Silk Desktop Environment

Overview

Silk DE is not a traditional desktop environment. It is a deterministic UI projection pipeline running directly inside the SASOS microkernel's native display server. Everything is a projection of kernel-visible objects with zero state duplication.

Core Principles

• 100% SEX microkernel ecosystem: All components run within the Protection Domain (PD) system.
• SexCompositor as Foundation: Silk extends the sexdisplay server's SexCompositor via direct PDX syscalls. It is the sole compositor.
• Zero-Copy Everywhere: All graphical operations utilize PFN (Page Frame Number) lists for direct memory access, eliminating data copies.
• No Legacy or Shims: Avoids Unix sockets, IPC protocols, and other traditional OS abstractions. Everything is direct pdx_call syscalls.
• Minimal Userspace: no_std and bare-metal efficiency where possible.

Architecture (3 Layers Only)

1. Kernel Truth (SexCompositor owns this)

• Window { id, tags: TagMask, buffer: PFNList, floating_override, … }
• OutputState { active_tags: TagMask, … }
• River-inspired tag system: TagMask = u32. No workspaces, no containers.
• Visibility = pure math: window.tags & active_tags != 0

2. Projection Layer (stateless functions)

• fn project_layout(windows, output_state) → Layout
• fn project_decisions(layout, state) → RenderCommands
• No reactive state, no observers, no dirty tracking.

3. Input Pipeline

• sexinput → PDX ring buffer → SilkShell.handle_event()
• Events mutate kernel state; re-project; animate.

Components

SexCompositor (inside sexdisplay)

The minimal, no_std, zero-copy PDX-native compositor. Handles window creation, movement, resizing, layering, and damage tracking. Incorporates a built-in tiling engine inspired by modern WMs.

SilkShell

The main user-facing process, running as a dedicated PD. Manages:

• Panel (silkbar): 40px top bar with clock, system tray, and workspace indicators. Catppuccin-themed, 3-zone layout (launcher, task, tray).
• Launcher: Fuzzy search and application grid, driven by keyboard and gestures.
• Notifications / OSD: System notifications and on-screen displays.
• Gesture Recognizer: Processes raw input PDX events for gestures (swipes, pinches).

SilkClient Library

A minimal Rust crate for applications to interface with the Silk DE. Provides simple functions for creating and managing windows. Applications draw directly into their PFN-backed buffers, committing updates via SexCompositor.

Userland Fleet (Apps & Daemons)

App	Description	Status
silkbar	40px Catppuccin panel. 3-zone layout. HID clicks & applet registration.	Complete
silknet	Tray applet + 360×480 GUI. WireGuard/WiFi toggles via sexnet PDX calls.	Complete
tatami	900×640 Settings daemon (Display, Network, Sound, Input, Capabilities).	Complete
toys	Desktop widget framework (Clock, CPU sparkline, RAM, Calendar).	Complete
sexsh v2	GPU-accelerated terminal emulator.	Complete
linen	Dual-pane file manager.	Complete
kaleidoscope	Native Rust browser (servo port).	Planned
qupid	Pure-Rust VLC clone media player.	Planned

SilkTheme System

Manages the visual appearance of the desktop. Supports system-wide dark/light modes and accent colors. Enables smooth, high-frame-rate animations (60–240 fps) due to the zero-copy foundation.

• Blurred backgrounds
• Rounded corners
• Fluid scaling
• Colors: Catppuccin Mocha (Base: #1E1E2E, Text: #CDD6F4, Blue: #89B4FA)
• Surface: silk-client zero-copy PDX frames
• Font: sex-graphics CP437 8×8 engine

Key File Locations

• sexdisplay Crate: servers/sexdisplay/
• SexCompositor Definition: servers/sexdisplay/src/lib.rs
• sex-pdx Crate: crates/sex-pdx/
• sex-graphics Crate: crates/sex-graphics/