diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 36f61ed1..fe1ee96d 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -10,14 +10,16 @@ micro_kernel.bin: $(KERNEL_SRC) $(KERNEL_UTILS_SRC)
 	nasm -w+all -f bin -o micro_kernel.bin src/micro_kernel.asm
 
 kernel.o: src/kernel.cpp
-	g++ -Wall -Wextra -O2 -fno-exceptions -fno-rtti -ffreestanding -c src/kernel.cpp -o kernel.o
+	g++ -O2 -std=c++11 -Wall -Wextra -fno-exceptions -fno-rtti -ffreestanding -c src/kernel.cpp -o kernel.o
 
-kernel.bin:  kernel.o
-	g++ -T linker.ld -o kernel.bin.o -ffreestanding -O2 -nostdlib kernel.o
+kernel.bin: kernel.o
+	g++ -std=c++11 -T linker.ld -o kernel.bin.o -ffreestanding -O2 -nostdlib kernel.o
 	objcopy -R .note -R .comment -S -O binary kernel.bin.o kernel.bin
+
+filler.bin: kernel.bin
 	bash fill.bash
 
-thor.flp: bootloader.bin micro_kernel.bin kernel.bin
+thor.flp: bootloader.bin micro_kernel.bin kernel.bin filler.bin
 	cat bootloader.bin > thor.bin
 	cat micro_kernel.bin >> thor.bin
 	cat kernel.bin >> thor.bin
diff --git a/linker.ld b/linker.ld
index 6bcd7a10..47dc2e93 100644
--- a/linker.ld
+++ b/linker.ld
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ SECTIONS
 {
 	/* Begin putting sections at 1 MiB, a conventional place for kernels to be
 	   loaded at by the bootloader. */
-	. = 0x10000;
+	. = 0x5000;
 
 	/* First put the multiboot header, as it is required to be put very early
 	   early in the image or the bootloader won't recognize the file format.
diff --git a/src/commands.asm b/src/commands.asm
index d23e019a..e03c756f 100644
--- a/src/commands.asm
+++ b/src/commands.asm
@@ -573,6 +573,8 @@ load_command:
 
     call 0x5000
 
+    jmp $
+
     call clear_command
 
     ret
diff --git a/src/kernel.cpp b/src/kernel.cpp
index cf3d751e..bf810e89 100644
--- a/src/kernel.cpp
+++ b/src/kernel.cpp
@@ -1,8 +1,66 @@
+void k_print_line(const char* string);
+void k_print(const char* string);
+
 extern "C"
 void kernel_main(){
-   unsigned char *vidmem = (unsigned char*) 0x0B8000;
+    k_print_line("hello, world!");
 
-   *vidmem++ = 'a';
-   *vidmem++ = 0;
-   *vidmem++ = 'b';
+    return;
+}
+
+typedef unsigned int uint8_t __attribute__((__mode__(__QI__)));
+typedef unsigned int uint16_t __attribute__ ((__mode__ (__HI__)));
+
+enum vga_color {
+    BLACK = 0,
+    BLUE = 1,
+    GREEN = 2,
+    CYAN = 3,
+    RED = 4,
+    MAGENTA = 5,
+    BROWN = 6,
+    LIGHT_GREY = 7,
+    DARK_GREY = 8,
+    LIGHT_BLUE = 9,
+    LIGHT_GREEN = 10,
+    LIGHT_CYAN = 11,
+    LIGHT_RED = 12,
+    LIGHT_MAGENTA = 13,
+    LIGHT_BROWN = 14,
+    WHITE = 15,
+};
+
+uint8_t make_color(vga_color fg, vga_color bg){
+    return fg | bg << 4;
+}
+
+uint16_t make_vga_entry(char c, uint8_t color){
+    uint16_t c16 = c;
+    uint16_t color16 = color;
+    return c16 | color16 << 8;
+}
+
+void k_print_line(const char* string){
+    long current_line = 0;
+    long current_column = 0;
+
+    k_print(string);
+
+    current_column = 0;
+    ++current_line;
+}
+
+void k_print(const char* string){
+    long current_line = 0;
+    long current_column = 0;
+
+    uint16_t* vga_buffer = (uint16_t*) 0x0B8000;
+
+    for(int i = 0; string[i] != 0; ++i){
+        vga_buffer[current_line * 80 + current_column] = make_vga_entry(string[i], make_color(WHITE, BLACK));
+
+        ++current_column;
+    }
+
+    return;
 }