Genode OS Framework release 26.08 Aug 25, 2026The highlights of Genode 26.08 are VirtualBox 7, improved PC performance of our custom microkernel, the new ability to transparently reconfigure virtual file systems, revised timing and timeout handling, and a Linux 6.18.19 device-driver environment for ARM. Furthermore, the first version of a Goa-based SDK has become natively available for Sculpt OS. As a preparatory step for the addition of new features, the mid-summer release has been focused on consolidation. The arsenal of drivers ported from Linux has now been harmonized by consistently using kernel version 6.18.19 across all ARM and x86 platforms. The mechanisms for timing and timeout handling underwent a deep revision to the effect of reduced idle load and improved timing stability. Our custom kernel received numerous code-rigidity improvements and optimizations. And the C runtime as well as the VFS underwent the most profound rework since their introduction. The VFS-related work in particular unlocks several features as envisioned on our road map, in particular the accommodation of use cases where storage devices and file systems dynamically appear and disappear. With the new version, virtual file systems can be reconfigured and restructured at any time in a way that is transparent to VFS-using applications. Feature-wise the new version introduces a new port of VirtualBox 7, which noticeably improves the performance over version 6 while supporting a wider variety of guest operating systems. Also related to virtualization, the light-weight Seoul VMM received new support for exchanging files between host and guest. As a glimpse in the direction of the future of hosting productive development workflows directly on Genode, Genode 26.08 comes with the initial version of a software development kit that runs directly on Sculpt OS. Find these and further topics of the current release covered in the release documentation of version 26.08... |
