KeyKOS

Last updated
KeyKOS
Developer Tymshare (Norm Hardy, Bill Frantz, Charlie Landau)
McDonnell Douglas
Key Logic
Written in C
OS family Capability-based
Working stateDiscontinued
Initial release1977;44 years ago (1977)
Latest release Final / 1988;33 years ago (1988)
Marketing targetResearch
Available in English
Update methodCompile from source code
Platforms S/370 mainframe
Kernel type Microkernel
Default
user interface
Command-line interface
Preceded by GNOSIS
Succeeded by Extremely Reliable Operating System (EROS), CapROS, Coyotos
Official website cap-lore.com/CapTheory/KK

KeyKOS is a persistent, pure capability-based operating system for the IBM S/370 mainframe computers. It allows emulating the environments of VM, MVS, and Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX). It is a predecessor of the Extremely Reliable Operating System (EROS), and its successor operating systems, CapROS, and Coyotos. KeyKOS is a nanokernel-based operating system. [1]

In the mid-1970s, development of KeyKOS began at Tymshare, Inc., under the name GNOSIS. In 1984, McDonnell Douglas (MD) bought Tymshare. A year later MD spun off Key Logic, which bought GNOSIS and renamed it KeyKOS. [2]

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References

  1. The KeyKOS Nanokernel Architecture Archived 2011-06-21 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Roots of KeyKOS". Cap-lore.com.