Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

JavaScript-Based OpenRISC Emulator Can Run Linux, GCC, Wayland

Posted by timothy on from the layers-within-layers dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The jor1k is an interesting open-source toy emulator project to emulate a 32-bit OpenRISC OR1000 processor, 63MB of RAM, ocfb frame-buffer, and ATA-hard drive ... all in JavaScript. Though JavaScript based, there are asm.js optimizations and the performance seems to be quite decent in modern web browsers. The jor1k OpenRISC emulator can do a lot, even handle running the Linux kernel, GCC compiler, ScummVM Monkey Island, and the Wayland/Weston compositor, all from within the web browser."

17 of 89 comments (clear)

  1. Re:The end is nigh by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 5, Funny

    Students still have too much time on their hands.

    If they're doing all this emulation in JavaScript - they're going to need all that time...

    --
    #DeleteChrome
  2. triple threat by Sneftel · · Score: 4, Funny

    ScummVM

    So it's a virtual machine running on a virtual machine running on a virtual machine. Nice.

    --
    The opinions stated herein do not necessarily represent those of anybody at all. Deal with it.
    1. Re:triple threat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      It looks like virtual machines all the way down.

    2. Re:triple threat by Trentula · · Score: 2

      I'm surprised it wasn't written in C++ and compiled to JavaScript...

  3. But can it run a web browser? by Arancaytar · · Score: 2

    (I heard you like Javascript and Linux, so I put a Linux inside your Javascript inside your Linux inside your Javascript inside your Linux.)

  4. Re:So, who cares? by WillKemp · · Score: 2

    Who cares about a hardware simulator running in a web browser?

    I do.

  5. Same for x86 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Well, I guess everyone has read about the Javascript PC emulator :
    http://bellard.org/jslinux/index.html

  6. Web applications don't need App Store approval by tepples · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I wonder if this fad of porting everything to JavaScript has something to do with preparing for an imagined day when popular home computing platforms will become as locked down as iOS and the game consoles are today. Web applications run fine, but anything else requires the platform owner's digital signature. And for a long time, getting such a signature from console makers has required establishment of a corporation or LLC, the payment of a substantial entry fee, an additional computer for running the development environment, and a team of developers who have had to move hundreds of miles just to get the required "relevant industry experience" working for a well-known software company.

  7. Just Stop. Please. It's Time to Stop. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Remaking EVERYTHING in JS is a total, complete waste of time. There's a saying that everything that can be written in C will eventually be written in C. This makes sense because once it's in C, it's going to run really quickly. That little whatever that was re-written in C, even partially, is just about as good as it gets when it comes to responsive, low-overhead, user-space tools. JS will never get appreciably better than it is now without those improvements affecting all other dynamic languages in turn, and JS is not regarded as a mogul of excellent syntax, language features, or any of the other notable strengths of other languages. Anything written in JS will eventually need a re-write. Using Node for little async, concurrent server communication relatively a niche. Just stop. This JS nonsense is way out of hand.

  8. Doesn't run in IE 6 by Billly+Gates · · Score: 2

    Therefore it can't be a real serious enterprise ready product.

    Just ask any beancounter

    --
    http://saveie6.com/
  9. Re:The end is nigh by gmhowell · · Score: 3, Funny

    Obviously they need to write JavaScript in JavaScript.

    So I can wait for code to run while I wait for code to run?

    --
    Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
  10. Cool by PPH · · Score: 2

    We have a way to run Wayland apps inside a network-aware display app.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  11. Re:jor1k Demo Pages by philip.paradis · · Score: 2

    What sort of Mac Mini are you using, an original G4 model or someting? I ran the demo just fine in Firefox 24.0 and Safari 6.0.5 on Mac OS 10.7.5 using a MacBook Pro from 2009. Here's a screenshot of Safari running jor1k.

    When you say something doesn't work, you should probably include details on what you're trying to run the thing on. Mod parent down.

    --
    Write failed: Broken pipe
  12. Re:Javascript is a language - can write stuff in i by chefmonkey · · Score: 2

    You must have had an *awesome* 8 MHz 8086 if it could do this: http://www.unrealengine.com/html5/

  13. Re:The end is nigh by MightyMartian · · Score: 2

    I did the same on a VIC-20 my uncle loaned me. It was functional enough to have subroutines, variables, GOTO and simple IO. My uncle thought the whole thing was utterly idiotic, but it taught me a helluva lot about tokens, string handling, stacks, program counters and the like. It was probably the first project where I "got" programming and decided to become a programmer, way back in the early 1980s.

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  14. Not quite there yet on Android by Tony+Isaac · · Score: 3, Informative

    I tried the demo on my Nexus 7 using Chrome. The OS boots up, but there doesn't seem to be any way to activate the on-screen keyboard, so no way to send input to the window. Still, very impressive that it (mostly) works on Windows AND Android!

  15. Practical use of jor1k by WaffleMonster · · Score: 2

    All developers should have to test their software in jor1k. If it runs too slow or consumes too much RAM the defects must be fixed prior to release.