Introducing TEA OS - A Minimal Operating System Implemented Using the TEA Programming Language

Abstract

This paper briefly introduces the TEA Operating System (TEA OS); a compact software operating environment runtime built on top of and leveraging the Transforming Executable Alphabet programming language. TEA OS packages a minimal shell, a set of core utilities for doing math, TEA programming and web I/O, as well as a robust, directory-less persistence layer in form of a file system that has a suite of file I/O commands familiar to users of Linux, Unix and MS-DOS. TEA OS intentionally targets userland portability rather than traditional kernel responsibilities, a distinction we clarify and formalize in this paper. We present a preserved verbatim source listing of the current (v1.1.0) system implementation in the TEA language. To illustrate usage and pedagogy, the paper includes an introductory note, the complete source code listing, and a sample interactive session dump showing a user driving the TEA shell. Given that the TEA OS is currently shipped alongside the TEA language as part of the standard TEA package and programs, it is hoped that those evaluating the usability, relevance and power of TEA programming can leverage this example general case to truly come to appreciate the innovation in the language known as the Transforming Executable Alphabet (TEA).