The SPIN operating system is a research project implemented in the computer programming language Modula-3, and is an open source project. It is designed with three goals: flexibility, safety, and performance. SPIN was developed at the University of Washington.
| Developer | University of Washington |
|---|---|
| Written in | Modula-3 |
| OS family | Mach-like[1] |
| Working state | Discontinued |
| Source model | Open source |
| Initial release | 1994 |
| Final release | 1.0 / November 1996 |
| Repository | www-spin |
| Marketing target | Research |
| Available in | English |
| Update method | Download, compile |
| Platforms | IA-32 |
| Kernel type | Microkernel[2] |
| Official website | www-spin |
The kernel can be extended by dynamic loading of modules which implement interfaces that represent domains. These domains are defined by Modula-3 INTERFACE. All kernel extensions are written in Modula-3 safe subset with metalanguage constructs and type safe casting system. The system also issued a special run-time extension compiler.
One set of kernel extensions provides an application programming interface (API) that emulates the Digital UNIX system call interface. This allows Unix applications to run on SPIN.[3]