Current
New Mars has a novel scheme for ensuring copy-on-write semantics for memory pages in a way that minimizes disk write amplification when taking an incremental snapshot.
Current
One of the main barriers to writing an Urbit app is that the standard way to present a user interface is by writing it in JavaScript that runs in a web browser. This has advantages, but it requires writing code in two languages, and it means you can't stay in Urbit entirely when writing an app.
Current
Kernel and applications are both unprotected against malicious applications until userspace permissioning is added.
Current
New Mars is an experimental rewrite of the Nock interpreter intended for much higher performance.