RedBear-OS/local/reference/README.md

Red Bear OS Reference Sources

Reference-only sources for the project. Read-only consultation. Never delete.

Linux Kernel

• linux-7.1/ — Latest stable Linux 7.1.1 reference source (2026-06-26). Used for: driver implementations (PCI, USB, GPU/DRM, network, input, storage, filesystems, scheduler, memory, ACPI, etc.), register definitions, hardware initialization sequences, error handling patterns.

  Reference-only. NEVER copied into project source. NEVER built as a dependency.

Update Procedure

# Update Linux reference to a newer stable release:
cd local/reference/linux-7.1
git fetch --depth=1 origin tag v7.x
git checkout v7.x

Consultation Pattern

When writing a driver or graphics subsystem, ALWAYS consult the relevant Linux source first:

• GPU/DRM: linux-7.1/drivers/gpu/drm/
• PCI/PCIe: linux-7.1/drivers/pci/, linux-7.1/include/linux/pci.h
• USB: linux-7.1/drivers/usb/
• Network: linux-7.1/drivers/net/
• Input: linux-7.1/drivers/input/
• Storage: linux-7.1/drivers/ata/, linux-7.1/drivers/nvme/
• ACPI: linux-7.1/drivers/acpi/
• Scheduler: linux-7.1/kernel/sched/
• Memory: linux-7.1/mm/
• Filesystems: linux-7.1/fs/

Policy

• NEVER copy Linux source files into Red Bear project source
• ALWAYS reimplement needed functionality in Rust (system-critical)
• Use Linux source as documentation/inspiration, not as code
• The linux-kpi recipe provides C-header translation only for DRM/GPU and Wi-Fi — NOT a wholesale import of Linux code

Durability

This directory is gitignored but permanent. Survives make clean and make distclean. Update procedure documented above.