Microkernels are operating systems that outsource the traditional operating system functionality to ordinary user processes while providing them with mechanisms requisite for implementing it. Microkernel-based operating systems come in many different flavours, each having a distinctive set of goals, features and approaches. Some of the most often cited reasons for structuring the system as a microkernel is flexibility, security and fault tolerance. Many microkernels can take on the role of a hypervisor, too. Microkernels and their user environments are most often implemented in the C or C++ programming languages with a little bit of assembly, but other implementation languages (such as Rust) are possible, too. In fact, each component of a microkernel-based system can be implemented in a different programming language.

We are the collective body representing Genode, HelenOS, GNU Hurd, MINIX 3 and Redox microkernel-based operating systems. Our cooperation dates back to 2012 when we first met at the FOSDEM conference in Brussels and organized the first track (a.k.a. a devroom) entirely dedicated to microkernels and related technologies. The Microkernel devroom has since become a de facto institutionalized feature of each FOSDEM. Now we also take part in the Google Summer of Code as a mentoring organization in order to function as an umbrella for our respective member projects.