Saturday, September 6, 2025

MiniOS, Jumped the Band Wagon of Trixie (13) Debian

MiniOS, Jumped the Band Wagon of Trixie (13) Debian

This distribution was uploaded 2 weeks. 

The direct upload breaks and hence go for torrent which includes all three images, standard, toolbox and ultra.

It is Xfce.

It is Persistent.

It is Debian.

It is Minimal.

No cli or network images.

I have been looking for a persistent volume only at the moment Easy OS supports which is a Puppy Linux derivative with limitation in application, especially AbiWord, hence I do not use it.

Starter Guide to Mini OS

 

Step 1: Choose the Right MiniOS Edition 📦

MiniOS offers three main editions, each tailored for specific use cases:

  • 🚀 Standard - The reliable workhorse for daily computing tasks
  • 🧰 Toolbox - Power user's toolkit with advanced system utilities
  • ⚡ Ultra - All-in-one powerhouse with complete feature set

For detailed descriptions of each edition's features and included software, see About MiniOS.

Download Options:

  • Official Website: minios.dev - Complete edition overview and direct downloads
  • GitHub Releases: Latest releases - All versions and release notes

For a detailed breakdown of packages included in each edition, see the Package List.

Step 2: Create a Bootable USB Drive 🔌

Recommended Installation Methods:

🖥️ Windows

🐧 Linux

🍎 macOS

🏠 From MiniOS

Additional methods: UNetbootin, Drive Utility, Original Method

Drive Size Requirements

  • Standard (787 MB): minimum 2 GB
  • Toolbox (1.2 GB): minimum 4 GB
  • Ultra (1.7 GB): minimum 4 GB
  • Recommended size: 8 GB or larger for comfortable operation with change persistence

Important Notes:

  • Each link above provides detailed step-by-step instructions
  • Recommended methods (⭐) are tested for reliability and ease of use
  • Choose the method that best fits your operating system and experience level

Step 3: Boot and Explore 🖥️

After booting from USB, explore the MiniOS desktop environment:

Key features to discover:

  • Applications menu (bottom-left panel)
  • System settings and preferences
  • File manager (Thunar)
  • Pre-installed applications (browser, office suite, utilities)
  • Desktop customization options

The default desktop environment is XFCE, providing a balance of features and performance.

Step 4: System Configuration 🌐

Configure your system language, keyboard, timezone, and other preferences:

🔧 Using MiniOS Configurator (Recommended)

Access: Applications Menu → System → Configure MiniOS

Key settings you can configure:

  • 🌍 Language & Locale: Set system language (e.g., en_US.UTF-8, ru_RU.UTF-8, pt_BR.UTF-8)
  • ⏰ Timezone: Configure your time zone (e.g., Europe/Berlin, America/New_York, Asia/Tokyo)
  • ⌨️ Keyboard: Set layouts and switching options (e.g., us,ru with Alt+Shift toggle)
  • 👤 User Settings: Change username, full name, and user groups
  • 🔐 Passwords: Set secure passwords for user and root accounts
  • 🖥️ System: Configure hostname, enable/disable services
  • 🔧 Advanced: Boot options and system behavior

How to use:

  1. Open MiniOS Configurator from the system menu
  2. Navigate through tabs to configure different aspects
  3. Make your changes and save
  4. Reboot to apply changes - settings take effect after restart and persist across reboots

Technical note: MiniOS Configurator modifies /etc/live/config.conf, which is MiniOS's main configuration file that controls system behavior at boot time. For detailed information on configuration parameters and their behavior, see the Configuration File guide.

💻 Alternative: Command Line Configuration

Immediate changes (applied right away):

# Set system locale for current session
sudo localectl set-locale LANG=en_US.UTF-8

# Set keyboard layout with switching
sudo localectl set-x11-keymap us,ru pc105 ,dvorak grp:alt_shift_toggle

# Set timezone
sudo timedatectl set-timezone Europe/Berlin

# Change user password
passwd live

For persistent changes across reboots: Use MiniOS Configurator or edit /etc/live/config.conf directly.

📋 Additional Configuration Options

  • Direct file editing: Edit /etc/live/config.conf manually for advanced users
  • Boot-time setup: Use Boot Parameters to configure system before it starts
  • Configuration file guide: See Configuration File for detailed config.conf reference
  • Pre-installation: Configure before installing with MiniOS Installer

Important: Changes to /etc/live/config.conf (via MiniOS Configurator or manual editing) require a reboot to take effect. Command-line tools like localectl and timedatectl apply changes immediately but may not persist across reboots without proper configuration.

Step 5: Software Installation 🔄

MiniOS provides multiple ways to install software:

📦 APT Package Manager

Basic Debian package management - use man apt for detailed command reference.

🔄 Module System

Advanced SquashFS modules for persistent software - see Creating Modules guide.

Key difference: APT installations require persistence to survive reboots, while modules are automatically persistent.

Step 6: Data Persistence 💾

Good news: MiniOS automatically sets up data persistence during installation! Your files, settings, and software installations are automatically saved.

How It Works

  • Automatic Setup: All installation methods create persistence automatically
  • Smart Detection: System chooses optimal persistence mode for your drive filesystem
  • Portable: Your data travels with you on the USB drive

Advanced Configuration

For custom persistence setup, see detailed Configuration File guide and Boot Parameters reference.

Step 7: Security Setup 🔐

👤 Default Accounts

  • User: live / evil
  • Root: root / toor

🔒 Important Security Steps

  1. Change passwords immediately - Default credentials are publicly known
  2. Use strong, unique passwords for all accounts

Password Configuration Methods

  • 🔧 Recommended: Use MiniOS Configurator (Applications Menu → System → Configure MiniOS → User tab)
  • 💻 Command Line: passwd live and sudo passwd root
  • 📋 Advanced: See Security Hardening guide for detailed security setup

⚠️ Never use default credentials on networked systems!

Step 8: Customization & Advanced Topics 🛠️

🎨 Basic Customization

  • Desktop themes and wallpapers via Settings
  • Panel layout and application preferences
  • Keyboard shortcuts and system settings

🚀 Advanced Configuration

🔧 Power User Features

Getting Help & Community Resources 💬

📚 Documentation

  • Official Website: minios.dev - Latest news and downloads
  • All Guides: Available in this documentation collection

🐛 Support & Issues

📖 Learning More

  • Debian Documentation: www.debian.org/doc - Since MiniOS is Debian-based
  • Linux Basics: General Linux tutorials apply to MiniOS

Welcome to MiniOS! 🎉

You now have everything needed to get started with MiniOS. The system combines Linux power with portable convenience - perfect for system recovery, portable computing, or daily use.

Next steps: Choose your edition, create your USB drive, and start exploring! 🚀

Clone this wiki locally

Footer

 Step 1: Choose the Right MiniOS Edition 📦

MiniOS offers three main editions, each tailored for specific use cases:

    🚀 Standard - The reliable workhorse for daily computing tasks
    🧰 Toolbox - Power user's toolkit with advanced system utilities
    ⚡ Ultra - All-in-one powerhouse with complete feature set

For detailed descriptions of each edition's features and included software, see About MiniOS.

Download Options:

    Official Website: minios.dev - Complete edition overview and direct downloads
    GitHub Releases: Latest releases - All versions and release notes

For a detailed breakdown of packages included in each edition, see the Package List.
Step 2: Create a Bootable USB Drive 🔌

Recommended Installation Methods:
🖥️ Windows

    Rufus ⭐ - Simple and reliable
    Balena Etcher ⭐ - Cross-platform GUI
    Ventoy ⭐ - Multi-boot support

🐧 Linux

    dd command ⭐ - Fast command-line tool
    Balena Etcher ⭐ - User-friendly GUI

🍎 macOS

    Balena Etcher ⭐ - Easy-to-use GUI
    dd command ⭐ - Built-in terminal tool

🏠 From MiniOS

    MiniOS Installer - Built-in graphical tool

Additional methods: UNetbootin, Drive Utility, Original Method
Drive Size Requirements

    Standard (787 MB): minimum 2 GB
    Toolbox (1.2 GB): minimum 4 GB
    Ultra (1.7 GB): minimum 4 GB
    Recommended size: 8 GB or larger for comfortable operation with change persistence

Important Notes:

    Each link above provides detailed step-by-step instructions
    Recommended methods (⭐) are tested for reliability and ease of use
    Choose the method that best fits your operating system and experience level

Step 3: Boot and Explore 🖥️

After booting from USB, explore the MiniOS desktop environment:

Key features to discover:

    Applications menu (bottom-left panel)
    System settings and preferences
    File manager (Thunar)
    Pre-installed applications (browser, office suite, utilities)
    Desktop customization options

The default desktop environment is XFCE, providing a balance of features and performance.
Step 4: System Configuration 🌐

Configure your system language, keyboard, timezone, and other preferences:
🔧 Using MiniOS Configurator (Recommended)

Access: Applications Menu → System → Configure MiniOS

Key settings you can configure:

    🌍 Language & Locale: Set system language (e.g., en_US.UTF-8, ru_RU.UTF-8, pt_BR.UTF-8)
    ⏰ Timezone: Configure your time zone (e.g., Europe/Berlin, America/New_York, Asia/Tokyo)
    ⌨️ Keyboard: Set layouts and switching options (e.g., us,ru with Alt+Shift toggle)
    👤 User Settings: Change username, full name, and user groups
    🔐 Passwords: Set secure passwords for user and root accounts
    🖥️ System: Configure hostname, enable/disable services
    🔧 Advanced: Boot options and system behavior

How to use:

    Open MiniOS Configurator from the system menu
    Navigate through tabs to configure different aspects
    Make your changes and save
    Reboot to apply changes - settings take effect after restart and persist across reboots

Technical note: MiniOS Configurator modifies /etc/live/config.conf, which is MiniOS's main configuration file that controls system behavior at boot time. For detailed information on configuration parameters and their behavior, see the Configuration File guide.
💻 Alternative: Command Line Configuration

Immediate changes (applied right away):

# Set system locale for current session
sudo localectl set-locale LANG=en_US.UTF-8

# Set keyboard layout with switching
sudo localectl set-x11-keymap us,ru pc105 ,dvorak grp:alt_shift_toggle

# Set timezone
sudo timedatectl set-timezone Europe/Berlin

# Change user password
passwd live

For persistent changes across reboots: Use MiniOS Configurator or edit /etc/live/config.conf directly.
📋 Additional Configuration Options

    Direct file editing: Edit /etc/live/config.conf manually for advanced users
    Boot-time setup: Use Boot Parameters to configure system before it starts
    Configuration file guide: See Configuration File for detailed config.conf reference
    Pre-installation: Configure before installing with MiniOS Installer

Important: Changes to /etc/live/config.conf (via MiniOS Configurator or manual editing) require a reboot to take effect. Command-line tools like localectl and timedatectl apply changes immediately but may not persist across reboots without proper configuration.
Step 5: Software Installation 🔄

MiniOS provides multiple ways to install software:
📦 APT Package Manager

Basic Debian package management - use man apt for detailed command reference.
🔄 Module System

Advanced SquashFS modules for persistent software - see Creating Modules guide.

Key difference: APT installations require persistence to survive reboots, while modules are automatically persistent.
Step 6: Data Persistence 💾

Good news: MiniOS automatically sets up data persistence during installation! Your files, settings, and software installations are automatically saved.
How It Works

    Automatic Setup: All installation methods create persistence automatically
    Smart Detection: System chooses optimal persistence mode for your drive filesystem
    Portable: Your data travels with you on the USB drive

Advanced Configuration

For custom persistence setup, see detailed Configuration File guide and Boot Parameters reference.
Step 7: Security Setup 🔐
👤 Default Accounts

    User: live / evil
    Root: root / toor

🔒 Important Security Steps

    Change passwords immediately - Default credentials are publicly known
    Use strong, unique passwords for all accounts

Password Configuration Methods

    🔧 Recommended: Use MiniOS Configurator (Applications Menu → System → Configure MiniOS → User tab)
    💻 Command Line: passwd live and sudo passwd root
    📋 Advanced: See Security Hardening guide for detailed security setup

⚠️ Never use default credentials on networked systems!
Step 8: Customization & Advanced Topics 🛠️
🎨 Basic Customization

    Desktop themes and wallpapers via Settings
    Panel layout and application preferences
    Keyboard shortcuts and system settings

🚀 Advanced Configuration

    Boot Parameters: Complete reference for system tuning
    Performance: Optimization guide for better speed
    Hardware: Compatibility guide for device support

🔧 Power User Features

    Custom Builds: Building MiniOS from source
    Module Creation: Advanced modules development
    Kernel Updates: Kernel replacement guide

Getting Help & Community Resources 💬
📚 Documentation

    Official Website: minios.dev - Latest news and downloads
    All Guides: Available in this documentation collection

🐛 Support & Issues

    Bug Reports: GitHub Issues
    Source Code: GitHub Repository

📖 Learning More

    Debian Documentation: www.debian.org/doc - Since MiniOS is Debian-based
    Linux Basics: General Linux tutorials apply to MiniOS

Welcome to MiniOS! 🎉

You now have everything needed to get started with MiniOS. The system combines Linux power with portable convenience - perfect for system recovery, portable computing, or daily use.

Next steps: Choose your edition, create your USB drive, and start exploring! 🚀
Pages 31

🏠 Home

📋 About MiniOS

🚀 Getting Started

    Quick Start Guide

📖 User Guide

    Hardware Compatibility
    Installing MiniOS
    Boot Menus
    Configuration File
    Boot Parameters
    live-config Parameters
    Session Management
    Kernel Management
    Security Hardening
    Performance Optimization
    Virtualization
    System Architecture
    Package List

🛠️ Development

    Building MiniOS
    Creating Modules
    CondinAPT

Clone this wiki locally
Footer

A Brief Overview of Mini OS

 A Brief Overview of Mini OS

From March to August 2025, the MiniOS project underwent a fundamental modernization phase. During this period, over 600 commits were made, including more than 300 significant changes affecting all aspects of the system: from the basic architecture and build process to user applications and the visual interface.
1. Core Architecture Modernization

    Transition to live-config: Our minios-boot initialization system has been replaced by the standard Debian mechanism, live-config. This has unified the live system setup process, adding new capabilities while retaining old ones. live-config has been adapted for MiniOS needs, particularly for supporting extended configuration, settings synchronization, password setup, and options for linking/mounting user directories.

    New Codebase: The system is now based on Debian 13 "Trixie".

    Transition to the Debian Kernel: We decided to abandon our custom kernel and use the standard Debian kernel in all editions. This will simplify future updates and maintain Secure Boot support.

2. Overhaul of User Utilities and Applications

Some key applications that come with MiniOS have been significantly redesigned, enabling modern graphical interfaces and expanded functionality. At the same time, new applications have been added that further improve usability for beginners.

    MiniOS Installer: The system installer has received a new, intuitive graphical interface. The installation logic has been improved, and the console mode has been removed.
    MiniOS Configurator: The system configurator has also been rewritten, becoming more user-friendly and functional.
    Drive Utility: This utility, a fork of mintstick, has been radically redesigned. It now features a modern graphical interface and new functionality:
        Image Writing: Supports writing image files (including .iso, .img, .bin, and their compressed variants) to block devices.
        Image Creation: Added the ability to create an image from a block device to a file, with on-the-fly compression.
        Secure Erase: An integrated utility for completely wiping data from storage media.
        Improved Logic: Fixed issues with disk display in virtual machines.
    MiniOS Session Manager: A new set of utilities for managing persistent MiniOS sessions, offering graphical minios-session-manager and command-line minios-session tools for session management.
    MiniOS Kernel Manager: A new set of utilities for managing Linux kernels in MiniOS, offering graphical minios-kernel-manager and command-line minios-kernel tools that allow you to package kernels from repositories or .deb files and manage different kernels on the system.

3. User Experience (UX) and Interface Improvements

Great attention was paid to the visual component and ease of daily use.

    Appearance and Unification: Work was done to unify the visual style across different desktop environments. The Greybird theme, which is standard for XFCE, was adapted and implemented for the Fluxbox desktop. This was complemented by updated wallpapers and icon sets, as well as the addition of styles for the correct appearance of QT6 applications.
    New Icons: Over 20 new icons for applications (including Audacity, GParted, Double Commander, VSCodium) were added as part of the elementary-xfce-minios theme.
    Universal Boot Menu: GRUB is now used as the boot menu for both UEFI and BIOS. All menu items are translated into supported languages.

4. Build System and Code Quality Optimization

The process of creating the distribution has become more reliable, faster, and more transparent.

    "The Great Cleanup": A significant amount of obsolete and unused code was removed, including old scripts for Fluxbox and duplicate configurations. This has made the codebase "lighter" and easier to maintain.
    CondinAPT Implementation: A new powerful script, condinapt, was developed and implemented for conditional package installation. This allowed us to move from numerous separate package lists to a single packages.list with flexible rules depending on the edition, architecture, and other build parameters.
    Script Improvements: The main minioslib library has been enhanced with new functions and cleaned of old code.
    Configuration Expansion: The general.conf configuration file was eliminated, and the build.conf file was significantly redesigned. In addition to the existing distribution, kernel, and locale settings, new parameters were added for detailed control:
    Caching Settings: Options for flexible cache management, including the use of apt-cacher-ng and creating a local repository from the package cache.
    Interactivity and Debugging: Long operations are now accompanied by a spinner. Additionally, a VERBOSITY_LEVEL setting has been added to build.conf to flexibly control the volume of logs during the build.

5. Documentation and Localization

    Documentation: All manuals have been updated. The documentation has been significantly expanded to describe every aspect of working with the system.
    International Support: Full support for the Indonesian language has been added. Existing translations (deutsch, español, français, italiano, português, português brasileiro, русский) have been updated and improved across all system components.


Jayaratne Pathiraarachchi Says Even after Prabakararan, Tamils are Destroying Ancient Stone Edits in the North

 Jayaratne Pathiraarachchi Says Even after Prabakararan, Tamils are Destroying Ancient Stone Edits in the North

Please visit his YouTube presentation

This is according to Jayaratne Pathiraarachchi who says even after Prabakaran, Tamils are deliberately destroying ancient Stone Edits or Sel-Lipi dating beyond 700 to 800 years, ago.

British have recorded them often with some intended and unintended errors.
The Archeology Department does not prevent this sordid acts.
 
Raj Somadeva who is a proxy of this project does not open his mouth regarding these acts even though Prabaakaran is no more.
 
Prabakaran of course named these places Death to Sinhalayos who dare to visit these places for investigative journalism.
 
Whereas Sepala Amarasinghe who openly destroys Buddhist beliefs and culture does not speak a word about Tamil vandalism of historical stone edits. 
He is only interested in his YouTube income.
He is an ace crook just like Sudath Thilakasiri who adorns himself with vulgar vernacular.
 
Anura Dissanayake is tacitly helping the Tamil agenda.
 
The Coconut Triangular started by Ranil Wickramasinghe and Cricket Stadium promoted by Anura Dissanayake are to help the Tamil politicians to do this vandalism unabated and destroy any remaining of the history of HelaDiva.
 
Of course, Indian companies promoted P.M. Modi would win the closed (not open, may have been already signed by Anura Dissanayake) tenders.
 
I am not at odd with Tamils who want to protect their own language and culture. 
It is too lat for Tamils in the North, when Indians take their own land in the name coconut triangle and Cricket stadium. Most of the Tamils live on hands to mouth existence and they cannot mount any protest if the land is grabbed by the Indians by force in the name of development.
 
We used to call the illegal Indians emigrants KallaThoni but now they are welcome guests.
 
Of course some of the Tmils tacitly help the political agenda.
 
While this happening Bokken Ariyamagga Kleppe with Norway's help has created a new geography of 4 religions.
 
Hela does not mean Siv or 4.
 
Siv Hela is a later development probably relating to the 4 rivers arising from the hills.
 
 Hela like Kanda becoming Kandy are British creation without historical facts.
 
Hela is another name for Kanda.
 
It is only two regions.
 

1. Jumbu Deepa

2. Lanaka Deepa

Hela Deepa may mean with Hills.

Death is only a prelude to Rebirth

Death is  only a prelude to Rebirth

This is an addendum to a a previous post here in this blog spot which I have failed to express, fully.  

Not to make an opinion on a discussion form elsewhere.
 

As Patisandhi (relinking) is the initial thought moment of life so Cuti (exiting), the final thought moment.
 

It is my belief as a medical man of yesteryear that Cuti citta and and Patisandhi citta are not separate but one process since the fertilized cell does not have a brain to generate another thought process. 

It is my premise that mind can exist without brain substance and this is my real medical explanation, which I am going to include in my book "Meditation Business".

However,  the thought process that exited the previous life would have some generative effect on the fertilized cell (not on a unfertilized cell). 

It is in the state of Bhavanga stream perhaps, for about 6 weeks until the primitive brain forms. 

In other words in a suspended state and not Antharbhava as stated by some Mahayana scholars.

It is the Javana state that propels it forward without the real Thadarammana existing.

What I want to say is that the mind energy is not static for 6 weeks but a functioning entity, all the same.

 

I do not engage in forums and following is a wrong connotation in a discussion forum heading the discussion.

 Not my view but copied from elsewhere.

In the process of death, according to the Abhidhamma, a person will experience cuti citta and then patisandhi citta will arise which will be followed by sixteen moments of the bhavanga citta, seven javanas, and then the bhavanga arises again.


They are the entry point and exist point of a particular life.