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Build a Linux distro.

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hack3rcon
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Build a Linux distro.

#1 Post by hack3rcon »

Hello,
I want to create a Linux distro myself and don't like to use automation tools like "Linux Live Kit" and "SUSE Studio". I want to add and connect components myself and create the distro. Is LFS a right way?

Thank you.

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stevepusser
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Re: Build a Linux distro.

#2 Post by stevepusser »

Hmm--the only thing I've ever used is MX Linux's snapshot tool, which makes much of the work almost too easy. I used it to make this, for example: https://archive.org/details/mx19x64updated
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Re: Build a Linux distro.

#3 Post by Head_on_a_Stick »

hack3rcon wrote:I want to create a Linux distro
Please explain further, that's far too vague.

@stevepusser: the OP says they don't want to use automation tools. And anyway live-build would create an installable image without relying on MX's installer.
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Re: Build a Linux distro.

#4 Post by stevepusser »

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:
hack3rcon wrote:I want to create a Linux distro
Please explain further, that's far too vague.

@stevepusser: the OP says they don't want to use automation tools. And anyway live-build would create an installable image without relying on MX's installer.
That's true.

Does LFS provide an installer?
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Re: Build a Linux distro.

#5 Post by Head_on_a_Stick »

No it does not. LFS doesn't even provide a package manager so it isn't really suitable for general use, it's more of a learning tool.
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Re: Build a Linux distro.

#7 Post by hack3rcon »

Thank you, but I need a manual to teach me how add the packages together, which packages are needed and so.

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Re: Build a Linux distro.

#8 Post by andre@home »

Try your auto-didactic skills and report us your progress?
Fits very well with your goals.

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Re: Build a Linux distro.

#9 Post by hack3rcon »

Thank you for all ideas.
The distro that made by LFS not have any installation wizard?

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Re: Build a Linux distro.

#10 Post by Head_on_a_Stick »

Linux From Scratch isn't a distribution, it's an instructional text. The only "installation wizard" available is copy&paste :mrgreen:
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Re: Build a Linux distro.

#11 Post by oswaldkelso »

Probably the next step up from LFS
https://k1ss.org/
Forks encouraged https://k1ss.org/wiki/community/forks
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My oldest used PC: 1999 imac 333Mhz 256MB PPC abandoned by Debian

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RU55EL
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Re: Build a Linux distro.

#12 Post by RU55EL »

hack3rcon wrote:Hello,
I want to create a Linux distro myself and don't like to use automation tools like "Linux Live Kit" and "SUSE Studio". I want to add and connect components myself and create the distro. Is LFS a right way?

Thank you.
Why do you want to create a Linux distro? To learn about Linux, or for some other reason?

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eriefisher
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Re: Build a Linux distro.

#13 Post by eriefisher »

Instead of reinventing the wheel you could use Arch. You start with a base live system and pacstrap the system to get it started then install what you like.
____________________________________________
There's a manual?
Siduction
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Re: Build a Linux distro.

#14 Post by Bulkley »

eriefisher wrote:Instead of reinventing the wheel you could use Arch. You start with a base live system and pacstrap the system to get it started then install what you like.
Yes. Many distros offer net installs which are pretty basic. Take debian-10.3.0-amd64-netinst.iso, for example. What you get is bare minimum . . . kernel, a few CLI tools, a console and a cursor; there are no GUIs. It is up to the owner to build what he or she wants.

The learning curve is steep so my recommendation is to set up a virtual machine and practice.

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Re: Build a Linux distro.

#15 Post by cuckooflew »

hack3rcon wrote:Hello,
I want to create a Linux distro myself and don't like to use automation tools like "Linux Live Kit" and "SUSE Studio". I want to add and connect components myself and create the distro. Is LFS a right way?

Thank you.
The right way ?, If I tell you to just use the Debian base,and build on it,that is the "right way". But then
eriefisher tells you,use Arch, that is the right way,
eriefisher wrote:Instead of reinventing the wheel you could use Arch. You start with a base live system and pacstrap the system to get it started then install what you like.
Joe would tell you that using Opensuse as a base is the right/best way.
So what is the right/best way ? I am not going to tell you. I do know, but you need to first learn enough about Linux in general before you can decide what is the best way for you. Once you know and understand enough about Linux, you will know the best way to build your distro, if that is what you want to do. I don't see any reason to creat a new distro, there are so many. I do see a reason one would want to take a Linux base, Debian, Arch, or what ever, and build on it to build a reliable customized system.
I think that reading the LFS material is a good place to start,
hack3rcon wrote:Thank you, but I need a manual to teach me how add the packages together, which packages are needed and so.

If you need that, perhaps the BEST and the right way to start learning how to build your own Linux distro is to learn how to use search engines, your are NEVER going to get any where if you all ways have to ask someone to decide what is best for you, and all ways have to ask others to do your research. I sincerely hope that you can comprehend what I am saying, if not , maybe some one else can clarify.
For example, if you use the Debian base, some simple search foo, and you find plenty of manuals, tutorials on packaging, etc. Which packages depends totally on what the new distro is intended for..
Why limit your self to Linux ? Unix, is the original and only Unix, the BSD's are Unix like, Linux is Unix like to some extent, ...You might want to consider starting with a BSD or even Minix3, that is the best way, in my opinion. Below is some home work assignments, read them. Do not respond to my post until you have read them all.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... simple.svg
Licensing notes:

Linux was inspired by MINIX and Unix, but Linux and GNU code was written from scratch.
BSD was originally based on code copyrighted by AT&T, but over the period 1989–1994, was rewritten to purge all AT&T code.
The Single UNIX Specification controls access to the Unix trademark, owned by The Open Group.
Novell purchased the Unix copyright from AT&T, which it still owns as of August 2010 (see SCO v. Novell).
The Santa Cruz Operation purchased the right to develop and sublicense SCO OpenServer and UnixWare from Novell, which it sold to what is now (2010) the SCO Group (see SCO v. Novell).
IBM AIX is a licensed Unix derivative, as is HP-UX
=============================================
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_Standard_Base
=========================================
Last but should be first:
https://digital-domain.net/lug/unix-linux-history.html
The next version was 0.10, Linus was getting heady with success....

Version 0.11 was released in early December 1991.

As Linus wrote in his post to Usenet.

It's still not as comprehensive as 386-Minix, but better in some respects.

No SCSI support
No init/login, you go straight into bash as root.

There was a very basic VM, but it wasn't ready for proper use yet. You could boot up in 2MB, but needed 4MB to run things like GCC.

It was though, able to run standalone without the need for Minix. It had:

- demand loading
- code/data sharing between unrelated processes
- much better floppy drivers (they actually mostly worked)
- bug-corrections
- support for Hercules/MDA/CGA/EGA/VGA
- the console also beeps (WoW! Wonder-kernel :-)
- mkfs/fsck/fdisk
- US/German/French/Finnish keyboards
- settable line-speeds for com1/2
This was a big break through :
It was though, able to run standalone without the need for Minix.
====================================================
Taking a online course on logic and using logic to build your own Unix like distro should be considered.
I like this:
By the end, when you write your high-level programs, whether they're in C, Python, Ruby, Node.js, or brainfuck, you should be able to reason about how the code you write turns into low-level operations on the hardware. You will be able to cut through levels of abstraction to gain a deeper understanding of how computer systems work. After finishing this course, you will no longer take for granted the mesmerizing array of languages and tools that "just work." The path will be open for you to become a practitioner of the dark arts of systems programming who shuns Clarke's third law and who, when in need of a Linux machine, writes it in C.
Another hit says:
Tiny Core is a great weekend project: build the OS you want from 16MB until you----snip---
Yes it is a great week end project,... Learn how to use logic, search engines, and the CLI,
==================

Re: Build a Linux distro.
Postby hack3rcon » 2020-06-08 19:24
Thank you, but I need a manual to teach me how add the packages together, which packages are needed and so.
From:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_distributionA typical Linux distribution comprises a Linux kernel, GNU tools and libraries, additional software, documentation, a window system (the most common being the X Window System), a window manager, and a desktop environment.

Most of the included software is free and open-source software made available both as compiled binaries and in source code form, allowing modifications to the original software. Usually, Linux distributions optionally include some proprietary software that may not be available in source code form, such as binary blobs required for some device drivers.[1]

A Linux distribution may also be described as a particular assortment of application and utility software (various GNU tools and libraries, for example), packaged together with the Linux kernel in such a way that its capabilities meet the needs of many users.[2] The software is usually adapted to the distribution and then packaged into software packages by the distribution's maintainers. The software packages are available online in so-called repositories, which are storage locations usually distributed around the world.[3][4] Beside glue components, such as the distribution installers (for example, Debian-Installer and Anaconda) or the package management systems, there are only very few packages that are originally written from the ground up by the maintainers of a Linux distribution.
The manual is at you fingertips, and it is called a search engine. But you must learn how to use it, there is a learning curve. Mostly practice , enough practice and you will able to find anything you want.
Please Read What we expect you have already Done
Search Engines know a lot, and
"If God had wanted computers to work all the time, He wouldn't have invented RESET buttons"
and
Just say NO to help vampires!

Dai_trying
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Re: Build a Linux distro.

#16 Post by Dai_trying »

I'm not sure if it will fit your criteria, but I use live-build to create my own live-cd with the packages I want and very little that I don't, there is a learning curve with this and I found quite a few sites when researching that gave be bits of information about it. There are also some useful videos on YouTube that might help with this too, I found eznix to be very helpful when I was looking for information.

I wouldn't call this a new Linux Distro though as it is simply Debian tailored to my needs (including setting correct locales/keyboard/etc... for me), but that seems to be what many other "Distros" actually are (Debian with different wallpaper), but it might be useful to you.

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Re: Build a Linux distro.

#17 Post by cuckooflew »

Build a Linux distro.
Postby hack3rcon » 2020-04-19 21:58
Hello,
I want to create a Linux distro myself and don't like to use automation tools like "Linux Live Kit" and "SUSE Studio". I want to add and connect components myself and create the distro. IsLFS a right way?
Thank you.
If you plan on trying to distribute your creation, or customized system, then it becomes a distro, but that opens up a can of worms, the details I suppose are another topic, but if it is a distribution, one needs to consider the needs and "wish lists" of the other users, also one needs to be able to provide support for it, etc.
Any way, what Dai_trying says is a good starting point, building a working live "installation" image, that can be used on CD,DVD, or USB, the later is maybe the most popular.
@hack3rcon, have you even tried reading some of the LFS material ? I have the impression you have not, in fact sometimes I wonder if you even read any of the responses, but any way :
Postby hack3rcon » 2020-06-08 19:24
Thank you, but I need a manual to teach me how add the packages together, which packages are needed and so.
That is what "LFS" is, and you ask about it including a installer,...if you had read some of it, you would see for yourself, no it does not, and it mentions Debian, as well as others, most base systems come with a installer, .....In most cases the "net install" images are best, and good for a base system, that works.
Any way, why don't you just read some of the "hand book" material available? LFS is one of the most popular, but need to read some of it,..EG: http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/lfs/vie ... 1/how.html
The LFS system will be built by using an already installed Linux distribution (such as Debian, OpenMandriva, Fedora, or openSUSE). This existing Linux system (the host) will be used as a starting point to provide necessary programs, including a compiler, linker, and shell, to build the new system. Select the “development” option during the distribution installation to be able to access these tools.

As an alternative to installing a separate distribution onto your machine, you may wish to use a LiveCD from a commercial distribution.

Chapter 2 of this book describes how to create a new Linux native partition and file system. This is the place where the new LFS system will be compiled and installed. Chapter 3 explains which packages and patches need to be downloaded to build an LFS system and how to store them on the new file system. Chapter 4 discusses the setup of an appropriate working environment. Please read Chapter 4 carefully as it explains several important issues you need be aware of before beginning to work your way through Chapter 5 and beyond.

Chapter 5 explains the installation of a number of packages that will form the basic development suite (or toolchain) which is used to build the actual system in Chapter 6. Some of these packages are needed to resolve circular dependencies—for example, to compile a compiler, you need a compiler.
When I was reading the above, last night, I realized your questions indicate you have not read anything, probably do not read anything, and maybe are playing a game with us, but any way, others may find some of the answers usefull.
by hack3rcon » 2020-06-08 19:24
Thank you, but I need a manual to teach me how add the packages together, which packages are needed and so.
So read the book,
Chapter 3 explains which packages and patches need to be downloaded to build an LFS system and how to store them on the new file system
I am done with this now, we , l have to see what response you have, and then proceed from there.
Please Read What we expect you have already Done
Search Engines know a lot, and
"If God had wanted computers to work all the time, He wouldn't have invented RESET buttons"
and
Just say NO to help vampires!

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