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Installation & Setup

To develop TilekarOS, you need a cross-compilation environment for i386.

1. Prerequisites

Ubuntu / Debian

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential cmake nasm qemu-system-x86 grub-pc-bin xorriso mtools python3 clang lld

Fedora

sudo dnf groupinstall "Development Tools"
sudo dnf install cmake nasm qemu-system-x86 grub2-tools-extra xorriso mtools python3 clang lld

macOS (Homebrew)

On macOS, you'll need i686-elf binutils and potentially a cross-compiler if you aren't using the provided Clang setup. 

brew install i686-elf-binutils cmake nasm qemu xorriso mtools python3 llvm
Note: Ensure llvm is in your PATH to use clang and lld for cross-compilation.

We recommend using VS Code or Zed with the following extensions: - Clangd: For C/C++ intellisense and cross-compilation support. - ASM-LSP: For NASM syntax highlighting and completions.

The project root contains a compile_flags.txt and .clangd file which are automatically generated to help your editor understand the kernel headers.

Source Files: .clangd, compile_flags.txt

Code Preview: .clangd 
CompileFlags:
  Add:
    - --target=i386-elf
    - -ffreestanding
    - -nostdlib
    - -fno-builtin
    - -fno-pic
    - -fno-pie
    - -Ikernel/include
    - -Ilibc/include
    - -Isysroot/usr/include

3. Common Pitfalls

  • grub-mkrescue issues: On some systems, grub-mkrescue requires grub-pc-bin (Ubuntu) or grub2-tools-extra (Fedora). Without these, ISO creation will fail.
  • mtools missing: mtools is required for FAT12 filesystem manipulation during the build process.
  • Case-Insensitive FS: If building on macOS or Windows (via WSL), ensure your filesystem is case-sensitive or be careful with filename casing in includes.

4. Cloning the Repository

git clone https://github.com/SohamTilekar/TilekarOS.git
cd TilekarOS

5. First Build

make configure
make iso
make run_iso

6. Test/Example: Verifying your Toolchain

Run the following command to ensure your compiler is targeting the correct architecture:

clang --target=i386-elf -v

You should see output indicating Target: i386-unknown-elf.

References