Building and modifying Linux Kernel with Visual Studio

csense · on March 25, 2014

Isn't being able to build Linux on a Microsoft toolchain one of the Seven Signs of the Apocalypse? The universe is clearly descending into madness...

This is right up there with having Sega games on Nintendo consoles, or the release of Duke Nukem Forever...

CmonDev · on March 25, 2014

Why not? Best IDE and best core => win.

lmz · on March 25, 2014

Looks like they are using a Linux VM to perform the build.

danjayh · on March 25, 2014

Which makes me wonder ... why Visual Studio? If they're using the GNU toolchain, then they're just using VS for the IDE and eschewing all of the compiler-y and debugger-y bits. Don't get me wrong, VS is a top notch IDE, but so is Eclipse and it's much more affordable.

nyrina · on March 25, 2014

Did you really just compare Eclipse to Visual Studio?

The only thing you are right about is the price, but that's about it.

userbinator · on March 25, 2014

I could see this being useful for those with CLI-phobia or just want to play with Linux casually. Still, it's not that hard to build the kernel; configuration is what takes a lot of the time. There's a menuconfig interface already.

What's with the screaming menus..?

jeremymcanally · on March 25, 2014

That, unfortunately, is how VS menus are now as of later versions. It's very grating on the eyes.

teh_klev · on March 25, 2014

The menus can be tuned to lowercase, or turned off altogether:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/17413001/disable-all-caps...

Also the toolbars can be customised or turned off as well.

stinos · on March 24, 2014

Pretty impressive if it works as flawlessly as in the article. Anyone know how the debugging capabilities compare to the standard VS ones? And the standard gdb + whatever gui frontend ones?

Rizz · on March 25, 2014

http://sysprogs.com/VisualKernel/tutorials/kgdb/ It supports many VS features. The same people also sell a debugging program that claims to support everything debugging-related of Visual Studio, but I don't know if that's integrated into this VisualKernel product, or just a subset.

dexen · on March 24, 2014

Cannot tell by cursory look if the sarcasm is directed at Linux kernel or Visual Studio...

greenyoda · on March 24, 2014

I don't think it's sarcasm. It looks like VisualKernel is a real product that this company is selling. They also make VisualGDB and a bunch of other tools:

http://sysprogs.com/products/

Here's the company's "about" page:

http://sysprogs.com/about/

pierre-renaux · on March 24, 2014

Pretty good product too, VisualGDB is the only tool that actually works to do C/C++ debugging on Android.

exo762 · on March 24, 2014

I feel dirty.

computerslol · on March 24, 2014

How is debugging different in Visual Studio than in the tools usually used for debugging the Linux kernel?

I work in Visual Studio on things that have nothing to do with Linux and am ignorant of the profundity of this product.

mkhalil · on March 24, 2014

This is pretty damn impressive.

Wish I could work on something interesting to use it.

johnmaddox · on March 25, 2014

Please for the love of human kind stop this project. I am forced to work on visual studio at my work and i hate it because it make me cry literally.

mateuszf · on March 24, 2014

Mindblown.

AsmMAn · on March 25, 2014

Amazin. I'm going to share this with all my friends. Yes, I have.

njharman · on March 24, 2014

End of the beginning or Beginning of the end?

stusmall · on March 24, 2014

I have to ask. Why?

vladimirralev · on March 24, 2014

Custom android ROMs would be pretty cool for everybody.

mtct · on March 24, 2014

heresy!

fuj · on March 24, 2014

This is amazing. It's not even that expensive

onedognight · on March 25, 2014

What? Microsoft implemented C99 and can now compile the Linux Kernel? Nope. Nothing to see here; move along. Maybe in another 15 years? Yes compiling the version of C from 1999 is too much work for the largest software company on earth.

EDIT: Actually the largest software company was Microsft back in 1999, but now it's Apple and they did write a C99 compiler that can compile the Linux Kernel. Coincidence?

stinos · on March 25, 2014

Nothing to see here; move along

did you actually read what this is about? It's about debugging, not about compiling. You just seem to have taken this as an opportunity for some ranting which doesn't even make that much sense. Did you think about the fact that even if MS would have a C99 compiler, it extremely likely would still not be able to compile the kernel because of the tons of platform- (and even compiler- if I remember correctly) specific stuff in there. Also Apple the largest software company? Not Google or so? Numbers? Evidence?