth | Planned |
| M9 | Block storage — AHCI driver | Planned |
POST at boot: parity hash verified across amd64/aarch64/riscv64 · Mama capsule dictionary: 453 words
What's live in M7.1
- Tripod — a named multi-VM fleet (Hera the Mama VM, Artemis, two Hermes instances) births, runs, and re-births independently, verified booting live pre-REPL on all three architectures.
- Hermes — a 17-block inter-VM messaging/channel layer between fleet members, with async delivery and channel negotiation.
- Artemis — a Block Allocation Map (BAM) storage subsystem with Q48.16
block-heat tracking and cooldown/reclamation (
ART-COOL/ART-REAP). - Word-level ACL — every dictionary entry carries a TTL/allow/mode/pin
access-control record. Strict, TTL, and pinned modes; two console layers
(emergency
ok>and superuserzuse)ok>). Phases 1–7 complete (C infrastructure, FORTH policy layer,zusebootstrap superuser, Isabelle proof stubs, kernel parity); Phase 8 (Ed25519 PKI / thumbdrive challenge-response) is the only item remaining. Measured overhead once active on every check: +0.0054%–+0.0088%, CV = 0.000%, across a 3×3 Latin-square DoE campaign (architecture × seed × 30 replicates) — three orders of magnitude below the measurement floor. - VM Fleet Attractor physics — the L8 Jacquard mode selector now has a real per-VM heat channel into fleet-wide tuning, replacing hardcoded compudynamics constants with a dynamically-inferred rate.
- Kconfig build configuration — every physics/heartbeat/pipelining/ kernel-only tuning knob (~40 total) is now a discoverable, optional Kconfig symbol shared with the hosted VM build. See Quick Start below.
Quick Start
# Build kernel (requires cross-compilation toolchain, or native gcc)
make -f Makefile.starkernel ARCH=amd64
# Run in QEMU with OVMF
make -f Makefile.starkernel qemu
# Other architectures
make -f Makefile.starkernel ARCH=aarch64 qemu
make -f Makefile.starkernel ARCH=riscv64 qemu
Artifacts: build/amd64/kernel/starkernel_loader.efi · build/amd64/kernel/starkernel_kernel.elf
For the hosted VM by itself (Linux, no cross-compiler needed, no bare-metal tooling): see
the separate StarForth repository — LithosAnanke used to be a branch inside that repo,
now it's its own project with its own master.
Build configuration (optional)
Every kernel-only knob (STARFORTH_ENABLE_VM, PARITY_MODE, the shared
physics/heartbeat family, etc.) is an optional Kconfig symbol — a plain
make -f Makefile.starkernel uses the same defaults it always has unless
you opt in:
make -f Makefile.starkernel ARCH=amd64 menuconfig
make -f Makefile.starkernel ARCH=amd64 kernel_amd64_defconfig
Documentation
| System Architecture | Full kernel + VM design |
| HAL Reference | Hardware abstraction layer interfaces |
| Capsule System — M7.1 | Capsule birth protocol design |
| VM Fleet Attractor design log | Tripod/Hermes/Artemis physics + build-system history |
| Getting Started / Kconfig reference | Full symbol reference for both build targets |
| Changelog | Milestone-level history |
| Roadmap | Milestone plan through self-hosting |
License
Starship License 1.0 (SL-1.0) — free for personal, research, and educational use. Commercial use requires a separate agreement. Attribution to R.A. James (Captain Bob) must be preserved in all distributions.
Patent pending. USPTO provisional filed December 2025 — physics-grounded self-adaptive runtime system. This license does not grant patent rights. Licensing inquiries: rajames440@gmail.com
Robert A. James (Captain Bob) · Systems Engineer · Hacking since 1973