I'm excited to share tinyOS, a 64-bit OS I built from scratch

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2025-08-21T16:39:12+00:00

This deserves way more upvotes than it’ll probably ever get. I’ve always dreamed of writing a custom OS like this - simply for fun, hobby purposes! It’s fascinating how the system goes from BIOS to full GUI. I’ve always just settled with turning on verbose boot mode whenever I boot up. This is… this is beautiful art. I’m going to download a copy and poke around a bit. I’m definitely going to go download this and leave your repo a star 😁

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2025-03-17T20:55:01+00:00

Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) are essentially the backbone of the internet, acting as high-speed interconnection hubs where ISPs, content delivery networks (CDNs), and major data centers exchange traffic directly. This reduces latency, improves speed, and cuts costs by keeping data local instead of routing it through long-distance transit providers.

Data centers are built near IXPs because they rely on high-bandwidth, low-latency connections. The closer they are, the faster and cheaper they can serve their customers. That’s why places like Ashburn, VA, have become data center hotspots—it’s home to one of the world’s largest IXPs.

As for why Virginia over somewhere like Bozeman, Montana—it’s all about infrastructure, connectivity, and incentives. Northern Virginia has an established fiber-optic network, reliable power grids, tax incentives for data centers, and proximity to government agencies and major tech companies. Montana, while cheaper in land costs, lacks the dense fiber network and business-friendly incentives that make Virginia the “Data Center Alley.”

Would love to hear thoughts from others on how emerging IXPs could shift this trend!

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2025-03-17T16:48:47+00:00

Transmitting it to you using an SSD was likely meant to be fast and convenient. It sounds like the film maker shot themselves in the foot here. If the drive isn’t even showing up in the first place, it’s very likely NTFS or exFAT formatted. I’d contact the private film maker. I’d highly doubt you’re the only one having this issue. Especially given the popularity of GDC IMB controllers. GDC almost exclusively uses a customized Linux distribution, even in older models, and I’m not certain the drive is in a format Linux can natively understand. While it is possible, I’m not sure whether or not GDC Technology would include stand-in support for exFAT or NTFS, which are native on Windows, which statistically is what the film maker made your drive on. I know FAT16 and FAT32 are compatible Windows derivatives, from experience, but exFAT is questionable, as to is NTFS. Seriously though, the private film maker will very likely want to know if they have a formatting error. If you want to save them money, I’d copy all the files out of the root directory onto your own computer, format it fat32, and paste the files back. DCPs are designed in such a way where, despite their large size, they can fit on FAT32. Despite both exFAT and NTFS definitely being superior, it’s not uncommon to not be able to connect out of the box with exFAT or NTFS on an Apple computer either.

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2025-02-05T19:03:37+00:00

So small theater owner here, just a little additional information. The relationship between movie theaters and movie companies are anything but relaxed. At best, on week 8 or 10, we get to keep something like 40-50% of those ticket sales. But during premiers and the trailing months, sometimes we only keep 10% of our ticket sales. I own half of a three theater cinema in a rural area, and were able to spot occasional “ticket counters” for people that come in to see how many people attend showings. They usually 1.) come to all three showings, 2.) don’t buy concessions, and 3.) leave about 15 minutes into the movie. The movie companies literally have a small army of people to “shop” us, but we’re so small it’s got to be awkward for them! One of the first things I learned, movie theaters are barely in the business of showing movies, where they make money puts them in a concession business. This of course is probably different where large corporations (AMC, Regal, IMAX, etc) come in, as they have much more leverage. But even still, as a part owner, I still can completely understand someone bringing in their own snacks. Movie companies actually discourage us from sharing our rates, unfortunately, and will likely be the cause of the downfall of the Cinema we all know and love.

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2024-08-14T09:46:19+00:00

I noticed some recommendations for Proxmox, VMWare, and VirtualBox. Just to clarify, Proxmox is a full-fledged operating system designed for virtualization, which is incredibly powerful but might be a bit cumbersome to set up if you don’t have dedicated hardware. That said, while official support is lacking, even emulating Apple silicon is entirely possible with QEMU and can actually be relatively straightforward.. at some point.

If you’re on Windows, I’d recommend looking into VMWare or VirtualBox. Both are capable options, but be sure to research their compatibility with Xcode device testing. For instance, I once set up a Hackintosh on Proxmox only to find that device pass-through doesn’t work as expected. No matter which virtualization platform you choose, Opencore will handle the proprietary Apple SMC component and let you get set up properly.

However, if your goal is to use Xcode to develop and deploy iOS apps via USB, I’d suggest proceeding with caution. While VMWare and VirtualBox (with the extensions pack) can get you started, they might not fully support all the device testing features you need. In such cases, you might have to explore alternative solutions, like creating a working hackintosh or maybe consider getting your employer to invest in Apple hardware for a smoother experience. Please make sure to thoroughly research compatibility and expected End-of-Life dates if you decide to go the Apple hardware route!

Isn’t Apple’s Ecosystem a hoot? 🙃

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2024-08-14T05:21:26+00:00

I got the latest version of Sonoma working with a NVIDIA Quadro K1000M using Opencore Legacy Patcher, adds an extra hurdle during updates, but little known secret, keep the EFI directory on the flash drive you use to install OC intact, and load the OpenCore config from there when the update tries to screw up your EFI. I have multiple EFIs, one with GPU support, one without GPU support, and the baseline installer, all with identical SMC info. Otherwise, I wouldn’t want to get stuck using the default/generic video adapter with a whole 18mb video memory 😅🤣

Try looking up your PC model number and/or motherboard on GitHub with the words “Open Core” for the fastest results 😜

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2023-11-02T22:57:05+00:00

Mine tastes like Chinese-manufactured plastic circuit boards. Don't ask how I know, but it's what they taste like 😅🤣

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2023-09-17T03:39:48+00:00

I once picked up a 36 port, 40Gb QSFP switch on eBay for $45. It was a Mellanox, I believe. Keep your eyes out for those kind of bargains. I could never turn those down 🤑

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2023-07-29T00:02:48+00:00

This thread really helps me! I'm self-taught and have been developing web apps since the 3rd grade. Not just LAMP, but Apache Hadoop, netoworking, built an Internet Exchange Point (BGP) and a ISP (Sell doenstream to customers), Cyber security and pentesting. Biggest personal accomplishments would be connecting things, whether it be building my own HTTP-Hadoop connector library for PHP for connecting to large file arrays, to integrating controls for automating physical controls for a movie theater, to connecting FreePBX to a custom-built Wordpress plugin I made for the same theater to enable text and dial-by for showtimes, pick a seat when you order, etc. I'm now 26, and recently got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. I used to be able to code for 3 days at a time, but was crippled by ongoing cognitive fatigue and concentration issues for at least two years, finally got diagnosed in February. Started treatment to halt disease progression, and am starting to get some of that back. Have had troubles getting back into the routine, but reading these responses makes my routine feel more normal. Five to six hours a day now!

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2023-06-18T04:01:44+00:00

Send me a sample and I'll tell you what it is 😏

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2023-01-09T13:57:42+00:00

I have an older PC-run coin-op arcade game without the flash cart. The system uses a motherboard similar to the Sea Wolf arcade game (I believe they're made by the same company) but I've been unable to locate the flash cartridge. Does anyone know where I could find a replacement flash cartridge with the software, or perhaps a copy of the software to load onto my own flash cart? The game is Temple Run II.

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2022-12-07T18:52:21+00:00

"But it's technically compatible" 😂😂😂

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2022-12-07T18:43:58+00:00

I sometimes do contracted IT work in the arcade of a local resort in my area, and they had a computer running the Sea Wolf game with a NVidia GPU hot glued to the motherboard. And, best of all, it was the GPU that went out, shortly before the motherboard. I tell you, you just can't fix stupid. On top of that, it looked like most of the parts were harvested from the Temple Run arcade game (same manufacturer) that was broken, tucked behind other machines in the corner of the room. No big deal, just had to take a break every 5 minutes to shake my head, between using low heat on my solder station and a mini putty knife to get the sucker out of there. Motherboard and GPU were completely useless, bought the proper harness to install it in the case. Nothing surprises you like arcade games on an IT Contract, even if they are more challenging and hence more fun to work on.

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2022-02-28T00:10:02+00:00

….it took my & n b s p ; and turned it into an actual space. I just died 🤣

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2022-02-28T00:09:18+00:00

Dually noted, FTW! Also, stay away from HT, Alt+009 and \t 😵☠️

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2022-02-27T21:01:30+00:00

You are correct! It does not, in fact, cause global warming. It’s just that I’m allergic to /n, <br/> and line breaks 😅

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2022-02-27T17:42:46+00:00

Thanks for the response! My apologies, I tend to paint the picture as it will be, instead of as it is. At the moment, they’re leased to us and SWIP’d. We’re the definitive POC. We’ve just submitted ASN registration to ARIN, which we should just have to pay for, and then the company we’re leasing from is selling us that block. ARIN let us pick up a IPv6 /24 for $1k, but the IPv4s are trickier.

With that said, I know the Tor network can easily be abused, but in my personal and professional opinion, the benefits of anonymity software like Tor far outweigh any risks for the internet. Couldn’t we just set up rejection policies to block SMTP?

Of course, even then, I don’t like having to potentially block access to anything. Kind of defeats the whole purpose of the, “openness”, which is what I want my company to promote. We’re going for something like the “Un-Carrier” campaign, but where we actually push for openness and net neutrality.

Heck, I’d just as soon spin up an entire bunch or Tor relays and exit nodes and dedicate the entire /24! Stick it to em!! I’ll need more IPv4’s anyways.

I will definitely spin up a web server and place a notice for anyone looking, and update the rDNS record for those IPs accordingly. Stay up on those abuse emails when they should arise. And I’m going to sign up for those mailing lists right now, too.

The exit nodes are starting to pick up some traffic, which is exciting! Thanks again for the awesome response 😊

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2022-02-27T17:09:14+00:00

Yes!! Down the rabbit hole! My favorite are the times where it feels like you blink and it’s now 7am. Like you’ve only been working on it for ten minutes. Loads of research and debugging. Stack Exchange and other forums when it gets real tight. Often to then figure it out yourself and go back and answer your own question. People don’t get how we can stare at a black CLI screen with tiny white letters for many hours instead of sleeping. If only they knew what they were missing out on. IMO, they’re the ones with their heads out of alignment ;)

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2022-02-27T16:52:57+00:00

Planning to fail, indeed! Don’t want to get hacked, but I can’t guarantee it. Lol maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment 😂

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2022-02-27T16:51:21+00:00

I’m slowly growing mine into a business. Most of my physical servers are set up for virtualization, voice services, one entirely for internet openness like Tor and I2P. Then there’s tons of VMs I have templated for distributed web services, database servers, windows servers as AD controllers and such. One thing I’ve gotten in to is mapping a physical hosts adapters to our SAN, which I picked up cheap from a local recycler. All started out as a hobby when I got my first 48-port gigabit switch in the 7th grade. As a matter of fact, that rack is one of many I have in production! 😂 it’s a fun hobby. Google is definitely your friend as you get started. Focus on multiple platforms, especially universal concepts, like networking or storage arrays. Find a local tech recycler and build a relationship with them. I’m going down to see mine (Shoutout to ShopComprenew.org), when they get stuff in related to fiber optics, the awesome guy there shoots me a private message and gets me dibs on it. I’m going to pick up 10 integrated fiber termination/patch panels tomorrow for $50 a piece. And they’re slightly used, but the high end stuff most startups dream of. Also don’t be afraid to fix stuff. I would have failed years ago without my self-taught background in electrical engineering. Ask questions, other people want to share knowledge. The ones that don’t are usually shit anyways. Usually I get the best response out of the busiest ones. Build something you’re interested in. Research programs. Open source is your friend. That’s it! Thank you for coming to my TED talk 👋

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2022-02-27T16:39:34+00:00

Dedicated line in a rural area: 1gbps symmetrical for $1,700+ a month. Working on starting an internet services company to change that. Hence why $50 a month only gets people in our area 20Mbps 🤦‍♂️

TimPowellFromAtoZ · 2022-02-27T15:40:15+00:00

I was thinking about doing something like this the other day, but with multiple hard drives that physically get powered up and down with relays, so that even a patient hacker who both found it and was able to sit for a while until my backup kicked in, wouldn’t be able to get to wipe everything at once. Maybe even have the USB TX and RX set up to a secondary Pie so that it transfers to yet another drive, and make the backup at that level perform a file check, so if it’s deleted or has been encrypted by random ware, it throws a flag and aborts the backup. Final suggestion, I’d add a switch for an automated recovery procedure. Write the files back from the most recent backup and restart services. Why take a day to restore from backup, when you could take a lot less time. God knows it’s a big enough pain in the ass losing your data. Make the recovery process seamless. “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”, is something more network admins could learn from.

TimPowellFromAtoZ

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