Current State

• Filesystem is a tree with files as leaves
• Non-leave nodes are folders
• Files are bytestrings (a bunch of bytes)
• Permissions (who can write what, who can read what…) are stored for each and every node

Permissions

• Permissions are inherited
• Permissions only on folders
• Entries overwrite parent entries
• Easiest case could be one entry in root and one in home directory

Typed File System

Everything is a File!

• An Int or an [Int] file – okay
• But a Int -> Int file?

Mount executables and libraries

• Object files are like Java .class-files with signatures
• Mount them into a folder
• For example:
  • Call mount calc
  • calc/plus :: Int -> Int -> Int
  • calc/minus :: Int -> Int -> Int
• Just call them in the shell like a normal function to execute.

Package Management

• Nix!
• Mount specific version of library into namespece for program
• Mounting of programs and libraries should integrate nicely
• Fast & clean package management

Config Management

• Well-defined states, roll back and more
• System builds deterministically from config and volumes
• Like containers or Nix, but even better

Typed Programs

• Permissions and more now in signature
• Install sed :: String -> String -> String from trustworthy.su and still be sure it’ll only take and output strings
• Via granular monad and effect magic Android-likecan be in signatures
• Type-safe calls, outputs and compositions

Shell

• Katrin Shell
• …or any normal programming language shell (Python e.g.)
• …with a library to handle the typed file system
• No more weird shell languages

APIs

• All APIs are in the file system
• Possible thank to function files

Non-native programs

• Integrate OCI containers (DOCKER DOCKER DOCKER)
• Can work with the type system and the permissions
• Or generalize VMs for foreign code
• Run Android, Windows, etc. → QubesOS

Will it happen?

No. But it’s fun to think about!