JX is a microkernel operating system with both the kernel and applications implemented using the Java programming language.^[2]

Overview

JX is implemented as an extended Java virtual machine (the JX Core), adding support to the Java system for necessary features such as protection domains and hardware access, along with a number of components written in Java that provide kernel facilities to applications running on the computer. Because Java is a type-safe language, JX is able to provide isolation between running applications without needing to use hardware memory protection. This technique, known as language-based protection means that system calls and inter-process communication in JX does not cause an address space switch, an operation which is slow on most computers. JX runs on standard PCs, with support for a limited range of common hardware elements. It is free software, developed by the University of Erlangen.^[3]

The primary benefits of JX include:

• base on a small trusted computing base (TCB) security system
• lack of address space switching compare to most other microkernel systems
• it is a highly flexible operating system with different configuration possibilities