init

Experimental first userspace process for Annwyn.

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

◉ What is init?

init is the very first userspace process started by the Annwyn kernel.

It acts as the root of the userspace environment and is responsible for bootstrapping higher-level services.

Current responsibilities include:

✓ Signaling that userspace is alive

✓ Creating core IPC endpoints

✓ Providing the foundation for future services

✓ Remaining alive for the lifetime of the system

Eventually, init will become the userspace service manager and process supervisor.

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

◉ Vision

⟦ Userspace Bootstrap ⟧

Kernel
   │
   ▼
 init
   │
   ├── log service
   ├── object service
   ├── capability service
   ├── runtime
   └── applications

The long-term objective is to move as much functionality as possible out of the kernel and into isolated userspace services.

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

◉ Project Status

⟦ Phase A ⟧

The current implementation is intentionally simple.

It currently:

• Announces its startup

• Creates fundamental IPC endpoints

• Enters a permanent loop

This repository is primarily a bootstrap mechanism and will evolve significantly.

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

◉ Current Progress

Implemented

• Userspace entry point
• Kernel → userspace transition
• Startup logging
• System endpoint creation
• Log endpoint creation
• Main loop

In Progress

• IPC receive loop
• Message dispatching
• Service registration

Planned

• Service startup
• SYS_EXEC support
• Process supervision
• Restart policies
• Capability distribution
• Dependency management

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

◉ Boot Sequence

⟦ Current Flow ⟧

Kernel
    ↓
Load init
    ↓
_start()
    ↓
Startup log
    ↓
Create IPC endpoints
    ↓
Main loop

Future versions will expand this flow into a complete userspace bootstrap system.

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

◉ Responsibilities

Phase A

✓ Signal that userspace is operational

✓ Create fundamental IPC endpoints

✓ Stay alive

---

Phase B

• Receive service startup requests

• Spawn system services

• Manage process lifecycles

• Distribute capabilities

---

Long-Term

• Dependency management

• Service supervision

• Restart policies

• System shutdown

• Observability

• Runtime coordination

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

◉ Entry Point

Unlike traditional applications, init has:

• No C runtime

• No standard main()

• No libc

• No process above it

Execution begins directly at:

_start()

which is invoked by the kernel after switching to userspace.

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

◉ Design Philosophy

⟦ Keep init Small ⟧

init should remain primarily an orchestrator.

Responsibilities intentionally excluded:

• Filesystems

• Networking

• Graphics

• Drivers

• Application logic

These belong to dedicated services.

Keeping init small improves reliability and simplifies recovery.

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

◉ Contributing

Contributions, discussions, ideas, criticism, and questions are welcome.

Please keep in mind that:

• Reliability is more important than features.

• Simplicity is preferred over complexity.

• init should remain small.

• Service logic belongs elsewhere.

• Failures should be recoverable whenever possible.

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

◉ Related Repositories

• annwyn-kernel

• libannwyn

• abo-builder

• annwyn-runtime

• annwyn-docs

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

◉ License

Licensed under either of:

• MIT License

• Apache License 2.0

at your option.