[steve8918]

I don't think writing your own OS is as difficult as people are saying. You're not trying to compete against Windows or Linux, you just want to get something up and running. I'm sure bugs and crashes will be prevalent, but I'm sure it would be a great project.

A really, really good book for this that I've read is "Developing Your Own 32-Bit Operating System" by Richard Burgess. It starts you from the beginning, and walks you through all the steps in writing a really basic OS.

It's old and out of print, but it's definitely the best one I've seen.

Edit: I just found the website, they are offering the book free here:

http://www.ipdatacorp.com/mmurtl.html

[bproctor]

I've wrote my own OS back in the late '90s based heavily on this book. Probably one of the best learning experiences I've had. I'm not sure how relevant it is today. I'd love to see a second edition brought up to date.