Quark (kernel)

In computing, Quark is an operating system kernel used in MorphOS. It is a microkernel designed to run totally virtualized computers, called "boxes" (see sandbox). Currently only one "Box" is available, the ABox, that lets users run existing AmigaOS software compiled for MC680x0 and PowerPC processors.

The Quark microkernel borrows concepts from the L4 microkernel family but is not an L4 implementation itself. For example the clan, id concept and recursive address mapping comes from L4. Quark also has an asynchronous/synchronous message interface similar to Amiga's Exec kernel but adapted to the memory protected environment.

Other Quark features include:

For this new kernel a hardware abstraction layer is used which provides the necessary hardware resource information like scanning all zorro boards, PCI boards and local hardware resources.

Trance JIT is a MorphOS JIT compiler, or code translator, for running 68k applications within the MorphOS environment. It has been part of the MorphOS operating system since MorphOS 1.4.

MorphOS itself has a fully integrated 68k emulator for running many Amiga applications, which were almost exclusively compiled for the 68k processor, while MorphOS itself is PowerPC. Trance supplements this functionality by adding JIT compilation, increasing the speed of the emulation. It does not interfere with the full integration of 68k and PowerPC tasks MorphOS provides.

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