A focused, experimental desktop system built on Void Linux.
Roadmap · Good first issues · Contributing · Architecture · Discussions
Aetheris OS explores what a responsive, hardware-aware Linux desktop can look like when the installer, driver setup, software center, first-boot experience, and system defaults are designed together.
Important
Aetheris is in the prototype stage. The repository contains working components, system configuration, package templates, and design documentation, but there is no public ISO release yet. It is not ready to replace a daily-use operating system.
- buildable Rust hardware-detection logic and declarative PCI/USB driver profiles;
- early installer, software-center, and first-boot application code;
- a working C and SQLite application preloader prototype;
- runit services, security policies, desktop configuration, and XBPS templates;
- architecture, security, packaging, and release-planning documentation.
The repository is currently for contributors and reviewers. End-user installation begins with the first signed developer preview.
Most desktop distributions assemble mature upstream components. Aetheris keeps that foundation, using Void Linux and runit, while experimenting in the integration layers where desktop usability is often won or lost:
- automatic PCI and USB driver-profile selection;
- a graphical installer and first-boot setup flow;
- one interface for XBPS and Flatpak software;
- conservative memory pressure handling and application preloading;
- Wayland desktop defaults for Labwc and sfwbar;
- explicit security profiles and Windows-application isolation.
| Component | Purpose | Stack | Maturity |
|---|---|---|---|
chwd_port |
Match detected hardware against driver profiles and apply packages or services | Rust | Prototype |
velocitymind |
Learn application transitions and warm likely binaries into the page cache | C, SQLite | Prototype |
velocityinstall |
Graphical installation and partitioning flow | Rust, Tauri, Svelte | Early prototype |
velocitystore |
XBPS and Flatpak software management | Rust, Tauri, Svelte | Early prototype |
velocitysetup |
First-boot account, network, privacy, and accessibility setup | Rust, GTK4, Libadwaita | Early prototype |
srcpkgs |
Void package templates for Aetheris components and kernel experiments | XBPS | Experimental |
config, etc, usr |
Desktop, service, security, and system overlay | Shell, system config | Experimental |
See the component status for known limitations and validation commands.
flowchart LR
hardware[PCI and USB hardware] --> chwd[chwd_port]
chwd --> packages[XBPS packages and runit services]
installer[VelocityInstall] --> system[Void Linux system]
setup[VelocitySetup] --> system
store[VelocityStore] --> xbps[XBPS and Flatpak]
focus[Desktop focus events] --> mind[VelocityMind]
mind --> cache[Linux page cache]
config[System overlay] --> system
Each component is intentionally separable so contributors can validate one part without building or installing the full operating system.
The safest first check is the hardware-profile utility. It does not modify the host.
- Clone the repository.
git clone https://github.com/amandeavor/Aetheris-OS.git
cd Aetheris-OS- Check the Rust component.
cargo fmt --manifest-path chwd_port/Cargo.toml -- --check
cargo check --locked --manifest-path chwd_port/Cargo.toml- Pick a scoped task and introduce yourself on the issue.
- Implement spring-physics animation timing configuration
- Document the hardware profile format
- Add a safe VelocityMind development guide
- Browse all good first issues
On a Linux development host with SQLite headers installed, you can also compile the preloader daemon independently:
make -C velocitymind CFLAGS="-Os -Wall -Wextra -Werror"The full build-iso.sh path is intended for an isolated Void Linux build environment. It downloads upstream sources, compiles packages, uses sudo, and creates a disposable build workspace. Read the script before running it.
You do not need operating-system experience to start. Documentation, test fixtures, hardware profiles, accessibility review, Rust error handling, and build reproducibility are all useful contributions.
- Read CONTRIBUTING.md.
- Pick an issue labeled
good first issueorhelp wanted. - Comment on the issue before starting so work is not duplicated.
- Open a focused pull request with the validation you performed.
Contributors who want to take long-term ownership of a component can follow the path in GOVERNANCE.md. Maintainer nominations are based on sustained, reviewed work, not follower counts or commit volume.
The immediate goal is a reproducible developer preview, not a long feature list. Current priorities are:
- make each component independently buildable and testable;
- replace placeholder or unsafe system operations with validated implementations;
- document a reproducible Void Linux build environment;
- test hardware matching with fixtures before it touches a live system;
- publish the first signed developer-preview artifact.
The detailed sequence and contribution-sized projects live in ROADMAP.md.
Use GitHub Discussions for design questions and ideas. Use issues for confirmed work. Please read the Code of Conduct, and report vulnerabilities through the private process in SECURITY.md.
If this direction is useful to you, star the repository to follow its progress and help other Linux contributors discover it.
Aetheris OS is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0).