IvoryOS

IvoryOS

A minimalist experimental operating system in early development

IvoryOS is a work-in-progress experimental operating system built around a custom kernel (IvoryKernel) and a bespoke graphics and system stack. It is designed as a learning, research, and experimentation platform, not as a consumer-ready OS and not as a replacement for your current system.

This project is still deep in its formative stages. Many core systems are unfinished, unstable, or actively being rewritten. Expect missing features, broken subsystems, and unpredictable behavior. That’s part of the journey.

⚠️ IMPORTANT STATUS NOTICE ⚠️

IvoryOS is NOT available for public download yet.
This page exists to document development progress, outline goals, and prepare for future testing phases.

When testing becomes available, it will be strictly limited and controlled.

❗ EXTREME WARNING ❗

• DO NOT boot IvoryOS directly on real hardware

• DO NOT install it on your main PC

• DO NOT install it on physical NVMe or SATA drives

The current bootloader is highly unstable.
It has already destroyed multiple NVMe drives during testing.

This operating system is VM-ONLY at this stage.

IvoryOS is intended to be run exclusively inside virtual machines for now.
Real hardware support will come much later, once the boot process and storage handling are proven safe.

Use at your own risk. You have been warned.

🧪 Why IvoryOS Exists

IvoryOS is being built to explore:

• Custom kernel design

• Experimental memory and process handling

• Minimalist system philosophy

• Non-traditional OS UX ideas

• A clean slate free from legacy constraints

It’s not trying to be Windows, Linux, or macOS.
It’s trying to be Ivory.

🖥️ Hardware Testing Goals

In the future, I will be looking for experienced testers with:

• Different CPU architectures

• Different VM configurations

• Varied virtual hardware setups

• Debugging and low-level systems experience

Testing will not be open-season.
If you’re interested in helping, this page will be updated with details when it’s safe to do so.

🧱 Current Limitations

• No public builds yet

• Bootloader is unsafe on real hardware

• Many systems incomplete or placeholder

• No guarantee of stability, persistence, or compatibility

• Features may be added, removed, or rewritten without notice

📌 Final Notes

IvoryOS is early, fragile, and unapologetically experimental.
If you’re here expecting a polished OS, you’re early.
If you’re here because you enjoy watching something raw take shape, welcome aboard.

Updates will come as development progresses.

🗺️ Development Roadmap

Important: All dates are goals, not guarantees. IvoryOS is still highly experimental, and stability always comes before schedules.

🧱 Phase 0 — Core Foundations (Current Phase)

Status: Active Development

Focus areas:

• Stabilising IvoryKernel core systems

• Memory management experimentation and optimisation

• Process handling and scheduling groundwork

• Early Vanillin graphics pipeline work

• VM boot consistency improvements

• Basic system debugging and logging tools

Major Risk Areas:

• Bootloader instability

• Storage handling edge cases

• VM compatibility differences

🧪 Phase 1 — Private Testing Season 1

Target Window: July 1 → July 31 (Planned)
Status: Planned — May be delayed if stability targets are not met

This will be the first extremely limited private testing wave.

Testing will focus on:

• VM boot reliability across different hypervisors

• Kernel panic and crash reporting

• Memory behaviour under load

• Basic graphics output consistency

• Hardware abstraction behaviour inside VM environments

Tester Profile (Ideal):

• Comfortable with broken systems

• Experience with virtual machines

• Able to provide logs and technical feedback

• Not expecting a usable daily OS

⚠️ If core systems remain unstable, this phase will be delayed.
Safety and data integrity matter more than hitting a calendar date.

🧰 Phase 2 — Internal Tooling & Debug Expansion

Estimated: Post Private Testing

Goals:

• Better crash diagnostics

• Expanded system logging

• Kernel debug interfaces

• Early developer tooling for IvoryOS apps

• Early Orca language environment testing

🖥️ Phase 3 — Expanded VM Compatibility

Longer Term Goal

• Broader VM platform testing

• Performance tuning inside virtual environments

• Early driver model experimentation (VM safe only)

⚠️ Phase 4 — Real Hardware Research (Far Future)

This phase will not begin until:

• Bootloader is proven safe

• Storage handling is fully validated

• Multiple long-duration VM stability passes succeed

Real hardware support will be treated as a major milestone, not a default target.

🌌 Long-Term Vision

• Stable custom OS ecosystem

• Application development via Orca language

• Unique OS-level UX concepts

• Optional personality / assistant system features

• True hardware support when safe

📌 Development Philosophy

IvoryOS is being built carefully, not quickly.
If something breaks, timelines move.
If something is unsafe, it gets rebuilt.
If something is unstable, it does not ship.