Sculpt is an open source general purpose operating system
The new version of Sculpt OS 23.10 was released a few days ago and this release boasts several performance-related improvements, as well as improved support for devices and drivers, among other things.
For those unfamiliar with Sculpt, it 's a component-based desktop operating system that puts the user in complete control. It's powered by the Genode OS Framework, which provides a comprehensive set of building blocks from which to create custom system environments. The name Sculpt alludes to the underlying idea of ​​interactively creating, shaping, and modifying the system.
Main new features of Sculpt OS 23.10
This new version of Sculpt OS 23.10 highlights the improved tools for managing CPU parameters . The interactive user interface now includes options to switch between power profiles (power saving or performance), view the temperature of each CPU core, monitor changes in CPU frequency, and access more detailed information about power consumption.
Modern PCs offer many power metering and management options. Version 23.10 of the Genode-based Sculpt OS makes these features available through an interactive user interface.
Another change that stands out in this release is the improved compatibility with modern laptops ; for example, on the Framework Gen 12 laptop , battery tracking, keyboard backlight control, and the ability to connect an external monitor have been implemented.
Like the previous version, Sculpt OS is available for both PC and PinePhone, and in this release the PinePhone version was not left behind, as it received several usability improvements motivated by feedback from the Pine64 community. The interface was optimized, support for hardware buttons was implemented , and a new screensaver was added that reduces power consumption by up to 40% when downloading drivers for the touchpad display.
On the other hand, it is mentioned that the driver for network cards has been replaced by a ported version of the Linux kernel 6.1.20, as well as that the debugging capabilities have been expanded, the performance of GPU drivers has been greatly improved Intel, sound cards and WiFi.
Other notable changes in this new version include:
- Compilation is provided with GCC 12.3.
- The engine for encrypting block devices has been redesigned.
- Development has moved to use the C++20 standard (previously C++17 was used).
- Provides the ability to use existing SDKs to develop applications for Genode, such as Lomiri and Rust Cargo.
- Added a driver for USB controllers used on RaspberryPi and i.MX6 boards.
- The DDE (Device Driver Environment) layer, which allows the use of Linux drivers, has been updated to Linux kernel 6.1.20.
Finally, if you are interested in learning more, you can find the details at the following link.
Download and install Sculpt OS 23.10
For those interested in trying or installing this new version, you can obtain the system image from the following link. A 28 MB LiveUSB image is available for download. The project's source code is distributed under the AGPLv3 license and supports systems with Intel processors and graphics cards with VT-d and VT-x enabled.
To prepare a bootable USB drive in Windows, several options are proposed.
- The first one is with Rufus With which it is enough to download the application, either the installer or the portable version. When running the application we must connect the USB memory and select it in "Device." Later in the "Boot Selection" we are going to select the system image and click start.
- The other option is with Win32 Disk Imager In «Image file» we are going to select the system image and select our USB device to later click on «Write».