LuPPC/README.md

LuPI2

Second attempt at Lua based operating system, primarily aimed at RaspberryPi, but with ambition to support other boards as well. The main motivation is fact that GNU/Linux + python solution isn't allays the best for people that haven't been programming ever, and Lua in one of the simplest, most intuitive languages. It has only 6 types, very simple syntax, yet supports many advanced mechanisms.

Running

1. Clone this repository
2. Get xxd utility(usually packaged with vim)
3. Execute make build

Idea

Design of system APIs is heavily influenced by OpenComputers minecraft mod. Some Lua code parts are actually copied from there(all of the code is under the MIT License). Main advantage of the API is that it's event/component based, which provides great level of abstraction. Custom components can be created and used with very little effort, being event-based simplifies code further, providing one unified queue for events instead of multiple ways of handling them.

local component = require("component")

--Create virtual LED component using built-in GPIO component
local led = {}
led.toggle = function() component.gpio.togglePin(27) end
component.register(nil, "LED", led)

--Blink the LED
while true do
  os.sleep(1)
  component.led.toggle()
end

Implementation

On the low-level side LuPI will run on very stripped-down version of Linux kernel as init, it will be the only binary executable in system. Kernel will only provide hardware drivers and abstract some of the things. Entire userspace is meant to be done using Lua. Security isn't the primary goal but still needs to be considered.