Bedrock Linux

Bedrock Linux is a different kind of Linux kernel-based operating system, created to offer a distribution of Linux that borrows elements from various other well-known open source OSes.

It provides users with a rock-solid stable base

It is an independent, DIY and completely free Linux distro that provides users with a rock-solid stable base, derived from an open source operating system of your choice (Debian, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, etc.).

Then you can add as many packages as you want, from distributions like Arch Linux, implement automatic package compilation via Gentoo’s portage system, as well as to install applications that made Ubuntu so popular.

The universal Linux operating system

Bedrock Linux can be easily described as the universal operating system, as it makes it possible to install applications from different sources in the same container. For example, you will be able to install a package from Ubuntu’s software repositories and an utility from AUR (Arch Linux User Repository) on top of a display server from Fedora.

However, these are no more than simple examples, as the Bedrock Linux operating system will allow its users to mix things up as they see fit. There are no limits on how you can combine the elements from all known Linux distributions.

Includes exclusive functionality

In addition to the ability of ensuring that packages from different distributions of Linux can coexist in the same container, the operating system reviewed here includes exclusive functionality.

For example, you will be able to do distribution upgrades, while ensuring that things will never break thanks to its built-in rollback functionality, and the freedom to replace non-working package with another one, from a different distribution.

The downside of things

Bedrock Linux takes a long time to install, and it is not distributed as a Live, or at least an installable-only ISO image. Detailed installation instructions are provided by its developers on the project's homepage (see link above).

What is new in this release:

• Init system:
• Bedrock Linux can utilize any of a large number of init systems as provided by other distributions: if there is a distro out there that provides an init system you like, you're probably able to use it with Bedrock Linux. Openrc from Alpine or Gentoo, systemd from Centos or Debian or Arch, upstart from Ubuntu LTS (for now), runit from Void Linux, BSD-style from Slackware or Crux, etc.
• Installation:
• Some people prefer a polished, user-friendly installation experience which abstracts away some of the gritty details underlying the installation process. These people may choose a distro such as Ubuntu or Linux Mint. Others prefer a more hands-on approach and would choose something like Gentoo, Arch, or LFS. Bedrock attempts to make all of these options available.
• To install Bedrock Linux, one first installs another distro - Ubuntu, Mint, Debian, Gentoo, Arch, CentOS etc - then hijacks it, converting it into a Bedrock Linux system. Installation steps such as partitioning, setting up a bootloader, adding users, optionally setting up full disk encryption, etc, are all done via another distro's tools and process - almost any major distro, whichever the user would prefer.
• This hijack installation process is new to the latest release and is, at the moment, a somewhat manual process. However, this release lays the groundwork for future Bedrock Linux releases in which we may eventually distribute binary packages. These could be portable shell scripts, or if users find it easier, they could be packaged natively to the about-to-be-hijacked distro and distributed through something such as Ubuntu PPA's or Arch AUR.
• Eventually, one will be able to install a distro whose installation process/features is desirable, then trivially convert it into Bedrock Lin

What is new in version 1.0 Beta 1:

• brp was rewritten as a fuse filesystem;
• it now updates on-the-fly
• it now supports files other than just executables, such as man pages and .desktop files.
• A new client.conf configuration item, share, can be used in place of bind where users would like new mount points to be default global.
• Numerous improvements to brs:
• Now supports "update" which can add new configuration settings to existing clients without first disabling them.
• Now has hooks to run programs before/after a client is enabled/disabled.
• Various improvements to bri:
• bri -s now provides more output should a client not be properly enabled, such as if a mount point is missing or a mount point is not the type of mount point it should be.
• bri -m now indicates if a given mount point is "OK" or not what it is expected/configured to be (which would be indicative of a problem).
• Various parts of bri have been refactored to no longer assume PID1 is in the core in preperation for supporting init systems from clients.

What is new in version 1.0 Alpha 3:

• significant performance improvements
• brc (~1/2000th Momo's overhead delay, see here for benchmarks)
• brp (~1/4000th-1/100th Momo's execution time)
• significantly reduced number of mount points (~1/100th Momo's count)
• reworked configuration files
• brclients.conf now follows ini format
• brclients.conf now supports "frameworks" to reduce editing work
• capchroot.allow dropped
• /etc/fstab no longer necessary for adding client share items
• experimental support for using precompiled components from clients in core
• busybox (if static and minimum applets are met)
• linux kernel (with modules and initrd if required)
• moved bedrock directory from /opt to root
• removed (/opt)/bedrock/lib
• included new bri command

What is new in version 1.0 Alpha 2:

• fixed (harmless) mount warnings on boot (rcS, brc)
• support for static /dev (rcS, rc.conf)
• fixed (harmless) warnings during /tmp cleanup on boot and shutdown (rcS, rcK)
• switched TIMEZONE to TZ to avoid confusion (rcS, rc.conf, profile)
• If using udev, support setting which client's udev via UDEV_CLIENT (rcS, rc.conf)
• rc.local is now run before brs during boot (rcS)
• Bedrock Linux ASCII logo on echoed on boot and shutdown (rcS,rcK)
• Unmounting during shutdown prints remaining mount points to unmount. (rcK)
• added hashbang line to rcK.clients (rcK.clients)
• improved comments in /etc/fstab
• added PATH warning in rc.local
• fixed space quote/escaping issue (brc,brp,brl)
• improved brw speed, and added ability to store values to disk to further improve speed substancially.
• added explanation and examples to brclients.conf
• brp now recognizes BR_CREATE_MISSING
• brp previously created unnecessarily long paths in the brpath executable wrappers. Fixed.
• bru now properly accepts stdin
• bru now has a -y flag to automatically respond "y" to every prompt