Documentation

[ getting started | system console ]

Getting started

Assuming RMoX boots correctly, you will be left seeing the first virtual terminal. Bootable images of RMoX can be downloaded here. In User-Mode RMoX, this looks like:

The real RMoX looks similar, but getting a screen-shot is somewhat harder. In particular, User-Mode RMoX blatently fails to initialise some of the real device-drivers. A blank abstraction of hardware is provided in User-Mode RMoX (although virtual hardware can be programmed too), so device-drives fail gracefully. Separate versions of the `VGA' and `keyboard' drivers are provided in User-Mode RMoX, that (in the default configuration) interface with X11 (see below).

RMoX currently provides 6 virtual terminals, switched using F1 to F6. These run the following:

1. System log -- this is where the system log messages end up.
2. Dining-philosophers -- a fairly simple animation, using largely standard occam.
3. Matrix-like animation -- displays the familiar matrix-like vertical green writing, using a small amount of dynamic occam (forked processes).
4. Bar animation/game -- a significantly more complex animation. This uses much of the new dynamic occam.
5. Unused!
6. System console -- a very primitive shell. See below for documentation on this.

Here is a screen-shot of the matrix-like animation:

A screen-shot of the bar animation can be found on my occam page.

User-mode interfaces

User-Mode RMoX provides two X11 interfaces. The first uses DXRaster and acts largely as a frame-buffer device (with additional support for getting X11 key events). The second (and default) `XTextWindow' interface uses X fonts proper. The XTextWindow interface is significantly faster, which is why it is the default (plus it can run on a remote display). The DXRaster interface is slightly more functional, but much slower. RMoX itself currently has no support for frame-buffer (or any) graphics devices, thus XTextWindow is sufficient for now. In addition to these, a much simpler `console' driver (that can run in an Xterm) is being developed.

Changing the User-Mode interface is, currently, non-trivial. We hope to remedy this at some point, along with other build issues.

The system console

The system console provides a means to interact with RMoX. In many ways it acts as a primitive `root' shell, allowing the user/operator to manipulate the system. Once running, a prompt is presented to the user:

    rmox#

This accepts a variety of commands, easily listed by typing `help' into the console:

... to be completed ...