I would like to apply for the 2026 google summer of code, specifically the Emulating missing linux syscalls project idea (as listed here: https://wiki.netbsd.org/projects/project/linux_timer/).
I am currently a sophomore studying computer science at the University of Dayton, Ohio (United States). For whatever my own introspection is worth, I like to think I am at least competent in C. I am familiar with unix-like systems. I currently daily drive Arch Linux, and have a basic understanding of the differences between Linux and the BSD's, NetBSD in particular. I heavily enjoy researching and learning new things relating to software, so I should be able to fill any gaps in my knowledge reasonably quickly through experimentation and reading relevant documentation. Relevant to this project, I have done a few projects in C, including a basic shell that can tokenize and run commands, a simple snake game using Raylib, and, more recently, a program that renders the Mandelbrot set as an image using LibPNG. I have also been working on a simple markov chain program using SQLite as the data store. (Most of these are sitting on my hard drive and have not been published anywhere, but I can publish/send whatever if you are curious) I have a solid understanding of system calls as a concept and own a few books on operating systems. I have moderate experience with GNU make, but I am aware there are some significant differences between that and BSD make. I have an unused laptop I have just installed NetBSD on (although I have played around with a few of the BSDs in a VM from time to time). I have not yet attempted to build NetBSD from source, nor have I experimented with CVS, but I fully intend to do so in preparation for the project over the remainder of the semester. I will have plenty of time during the coming summer to work on this project. Thank you for your consideration! Joseph Latvala
