UEFI Bindings for JavaScript
Promethee introduces UEFI bindings for JavaScript, allowing developers to write bootloaders in their favorite web language. This audacious project sparks curiosity and a touch of horror among Hacker News readers, who question the "why" while admiring the sheer technical ingenuity. It's a prime example of pushing boundaries just because you can, prompting both fascination and humorous skepticism about its practical applications.
The Lowdown
Promethee is a novel project that enables the creation of UEFI bootloaders using JavaScript. Leveraging the Duktape engine, it transforms the traditionally low-level boot process into a JavaScript-driven environment, allowing direct interaction with UEFI services. Its experimental nature challenges conventional thinking about system startup.
- JavaScript Bootloader: Promethee runs
script.jsdirectly from the boot volume as the primary bootloader, making JavaScript the core logic for system initialization. - UEFI Service Access: It provides direct bindings to UEFI services, empowering JavaScript code to perform low-level operations, such as graphics output, as demonstrated by an example drawing a red rectangle.
- Freestanding Build: The project is designed to be freestanding, utilizing a minimal libc and requiring Node.js for tooling to generate necessary sources.
- Experimental Nature: The author positions Promethee as a "silly experiment," hinting at a potential future where highly customizable bootloaders could be built using familiar web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Promethee represents a fascinating, if unconventional, intersection of high-level scripting and low-level system firmware. While its practical utility is debated, it stands as a testament to the boundless creativity in software development, challenging traditional notions of where JavaScript can operate.
The Gossip
Why The Wild Ride?
Many commenters reacted with a mix of awe and skepticism, frequently invoking the "But why?" question. The project was described as "cursed" and prompted comparisons to the classic "preoccupied with whether or not they could" dilemma, highlighting the surprise and humorous disbelief at the concept of JavaScript operating at such a fundamental system level.
Experimental Endeavors
Despite the initial shock, some users, including the author, recognized the experimental and exploratory nature of the project. The author clarified it's a "silly experiment" with a potential "endgame" of creating bootloaders customizable with HTML/CSS/JS, suggesting a future for highly graphical and interactive pre-boot environments. The idea was playfully linked to "unixporn" for its customization potential.