Two Rust-based Linux alternatives just got big updates
Asterinas OS and Redox OS, two independent operating systems written in Rust, both gained new software ports and performance enhancements.
The developers of both Redox OS and Asterinas OS, two separate operating systems that are built on custom kernels written in the Rust programming language, made big announcements in the past couple of weeks. Here's what to know.
Asterinas OS gets container and NVMe support
The team behind Asterinas OS announced a new release this week, Asternias 0.18. It's the first release since December for an operating system built on a "framekernel" architecture. The framekernel approach is sort of a middle ground between the monolithic kernel approach Linux is known for and the alternative microkernel approach. A "framekernel" takes advantage of Rust's memory management features to split the kernel into a "privileged framework" and "unprivileged services."
What's new
Asterinas 0.18 introduced verified-working packages for a lot of popular software, including Codex, QEMU, and Mozilla Firefox. It also added the groundwork for future support as a guest container for Confidential Containers and Kata Containers. Several test suites were added as well, including those for Python, Go, and kselftest.
The Asterinas kernel itself also received several enhancements and bugfixes, including a driver addition with initial support for NVMe drives. Again, Asterinas is not Linux; it's an independent alternative to Linux, BSD, and other operating systems.
Redox OS ported to Xfce
Also recently, the Redox OS team posted a monthly progress update for its Rust-based alternative to Linux. Unlike Asterinas, Redox uses the microkernel approach to running the operating system. A microkernel-based OS runs the absolute minimum software so as to achieve better efficiency and security than the monolithic approach.
What's new
The Redox update boasted a port of Xfce, the popular lightweight desktop environment. While not considered usable yet, it's in a working state, meaning we could see full Xfce support on Redox soon. Also ported was the COSMIC Monitor application, which the blog post said was "giving Redox its first graphical system monitor."
Jordan Gloor
More improvements included performance increases in I/O event waits, the EEVDF scheduler, and the Redox file system RedoxFS (inspired by ZFS). Essentially, this means applications will be running more efficiently with fewer resources now.
Zooming out
Why these announcements matters: The recent Copy Fail and Dirty Frag vulnerabilities were good examples of how the monoculture created by the Linux kernel can cause massive, simultaneous, cross-device security issues. Alternative operating systems with independent kernels (with at least theoretical security advantages) like Redox and Asterinas can loosen that monoculture's grip.
My take: I'd really like to see Redox in a daily driver state.
Diving in
Go further: Check out the Asternias 0.18 release notes or the Redox blog post to get more details. The Redox blog post also has more information bug fixes and driver updates.
Get it now: You can download an Asterinas ISO by visiting the Asterinas GitHub release page. Redox OS can be installed by following the Redox quickstart guide. Both operating systems currently have images only for x86_64 hardware.
