From Camp 2011 Public Wiki

JSLinux on Steroids
Fabrice Bellard presented a Javascript-based x86 emulator back in May 2011. The machine for now provides little more than a serial port emulation, a PIC and PIT emulation, CPU and memory emulation. That's where this project aims to pick up: We'll "write" more "hardware" for the machine - in Javascript.
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Fabrice Bellard presented a Javascript-based x86 emulator back in May 2011. It produced a few headlines in the press, since seeing Linux boot in your Browser is somewhat of a mind-opener. The machine as developed by Fabrice provides little more than a serial port emulation, a PIC and PIT emulation, CPU and memory emulation. That's where this project aims to pick up: We'll "write" more "hardware" for the machine - in Javascript. Ideas include things like networking (proof of concept already working right now), permanent storage (Web Storage presented as block devices and the like), more sophisticated video output, more CPU features, better serial port (implement FIFO) etc.pp.

hw has written to Fabrice and asked for allowance to modify/distribute jslinux during the camp (it's not Open Source licenced). Fabrice kindly accepted, given that we give proper credit for his works (and of course we'll do).

This is a software project, and knowing your bit around Javascript is sure to be helpful. That said, you should have a general understanding of how the hardware works that is emulated. The project is a hack-around-and-have-fun kind of project. It's the kind of project you better don't ask "what it is good for".

As a proof of concept, hw used a bit of his spare time and made sure that the aims are generally feasible. To get an idea: You can already use some networking to actually telnet from the web server (which delivered the JS-VM) into the Linux which runs within the VM which runs inside of the client's browser. Hard to get your mind around this, admitted.

In the end, we will have a "beowulf cluster of browser windows" (which would have been the preferred project title if it wasn't such a long title...

Hopefully we'll end with some pieces that are implemented well and have some documentation. Maybe Fabrice will agree to include them in his distribution.

We'll probably set up a github repository and collect our developments there.

References

• Fabrice Bellard's Homepage (projects): http://bellard.org/ (Have a look at the VGA card as a TV transmitter project! Awesome.)
• The Javascript based x86 emulation: http://bellard.org/jslinux/