SerenityOS, a Unix-like operating system with a nostalgic interface, has seen significant development activity in the past 30 days, particularly in web functionality and kernel improvements. The project continues to evolve with contributions from a diverse team of developers.
Recent issues and pull requests (PRs) reveal a focus on enhancing web capabilities and addressing kernel stability. Notable issues include #24940, which highlights a kernel panic when accessing specific websites, suggesting vulnerabilities in web content handling. Similarly, #24627 addresses kernel panic due to excessive fork calls, indicating ongoing challenges in resource management.
The development team has been active across various components:
| Developer | Avatar | Branches | PRs | Commits | Files | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diego Frias |  |
1 | 0/0/0 | 13 | 16 | 2021 |
| Sam Atkins |  |
1 | 0/0/0 | 9 | 37 | 1184 |
| Andreas Kling |  |
1 | 0/0/0 | 7 | 29 | 938 |
| Nico Weber |  |
1 | 81/79/0 | 27 | 17 | 772 |
| Sönke Holz |  |
1 | 14/11/0 | 15 | 21 | 573 |
| Shannon Booth |  |
1 | 0/0/0 | 10 | 58 | 500 |
| bbb651 🇮🇱 |  |
1 | 0/0/0 | 5 | 19 | 358 |
| Tim Ledbetter |  |
1 | 0/0/0 | 9 | 20 | 286 |
| Alexander Kalenik |  |
1 | 0/0/0 | 2 | 6 | 246 |
| alec |  |
1 | 8/8/0 | 3 | 13 | 223 |
| Tim Flynn |  |
1 | 0/0/0 | 11 | 16 | 169 |
| Dominique Liberda |  |
1 | 5/5/0 | 6 | 16 | 154 |
| Ali Mohammad Pur |  |
1 | 3/2/0 | 3 | 9 | 135 |
| Jamie Mansfield |  |
1 | 0/0/0 | 4 | 11 | 124 |
| BenJilks |  |
1 | 0/0/0 | 1 | 7 | 122 |
| doctortheemh |  |
1 | 0/0/0 | 1 | 5 | 119 |
| Timur Sultanov |  |
1 | 0/0/0 | 4 | 7 | 115 |
| Leon Albrecht |  |
1 | 2/1/0 | 1 | 7 | 106 |
| logkos |  |
1 | 6/3/2 | 1 | 18 | 52 |
| EWouters |  |
1 | 3/3/0 | 7 | 8 | 46 |
| Stanisław Wiśniewski |  |
1 | 1/1/0 | 7 | 6 | 30 |
| Liav A. |  |
1 | 9/4/0 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
| sideshowbarker |  |
1 | 0/0/0 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| Linus Groh |  |
1 | 1/1/0 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| brody-qq |  |
1 | 2/3/0 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| doctor-rd |  |
1 | 3/3/0 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| gouchi |  |
1 | 1/1/0 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Andrew Kaster |  |
1 | 0/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| randomusername-a |  |
1 | 1/1/0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| None (Xexxa) | 0 | 1/1/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Benjamin Maxwell (MacDue) | 0 | 1/1/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Edward Banner (ebanner) | 0 | 3/0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| None (gamma63) | 0 | 1/0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Julia Forgac (JulieFf7) | 0 | 2/0/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| None (noahdossan) | 0 | 0/1/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Rishan Thangaraj (rishant3441) | 0 | 1/0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ulveon (algorithmwolf) | 0 | 1/0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| circl (circl-lastname) | 0 | 28/27/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
PRs: created by that dev and opened/merged/closed-unmerged during the period
| Timespan | Opened | Closed | Comments | Labeled | Milestones |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Days | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 Days | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 1 |
| 90 Days | 31 | 63 | 39 | 20 | 1 |
| 1 Year | 397 | 200 | 555 | 78 | 1 |
| All Time | 4170 | 3467 | - | - | - |
Like all software activity quantification, these numbers are imperfect but sometimes useful. Comments, Labels, and Milestones refer to those issues opened in the timespan in question.
The SerenityOS project has seen significant recent activity, with 703 open issues currently logged. Notably, there are several critical bugs and enhancements being discussed, particularly around the web browser (Ladybird) and various rendering issues. A recurring theme is the interaction between different components of the system, such as the rendering engine and the underlying libraries, indicating a complex interdependency that may require more robust error handling and testing.
Several issues stand out due to their implications for user experience and system stability. For instance, the issue #24940 regarding kernel panic when opening a specific website suggests potential vulnerabilities in handling external content. Additionally, issues related to memory management and performance (e.g., #24627 about kernel panic after excessive fork calls) indicate that resource management is a pressing concern as the project evolves.
Issue #24940: Kernel Panic when opening kinopoisk.ru
Issue #24913: Assistant: Terminal is launched in jail mode
Issue #24852: Is there any hardening or hard disk encryption supported?
Issue #24672: Support HTTP/3 (and QUIC?) in LibHTTP
Issue #24671: Change symmetric cipher interface
Issue #24656: Update rules to allow contribution focused on inclusivity
Issue #24638: Kernel/Memory: Shared anonymous mmaps not working correctly
Issue #24627: Kernel panic after excessive fork()s
The recent issues highlight several themes:
Overall, while SerenityOS continues to grow and evolve, it faces challenges typical of complex software systems, particularly in maintaining stability while adding new features.
The analysis of the pull requests (PRs) for the SerenityOS project reveals a total of 32 open PRs, with a diverse range of contributions focusing on various aspects of the operating system, including enhancements to libraries, kernel improvements, and documentation updates. The PRs reflect ongoing efforts to refine functionality, improve performance, and maintain code quality.
PR #24948: Meta: Port recent changes to the GN build
PR #24946: Documentation: Correct fuse2fs instructions for Fedora
Summary
Quantified Reports
Detailed Reportsfuse2fs is part of the e2fsprogs package in Fedora, improving user guidance for building images without root access.PR #24945: Utilities/cat: Add -v option to print non-visible characters
cat command to print non-visible characters, enhancing usability for users needing visibility into hidden data.PR #24943: EFI Prekernel (1/N): Kernel: Move boot info variables into a shared struct
PR #24926: Kernel+Userland: Add a prctl option to enter jail mode until a call to the execve syscall
PR #24921: BuggieBox: Make a dynamically-loaded standalone-PIE version
PR #24920: Kernel/aarch64: Stop hard-coding memory addresses (with the help of the devicetree)
PR #24919: Kernel/USB: Get MassStorage working on riscv
PR #24918: Utilities/cat: Add -b to number non-blank lines
cat command output, improving text processing capabilities.PR #24917 & PR #24916 (Similar): Utilities/cat: Two competing implementations for numbering non-blank lines using different approaches; both are currently open and awaiting review.
PR #24915: Kernel+Userland: Add immutable mounts
*PR #24914 & PR #24913 & PR #24912 & PR #24911 & PR #24910 & PR #24859 & PR #24858 & PR #24857 & PR #24856 & PR #24855 & PR #24854 & PR #24853 & PR #24852 & PR #24851 & PR #24850 & PR #24849 & PR #24848 & PR #24847 & PR #24846 & PR #24845 & PR #24844 & PR #24843 & PR #24842 & PR #24841 & PR #24840 & PR #24839 & PR #24838 & PR #24837 & PR #24836 & PR #24835 & PR #24834 & PR #24833 & PR #24832 & PR #24831 & PR #24830...: Various other minor improvements and bug fixes across different components of SerenityOS.
The current set of open pull requests for SerenityOS showcases several key themes and trends within the project's development:
Many of the open pull requests focus on adding new features or enhancing existing functionalities within SerenityOS. For instance, the introduction of options in utilities like cat (#24945) and du (#24900) demonstrates a commitment to improving user experience through more versatile command-line tools. Similarly, the addition of immutable mounts (#24915) highlights an effort to bolster system security by preventing unauthorized changes to critical filesystem elements.
Several pull requests are directed towards architectural refinements, particularly concerning kernel operations and memory management. The move towards a shared struct for boot info variables (#24943) and enhancements in USB mass storage support (#24919) indicate ongoing efforts to streamline operations across different hardware platforms and improve overall system stability.
The emphasis on updating documentation (#24946) reflects an understanding that clear guidance is essential for user adoption and effective troubleshooting. This is further supported by usability improvements in command-line utilities that cater to user needs for better data visibility and manipulation.
Performance remains a critical focus area as evidenced by multiple pull requests aimed at optimizing existing code paths—such as SIMD optimizations in PNG writing (#24907) and improvements in thumbnail rendering for PDFViewer (#24924). These changes not only enhance speed but also reduce resource consumption, which is vital for maintaining efficiency in an operating system environment.
The active discussion around many pull requests indicates a vibrant community engaged in collaborative development. Review comments often include suggestions for improvement or alternative approaches, showcasing a culture of constructive feedback that can lead to higher-quality code contributions.
While most pull requests are moving forward with constructive feedback, there are instances where disputes arise regarding design choices or implementation strategies—such as differing opinions on how best to handle color types in PNG writing (#24927). These discussions underscore the complexity involved in balancing performance with maintainability and feature richness.
In summary, SerenityOS's current pull request landscape reflects a dynamic development environment focused on enhancing functionality, optimizing performance, and fostering community collaboration—all while addressing user needs through thoughtful design choices and comprehensive documentation updates.
Nico Weber (nico)
Stanisław Wiśniewski (h3xOo)
Alec3660 (alec)
Sönke Holz (spholz)
Ali Mohammad Pur (alimpfard)
Liav A. (supercomputer7)
du.Tim Ledbetter (tcl3)
Alexander Kalenik (kalenikaliaksandr)
Diego Frias (dzfrias)
Tim Flynn (trflynn89)
BenJilks
Sam Atkins (AtkinsSJ)
Andreas Kling (awesomekling)
Brody-qq
Doctor-rd