FRAMES COMPLETE ROADMAP · 0.0.1 → 6.0

The full Frames development map.

This page preserves the finished engineering history and now adds the consumer-first path to Frames 1.0: polished physical desktop, native hardware/input, writable HelixFS, a complete first-party software package, free Home Preview testing, opt-in compatibility diagnostics, the Nexus developer platform and longer-term architecture research. Completed runtime work and future targets remain explicitly separated.

AUTHORITATIVEFrames 0.9.62 v72-r1Final GUI aggregate PASS · supersedes 0.9.50 v60
NEXT PROOFPhysical GUI bootControlled real-hardware validation
PUBLIC TARGETFrames 1.0Not promoted
LONG RANGEFrames 6.0Unified platform target
CURRENT DEVELOPMENT POSITION

Where Frames is now

Current public status is kept separate from future targets so planned work cannot be mistaken for certified work.

DEVELOPER PLATFORM

Nexus SDK 6.10.0

The standalone Apache-2.0 SDK is locally verified across x86-64 Clang and GCC lanes; its external x64/ARM64 GitHub matrix remains a separate pending gate.

NEXT PRODUCT INFLECTION

Physical GUI boot

Move the exact graphical stack from certified virtualization to controlled UEFI laptop/desktop hardware using dedicated external/removable test storage.

Evidence boundary: Frames 0.9.62 v72-r1 remains the externally certified GUI baseline. Core Apps, free Home Preview, universal class drivers, the consumer disk layout and NXA are roadmap commitments/research targets until separately implemented and certified.
COMPLETE IMPLEMENTATION HISTORY

Finished work, grouped into major development trains

Every finished Frames milestone remains represented, but related versions are combined so the roadmap shows the engineering progression without hundreds of separate entries.

13 completed development trainsFull finished history from Frames 0.0.1 through the externally certified 0.9.62 v72-r1 integrated GUI baseline.Physical GUI boot and 1.0 product hardening are shown separately as the next work rather than retroactively marked complete.
0.0.1–0.0.18Boot, kernel & scheduler foundationCOMPLETE

UEFI boot handoff, FKRN kernel loading, interrupt and page-fault handling, kernel threads, cooperative/preemptive scheduling, CPU/APIC discovery and ACPI/MADT topology.

0.0.19–0.0.32SMP, multi-core & process isolationCOMPLETE

LAPIC/I/O APIC ownership, SMP bootstrap and AP launch, per-CPU scheduling, reschedule IPIs, CPU affinity, process address spaces, Frames-owned GDT/TSS and controlled ring-3/syscall execution.

0.0.33–0.0.59Hardware-first, storage & USB foundationCOMPLETE

Verified System.fex boot modules, PCI/ACPI/MMIO ownership, controller binding, operational read-only NVMe, GPT/FAT32 discovery, AHCI fallback, xHCI and early keyboard/mouse input.

0.0.60–0.0.99Recovery, certification & kernel hardeningCOMPLETE

Power/recovery containment, fail-closed QEMU/OVMF evidence infrastructure, memory/DMA protections, guarded ring-3, process/thread records, handles, capabilities, IPC and resource accounting.

0.1.x–0.3.xNative userspace, VFS & network coreCOMPLETE

Generalized FEX userspace/services, safe user-copy, VFS and filesystem objects, RAM/dev/proc-style namespaces, plus bounded Ethernet/ARP/IPv4/ICMP/UDP/DNS/TCP/DHCP foundations.

0.4.x–0.8.xDisplay, audio, drivers, security & update architectureCOMPLETE

Software display/presentation foundations, audio core, typed driver framework, sandbox/ACL/trust policy, audit/security metadata and known-good recovery/update architecture.

0.9.0–0.9.23Pre-1.0 runtime certification closureCOMPLETE

The fail-closed pre-1.0 gate and successive QEMU/OVMF repairs closed platform, userspace, storage and SMP runtime paths, culminating in the first complete 70/70 runtime pass and the Nexus short-circuit cleanup.

0.9.24–0.9.31Complete stress / fault certification trainCOMPLETE

Allocator, scheduler, storage-read, USB/input, network, display, recovery and power stress/fault categories were completed, reaching the full 8/8 stress matrix.

0.9.32–0.9.40Persistent-storage safety & hardware certification Gates 1–8COMPLETE

Sacrificial NVMe writes, reboot/S5, crash-consistent filesystem recovery, system-volume mutation, FAT lifecycle, scalable SMP, removable USB, physical-preview safety and the seven-profile hardware compatibility matrix.

0.9.41–0.9.47Native USB, Interactive Developer Preview & application platformCOMPLETE

Read-only native USB mass storage, framebuffer developer preview, native FEX relaunch, SDK tooling, deterministic FAPP packaging, packaged-app loading, continuous USB input and live system inspection.

0.9.48–0.9.50HelixFS read-only integrationCOMPLETE

HelixFS on-disk layout, block adapter, VFS path/security proof, nested directory traversal and multi-block file reads became part of the kernel/runtime integration.

0.9.51–0.9.61Native graphical desktop development trainCOMPLETE

Graphics surface, window manager, input routing, desktop shell, GUI FAPP, UI primitives, themes/fonts/icons, Files, Settings, notifications and session shell were integrated in one GUI train.

0.9.62 v72-r1Desktop polish, accessibility & integrated GUI certificationCOMPLETE

All 12 desktop phases were integrated and the external QEMU/OVMF certification reached the desktop, Desktop Phase 12 and kernel-ready state with an actual 1280×800 framebuffer capture.

Archive policy: individual source versions and certification revisions remain preserved in the project records, while the public Roadmap groups related completed work into the major trains above.
CERTIFICATION EVOLUTION

From structural platform to promoted evidence

Later 0.9.x releases increasingly focused on executing, fault-injecting and proving the foundations that earlier milestones had built.

0.9.10–0.9.23

Runtime certification closure

Successive QEMU/OVMF repairs closed platform, userspace, storage and SMP runtime paths and reached the first complete 70/70 runtime pass.

PASS
0.9.24–0.9.31

Stress / fault certification · 8/8

Allocator, scheduler, storage-read, USB/input, network, display, recovery and power stress categories all reached PASS.

PASS
0.9.32–0.9.40

Storage, lifecycle & physical-preview safety

Persistent-write, lifecycle, crash recovery, filesystem, scalable SMP and seven-profile hardware compatibility gates built the hardware-safety foundation.

PASS
0.9.41–0.9.47

Native USB, Developer Preview & application platform

Native USB MSC, Interactive Developer Preview, FEX relaunch, SDK tooling, deterministic FAPP packaging, native packaged-app loading and continuous USB/inspection work.

PASS
0.9.48–0.9.50

HelixFS read-only integration Phases 1–3

On-disk structures, block-backed reads, VFS path enforcement, nested traversal and deterministic multi-block file proof.

PASS
0.9.51–0.9.61

Integrated native GUI/Desktop development train

Native graphics, window manager, input routing, shell, first GUI FAPP, decorations/menus/dialogs, themes/fonts/icons, Files, Settings, notifications and login/session shell.

PASS
0.9.62 v72-r1

Desktop Polish, Accessibility & Integrated GUI Regression

FINAL-GUI-CERTIFICATION.json = PASS under v72-r1-integrated-gui-r6; the accepted 27-member evidence archive promotes 0.9.62 v72-r1 as the authoritative Frames baseline and supersedes 0.9.50 v60.

PROMOTED
GUI / FRAMES DESKTOP

From serial console to a certified native desktop

The first integrated GUI train is now complete under QEMU/OVMF. Physical-hardware validation is the next graphical gate.

RUNTIME TRACK · CERTIFIED THROUGH PHASE 12

Frames now owns a real native graphical desktop path.

The 0.9.51–0.9.62 train implemented the graphics surface, window manager, interaction, shell, GUI application path, desktop suite, session shell and accessibility before the combined external certification gate.

G0

Interactive Developer Preview

Keyboard-driven framebuffer console, native commands, FEX launching and SDK contract established the interactive base.

COMPLETE
G1

Native Graphics / Desktop Surface

Dedicated Desktop Preview policy, native framebuffer composition, dirty regions, cursor state, presentation queue and frame timing.

COMPLETE
G2

Native Window Manager

Top-level windows, create/focus/z-order/move/resize, decorations, shadows and deterministic overlap/presentation.

COMPLETE
G3

Input Routing & Desktop Interaction

Pointer hit-testing, click focus, capture, drag/resize routing, keyboard focus and live HID desktop event delivery.

COMPLETE
G4

Desktop Shell + GUI Application

Taskbar, launcher, status area and the first FAPP-backed managed native Frames application window.

COMPLETE
G5

Desktop UI Runtime

Window controls, menus, modal dialogs, themes, bitmap font runtime and reusable icon primitives.

COMPLETE
G6

First Desktop Suite

Native Files backed by VFS/HelixFS reads, Settings/Control Center, notifications and system status surfaces.

COMPLETE
G7

Session, Accessibility & Integrated Certification

Login/lock/session shell, keyboard navigation, focus ring, enlarged pointer affordance and 12-phase integrated GUI regression evidence.

COMPLETE
G8

Physical GUI Boot

Boot the certified graphical stack on real UEFI hardware from dedicated removable/external test media, then expand hardware coverage.

NEXT
G9

Consumer Desktop / 1.0 Hardening

Persistence, recovery/update integration, installer, broader driver coverage, accessibility/localization and release-grade polish.

PLANNED
CANONICAL PRODUCT PATH

Frames 1.0 and beyond

The original functional build order is retained here as the product-level map. Actual implementation version numbers may move as certification results change.

NOW

Certified integrated GUI desktop

Frames 0.9.62 v72-r1 remains the externally certified authoritative GUI baseline. Planned roadmap additions below do not change that certification record.

NEXT

Desktop fidelity + physical GUI qualification

Converge the real UI on the approved Frames visual design while taking the same native desktop onto controlled UEFI hardware.

0.9.65–0.9.67

Physical hardware + native input

Qualify display, keyboard, native pointer/HID, USB, storage, ACPI/power and multiple machines while preserving internal-media safety locks.

0.9.68–0.9.74

Writable HelixFS + installer/recovery storage

Crash-consistent persistence, snapshots/rollback, safe mount/recovery and a graphical installer with explicit target selection.

0.9.75–0.9.80

Identity + networking

Persistent local accounts/login/lock, permissions/capabilities, Ethernet/DHCP/DNS and user-facing connectivity controls; Wi-Fi expands as native driver coverage permits.

0.9.81–0.9.89

Core Applications Train

Make Frames useful as an everyday computer: Files, Edit, Calculator and Browser first, followed closely by Writer, Paint, Settings, Terminal and the rest of the first-party suite.

0.9.87–0.9.90

Application platform + Developer Tools

Complete FEX/FAPP install/update/signing contracts and ship Nexus Studio + the full Nexus SDK as an optional official Developer Tools installation.

0.9.90–0.9.95

Update, recovery, security + consumer polish

Signed atomic updates, rollback/recovery, permission enforcement, accessibility, localization, crash diagnostics, performance and daily-use hardening.

0.9.96

1.0 feature freeze

Freeze mandatory 1.0 APIs/ABIs, installer behavior, package/update contracts and release-scope storage formats except for blockers.

0.9.97

Frames 1.0 Beta 1 / Home Preview

Begin the free personal/home preview strategy with transparent opt-in compatibility diagnostics and real daily-use testing.

0.9.98

Beta 2 / hardware qualification

Fix Beta 1 issues and broaden physical hardware coverage using evidence from internal labs and consenting preview users.

0.9.99

Final release candidate + aggregate gate

Seal one candidate and require every mandatory kernel, storage, GUI, input, installer, update, recovery, app, SDK, security and physical-hardware lane to refer to that exact candidate.

1.0

Free Home Preview + Developer Platform

A usable native Frames desktop for ordinary users, plus an optional first-party Nexus developer environment and published FEX/FAPP contracts.

2.0

Windows + Linux compatibility foundations

PE/ELF loaders, isolated ABI translation, Compatibility Center and selective driver/application compatibility work at the platform edge.

3.0

Frames Lab

One-click target sandboxes, snapshots, debugging/profiling, cross-test and hidden virtualization for OS/kernel tests.

4.0

Hardware / media maturity

Broader GPU acceleration, audio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, laptop power and ARM64 Frames bring-up.

5.0

Compatibility expansion

Win32/DirectX progression, broad Linux ABI, macOS compatibility research and packaging ecosystem expansion.

6.0

Unified platform release

Polished consumer desktop + professional developer platform + broad isolated compatibility, with NXA research remaining an independent future-architecture lane.

Important roadmap-history note: earlier planning documents used version ranges as architectural labels. The real implementation train advanced differently as hardware-first and certification gates were front-loaded. Both are preserved here: implementation history above, product destination below.
CORE APPLICATIONS TRAIN

Frames must be useful to ordinary people before 1.0.

The default software package is now a core 1.0 product requirement, written as native Frames/Nexus applications wherever practical rather than treated as optional post-launch polish.

Priority order:Frames Files → Frames Edit → Frames Calculator → Frames Browser → Frames Writer → Frames Paint → Frames Settings → Frames Terminal → remaining first-party utilities

Frames Browser

Native first-party web browser. The 1.0 goal is a safe, usable browser shell with tabs, history, bookmarks, downloads, permissions and a staged Frames Web Runtime; broad web-engine parity is an incremental target, not a fake day-one claim.

Frames Files

Primary file manager with tabs, previews, search, removable media, FAPP/FARC integration and HelixFS history/snapshot surfaces as those storage features become writable and certified.

Frames Edit

Notepad++-class Nexus application with tabs, split editing, regex search/replace, multiple cursors, folding, macros, large-file mode and syntax/semantic support for major languages including Nexus.

Frames Writer

Rich-text editor / lightweight word processor with styles, headings, lists, tables, images, links, page layout, spell checking and export paths.

Frames Paint

A stronger everyday image editor than basic Paint-class tools: high-resolution images, full PNG alpha transparency, layers, masks, blend modes, adjustment layers, quality resampling, transparent selections/eraser, SVG/ICO/WebP support, asset workflows and HelixFS version history.

Frames Calculator

Standard, scientific and programmer modes with expression history, bit operations, bases, unit conversion and developer-friendly numeric tools.

Frames Photos

Fast image viewing, metadata, crop/rotate/resize and lightweight photo corrections built on the shared Frames Imaging Framework.

Frames Media

Native audio/video playback with playlists, subtitles, playback controls and reusable media services.

Frames Document Viewer

PDF and read-only document viewing so ordinary files open immediately on a clean Frames install.

Frames Terminal

Native terminal with tabs, search, profiles, Unicode, clipboard support and direct Nexus developer integration when the SDK is installed.

Frames Settings

Central control surface for display, appearance, input, networking, accounts, storage, applications, privacy, updates, accessibility and system information.

Frames Monitor

Processes, CPU, memory, storage I/O, networking, services, app resource use, hardware information and safe restart/termination controls.

Frames Capture

Screenshots and screen recording: display, window and region capture, delay, annotation and clipboard integration.

Frames Archive

Create/extract FARC and supported archive formats, with most common archive actions also integrated into Frames Files.

Frames Apps

First-party FAPP install/update/remove surface with signatures, permissions, storage and future repository/catalog integration.

Frames Help

Offline searchable help for Frames, with SDK/API documentation exposed when Developer Tools are installed.

SHARED NEXUS SERVICES

Build one coherent software platform, not sixteen isolated apps.

Reusable engines lower maintenance cost and make the default suite feel like one operating system.

Frames UI

Native Nexus widgets, layout, input, accessibility and visual system shared by first-party apps.

Text Engine + Syntax Service

Reusable editor core, language grammars, highlighting, diagnostics and Nexus-first semantic tooling.

Document Engine + Spell Service

Reusable rich text, pagination, export and spelling infrastructure for Writer, Help and future document applications.

Imaging Framework

RGBA/alpha-aware image decode, transforms, color, high-quality scaling, thumbnails and Paint/Photos/Capture integration.

Media Framework

Shared audio/video decode, playback, timing and device-routing services.

Frames Web Runtime

Browser-facing URL, networking, document, layout, scripting and sandbox layers staged progressively toward modern web compatibility.

Search + Print Services

System-wide indexing/search contracts plus consistent print/export plumbing for applications.

Developer Tools: Nexus Studio + the complete Nexus SDK remain official but optional, so a home installation is not cluttered with compiler/debugger tooling unless the user chooses it.
UNIVERSAL HARDWARE & DRIVER FRAMEWORK

Standards first, class drivers first, vendor specialization only where needed.

Frames should maximize hardware reach with native .fdrv drivers, generic standards-based class drivers and safe fallbacks instead of writing a separate full driver for every device model.

D1

Native Pointer / HID stack

USB xHCI HID mouse first, then PS/2 fallback and I2C-HID/touchpad work. Relative motion, buttons, wheels, hot-plug, high-DPI, raw input and compositor cursor routing are explicit product requirements.

PLANNED
D2

Universal bus + class drivers

PCI/PCIe, USB/xHCI, ACPI, I2C and common standards-backed classes: HID, NVMe, AHCI, USB mass storage, UVC cameras, USB Audio and other class-compliant devices.

PLANNED
D3

Vendor mini-drivers

Let vendors add device-specific features on top of Frames class drivers instead of replacing the whole stack.

PLANNED
D4

Safe fallback hierarchy

Exact native .fdrv → generic Frames class driver → later compatibility bridge where appropriate → safe fallback/discovery-only mode.

PLANNED
D5

Driver isolation

Capability-scoped MMIO, IRQ and DMA access with quarantine/restart behavior; imported or experimental drivers should not automatically gain unrestricted kernel authority.

PLANNED
Exact native .fdrv→Generic Frames class driver→Later compatibility bridge→Safe fallback / discovery
Scope rule: generic drivers can cover standardized classes such as USB HID/UVC/Audio and storage protocols, but proprietary GPU/Wi-Fi/biometric hardware may still require chipset/vendor-specific native drivers. The roadmap does not claim one universal driver can support every possible device.
FRAMES HOME PREVIEW

Consumer usability becomes part of the engineering strategy.

Frames still markets strongly to developers, but the product experience now prioritizes an everyday desktop that home users can actually use. A free personal/home preview can then expand real-world testing without silently turning users into test subjects.

Free Frames Home Preview

Plan Frames Home as free for personal/home use during the preview/launch phase so ordinary users can genuinely use the OS while expanding the hardware test population.

Opt-in diagnostics only

Diagnostics are transparent and voluntary: Off; Basic (hardware compatibility + crash codes); Extended (Basic + performance + detailed diagnostic traces).

Privacy boundary

Do not collect personal documents, browsing history or unrelated private content as diagnostic payloads.

Compatibility Center

Settings should show working, limited, experimental and unsupported components and expose Run Compatibility Test / Send Diagnostic Report controls.

Public hardware database

Aggregate opt-in compatibility evidence into a searchable Frames Hardware Compatibility Database by machine/model/component.

Growth loop

Free home users → more installations → more hardware evidence → better compatibility → more confidence → stronger developer incentive → more native applications.

Free home users→More hardware evidence→Better compatibility→More confidence→More developer incentive→More native apps
CONSUMER STORAGE LAYOUT

A simple GPT layout outside; HelixFS intelligence inside.

Frames should avoid a maze of hidden partitions. The normal consumer layout uses an EFI System Partition, an independent recovery partition and one main HelixFS volume, with logical State Domains handling isolation, snapshots and updates internally.

FRAMESEFI768 MiB · FAT32

UEFI System Partition. Reuse an existing ESP safely for dual-boot where appropriate; never reformat it without explicit authorization.

FRAMESREC~2 GiB · Recovery

Independent recovery environment for boot repair, HelixFS repair/rollback, diagnostics and signed recovery/update operations.

FRAMESRemaining disk · HelixFS

Main system volume. HelixFS State Domains separate System, Applications, Users, Shared, Temporary, Snapshots and Update Staging without forcing many physical partitions.

FRAMESTESTOptional · development only

Sacrificial diagnostic/certification partition for storage testing. It is not part of ordinary consumer installs.

Storage policy: no mandatory fixed swap partition; use a HelixFS-managed swap object. Prefer HelixFS generations/snapshots for atomic updates and rollback instead of wasting space on mandatory A/B system partitions. Dual-boot installs must preserve existing partitions unless the user explicitly authorizes changes.
PARALLEL WORKSTREAM

HelixFS · native Frames filesystem

Long-term target: FAT32 remains the UEFI ESP while Frames System, Recovery and Data volumes can move to HelixFS after disposable-media and physical-media certification.

H1early 0.9.4x

On-Disk Format & Tooling Prototype

64-bit superblock, UUID, extents, directories/file records, UTF-8 names, timestamps, backup superblocks, metadata checksums and portable format/info/check tools on disposable virtual NVMe.

H20.9.4x–0.9.5x

Native File Lifecycle & VFS Integration

VFS mount integration; create/read/write/delete, rename, truncate/grow, directories, sparse-file foundation, extent allocation/freeing, link foundations and bounded flush/readback accounting.

H30.9.5x

Crash Consistency & Recovery

Copy-on-write/transactional metadata, atomic root switching, injected crash points, deterministic recovery and corruption detection.

H40.9.5x–0.9.6x

Snapshots & Cheap Clones

Read-only snapshots, writable COW clones, snapshot metadata/deletion/reclamation, project/environment cloning and integrity verification.

H50.9.6x

Atomic Frames Updates & Rollback

Known-good system snapshot, staged verified updates, atomic activation, boot-health confirmation and automatic/manual rollback.

H60.9.6x–0.9.7x

Application Capsules & Developer/Gaming Integration

Per-app/project storage capsules, game mod profiles, isolated compatibility roots, quotas, permissions and restore/clone UI integration.

H70.9.7x+

Production Integrity & SSD Features

TRIM/discard, alignment, metadata redundancy, optional data checksums, compression/encryption groundwork, ACL completion, health telemetry and repair improvements.

H8late pre-1.0

Physical Media Certification

Progress from disposable virtual NVMe to sacrificial removable media, external SSD, secondary internal SSD and primary/system storage last.

Physical-media order: disposable virtual NVMe → sacrificial removable media → external SSD → secondary internal SSD → primary/system storage last. No HelixFS milestone by itself authorizes physical writes.
SYSTEM INTERACTION

Frames Voice

A permission-controlled system interaction layer—not an unrestricted chatbot bolted onto the kernel.

V1Developer Preview / early 0.9.4x–0.9.5x

Spoken System Foundation

Native TTS, selectable voices, spoken status/recovery/accessibility, privacy kill switch, bounded speech queues and diagnostic summaries.

V20.9.5x

Local Listening, Wake Phrase & Safe Commands

Certified microphone path, wake phrase, local STT option, push-to-talk, bounded command grammar, confidence thresholds, transcript and hard microphone-use indicator.

V30.9.5x–0.9.6x

Frames Capability Broker

Least-privilege named actions, permission classes, explicit confirmation for privileged/destructive actions, audit records and strict text/action separation.

V40.9.6x+

Conversational Frames Assistant

Natural-language system diagnostics, Nexus build explanations, process/app assistance, HelixFS recovery explanations and optional local/cloud reasoning with explicit privacy boundaries.

V5later 0.9.x / Frames 1.x

Proactive System Intelligence

User-approved warnings and completions only, configurable proactive levels, quiet hours, event history and no advertising/unrelated speech.

User speech / text→Frames Voice→Capability Broker→Approved Frames services→Spoken / visual result
LOCAL-FIRST SECURITY

Frames Identity

Passwords/PINs, hardware credentials and certified biometrics work through assurance levels and step-up authentication, with strong non-biometric recovery retained.

I10.9.5x

Identity Service & Assurance Levels

Native identity service, Levels 1–4, password/PIN, device credential, security-key foundation, biometric provider interface and multi-factor policy engine.

I20.9.5x–0.9.6x

Voiceprint + Voice Code Unlock

Multi-sample enrollment, speaker verification, phrase/challenge verification, liveness/anti-replay, deepfake-resistance work, rate limiting and PIN/security-key fallback.

I30.9.6x

Face & Fingerprint Biometric Unlock

Fingerprint provider framework, face authentication, depth/IR support where available, liveness, trusted sensor provenance and per-user protected templates.

I40.9.6x–0.9.7x

Multi-Factor & Step-Up Authentication

Policies such as voice+face, fingerprint+PIN or hardware key combinations, plus stronger authentication for security-sensitive changes.

I50.9.7x+

HelixFS Encryption & Secure-Key Integration

Identity factors authorize protected key release; biometrics are never the encryption key. TPM/secure hardware and separately protected recovery paths remain central.

I6post-1.0 candidate

Optional Distress / Restricted Session Mode

Conservatively evaluate an opt-in restricted-session authentication path without silently contacting third parties or emergency services.

Identity rule: voice alone is not the highest-assurance factor. Biometric templates should remain local/protected where feasible, and biometrics authorize secure key release rather than becoming encryption keys themselves.
LONG-RANGE ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH

Beyond x86-64 without delaying Frames 1.0.

NXA is a clean-slate Nexus execution-architecture research lane aimed at real advantages—capability security, tagged/protected memory, driver isolation, fast IPC, virtualization and modern vector/crypto primitives—not merely different instruction names.

NXA Research

Explore a clean-slate Nexus Execution Architecture with simple decoding, hardware capabilities, tagged/protected memory, driver isolation, fast IPC, virtualization and modern vector/crypto support.

Not a 1.0 dependency

Frames 1.x remains focused on ordinary x86-64 hardware. ARM64 and experimental NXA targets can be added without delaying the consumer preview.

Software-first path

Nexus → NIR/NMC → NXA target → emulator/translator first → FPGA developer hardware later → custom silicon only if scale and economics justify it.

Compatibility rule: NXA does not replace the near-term x86-64 path. It starts as an emulator/translator target and only advances toward FPGA or custom silicon after the OS and ecosystem justify it.
INTEGRATED FUTURE

How the workstreams converge

Frames is designed as one platform: OS core, Nexus, desktop, storage/recovery, identity, voice, compatibility and developer infrastructure reinforce each other.

EXAMPLE · SAFE UPDATE

Frames Voice requests an update → Frames Identity performs required step-up authentication → HelixFS creates a known-good snapshot → Frames Update stages and verifies → HelixFS atomically activates → rollback remains available.

EXAMPLE · SECURE UNLOCK

Voice code / PIN / biometric factor → liveness and policy checks → Frames Identity authorization → protected key release → HelixFS user environment → Frames Desktop session.

PROMOTION RULE

Design → Implement → Build → Execute → Stress / Adversarial Test → Fault Inject → Verify → Preserve Evidence → Promote

A feature is not described as certified merely because it compiles, renders once or passes a synthetic test. The same rule applies to GUI, Voice, biometrics, storage and compatibility.