L1 LINUX / BUILT FROM SOURCE IN DEVELOPMENT
A SMALL SYSTEM FOR A WIDER ORBIT / 001

Less between
you and the
machine.

A compact Linux system with s6 at its heart, LPM for source packages, and no GNU components in the target image.

View requirements Explore the system
01 / THE SYSTEMSCROLL TO EXPLORE ↓
FIG. 01 — SYSTEM MAPASTRA / ARTEMIS
ROOT / 00L1LINUX SYSTEM

01 / SYSTEMWhat runs L1

01 / INITs6Supervised services 02 / PACKAGESLPMBuild from source 03 / USERLANDNo GNUIn the target image

02 / MACHINEWhere it runs

04 / CPU32 / 64 biti686 + x86_64 05 / FIRMWAREBIOS + UEFILegacy + modern boot 06 / FOOTPRINT~70 MBISO · 256 MiB RAM
EXPLORE / L1Trace a branch to see how each part fits.06 PARTS
~70MBISO FOOTPRINT
s6INIT SYSTEM
LPMSOURCE PACKAGES
0GNU RUNTIME COMPONENTS
/ 01 THE APPROACH

A system with
nothing to hide.

Every layer earns its place. L1 starts with a compact base and leaves the rest in your hands.

No heavy default desktop. A clear starting point for the machine you want to build.

Look under the hood ↗
KEEP THE ESSENTIALS. QUESTION THE REST.
/ 02 UNDER THE HOOD

Small choices.
Big difference.

The boot path is short enough to explain. Each piece has a clear job.

FROM POWER TO PROMPTSCROLL TO ASSEMBLE ↓

Scroll through the boot path, or select a layer to inspect it.

A clear path
through the machine.

  1. 01 / FIRMWARE

    BIOS or UEFI

    The boot path starts on older BIOS machines and newer UEFI systems.

  2. 02 / BOOTLOADER

    Limine

    Limine loads the Linux kernel and passes control to the system.

  3. 03 / FOUNDATION

    Linux + musl

    The kernel brings up the machine. musl supplies the C library for the compact userland.

  4. 04 / INIT

    s6

    s6 starts services and keeps them under supervision.

  5. 05 / INTERFACE

    Shell

    A small base is ready to shape with packages built through LPM.

01

s6 / service supervision

s6 handles init and keeps services under supervision. Services run as visible, separate processes instead of disappearing into a single opaque startup script.

02

LPM / packages from source

Readable .l1pm recipes name the source, dependencies, and build steps. LPM can plan the work before building and installing a package.

03

musl + dash / a compact base

musl provides the C library and dash provides the shell. They help keep the target system small and direct.

04

No GNU runtime in the image

GNU tools may be used to build L1 on the host; the target image excludes GNU runtime components.

/ 03 HARDWARE & BOOT

What L1
asks of a machine.

Two architectures, legacy and modern firmware, and a small memory target.

A / ARCHITECTUREx86_64 64-bit
i686 32-bit

Separate 64-bit and 32-bit builds.

B / FIRMWAREBIOS non-UEFI
UEFI

Boot paths for legacy and UEFI systems.

C / MEMORY256 MiB RAM

Lowest tested boot memory. Compiler workloads need more.

D / STORAGE TARGETS300 MB standard
8 GB netinstall

Planned storage profiles for the two editions.

Current whole-disk installer needs at least 512 MiB of disk space. The 300 MB standard profile is a target for a future release.

TRY YOUR CONFIGURATION

How small can you go?

Compare your machine with the published development figures. This checks capacity only; it cannot detect devices or confirm driver support.

Choose a configuration.

The current development installer needs at least 512 MiB of disk space. Planned edition targets differ.

EDITION TARGETS

Both profiles share the same small-system direction. Their storage figures are release targets.

PROFILE 01PLANNED

Standard

A compact base you can install and shape yourself.

  • 300 MBstorage target
  • s6 + LPMcore tools
  • ~70 MBISO class
PROFILE 02PLANNED

Netinstall

A network-assisted path with space for a larger source-based system.

  • 8 GBstorage target
  • Networkpackage delivery goal
  • Toolchainroom for source builds
/ 04 ON THE ROADMAP
PLANNED / RT_HDK

Drivers for the
hardware at hand.

RT_HDK is the planned real-time driver and kernel compilation system. Its aim is to match a machine's hardware with driver source and build the needed support during setup.

The current boot image reports unsupported hardware. It does not compile missing drivers yet.

01 / DETECTRead the hardware

Identify devices that need a driver.

02 / BUILDCompile the match

Use a prepared kernel and toolchain workspace.

03 / CHECKVerify the result

Test the built support before it is used.

/ 05 LPM / THE PACKAGE MANAGER

Packages,
without the fog.

LPM uses readable recipes for sources, dependencies, and build steps, so the path from source to installed package stays visible.

RECIPE.l1pmRESULTtracked install
EXAMPLE / LPM PLANLLVM.l1pm
l1 ~ $ lpm plan LLVM.l1pm --repo recipes

[lpm] reading recipe: LLVM.l1pm
[lpm] resolving dependencies
├─ CMake
├─ Ninja
└─ LLVM

✓ build plan ready
ILLUSTRATIVE SESSIONPLAN ONLY / NO INSTALL

From recipe to recorded files.

FOUR STAGES / ONE BUILD PATH
  1. 01 / READ

    Load a .l1pm recipe and its dependencies.

  2. 02 / VERIFY

    Check source hashes or a pinned commit.

  3. 03 / BUILD

    Run the recipe steps in a prepared work area.

  4. 04 / RECORD

    Install files and track the package.

ILLUSTRATIVE WALKTHROUGH / 01

Start with a readable recipe.

A .l1pm recipe describes the package source, dependencies, and build steps. Planning exposes those dependencies before the build starts.

recipe → source location
       → dependencies
       → build steps
lpm plan LLVM.l1pm --repo recipes
/ 06 MISSION LOG
ACTIVE DEVELOPMENT

Built in the open.
Still taking shape.

The boot core, s6 setup, and LPM are the foundation. RT_HDK and the storage profiles above are release goals. Public download details will appear when the image is ready.

PUBLIC DOWNLOAD / NOT YET AVAILABLE
01 / TESTED IN DEVELOPMENT

Booted in QEMU

x86_64 UEFI installation and i686 BIOS installation have booted in QEMU with 256 MiB RAM and a 512 MiB disk.

02 / STILL TO BUILD

Release goals

Public release images, the 300 MB standard profile, the 8 GB netinstall profile, and RT_HDK driver compilation.

BEFORE YOU TRY IT

A few practical answers.

Does a 70 MB ISO mean a 70 MB installation?

No. The ISO is the boot image. Installed files, package sources, build tools, temporary build files, and your own data need additional disk space. The standard and netinstall figures describe separate storage targets.

Can I compile packages with 256 MiB of RAM?

256 MiB is the boot figure shown for development testing. It is not a general compilation requirement. Memory and temporary disk use depend on the package and the number of parallel build jobs; larger packages need more resources.

Which image should I choose for an older PC?

The architecture targets are i686 for 32-bit x86 and x86_64 for 64-bit x86. BIOS and UEFI describe the boot firmware, so check the processor architecture and firmware separately. ARM is not among the listed targets.

What does “no GNU” cover?

The target image excludes GNU runtime components. L1’s described base uses musl for the C library and dash for the shell. GNU tools may still be used on the host machine to build L1.

Will RT_HDK build missing drivers today?

RT_HDK is a planned feature. The current image reports unsupported hardware; automatic compilation of missing drivers is still a release goal.

Where can I get an ISO or follow releases?

A public download is not yet listed on this site. Follow development in the L1 Telegram group ↗ for release announcements and testing updates.

FOLLOW THE BUILDSee L1 take shape.
Join the Telegram group