Recycle Bin, ZIP and Task Scheduler

What is it?

This roadmap groups three shell services. The Recycle Bin keeps deleted files so they can be restored. ZIP support creates and extracts .zip archives from the kernel and the shell. The task scheduler runs jobs on a timer, such as clock sync and log rotation, and the at command schedules one-off jobs. None of its eight sections has shipped. The miniz compression library is already in the tree but is not compiled yet.

How does it work?

Today.

• Recycle Bin. Deleting a file removes it at once: vfs_unlink() is the only delete (vfs.h). The Recycle Bin exists only as a desktop picture that always shows its empty state (desktop.c); the full-bin icon exists but nothing selects it (icon_store.h).
• ZIP. miniz 11.0.2 is vendored at src/libs/miniz/ and recorded in PROVENANCE.md, but the Makefile excludes it from the build until its freestanding port lands. The port is owned by miniz Deflate / Inflate + ZIP in the kernel libraries roadmap, and is blocked on a caller-owned work area because miniz's compressor state is larger than the 4 KB kmalloc() limit. There is no zip or unzip command.
• Scheduler. There is no wall-clock job scheduler. Periodic work runs from fixed places instead: the compositor loop flushes the Registry on every pass, and the kernel log rotates its own LZ4-compressed buffer (System Logging). Kernel work queues (workqueue.h) and the 100 Hz timer are the building blocks a scheduler would use.

Planned design.

1. Recycle Bin core. Deleted files move into C:\Recycle\trash_NNNNNNNN\, with a plain-text .meta file beside them recording the original path, name, deletion time and size. Restore, restore all, empty and an automatic size limit.
2. Recycle Bin window. A File Explorer location listing name, original location, date deleted and size, with Restore and Empty.
3. miniz integration. The freestanding build of miniz with its allocations routed to the kernel allocator.
4. ZIP kernel API. zip_create(), zip_add_file(), zip_open(), zip_extract(), zip_list(); encrypted archives are refused with ZIP_ERR_ENCRYPTED.
5. Shell commands. zip and unzip.
6. Scheduler core. 16 job slots, each a function called every N seconds, checked once a second.
7. Built-in jobs. Clock sync hourly, Registry flush every 2 seconds, search index rebuild every 30 minutes and log rotation daily.
8. at command. at HH:MM <command>, at list and at cancel.

flowchart LR
    D[Delete] --> T[trash_delete] --> R[(C:\Recycle)]
    R --> W[Recycle Bin window]
    W -->|Restore| O[Original path]
    W -->|Empty| U[vfs_unlink]

What are its interfaces?

How do I use it?

It cannot be used yet. A deleted file cannot be recovered, and archives cannot be opened.

What is not implemented yet?

• Recycle Bin Core and Recycle Bin Window App, which is hosted by the File Manager
• miniz ZIP Library Integration, which depends on the kernel libraries port above
• ZIP Kernel API and ZIP Shell Commands
• Task Scheduler Core, Built-In Scheduled Tasks and the at Shell Command

Two built-in jobs overlap work that already runs elsewhere: the Registry is already flushed from the compositor loop, and the kernel log already rotates. Moving them onto the scheduler replaces those callers rather than adding a second one.

How does it compare with Windows 11 and Linux?

Windows 11 keeps deleted files in $Recycle.Bin as $I and $R file pairs, opens ZIP files in File Explorer, and has Task Scheduler with schtasks and XML task definitions. Linux desktops use ~/.local/share/Trash with .trashinfo files, the zip and unzip tools, and cron, systemd timers and at. Impossible OS has none of the three yet. The plan uses readable metadata files like the freedesktop trash, and a small in-kernel function scheduler with no daemon or task XML.

See also

• Recycle Bin, ZIP and Task Scheduler roadmap
• Kernel Libraries
• System Logging
• Service Manager and Core Daemons
• Desktop Icons