guideXOS

An operating system for a world beyond one CPU architecture

guideXOS is an operating-system exploring different runtimes, hardware targets, and CPU families For questions, updates, or collaboration: guide_X@live.com

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Pick your path

guideXOS brings the desktop operating-system experience, while guideXOS Server pushes toward a multi-architecture systems platform for modern and revived hardware.

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guideXOS

The original C#/AOT desktop operating-system project, with closely related Legacy BIOS and UEFI boot editions. Legacy BIOS is currently the more stable demo path, while UEFI remains an experimental bring-up target for debugging and future boot work.

guideXOS Server

A sibling branch under the guideXOS umbrella, focused on a native, multi-architecture systems platform with a UEFI-first direction, active build-and-test workflows, and a future installable ISO path still being prepared.

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Architecture Goals
UEFI
Primary Boot Path
IPv4
Kernel Networking
GXAPP
Universal App Direction

Why guideXOS?

The original desktop branch still matters as a C#/AOT operating-system experiment with a visible UI and real apps.

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Desktop OS Identity

guideXOS remains the original desktop operating-system branch under the umbrella, centered on a recognizable GUI experience rather than a kernel-only technology demo.

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C#/AOT Experimentation

It continues the C#/AOT branch identity that made guideXOS distinctive, including Legacy BIOS and UEFI-related bring-up paths for low-level experimentation.

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GUI, Apps, and Screenshots

Screenshots, desktop tools, and application work keep the project grounded in the user-facing side of OS design, not just boot code and subsystem internals.

Why guideXOS Server?

Built around portability, layered design, and evidence-driven systems engineering.

Strict Layered Architecture

guideXOS Server keeps the bootloader focused on loading the kernel, keeps the kernel boot-aware, and pushes desktop behavior into higher layers instead of taking shortcuts across subsystems.

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Kernel Networking

The current kernel already includes Ethernet, ARP, IPv4, ICMP, UDP, TCP, DHCP, DNS, and a BSD-like socket layer for building real networking features.

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Storage and Filesystems

guideXOS Server already brings up ATA, AHCI, NVMe, and USB storage along with FAT32, exFAT, ext2/4, and UFS support for practical boot and file access scenarios.

Universal Application Vision

Phase 8 is centered on `.gxapp`, a single package format meant to hold architecture-specific binaries so guideXOS apps can move toward compile-once packaging.

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Real Hardware Paths

The project is tested through UEFI, BIOS, OpenSBI, serial consoles, framebuffer backends, and VM workflows so features can be validated beyond a hosted harness.

Architecture Portability

guideXOS Server is where the current multi-architecture platform work, UEFI/QEMU workflow, and portability roadmap are being pushed furthest today.

Quick Start

Get up and running in minutes

// Recommended guideXOS Server workflow
// 1. Clone the repository
// 2. Run: powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File build.ps1 -RunQemu
// 3. Let the script build the bootloader, kernel, and ESP
// 4. Validate the UEFI boot path in QEMU
> Primary dev path today: Windows → amd64 → UEFI → QEMU

Join the Development

Open source and community driven

guideXOS Server is an active research project covering bootloaders, kernels, filesystems, networking, architecture ports, and future developer tooling. If you care about operating systems, low-level portability, or long-horizon application models, there is meaningful work to do.

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