Learning How To Build A Linux OS

[Alexzee]

I'm taking the time to learn how to build a Linux os.
I'm thinking about using Live Magic and Suse Studio.

https://www.makeuseof.com/best-tools-create-your-own-linux-distribution/

What's you're experience been in building a Linux distro?

 

[KGIII]

Unless Suse Studio has recently reverted to their former self, it may not be as easy as it once was.

Once upon a time, it was awesome. (Ask the Gecko dev here whose name I've forgotten.)

You pointed and clicked, picking the software you wanted, and it spit out an .iso with all your customizations. It was so simple that I could do it. It was well and truly amazing.

The last time I tried it, it was all about containers and stuff like that. Gone was the easy menu where you were able to pick your desires.

 

[wizardfromoz]

What's you're experience been in building a Linux distro?

I built one by mistake once - it was a hybrid between Ubuntu and Zorin.

(Ask the Gecko dev here whose name I've forgotten.)

Sam aka @GeckoLinux

Cheers

Wiz

BTW I'll be interested to read how you go, Alex

 

[KGIII]

Sam aka @GeckoLinux

That's the name, thanks! I am quite horrible at remembering names. This is as true on here as it is in real life. I'm also a bit 'face blind'.

Anyhow, the old OpenSUSE tools were awesome. I spoke with said user about the change in the online system and he too lamented the loss of the tool as that's what got him started. He then told me how he currently made the distro and I completely forgot that last bit.

Some quick research:

Yeah, it was just plain "Studio" back then.

It was very easy:

Create Your Own Distribution Based On SUSE/openSUSE

Creating a Linux distribution may be a quest that many people want to archive; whether to share it with friends and family or to install it on work and

fosspost.org

They had the tool for ages but it just suddenly disappeared and you were left with needing to play around with templates that made no sense to my small brain.

 

[vs2-free-users]

Hi,

i have found this than is search for a preconfigured debain with my version and packages but i have currently not tested it.

Building a custom Debian ISO image — debian-live-config 4.1.0 documentation

If you want to begin on zero than this can help:

Welcome to Linux From Scratch!

 

[Alexzee]

Thanks for the details mates!

I'll look more into later on in the day.

 

[osprey]

@Alexzee, you may be interested in a few of the following observations about building a linux OS.

In recent times, there have been quite a few projects on github to build small or minimal linux operating systems. Here are a few examples:

GitHub - ivandavidov/minimal: Minimal Linux Live (MLL) is a tiny educational Linux distribution, which is designed to be built from scratch by using a collection of automated shell scripts. Minimal Linux Live offers a core environment with just the L

Minimal Linux Live (MLL) is a tiny educational Linux distribution, which is designed to be built from scratch by using a collection of automated shell scripts. Minimal Linux Live offers a core envi...

github.com

A "tiny educational Linux distribution".

GitHub - MichielDerhaeg/build-linux: A short tutorial about building Linux based operating systems.

A short tutorial about building Linux based operating systems. - MichielDerhaeg/build-linux

github.com

There's quite a bit of explanation on this at the github site.

GitHub - jaromaz/yosild: Yosild is a single shell script that builds a full, minimal Linux distribution based on BusyBox.

Yosild is a single shell script that builds a full, minimal Linux distribution based on BusyBox. - jaromaz/yosild

github.com

There's an accompanying video for this whose URL is mentioned at the site.

Although I haven't personally run these, a colleague of mine has done so with some success although he needed to make some adjustments here and there.

In my own case, creating a tiny linux distribution was based on the now well-out-of-date "Linux Bootdisk HOWTO" found here:

https://tldp.org/HOWTO/pdf/Bootdisk-HOWTO.pdf

That howto created a tiny linux system that fit on one or two 1440K floppy disks, and/or a CD. Although the last version of that document appears to 2002, there's still interesting information in it, though quite some of it no longer applies. The kernel, for example, used to have a bootloader in it to load itself but that's no longer so.

With many of the modern versions of small linuxes on github, one needs to be reasonably well versed in reading shell script if one wishes to see how the linux systems are constructed rather than just running the scripts to let them produce their outcome. YMMV.

 

[Alexzee]

@Alexzee, you may be interested in a few of the following observations about building a linux OS.

In recent times, there have been quite a few projects on github to build small or minimal linux operating systems. Here are a few examples:

GitHub - ivandavidov/minimal: Minimal Linux Live (MLL) is a tiny educational Linux distribution, which is designed to be built from scratch by using a collection of automated shell scripts. Minimal Linux Live offers a core environment with just the L

Minimal Linux Live (MLL) is a tiny educational Linux distribution, which is designed to be built from scratch by using a collection of automated shell scripts. Minimal Linux Live offers a core envi...

github.com

A "tiny educational Linux distribution".

GitHub - MichielDerhaeg/build-linux: A short tutorial about building Linux based operating systems.

A short tutorial about building Linux based operating systems. - MichielDerhaeg/build-linux

github.com

There's quite a bit of explanation on this at the github site.

GitHub - jaromaz/yosild: Yosild is a single shell script that builds a full, minimal Linux distribution based on BusyBox.

Yosild is a single shell script that builds a full, minimal Linux distribution based on BusyBox. - jaromaz/yosild

github.com

There's an accompanying video for this whose URL is mentioned at the site.

Although I haven't personally run these, a colleague of mine has done so with some success although he needed to make some adjustments here and there.

In my own case, creating a tiny linux distribution was based on the now well-out-of-date "Linux Bootdisk HOWTO" found here:

https://tldp.org/HOWTO/pdf/Bootdisk-HOWTO.pdf

That howto created a tiny linux system that fit on one or two 1440K floppy disks, and/or a CD. Although the last version of that document appears to 2002, there's still interesting information in it, though quite some of it no longer applies. The kernel, for example, used to have a bootloader in it to load itself but that's no longer so.

With many of the modern versions of small linuxes on github, one needs to be reasonably well versed in reading shell script if one wishes to see how the linux systems are constructed rather than just running the scripts to let them produce their outcome. YMMV.

Thanks osprey!

I'll look more into this over the coming week.
I'm still having symptoms of the flu and am not 100% yet.

 

[Alexzee]

Reading here now:

GitHub - MichielDerhaeg/build-linux: A short tutorial about building Linux based operating systems.

A short tutorial about building Linux based operating systems. - MichielDerhaeg/build-linux

github.com

From what I've read so far one can change the scripts and there are other things that can be changed and or selected as well.

I've never compiled the kernel before so this looks like it will be a good learning experience!

The flu like symptoms are leaving and I'm starting to feel better now.