UEFI-native · QEMU first · hardware evidence recorded separately

Build a real OS, from the power button up.

Build a real UEFI-native operating system from scratch. The complete path to a polished desktop is free. Paid members continue through storage, networking, applications and DOOM.

0 → OS
Empty file to full desktop
18
Lessons across 4 phases
R32
Hash-locked prebuilt baseline
DOOM
The final boss, literally
Why this course exists

The emulator lies. The hardware tells the truth.

Every free OS-dev resource teaches the same thing: legacy BIOS, QEMU, a kernel that prints text and stops. That path skips the two questions that actually stump people — how do I get off the emulator, and how do I do any of this under UEFI instead of BIOS. This course is built entirely around those.

01 · MODERN

UEFI-native, not 1985

No 16-bit real mode, no GRUB, no bootloader you didn't write. Your code is what the firmware loads. This is how machines actually boot today — and almost nobody teaches it.

02 · REAL

Test it beyond QEMU

The supplied R32 baseline is verified to reach its clean desktop in QEMU. The course then shows you how to test compatible UEFI hardware, record the exact machine and EFI hash, and treat uncached framebuffers, DMA alignment and firmware quirks as measured results—not universal promises.

03 · WHOLE

An OS, not a toy kernel

Compositor, windows, a file manager, settings, a hand-written TCP/IP stack and USB. You can inspect each real subsystem, interact with the booting desktop, then integrate and verify the archive's DOOM port.

The ForgeOS path · organised by release milestone

Free desktop first. Then take it to DOOM and beyond.

Modules 01–04 are free and end with a decent bootable desktop. Every paid plan unlocks all written sections. Downloads depend on your plan.

Section 1 — Zero to DOOM · the complete beginner path
mod01

Boot to Pixels Free

Install the toolchain, build a UEFI application, boot it in QEMU or from USB, and draw correctly into the firmware framebuffer.

Free
guide + code
mod02

Memory & Interrupts Free

Own the memory map, install interrupt handling, bring up timer and keyboard input, and establish the kernel foundations.

Free
full lesson
mod03

A Software Compositor Free

Build double buffering, dirty-region rendering, text and the drawing primitives required by the desktop.

Free
full lesson
mod04

Windows & a Desktop Free desktop milestone

Finish the free path with draggable windows, a desktop, consistent controls and a bootable visual system.

Free
desktop boots
mod05

USB & a Filesystem

Read and write real files, load assets and make the OS useful beyond the initial desktop.

Paid
all plans
mod06

A Network Stack

Bring up Ethernet and build the network layers required for connected ForgeOS applications.

Paid
all plans
mod07

Run DOOM

Integrate doomgeneric, provide display/input/time/file callbacks, use a legally obtained WAD and verify the port in QEMU before real hardware.

Paid
DOOM milestone
Section 2 — Native Runtime & Applications · processes, ELF, syscalls and services
sec02

ForgeOS Application Runtime

Protected processes, user memory, ELF loading, file descriptors, threads, shared objects and native applications.

Current source
guided roadmap
Section 3 — Storage, Hardware & Performance · move beyond firmware hand-offs
sec03

Native Hardware Stack

AHCI, NVMe, USB storage, display modes, CPU capabilities, memory pressure and performance profiling.

Current source
guided roadmap
Section 4 — Networked Desktop · TLS, ForgeWeb and packages
sec04

ForgeWeb, TLS & Packages

HTTP/TLS, certificates, package detection, downloads, updates and the path from network stack to a usable web client.

Current source
guided roadmap
Section 5 — Virtualisation & Compatibility · ChudBOX and ForgePS4 foundations
sec05

ChudBOX & ForgePS4 Foundations

VMX capability, guest memory, executable/runtime requirements and the staged route toward hosted emulation.

Roadmap
updated with source
Taught from the trenches
I detached UEFI's own USB driver mid-boot and the firmware started spamming write errors. I hit a 64 KB DMA boundary that silently corrupted transfers. I shipped a UI that ran flawlessly in QEMU and black-screened on real silicon. You'll learn this from someone who has already walked into every one of these walls.
— built ForgeOS, the OS this course reverse-engineers into lessons
the bug that isn't in any tutorial
// PixelsPerScanLine != HorizontalResolution
// works in QEMU, shears diagonally on real panels

buf[y * pitch + x] = color;   // RIGHT
buf[y * width + x] = color;   // WRONG — the trap

// firmware left the framebuffer UNCACHED:
// 3.7M single bus writes per fill on a 1440p panel.
// instant in QEMU, a slideshow on metal.
if (wc_policy_validated(fb_base, fb_size))
    enable_write_combining(fb_base, fb_size);
Card checkout · access granted automatically

Boot the desktop free. Choose downloads only when you need them.

All paid plans unlock every written section. A$9/month is reading only. A$39/month adds every Section 1 download through DOOM. Lifetime includes all current and future important-module and section downloads.

Course Access

A$9 / month
All sections and updates. No downloads.
  • Every written lesson and future section
  • Desktop-to-DOOM instructions
  • QEMU and USB deployment guide
  • Cancel any time
  • No source or section downloads

Lifetime

A$149 once
Permanent access and every important download.
  • All current and future sections
  • Important-module downloads
  • One completion download per section
  • Full update access
  • Permanent access

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Log in / Manage subscription

Start with an empty file.

Module 01 is completely free — the toolchain, the UEFI entry point, and your first pixels in QEMU, followed by a bounded physical test. No account, no card. Just build it.

Open module 01