# Chapter 11 — Kernel program, ecosystem, and non-goals

**Time to read:** one pass. **Prerequisites:** [Preface](00-preface.md), [Chapter 3 — Protocol](03-protocol-and-disk.md).

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## Why this chapter exists

Bare OS sits at the intersection of **Pear** (packaging and desktop hosts), **Bare** (embedded-first JS runtime and modules), and **Holepunch** stacks (**Hyperswarm**, **HyperDHT** holepunch, **Hyperdrive**). This chapter names **research directions** and **intentional limits** so distributors know what the project will and will not become.

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## Ecosystem map (local clones)

If you maintain a checkout of **[holepunch-repos](https://github.com/holepunchto)** (or a mirror), useful adjacencies include:

- Runtime / packaging — `pear-runtime`, `pear-stage`, `pear-ipc` — Host OTA, IPC, staging
- Bare modules — `bare-subprocess`, `bare-daemon`, `bare-kit`, `bare-storage` — Optional delegates, worklets, storage policy
- Transport — `hyperdht` (holepunch docs), `hyperswarm`, `udx-native` — NAT, relays, stream behavior

Nothing in that tree *is* the Bare OS kernel: our **kernel** remains **`/boot/init.js`** on the system Hyperdrive, executed by the **booter**.

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## Capability words (protocol)

Capability words **`bits`** … **`bits11`** (see [`packages/bare-os-protocol`](../packages/bare-os-protocol/README.md)) advertise what the stock booter and seeder implement. **`BARE_OS_SEED_CAP_STRICT`** requires the seeder to cover every non-zero stock word. Capability words **6–11** checklists: [`docs/reference/feature-roadmap.md`](../docs/reference/feature-roadmap.md). **Kernel program (100-item backlog):** [`developer-guide/kernel-program.md`](../developer-guide/kernel-program.md); program batch **B** table lives in the same reference doc. Governance: [`developer-guide/adr/001-kernel-feature-bits-governance.md`](../developer-guide/adr/001-kernel-feature-bits-governance.md). **Word 10** extends Pear/Bare-aligned seed RPCs, **`/proc`** JSON for that generation, boot policy v10, extension registry schema **7**, telemetry schema **9** / OTel **7** / audit **7**, and the Node→Bare module map in [`developer-guide/node-to-bare-modules.md`](../developer-guide/node-to-bare-modules.md). **Word 11** continues that posture with **`hypercorePackHrpcLifecycle`** gates (boot policy v11), extension registry schema **8**, and the eleventh-word operator `/proc` family.

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## Intentional non-goals

- **No hardware MMU kernel** — no ring 0, no real **`fork`**; isolation is policy, caps, and host boundaries.
- **No full POSIX `sh`** — line shell with bounded grammar; see [Chapter 9 §8.5](09-posix-utilities-shell-and-vfs.md).
- **No single HTTP mirror as source of truth** — image distribution is P2P-first; offline boot is optional **LKG** + local Corestore (**`BARE_OS_OFFLINE_LKG_BOOT`**).

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## Where to read next

- [Documentation home](../docs/README.md) — all trees, glossary, FAQ
- [Compatibility matrix](../docs/reference/compatibility-matrix.md) — versions in one place
- [Kernel extensions](../docs/reference/kernel-extensions.md) — feature / env / proc map
- [ADR 001 — Feature bit governance](../developer-guide/adr/001-kernel-feature-bits-governance.md)
- [Handbook home](README.md)

_Experimental research software, not a production OS. Open source under Apache-2.0. Owned, operated, and engineered by HoneyPeer, LLC, a DeKalb, Georgia limited liability company — [LICENSE](../LICENSE)._