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Concept
Embeddable Linux Kernel Subset
Summary
The Embeddable Linux Kernel Subset (ELKS), formerly known as Linux-8086, is a Linux-like operating system kernel. It is a subset of the Linux kernel, intended for 16-bit computers with limited processor and memory resources such as machines powered by Intel 8086 and compatible microprocessors not supported by 32-bit Linux.
ELKS is free software and available under the GNU General Public License (GPL). It can work with early 16-bit and many 32-bit x86 (8088, 8086) computers like IBM PC compatible systems, and later x86 models in real mode. Another useful area are single board microcomputers, intended as educational tools for "homebrew" projects (hardware hacking), as well as embedded controller systems (e.g. Automation).
Early versions of ELKS also ran on Psion 3a and 3aR SIBO (SIxteen Bit Organiser) PDAs with NEC V30 CPUs, providing another possible field of operation (gadget hardware), if ported to such a platform. This effort was called ELKSibo. Due to lack of interest, SIBO support was removed from version 0.4.0.
Native ELKS programs may run emulated with Elksemu, allowing 8086 code to be used under Linux-i386. An effort to provide ELKS with an Eiffel compliant library also exists.
Development of Linux-8086 started in 1995 by Linux kernel developers Alan Cox and Chad Page as a fork of the standard Linux. By early 1996 the project was renamed ELKS (Embeddable Linux Kernel Subset), and in 1997 the first website www.elks.ecs.soton.ac.uk/ (offline, ) was created. ELKS version 0.0.63 followed on August 8 that same year. On June 22, 1999, ELKS release 0.0.77 was available, the first version able to run a graphical user interface (the Nano-X Window System). On July 21, ELKS booted on a Psion PDA with SIBO architecture. ELKS 0.0.82 came out on January 10, 2000. By including the SIBO port, it became the first official version running on other computer hardware than the original 8086 base. On March 3 that year, the project was registered on SourceForge, the new website being elks.sourceforge.net.
Official source
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