🖥️ Console System

The Console System is responsible for providing both the hardware-level log buffer and the software-level user interface to display, query, and interact with logs inside a Computer.

It mimics how real-world computers differentiate between the hardware console (system log buffer, firmware/BIOS messages, kernel boot logs) and the software console (user-facing terminal, shell, or UI log viewer).

🔌 Hardware Console (Log Buffer)

  • A lightweight, low-level component.
  • Exists as part of the ComputerHardware layer.
  • Stores logs in a circular buffer (e.g. boot messages, system warnings, errors).
  • No UI — just raw data storage.
  • Accessible by both the operating system and developers.

Responsibilities

  • Maintain a rolling list of log entries.
  • Provide APIs for querying or clearing logs.
  • Expose events for when new log entries are written.

💻 Software Console (UI Layer)

  • Lives in the OperatingSystem layer of a Computer.
  • Represents the user-facing interface (terminal window, debug console app, or log viewer).
  • Reads data from the hardware log buffer and displays it.
  • May add features like filtering, searching, and color-coding messages.

Responsibilities

  • Provide a UI window for users.
  • Render logs from the hardware buffer.
  • Allow user interaction (scroll, clear logs, filter by type).
  • Act as an App in the AppSystem, which can be opened/closed like any other window.

🗂️ Relationships

graph TD
    Computer[💻 Computer]
    subgraph Hardware Layer
        LogBuffer[📝 Hardware Console (Log Buffer)]
    end

    subgraph Software Layer
        ConsoleApp[📟 Software Console (UI/Terminal)]
    end

    Computer --> LogBuffer
    LogBuffer --> ConsoleApp
  • Computer contains the Hardware Console (LogBuffer) as part of its ComputerHardware components.
  • The Software Console is an app in the OperatingSystem, which reads from the hardware log buffer.

✅ Example Usage

  • During boot:

    • The Hardware Console stores messages about initialization (memory check, disk mounts, drivers loaded).
    • Once the OS launches, the Software Console reads these logs and displays them to the user.

  • In runtime:

    • Game systems push debug/warning/error logs into the hardware log buffer.
    • The user can open the Console App window to inspect them.

📖 See Also