From Vinix · · 4m
Vinix: A modern OS written in V
A lightweight, open-source operating system built from scratch in the V language, designed for Apple Silicon Macs and x86-64 machines.
In brief
A lightweight, open-source operating system built from scratch in the V language, designed for Apple Silicon Macs and x86-64 machines. Vinix offers a fast, minimal alternative to macOS and Linux by running a custom kernel written in V that boots in seconds, uses only 100 MB of RAM, and can run thousands of existing…
A new OS written in V
Vinix is an independently developed operating system with its own kernel, not a Linux distribution. It's written mostly in the V programming language and targets both Apple Silicon and x86-64 architectures.
Boots in seconds, uses minimal resources
Vinix boots to a desktop in seconds and uses only about 100 MB of RAM on boot with roughly 1 GB of disk space after installation. The kernel uses manual memory management with no garbage collector.
Runs Alpine Linux binaries natively
Vinix implements the Linux system call interface and ELF layout, so unmodified Alpine Linux packages run natively on the bare CPU without emulation or virtualization. Chromium, Blender, and Sublime Text already work.
Wine runs Windows apps on ARM64
Wine allows Windows applications to run on Vinix through Alpine Linux binaries. Microsoft Word 2013 and other x64 Windows apps execute on ARM64 hardware without native ports.
Nothing runs you didn't start
There's no systemd, no background indexer, and nothing phoning home. The system stays lean and predictable because only what you explicitly launch runs, and memory usage remains flat over time.
“Nothing runs that you did not start.”
Optional per-app sandboxing
Applications can run in sandboxes with access only to their own private directory, isolating them from your documents, SSH keys, and other system data. This is optional and off by default.
Custom GPU drivers for Apple Silicon
Vinix is writing its own GPU drivers for Apple Silicon Macs starting with the M1, including the AGX GPU and DCP display controller. M2 through M5 support is coming after M1 is finished.
One way to do things
Vinix offers one distribution, one desktop, one package manager, one init system, and one binary format. No constant choices to make, and everything just works together.
Customizable themes and appearance
You can customize the system to work your way and choose from many themes, including looks inspired by macOS Catalina or Windows XP.
Why Vinix over macOS
macOS gets slower and more bloated with each release, taking tens of gigabytes of disk and gigabytes of RAM before you open a single app. Vinix stays fast, minimal, and fully open source with nothing phoning home.
Gaming on Apple Silicon Macs
Vinix plans to support popular games like The Witcher 3, Counter-Strike 2, Elden Ring, and Grand Theft Auto V that have no macOS version. This builds on Wine and a user-mode x86 translation layer.
Why Vinix over Linux
Vinix offers minimalism and a system without systemd. It's not another Linux distribution but a kernel written from scratch and small enough that one person can understand all of it.
Why written in V
The V language compiles very fast, so the entire kernel rebuilds in seconds. V is simple and readable, small enough to learn in an afternoon, keeping development quick and the code easy to follow.
Monolithic kernel architecture
Vinix uses a monolithic kernel where the scheduler, memory managers, filesystem, drivers, and network stack all run in one privileged address space. There are no loadable kernel modules; drivers are compiled in.
Deterministic memory and boot behavior
The kernel has no garbage collector and uses manual memory management, so memory stays flat and bounded. The same boot sequence and fixed configuration mean two machines with the same image behave identically.
pkg package manager
Vinix ships with pkg, a command-line package manager that installs software from Alpine Linux repositories. Thousands of existing packages are available instead of a small handful ported by hand.
Native desktop and alternative sessions
The default is Vinix's own native desktop written in V and V UI2, reading input and drawing directly to the framebuffer. Vinix also supports X.org and optional ARM64 Wayland with Hyprland.
Currently in alpha development
Vinix is under active development and not intended for daily or production use yet. M1 Macs are officially supported now, with M2 through M5 support coming soon, plus Intel Mac support planned.
“Alpha software. Vinix is under active development and is not intended for daily or production use yet.”
The bottom line
Vinix offers a fast, minimal alternative to macOS and Linux by running a custom kernel written in V that boots in seconds, uses only 100 MB of RAM, and can run thousands of existing Alpine Linux binaries natively.
