Alcyone Kernel & Core

Alcyone is an NT-like hybrid kernel with the goal of being lightweight and robust, akin to the NT5 generation (2000/XP/2003), with a radically modern architecture designed to exploit contemporary hardware.

Alcyone closely follows NT5 Philosophy, even though it has some featureset taken from NT10, it achieves its philosophical goal by utilizing lighter Synchronization Mechanism and simpler Algorithmic design seen with Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003. Alcyone reimagines NT Kernel, if Windows Vista was never introduced and XP/2003 were the last version of Microsoft Windows. Imagine Modernized Windows XP Kernel which is lightweight like former but supports modern hardware and contains Kernel Design Improvement seen in last 2 decades.

Alcyone closely follows the NT5 philosophy, incorporating some features from NT10. It achieves its philosophical goals by utilizing lighter synchronization mechanisms and simpler algorithmic designs reminiscent of Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003. Alcyone reimagines the NT kernel as if Windows Vista had never been introduced, and XP/2003 were the last versions of Microsoft Windows. Imagine a modernized Windows XP kernel that retains the lightweight nature of its predecessors but supports modern hardware and incorporates kernel design improvements seen in the last two decades.

Alcyone is Written in Subset of C++20

Design Philosophy:

• Maximum Utilization of Lighter SpinLocks instead of Guarded Mutexes/Pushlocks
• Modular and Well Abstracted
• Algorithms Optimized for Minimum Time Complexity.
• Backward Compatibility with XP/2003 Drivers.
• Cutting Edge Hardware Support.
• Lightning Fast

NOTE: Mutexes/Pushlocks are used when it is absolutely necessary.

Alcyone Core Source Structure:

• NTOSKRNL: Alcyone Kernel.
• NTLDR: Alcyone Bootloader
• HAL: Hardware Abstraction Layer.
• BUS: Bus Driver[PCIE/ACPI/HDAudio/USB...]
• DRIVER: Device Driver[Network/GPU/...]
• XDDM: Components Related to Display Driver Model

Kernel Source Directory Structure:

• ALPC: Asynchronous Local Procedure Call
• CC: Cache Controller
• AsyncCC: Asynchronous Cache Controller
• CM: Config Manager
• FS: File Stream Runtime Library
• EX: Extended Kernel Routines
• PNP: Plug and Play Manager
• IO: I/O Manager
• AsyncIO : I/O Ring & New Asynchronous IO Manager
• KE: Kernel Executive
• MM: Memory Manager
• OB: Object Manager
• PO: Power Manager
• PM: Process Manager
• RTL: Runtime Library
• SE: Security Access State Coordinator
• VDM: Virtual DOS Machine
• VDF: Verifier Device Driver Interface
• WMI: Windows Management Instrumentation

CONTRIBUTION

Every contributor is welcome, as long as they have not viewed illegally leaked Microsoft proprietary source code.

Alcyone is Core of Libre-XP/Swatantra-XP Operating System.