Hello Syd,
hi, my interest in genode would be to be able to use it on top of a linux system to run other OS's securely in a virtualised environment. some questions
I think here is a slight misconception about the role of Genode. Genode is not a virtualization solution for Linux. It is a user land for microkernels, which happens to run also on Linux. The current options for running virtualized OSes on top of Genode are all tied to microkernels. For example, L4Linux is tied to the Fiasco.OC microkernel, or the Vancouver VMM is specific for the NOVA microhypervisor.
when will the next live cd be available?
After we deferred the live CD in early summer, our current plan is to release the live system in November.
will genode be able to perform any better, or provide any better security, than other virtualisation softwares like vmware and xen?
That is definitely the goal - but only when combined with a secure microkernel such as NOVA. Genode on Linux, however, is mainly a productivity feature. Even though there is the chance that Genode might be useful for running software in an isolated fashion on Linux, it is not the main goal of the project.
How do you plan to eventually release a "fully functional general-purpose OS" when the genode code is so small, and it is mainly a userland project?
Please take the term "fully functional general-purpose OS" with a bit of caution. We always attach the words "for the Genode developers" to them. That is because our working environment is rather spartan compared to the desktop environment expected by most users. Please refer to the discussion at the beginning of 2012 about what we refer to as a general-purpose OS fit for our purpose:
http://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/forum.php?thread_name=4F01D152.7080303%40...
If you have ideas that go beyond that goal, you are always welcome to discuss them. If you'd like to go forward taking practical steps, even more so. ;-)
Cheers Norman