Discussion
For the string-centric hardware I re-synopsized yesterday... What process do I imagine using to turn such a system on?
For starters I think I'd suggest that the "Arithmetic Core" would be left on at all times to count the time. So I'd have it forward power-button interrupts onto the "Parsing Unit".
The Parsing Unit in turn would defer to the "Output Unit" before starting a mainloop implement the core of a microkernel. Including harvesting *some* external entropy.
1/3?
I'd store data storage & filesystem drivers in its initial page, alongside a linker. Once it also loads a lightweight font & USB driver it could run an optional boot authenticator. Followed by a bootloader, providing emergency debugging tools.
This would finally run a chosen init script to start the rest.
All with security measures preventing online malware from messing the system, without preventing you from doing so.
3/3!
P.S. USB & filesystems will be described in great detail soon!
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I'd then have our Output Unit load (and might as well decompress) some firmware to complete that micro-kernel, before powering more of the device on & fetching code from the 1st page of some NAND flash to execute.
This micro-kernel would include include Arithmetic Core code to mix external entropy & trigger timeouts for the Parsing Unit to dispatch. As well as limits on the Parsing Unit machine code that can be generated, & the ability to merge grammars despite this.
2/3?