Cube Labs

Cube:
A Cohesive
Machine.

First a strong kernel.
Then a useful system.
Then an experience.

Current Milestone: Kernel Alive

Stable boot, early logs, interrupts, and scheduler foundations.

Start the Exploration View the Roadmap

The
Core

The essential building block of the future.

A highly optimized kernel that lays the foundation for Cube. Built around separation, stability and modular growth, it is the first major step from a living kernel toward a real operating system.

View architecture notes

The Cube Ladder

First a strong kernel. Then a useful system. Then an experience.

Stage Name Key Capabilities
Stage 1 Living Kernel stable boot, early logs, GDT, IDT and interrupts, timebase and initial scheduler, base memory and minimal allocator
Stage 2 Serious Kernel ring 3, syscalls, kernel/user separation, per-process virtual memory, initial executable loader
Stage 3 Minimal Usable System initial file system, real storage, native terminal, working keyboard, simple user-space programs
Stage 4 Base Platform more robust multi-process support, minimal IPC, stable executable format, core system libraries, cleaner error handling
Stage 5 Visual Environment serious framebuffer or initial compositor, mouse input, windows or graphical shell, base system tools, simple file explorer Current
Stage 6 Product Identity distinctive visual language, consistent UX, settings, cleaner installation, less raw logs and debugging, stable performance Next
Stage 7 External Compatibility subsystems or layers for foreign formats, dedicated loaders, runtimes or translation layers, graphics, input and audio bridges, .apk, .xapk, .exe, .msi
Stage 8 Optimization & Full Realization scheduler tuning, serious graphics, lower latency, robustness, visual polish, daily-use stability

Design Philosophy in Action

Modular System Design

Isolated modules with clear boundaries, enabling safer iteration and cleaner architecture.

Secure Inter-Module Communication

Modules exchange data through validated interfaces and controlled message channels.

Hot-Pluggable Components

Add, replace or disable supported modules without rebuilding the entire system.

Core Technology Deep Dive

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The Kernel's Secure Boot

1. Verified Boot

Cube verifies the integrity and authenticity of trusted components before execution.

2. Chain of Trust

Each stage validates the next, extending trust from an initial root of trust.

3. Boot Policy

Defined recovery and validation rules determine what happens when verification fails.

Process Isolation

Secure Update & Policy Enforcement

1. Signed Firmware Package

Updates are validated against trusted signatures before installation.

2. Secure Key & Policy Vault

Root keys and policy rules are stored behind controlled system boundaries.

3. Enforcement Engine

Update execution is checked against signature, integrity and policy requirements.

User-Space Safety Model

Process Boundaries

Applications run outside the kernel boundary, reducing total system fragility.

Failure Containment

A user-space fault should not bring down the entire operating system.

Controlled Interfaces

System services are exposed through defined calls and validated pathways.

The Compatibility Path

Compatibility belongs above the kernel, not inside it.

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1. Strong Kernel

A small, stable core provides isolation, scheduling, memory and trusted low-level services.

2. Native User Space

Cube builds its own terminal, tools and application runtime before chasing foreign ecosystems.

3. Compatibility Subsystems

Foreign formats live in dedicated user-space layers rather than inside ring 0.

4. External Apps

Selected Android and Windows software can be bridged without compromising the core system.

Android Path

  • APK / XAPK parser
  • Installer or importer
  • ART-like runtime layer
  • Graphics / input / audio bridges
  • User-space sandboxing

Goal: execute foreign app environments without polluting the kernel.

Windows Path

  • PE loader
  • Progressive Win32 layer
  • DLL management
  • Filesystem and windowing bridges
  • Late MSI support

Goal: compatibility through subsystems, not kernel bloat.

CPU-First Graphics Vision

A deliberate graphics stack built for control, speed and elegant constraints.

G1. Reliable FramebufferPixel output, double buffer, text and 2D primitives.
G2. Visual ShellCursor, panels, widgets and a minimal compositor.
G3. Fast 2D PipelineBlits, clipping, fonts, scaling and images.
G4. Simple CPU 3DTriangles, depth buffer, culling and simple shading.
G5. OptimizationSIMD, tiling, multicore and cache-aware execution.

Horizons of Cube

Four long-term horizons describe how Cube evolves from a real OS into a singular platform.

A. Real OS

The threshold where Cube becomes truly usable.

  • Native terminal
  • User-space processes
  • Filesystem and storage
  • Input and usable shell

B. Product Identity

A system with personality, clarity and care.

  • GUI and explorer
  • Base apps
  • Stable performance
  • Consistent UX

C. Singular Platform

A deliberate graphics and application vision.

  • Native graphics stack
  • CPU-first or hybrid rendering
  • Interesting first-party apps
  • Strong system character

D. Universal Ring

Selective bridges to outside ecosystems.

  • External compatibility layers
  • Android and Windows bridges
  • User-space subsystem architecture
  • Ambitious but not foundational

The Healthy Order

Cube should mature in layers, without confusing what is foundational and what is ambitious.

1. Close the serious kernel

A stable, isolated, and well-tested core.

2. Build real user space

Processes, memory safety and services.

3. Open a native terminal and run own programs

Develop and run Cube software natively.

4. Raise GUI and base experience

Windows, input, files and core utilities.

5. Explore advanced graphics

A first-class graphics stack and tooling.

6. Only then pursue deep external compatibility

Bridges and layers when the foundation is strong.

Why Cube First Needs to Be Coherent

Cube does not need Android or Windows software to justify its existence.

It first needs to become a coherent machine: clean, strong, intentional, and technically distinct.

Core Principles

Strong Kernel First

A small, stable core is the base of every later ambition.

Useful System Before Spectacle

Terminal, storage and user-space matter before visual showpieces.

Experience With Intent

Design, UX and graphics should emerge from architecture, not hide weak foundations.

Compatibility Above the Kernel

Bridges to foreign ecosystems belong in user-space layers, not inside ring 0.

What Cube Is Really Chasing

Not just an operating system that works, but one that has criterion.

Technical Integrity

A deliberate system with clear boundaries, thoughtful scheduling, memory safety direction and honest architecture.

Product Character

A visual and interactive identity that feels authored, calm and coherent rather than generic.

Selective Ambition

Compatibility, graphics experiments and bold ideas pursued in the right order, on top of a strong base.

Join the Exploration

Read the architecture, follow the roadmap, or help build Cube.

Read the Docs Architecture notes, concepts and internals. View the Roadmap See the long-term structure of the project. Contribute Ideas, code and design are all part of the machine.

Contact & Links

Questions, ideas, contributions or collaboration - here is how to reach Cube.

Docs & Research

andy@labs-cube.com

Architecture notes, writing, technical clarifications and references.

Quick Access

Stage 5 · Visual Environment

Stop imagining an OS.
Start watching it boot.

Cube is built stage by stage, in the open — every DEC file, every bug, every line documented as it happens.

Explore the Kernel Follow the Build