Genode OS Framework release 20.05

The principal topic of the Genode 20.05 release is consolidation, which is a polite synonym for hard work hidden from the user and developer under the hood of our widely stabilized API. The strong motivation for this work stems from the confrontation of our software with increasingly complex real world workloads. One highlight along these lines is the generalization of our central component for managing platform I/O resources. This release reflects the first step, a from-the-scratch platform driver for ARM that lays the foundation for the renovation of our x86 component. Also, we unified the virtualization support for ARMv7/ARMv8 and added support for Qemu virt ARM platforms for 32 and 64 bit.

On the functional side, the release marks feature completeness of our block-encryption component CBE implemented in ADA/SPARK clearing the way to integrate this feature into Sculpt soon. Also in a joint effort with the community, we improved Genode on Linux from a sheer development tool to a product-ready platform with effective sandboxing of components based on seccomp and object capabilities. So, adopters can employ Genode/Linux and start right away with the application development on the target platform, and at any time migrate transparently to a microkernel.

Last but not least, the Genode Foundations book experienced its annual update and reflects the current state of Genode.

Please find the extensive release documentation at https://genode.org/documentation/release-notes/20.05