MiniOS

Overview

MiniOS is a free, open-source, lightweight Linux distribution based on Debian, designed for USB installation and portability, emphasizing modularity, speed, and stability. Maintained by a team of Russian developers and hosted on minios.dev and GitHub, it supports x86_64 (amd64) and arm64 (aarch64) architectures, and is suitable for desktops, laptops, and embedded devices. It provides the XFCE desktop environment. MiniOS uses a fixed release model and modular configuration, allowing users to add/remove components. ISO sizes range from 376 MB (Minimum) to 1790 MB (Ultra), and it supports both UEFI and Legacy BIOS booting. It uses the apt package manager, comes pre-installed with essential tools such as Firefox, LibreOffice, and VLC, and supports multiple languages (English, Russian, Spanish, and others, with Chinese configured via XFCE).

History and Development

• Origins:
  • 2009: The MiniOS project was launched, initially based on Mandriva Linux, as a live distribution designed for USB drives, with the goal of creating a portable, modular system.
  • Early versions, called MiniOS Toolbox, focused on system maintenance and diagnostics.
• Development History:
  • 2010s: Early versions were based on Mandriva, providing basic modular configurations.
  • 2020: The project was relaunched, migrating to a Debian base, and the modern MiniOS release introduced XFCE and multiple variants (Flux, Minimal, Standard, Maximum, Ultra, Puzzle).
  • 2023: MiniOS 3.3 was released, with an optimized installer and support for MMC and the exFAT file system.
  • August 2024: MiniOS 3.3.4 was released, updating the kernel to 6.1.90 and improving scripting and icon themes.
  • December 9, 2024: MiniOS 4.0 was released, introducing a new Toolbox version, the elementary-minios icon theme 0.19, and a GRUB boot menu with support for UEFI/BIOS and multiple languages.
• Community and Support:
  • Maintained by a Russian team, hosted on minios.dev, GitHub, and SourceForge.
  • Supports English and Russian (with some Chinese settings available via XFCE). Documentation includes a wiki and configuration guides.
  • A Reddit user called MiniOS 4.0 "the new favorite of USB Linux."
• Open Source Licenses:
  • GPL v3 (core scripts), MIT (some tools).

Key Features

MiniOS is built around modularity, portability, and a Debian foundation, making it suitable for USB storage and recovery tasks. Here are its key features:

1. Modular Configuration
   • Customize modules through the general.conf and build.conf files, supporting file systems such as FAT32, NTFS, and exFAT.
2. Multiple Versions
   • Available in Flux (minimal), Minimum (basic), Standard (standard), Maximum (extended), Ultra (full), and Puzzle (testing) variants, with disk sizes ranging from 376 to 1790 MB.
3. USB Portability
   • Supports USB boot and persistent storage, no hard drive installation required, and UEFI/BIOS support.
4. Debian Repository
   • Based on Debian 12 "Bookworm," using apt package management.
5. Hardware Compatibility
   • Supports x86_64 and arm64, with kernel 6.1.90 compatible with Intel, AMD, and Nvidia. - Minimum requirements: 1 GB RAM, 4 GB disk (2 GB RAM, 8 GB disk recommended).
6. Security and Privacy
   • Supports encrypted partitions and firewalls.
7. Development Support
   • Pre-installed Python, Git, and Flatpak support.

Advantages and Limitations

Advantages

• Modularity and Portability:
  • USB booting and custom modules surpass Emmabuntüs's offline installation.
  • X's post states, "MiniOS 4.0's modules make USB systems incredibly flexible."
• Debian Stability:
  • Based on Debian 12, offering long-term support.
• Multiple Variant Options:
  • Flux to Ultra variants surpass the single tool of Dr.Parted Live.
• User-Friendliness:
  • XFCE's simple interface surpasses DSL's Fluxbox.
• Community Support:
  • Active GitHub with configuration guides.

Limitations

• Complex variants:
  • Multiple variants to choose from, better than Puppy Linux but not as simple as Linux Lite.
• Community size:
  • Smaller than Ubuntu, with limited Chinese documentation.
• Limited ARM support:
  • Beta version for arm64, not as good as Raspberry Pi OS.

Summary

MiniOS is a free, open-source, Debian-based Linux distribution. The latest version 4.0 (as of December 9, 2024) is based on Debian 12 "Bookworm" with kernel 6.1.90, supporting both x86_64 and arm64. It focuses on modular configuration, USB portability, and multiple variants, including the XFCE desktop. MiniiOS stands out for its USB flexibility and Debian stability, but it suffers from a complex selection of variants and a small community.