Exec64 - An experimental OS inspired by the Amiga philosophy for RISC-V
Date 2026/3/28 10:34:32 | Topic: Software News
| Hi everyone,
I’ve started a small, humble project called Exec64. It is essentially a personal experiment in kernel development, born from a desire to see how some of the classic Amiga "Exec" concepts would behave on modern RISC-V 64-bit hardware.
What is the idea?
The goal isn't to create a full OS clone, but rather to experiment with a minimalist core that follows the Amiga philosophy: asynchronous message passing, double-linked lists, and stable library interfaces.
The current state of the experiment:
Kernel & Shell: The system boots into a basic shell and manages tasks using a preemptive scheduler.
Hybrid Architecture: I'm testing a "Dual-Path" model where the kernel stays in S-Mode (Supervisor), but drivers and applications can run in U-Mode (User) for better stability.
Zero-Copy: Trying to implement fast communication by remapping memory pages between tasks instead of using slow copies.
Hardware: It currently runs on QEMU (VirtIO) and I've successfully achieved a bare-metal boot on the Milk-V Mars (StarFive JH7110).
My Vision:
My idea is to keep the core kernel as small as possible, focusing only on the essentials like scheduling and IPC. This way, everything else—like the filesystem or graphics—can be loaded as external modules. It allows the system to stay lean and gives developers the freedom to build their own drivers for their specific hardware without touching the core.
It is very much a "work in progress" and a learning journey, but I’ve reached a point where it can finally boot and run some basic commands on real hardware.
You can see the boot sequence on the Milk-V Mars here:
https://www.youtube.com/@Exec-64
Just wanted to share this with fellow Amiga enthusiasts who enjoy seeing these classic ideas explored on new architectures.
This project was developed with the support of AI, which assisted me in writing the code and exploring the RISC-V architectural specifications, acting as a true "copilot" throughout this technical challenge.
Best,
Exec64 Dev
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