DiscOS - Distributed Cognitive Operating System

DiscOS is a next-generation distributed operating system that combines the best features from Plan 9, Inferno, and modern distributed OS research. This repository serves as the development foundation for building an optimal distributed OS with cognitive computing capabilities.

Vision

DiscOS aims to create a unified platform that integrates:

• Plan 9's elegance: 9P protocol, per-process namespaces, "everything is a file"
• Inferno's portability: Styx protocol, virtual machine architecture
• Modern security: Capability-based security, formal verification principles
• Cognitive computing: Native support for AGI architectures and distributed intelligence

Repository Structure

discos/
├── docs/                           # Research and strategy documents
│   ├── distributed_os_comprehensive_report.md
│   ├── distributed_os_comparison.md
│   └── distributed_os_strategy.md
├── sources/
│   ├── plan9-family/              # Plan 9 family source code
│   │   ├── plan9/                 # Plan 9 from Bell Labs
│   │   ├── inferno/               # Inferno OS
│   │   ├── harvey/                # Harvey OS
│   │   └── node9/                 # Node9 (Lua/LuaJIT modernization)
│   ├── tools/                     # Supporting tools and libraries
│   │   ├── ninep/                 # Go 9P2000 implementation
│   │   ├── apex/                  # ANSI POSIX Environment
│   │   └── ventivac/              # Venti components for Inferno
│   └── modern-os/                 # Modern OS references (future)
└── README.md

Source Components

Plan 9 Family

Component	Description	Origin
plan9	Original Plan 9 from Bell Labs - the foundational distributed OS	plan9foundation/plan9
inferno	Inferno OS with Limbo/Dis VM and Styx protocol	inferno-os/inferno-os
harvey	Harvey OS - Plan 9 continuation with 9P2000, Fossil, Venti	Harvey-OS/harvey
node9	Modernized Inferno with LuaJIT and libuv	jvburnes/node9

Tools & Libraries

Component	Description	Origin
ninep	Idiomatic Go implementation of 9P/9P2000 protocols	Harvey-OS/ninep
apex	ANSI POSIX Environment for Plan 9 compatibility	Harvey-OS/apex
ventivac	Venti block storage components for Inferno	inferno-os/ventivac

Key Features to Integrate

From Plan 9

• 9P protocol for unified resource access
• Per-process namespaces
• Union directories
• /proc filesystem
• rc shell

From Inferno

• Styx protocol (refined 9P)
• Limbo concurrent programming language
• Dis virtual machine for portability
• Hosted/native dual-mode operation

From Node9

• LuaJIT high-performance runtime
• libuv async I/O model
• Modern language accessibility

From Harvey

• 9P2000 protocol improvements
• Fossil file system with snapshots
• Venti content-addressable storage
• Factotum authentication agent

Development Roadmap

Phase 1: Core System (12-18 months)

• Develop microkernel foundation
• Implement 9P-NG protocol
• Create Rust-based system SDK

Phase 2: Basic System (9-12 months)

• Implement Go and LuaJIT runtimes
• Develop distributed scheduler
• Create content-addressable storage

Phase 3: Full-Featured OS (12-18 months)

• Develop graphical user interface
• Implement WebAssembly runtime
• Expand driver and hardware support

Documentation

See the docs/ directory for detailed analysis and strategy:

• Comprehensive Report - Full analysis of all systems
• Comparison Guide - Quick reference comparison
• Strategy Document - Development strategy

License

This repository integrates code from multiple sources with different licenses:

• Plan 9: Lucent Public License / MIT
• Inferno: GPL/LGPL/MIT
• Harvey: GPL
• Node9: MIT
• ninep: BSD-3-Clause
• apex: MIT
• ventivac: MIT

Please refer to individual component directories for specific license terms.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see the documentation for architectural guidelines and development practices.

Acknowledgments

This project builds upon decades of distributed systems research from Bell Labs, UC Berkeley, and the open source community. Special thanks to the maintainers of Plan 9, Inferno, Harvey OS, and Node9.