Genode OS Framework 21.08 released Sep 15, 2021

Genode 21.08 revamps GPU support and features new drivers for the PinePhone and MNT-Reform laptop. Further highlights reach from VirtualBox improvements, over media playback in the native web browser, to LTE connectivity in Sculpt OS.

The most prominent topic of Genode version 21.08 is the use of hardware-accelerated graphics, which is arguably the most complex and - at the same time - least understood corner of operating systems. Even though we experimented with Intel GPUs off-and-on over the years, a clean architectural integration of GPU support into Genode's rigid component architecture seemed out of reach.

This has changed now. Thanks to our intensive work on our custom Intel GPU multiplexer, new versions of the Mesa driver stack, and a novel approach of splitting the GPU driver from the display driver, the use of GPUs has now become a regular feature of Genode.

The second major topic is a re-imagined way of how to port device-driver code from the Linux kernel to Genode components. We condensed more than a decade of experience with porting drivers into new tooling and methodology that cuts the costs of bringing Genode to new hardware by almost an order of magnitude. It plays a key role in our ambition to use Genode on the PinePhone.

The release is accompanied with many further improvements such as the modular integration of LTE connectivity in Sculpt OS, user-space network routing, and media playback on the Chromium-based web browser. Genode 21.08 is described in detail in the accompanied release documentation...