# AetherOS (Liminal Continuum)

> Capability-first personal operating system research: privacy by construction (VeilNet), universal execution via AetherIR, Liminal microkernel under QEMU/UEFI, local Personal Digital Twin.

- Site: https://aetheros.jonbailey.xyz/
- Author: Jon Bailey / Pitchfork-and-Torch
- Status: private R&D (proprietary) — not a public Linux distro or open-source release
- Version surface: 0.1.x bootstrap+ (demo gates D1–D5 largely green)
- Last updated: 2026-07-27 (major wave: CLIF native, WAN TCP multi-hop, multiport console)

## One-liner

AetherOS is a ground-up capability-first personal computer where privacy is ontological (no ambient network authority), foreign binaries enter via AetherIR, and the human is root of trust across a personal device swarm.

## What works now

- Freestanding Liminal microkernel on QEMU/UEFI (bootloader 0.11 + OVMF)
- Capability CSpace, ring-3 VSpace isolation (private CR3), preemptive RR + IRQ steal
- Virtio modern: rng, multiport console control+TX, blk READ/WRITE/MULTI+FLUSH
- Host AetherIR: hand JIT + CLIF interpret + CLIF native x86 emit (parity)
- VeilNet grants + cover scheduler; WAN TCP multi-hop AEAD lab (mesh_wan)
- Timeline fork/discard/merge; Verus-shaped invariant document

## Architecture (seven layers)

0. Liminal Microkernel — caps, frames, VSpaces, IPC, sched
1. Aether Agent Swarm — local sandboxed AI operators (design)
2. Universal Runtime Fabric — loaders, AetherIR, NBTE/JIT, personalities
3. VeilNet — EgressGrant objects, mix, cover (no ambient egress)
4. Generative Spatial Compositor — living UI (design + stub)
5. Hardware Synthesis — on-demand drivers under constraints (design)
6. Personal Swarm & Temporal Continuity — multi-device mesh + timeline forks

## Coming next

- Optional cranelift-jit Cargo feature (emitter API ready)
- Multi-host WAN cover daemon
- Real Verus toolchain port
- Virtio-net + multiport port1 data path

## Not claims

- Not seL4-complete proofs
- Not open source (proprietary R&D)
- Not a Cocoa/Win32 replacement as core UI today

## FAQ

Q: Is AetherOS open source?
A: No. Private proprietary R&D. This site tracks vision, architecture, and live capability status.

Q: Is it a Linux distro?
A: No. Freestanding Rust no_std capability microkernel + host fabric crates.

Q: What is VeilNet?
A: Deny-by-default network fabric: packets are only born under a live EgressGrant; cover traffic is bound to grant lifetime (idle = quiet).

Q: What is Liminal Continuum?
A: Codename for the full stack: microkernel through personal swarm and temporal continuity.

## Related network

- https://jonbailey.xyz/
- https://ghost.jonbailey.xyz/
- https://groklink.jonbailey.xyz/
- https://skycache.jonbailey.xyz/