| Emulator (on Linux) | Boot to BASIC | Load game (64KB) | Avg. latency | |---------------------|---------------|------------------|---------------| | Vice (C64) | 4.2s | 0.3s | 12ms | | MAME (Apple II) | 6.1s | 0.5s | 18ms | | | 1.8s | 0.08s | 0.7ms |
Keep the cycles counting.
The result? Near-zero input latency, cycle-accurate timing, and the ability to boot directly into a Commodore 64, Apple II, or ZX Spectrum environment in under two seconds. The alpha versions were functional but rough. Here’s what the stable release delivers: 1. The “Hybrid Kernel” Architecture Version 1.0 introduces a ring-0 emulation core. On x86_64 hardware, Emu.OS drops the CPU into a protected mode, then uses a mix of binary translation and hardware virtualization (VT-x) to run legacy 6502, Z80, and 6809 code natively. Yes, you read that right: your 1979 Z80 assembly runs directly on the CPU where possible. 2. Blink-Once Bootloader No GRUB. No UEFI nonsense. Emu.OS ships with a 512-byte bootloader that loads the entire kernel into a static memory region. From power-on to BASIC prompt: 1.8 seconds on a Core i3. 3. Cross-Platform Disk Images (CDI) The new .cdi format bundles ROMs, save states, and a manifest file. Drop one on a USB drive, boot Emu.OS, and the OS automatically mounts it as the root filesystem. No mounting, no symlinks, no “permission denied.” 4. Cycle-Accurate Debugger Built right into the kernel is a VT100-compatible debugger. Break on memory access, step by opcode, or dump the entire virtual address space. For the first time, you can debug Apple II software without a second machine. Performance Benchmarks (Real Hardware) Tested on a 2019 Lenovo ThinkCentre (Intel i5-9500, 8GB RAM, NVMe SSD): emu.os v1.0
Emu.OS flips the script. When you boot Emu.OS on real hardware (or a hypervisor), The OS kernel is the emulator. The scheduler is the clock cycle counter. The file system is a virtual floppy controller. | Emulator (on Linux) | Boot to BASIC
If you haven’t been following the project, you’re probably asking: “What exactly is Emu.OS?” The “Hybrid Kernel” Architecture Version 1
— The Emu.OS Team Have you tried Emu.OS v1.0? Let me know what vintage system you booted first. And if you find a bug—well, the debugger is waiting.