Running Linux on a Commodore 64: Unveiling the Possibilities
Developer Onno Kortman has successfully run Linux on a Commodore 64 using llvm-mos, an adaptation of the LLVM compiler for the MOS 6502 processor. The process requires a RAM Expansion Unit (REU) due to the limited 64KiB memory. The emulator, called semu, is capable of running the Linux kernel and corresponding userland, albeit slowly. Kortman believes there is room for optimization, potentially improving performance by a factor of 10x. The next challenge is to test it on real hardware, and Kortman is encouraging others to share timelapse videos of an original unit with REU booting Linux.