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Aider v0.74.2
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To implement a bootloader in Zig, I'll need to see and potentially modify:
- src/main.zig - This will likely need to be modified for the bootloader code
- build.zig - This will need changes to set up proper compilation flags for bare metal/bootloader
Could you please add these files to the chat so I can see their current contents and propose specific changes?
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build.zig
Add file to the chat? (Y)es/(N)o/(A)ll/(S)kip all/(D)on't ask again [Yes]: y
src/main.zig
Add file to the chat? (Y)es/(N)o/(A)ll/(S)kip all/(D)on't ask again [Yes]: y
I'll help create a basic 16-bit x86 bootloader in Zig. We'll need to modify the build configuration and create the bootloader code. First, let's modify the build.zig to support bare metal compilation:
build.zig
<<<<<<< SEARCH
const std = @import("std");
// Although this function looks imperative, note that its job is to
// declaratively construct a build graph that will be executed by an external
// runner.
pub fn build(b: *std.Build) void {
// Standard target options allows the person running `zig build` to choose
// what target to build for. Here we do not override the defaults, which
// means any target is allowed, and the default is native. Other options
// for restricting supported target set are available.
const target = b.standardTargetOptions(.{});
// Standard optimization options allow the person running `zig build` to select
// between Debug, ReleaseSafe, ReleaseFast, and ReleaseSmall. Here we do not
// set a preferred release mode, allowing the user to decide how to optimize.
const optimize = b.standardOptimizeOption(.{});
=======
const std = @import("std");
const CrossTarget = std.zig.CrossTarget;
pub fn build(b: *std.Build) void {
// Set up for x86 16-bit real mode
const target = CrossTarget{
.cpu_arch = .x86,
.os_tag = .freestanding,
.abi = .none,
};
// Use ReleaseSmall to minimize code size
const optimize = std.builtin.OptimizeMode.ReleaseSmall;
>>>>>>> REPLACENow let's replace the main.zig with our bootloader code:
src/main.zig
<<<<<<< SEARCH
const std = @import("std");
pub fn main() !void {
// Prints to stderr (it's a shortcut based on `std.io.getStdErr()`)
std.debug.print("All your {s} are belong to us.\n", .{"codebase"});
// stdout is for the actual output of your application, for example if you
// are implementing gzip, then only the compressed bytes should be sent to
// stdout, not any debugging messages.
const stdout_file = std.io.getStdOut().writer();
var bw = std.io.bufferedWriter(stdout_file);
const stdout = bw.writer();
try stdout.print("Run `zig build test` to run the tests.\n", .{});
try bw.flush(); // don't forget to flush!
}
test "simple test" {
var list = std.ArrayList(i32).init(std.testing.allocator);
defer list.deinit(); // try commenting this out and see if zig detects the memory leak!
try list.append(42);
try std.testing.expectEqual(@as(i32, 42), list.pop());
}
=======
const BOOTLOADER_ORG = 0x7C00;
const BOOTLOADER_STACK = 0x7C00;
export fn _start() callconv(.Naked) noreturn {
// Set up segments
asm volatile (
\\ xor ax, ax
\\ mov ds, ax
\\ mov es, ax
\\ mov ss, ax
\\ mov sp, %[stack]
:
: [stack] "n" (BOOTLOADER_STACK)
);
// Print welcome message
print("iPodOS Bootloader v0.1\r\n");
// Halt the system
while (true) {
asm volatile ("hlt");
}
}
fn print(msg: []const u8) void {
for (msg) |c| {
printChar(c);
}
}
fn printChar(c: u8) void {
asm volatile (
\\ mov ah, 0x0E
\\ mov al, %[char]
\\ int 0x10
:
: [char] "r" (c)
: "ax"
);
}
// Magic boot sector signature
export var magic: u16 align(1) linksection(".magic") = 0xAA55;
comptime {
// Ensure our code fits in the boot sector (512 bytes)
@export(_start, .{ .name = "_start", .section = ".text" });
asm (
\\.section .text
\\.org 0x7C00
);
}
>>>>>>> REPLACELet me also create a linker script to ensure proper layout:
src/boot.ld
<<<<<<< SEARCH
=======
SECTIONS {
. = 0x7C00;
.text : {
*(.text)
}
.rodata : {
*(.rodata)
}
.data : {
*(.data)
}
.magic : {
*(.magic)
}
}
>>>>>>> REPLACE
Now let's update the build.zig further to handle the bootloader build properly:
build.zig
<<<<<<< SEARCH
const lib = b.addStaticLibrary(.{
.name = "ipodos",
// In this case the main source file is merely a path, however, in more
// complicated build scripts, this could be a generated file.
.root_source_file = b.path("src/root.zig"),
.target = target,
.optimize = optimize,
});
// This declares intent for the library to be installed into the standard
// location when the user invokes the "install" step (the default step when
// running `zig build`).
b.installArtifact(lib);
const exe = b.addExecutable(.{
.name = "ipodos",
.root_source_file = b.path("src/main.zig"),
.target = target,
.optimize = optimize,
});
=======
const bootloader = b.addExecutable(.{
.name = "bootloader",
.root_source_file = b.path("src/main.zig"),
.target = target,
.optimize = optimize,
});
bootloader.setLinkerScriptPath(.{ .path = "src/boot.ld" });
bootloader.code_model = .small;
bootloader.pie = false;
bootloader.red_zone = false;
bootloader.strip = true;
>>>>>>> REPLACEThis will create a basic bootloader that:
- Sets up segments and stack
- Prints a welcome message using BIOS interrupts
- Includes the boot sector signature
- Is properly aligned at 0x7C00 (standard boot sector location)
To build and create a bootable image, you'll need to run:
zig build
dd if=/dev/zero of=boot.img bs=512 count=2880
dd if=zig-out/bin/bootloader of=boot.img conv=notruncYou can test the bootloader using QEMU:
qemu-system-i386 -fda boot.imgThis will create a bootable floppy disk image and run it in QEMU. The bootloader will print the welcome message and then halt.
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src/boot.ld
Create new file? (Y)es/(N)o [Yes]: y
Applied edit to src/boot.ld
Applied edit to build.zig
Applied edit to src/main.zig
Commit 78930cc feat: Implement x86 16-bit bootloader in Zig with basic BIOS message printing
zig build
dd if=/dev/zero of=boot.img bs=512 count=2880
dd if=zig-out/bin/bootloader of=boot.img conv=notrunc
Run shell commands? (Y)es/(N)o/(S)kip all/(D)on't ask again [Yes]: y
Running zig build
Running dd if=/dev/zero of=boot.img bs=512 count=2880
Running dd if=zig-out/bin/bootloader of=boot.img conv=notrunc
Add command output to the chat? (Y)es/(N)o/(D)on't ask again [Yes]: y
Added 34 lines of output to the chat.
qemu-system-i386 -fda boot.img
Run shell command? (Y)es/(N)o/(S)kip all/(D)on't ask again [Yes]: y
Running qemu-system-i386 -fda boot.img
Add command output to the chat? (Y)es/(N)o/(D)on't ask again [Yes]: y
Added 2 lines of output to the chat.
You can use /undo to undo and discard each aider commit.
I'll help modify the code for ARM64 and fix the build errors. Let's make the changes:
build.zig
<<<<<<< SEARCH
// Set up for x86 16-bit real mode
const target = CrossTarget{
.cpu_arch = .x86,
.os_tag = .freestanding,
.abi = .none,
};
=======
// Set up for ARM64
const target = CrossTarget{
.cpu_arch = .aarch64,
.os_tag = .freestanding,
.abi = .none,
};
>>>>>>> REPLACEbuild.zig
<<<<<<< SEARCH
// This declares intent for the executable to be installed into the
// standard location when the user invokes the "install" step (the default
// step when running `zig build`).
b.installArtifact(exe);
// This *creates* a Run step in the build graph, to be executed when another
// step is evaluated that depends on it. The next line below will establish
// such a dependency.
const run_cmd = b.addRunArtifact(exe);
=======
// Install the bootloader
b.installArtifact(bootloader);
// Create run command for QEMU
const run_cmd = b.addSystemCommand(&[_][]const u8{
"qemu-system-aarch64",
"-M", "virt",
"-cpu", "cortex-a53",
"-kernel", "zig-out/bin/bootloader",
"-nographic",
});
>>>>>>> REPLACEsrc/main.zig
<<<<<<< SEARCH
const BOOTLOADER_ORG = 0x7C00;
const BOOTLOADER_STACK = 0x7C00;
export fn _start() callconv(.Naked) noreturn {
// Set up segments
asm volatile (
\\ xor ax, ax
\\ mov ds, ax
\\ mov es, ax
\\ mov ss, ax
\\ mov sp, %[stack]
:
: [stack] "n" (BOOTLOADER_STACK)
);
// Print welcome message
print("iPodOS Bootloader v0.1\r\n");
// Halt the system
while (true) {
asm volatile ("hlt");
}
}
fn print(msg: []const u8) void {
for (msg) |c| {
printChar(c);
}
}
fn printChar(c: u8) void {
asm volatile (
\\ mov ah, 0x0E
\\ mov al, %[char]
\\ int 0x10
:
: [char] "r" (c)
: "ax"
);
}
// Magic boot sector signature
export var magic: u16 align(1) linksection(".magic") = 0xAA55;
comptime {
// Ensure our code fits in the boot sector (512 bytes)
@export(_start, .{ .name = "_start", .section = ".text" });
asm (
\\.section .text
\\.org 0x7C00
);
}
=======
const UART_BASE = 0x09000000;
fn mmio_write(comptime T: type, address: usize, value: T) void {
const ptr = @as(*volatile T, @ptrFromInt(address));
ptr.* = value;
}
fn uart_putchar(c: u8) void {
mmio_write(u8, UART_BASE, c);
}
fn print(msg: []const u8) void {
for (msg) |c| {
uart_putchar(c);
}
}
export fn _start() callconv(.C) noreturn {
// Print welcome message
print("iPodOS ARM64 Bootloader v0.1\n");
// Halt the CPU
while (true) {
asm volatile ("wfe");
}
}
comptime {
@export(_start, .{ .name = "_start", .section = ".text.boot" });
}
>>>>>>> REPLACEsrc/boot.ld
<<<<<<< SEARCH
SECTIONS {
. = 0x7C00;
.text : {
*(.text)
}
.rodata : {
*(.rodata)
}
.data : {
*(.data)
}
.magic : {
*(.magic)
}
}
=======
ENTRY(_start)
SECTIONS {
. = 0x40000000;
.text.boot : {
*(.text.boot)
}
.text : {
*(.text)
}
.rodata : {
*(.rodata)
}
.data : {
*(.data)
}
.bss : {
*(.bss)
}
}
>>>>>>> REPLACE
These changes:
- Switch to ARM64 architecture (aarch64)
- Remove x86-specific code and boot sector magic
- Add ARM64 UART output for debugging messages
- Update linker script for ARM64 memory layout
- Fix the build.zig errors and add proper QEMU command
To build and run, you'll need QEMU for ARM64:
brew install qemu
zig build
zig build runThe bootloader will now:
- Start at 0x40000000 (a common load address for ARM)
- Output via UART instead of BIOS calls
- Use ARM64's WFE (Wait For Event) instruction instead of x86's HLT
Tokens: 6.3k sent, 1.2k received. Cost: $0.04 message, $0.08 session.
Applied edit to src/boot.ld
Applied edit to build.zig
Applied edit to src/main.zig
Commit 36eb3a0 refactor: Migrate bootloader from x86 to ARM64 architecture
brew install qemu zig build
zig build run
Run shell commands? (Y)es/(N)o/(D)on't ask again [Yes]: y
Running brew install qemu
Running zig build
Running zig build run
Add command output to the chat? (Y)es/(N)o/(D)on't ask again [Yes]: y
Added 413 lines of output to the chat.
You can use /undo to undo and discard each aider commit.
I'll help create the LICENSE file and .gitignore. Here are the changes:
LICENSE
<<<<<<< SEARCH
=======
MIT License
Copyright (c) 2025 iPodOS
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.
>>>>>>> REPLACE
.gitignore
<<<<<<< SEARCH
=======
# Zig build artifacts
zig-cache/
zig-out/
# Build outputs
*.o
*.a
*.so
*.dylib
*.dll
*.exe
*.pdb
# OS specific
.DS_Store
.Spotlight-V100
.Trashes
ehthumbs.db
Thumbs.db
>>>>>>> REPLACE
After adding these files, you should commit them:
git add LICENSE .gitignore
git commit -m "chore: Add MIT License and gitignore"Tokens: 16k sent, 363 received. Cost: $0.05 message, $0.14 session.
LICENSE
Create new file? (Y)es/(N)o [Yes]: y
.gitignore
Allow edits to file that has not been added to the chat? (Y)es/(N)o [Yes]: y
Committing .gitignore before applying edits.
Commit 0ec6342 chore: Add .gitignore for aider chat and input history files
Applied edit to .gitignore
Applied edit to LICENSE
Commit 8f97e33 chore: Add MIT License and gitignore
git add LICENSE .gitignore
git commit -m "chore: Add MIT License and gitignore"
Run shell commands? (Y)es/(N)o/(D)on't ask again [Yes]: y
Running git add LICENSE .gitignore
Running git commit -m "chore: Add MIT License and gitignore"
Add command output to the chat? (Y)es/(N)o/(D)on't ask again [Yes]: y
Added 5 lines of output to the chat.
You can use /undo to undo and discard each aider commit.
I notice you've shared the rules for SEARCH/REPLACE blocks. Let me know what changes you'd like to make to the code and I'll help implement them using the proper SEARCH/REPLACE block format.
For now, I see that you've successfully:
- Added the MIT license
- Added the .gitignore file
- Committed the changes
- Set up the remote origin and pushed to master
What would you like to work on next?
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