Target Audience

The primary target of the KISS kernel are embedded and realtime systems. These can range from 8-bit microcontrollers with 200 bytes of memory to distributed 64-bit SMP multiprocessors with 10 GB of main memory each. While at this time, only two example kernels suitable for computers with 16K of RAM or more, further examples will be implemented in future years, detailing the implementation of a distributed system, a memory protected system and a tightly coupled multiprocessor.

Typical applications are microwave ovens, cars, airplanes, missiles and medical apparatus. But more recently, embedded kernels have found a use in personal digital assistants and set-top boxes.

Users of desktop systems are increasingly expecting audio/visual applications to run in realtime. Eventually, all desktop operating systems will also be based on a realtime kernel, and there is no architectural limitation preventing KISS from being an alternative.