"An IPC Language For The Whole Operating System" by Ian McKellar (Strange Loop 2022)

Fuchsia OS uses Fiddle language for efficient and secure communication, learn how its unified type system drives performance and security in this local operating system.

Key takeaways
  • Fuchsia is an open-source operating system that is permissively licensed and designed for local use, with a focus on performance and security.
  • The system consists of multiple components that communicate with each other using a common language called Fiddle, which is designed for high-level, efficient, and secure communication.
  • Fiddle is a language for describing data types and protocols, and it is used to define the interactions between components in the system.
  • Fiddle has a unified type system that allows components to communicate with each other seamlessly, without the need for explicit type conversions.
  • The system uses a protocol buffer definition to define the format of messages that are exchanged between components.
  • This definition is used to generate code for each language that is supported by the system, which allows for efficient and consistent communication between components.
  • The system has a strong focus on security, with a goal of designing a secure-by-default system.
  • The system has a small set of system calls, with a focus on efficiency and performance.
  • The system has a unique approach to IPC, with a focus on performance and security.
  • The system uses a combination of CPU and GPU acceleration to improve performance.
  • The system has a strong focus on testing, with automated testing tools that are used to ensure the stability and reliability of the system.
  • The system has a strong focus on debugging, with tools that are designed to help developers debug and evaluate the performance of their code.