Project Goals

Below are some project notes and goals:

• Initial implementation will be 32bit for simplicity's sake, but plan is to move to 64bit eventually.

• Dexter at this time is the name for the kernel and any other pieces of the main project.

• Dexter is not intended to be a clone of any existing operating system and has no intention of providing source or binary compatibility with any existing system.

• All code for the Dexter project will be written as part of the project unless a special exemption has been granted.

• Partial POSIX compliance is a possibility, but this will be on an as needed basis. Dexter will not be a *NIX type operating system. If we want to build something new, why copy what everyone else is doing?

• The Dexter code is available under the BSD license. It just seems like less fuss this way. This is not an ideological choice, it just seems the most headache proof from a developer standpoint.

• The Dexter command shell will be more human readable than most shells and thus a bit more verbose. Clear, concise, accessible, relevant help will be available within the shell. A user should be able to easily learn the shell just by playing with it.

• Shell scripting will be implemented using a legacy BASIC programming language syntax. This should provide both a powerful scripting language for the shell as well as a bit of nostalgia.

• In addition to a C programming API, programs can also be written in BASIC. This basic dialect will be similar to BASIC implementations from the 8-bit computing era, but we will not be seeking strict compatibility with any specific legacy flavor of BASIC.