kernel

The core program of an operating system that controls memory, running programs, and hardware.

The kernel is the privileged center of an OS: it decides which process runs when, hands out and reclaims memory, and mediates every access to hardware through drivers. Everything else — apps, libraries, tools — runs on top of it and asks it for resources. microZeus's mzOS2 is a small, from-scratch kernel that sits at the center of most of its systems work.

See also

kernel heapThe kernel's own pool of memory it hands out and takes back as it runs.
kernel argumentsSettings handed to the kernel at boot to change how it starts up.
interrupt / IRQA hardware signal that yanks the CPU away from what it's doing to handle something urgent, like a keypress or timer.
IPCThe mechanisms that let separate programs talk to each other and pass data.

Referenced by

/proc · address space · bare metal · initrd · interrupt / IRQ · interrupt controller · IPC · IPv4 · kernel arguments · kernel heap · libc · linker