Mann Industries Linux (MI Linux)

Mann Industries Linux, short name MI Linux, is a Debian Testing/Forky-based desktop operating system project from Mann Industries. The first public release is MI Linux Forky Founder — Founder Preview.

MI Linux is being created for people who want a polished, beginner-friendly Linux desktop without giving up modern hardware support, gaming-ready performance, privacy, or control over system updates. It is not just a theme pack. The goal is a real installable operating system with a live ISO, Calamares installer, MI Linux update path, documentation, checksums, signatures, and a public build recipe.

Website status: the MI Linux website is live at https://mannindustries.org/mi-linux/. A direct subdomain is also available at https://mi-linux.mannindustries.org/. The site is published with downloads, checksums, install guidance, known issues, and source links.

Who is this for?

MI Linux is for new and everyday Linux users who want a desktop that feels familiar immediately, but is still built on a real Debian base. It is meant for people moving from Windows or macOS, gamers who need good hardware and graphics support, and users who want a clean desktop that does not require online accounts, telemetry, or confusing app-store decisions before they can start working.

It is also for users who like Debian but want a more complete desktop experience from the first boot: GNOME already shaped into a practical taskbar/menu layout, common apps selected, firmware included, updates managed clearly, and rollback/security tools visible without making the system feel heavy or corporate.

Why this OS was created

MI Linux was created because many Linux choices force users to pick between extremes:

• very stable but older packages;
• very current but too risky for normal users;
• polished desktops that hide too much control;
• powerful systems that expect new users to know too much up front;
• app ecosystems that push users toward unwanted defaults.

MI Linux is designed to sit in the middle: more current than Debian Stable, calmer than raw Debian Testing, polished enough for beginners, and transparent enough for advanced users. The Founder Preview is the first step toward a Mann Industries desktop OS that can be downloaded, verified, booted, installed, updated, and improved in the open.

How MI Linux stands out

• Curated Debian Testing/Forky base: MI Linux tracks Debian Testing/Forky through a controlled, roughly 6-month delayed update model instead of sending normal users directly into raw Testing updates.
• MI Linux update channel: systems use MI Linux apt suites such as forky-founder and forky-tester, with a dedicated archive signing key and a custom Update Manager planned around the delayed-update policy.
• Polished GNOME desktop: GNOME is configured around a familiar bottom taskbar, MI Linux menu identity, AppIndicator support, Blur my Shell, User Themes, ArcMenu, and Dash to Panel.
• Beginner-friendly installer: the live ISO boots into a desktop and uses Calamares for graphical installation.
• Gaming ready: i386 multiarch, Vulkan support, GameMode, MangoHud, controller support, and Proton-management support are part of the plan while Steam stays optional.
• Waydroid-ready direction: MI Linux targets a latest stable Secure Boot-supported kernel with Waydroid, Android binder IPC, and binderfs support.
• Secure Boot supported: MI Linux is built to support Secure Boot on compatible UEFI systems.
• Debian packages plus Flatpak: app discovery uses Debian packages, Flatpak/Flathub, and GNOME Software by default.
• Privacy-first defaults: no telemetry, no analytics, no automatic usage reporting, no required online account, and user-initiated bug reporting.
• Mann Industries security baseline: UFW firewall defaults, unattended security updates, Timeshift, ClamAV, rkhunter, chkrootkit, and low-impact scheduled background scans are included in the design.
• Real release artifacts: ISO downloads will include SHA256, SHA512, and GPG signature verification.

Current release goals

• Debian live-build based ISO
• Live desktop with Calamares installer
• Debian Testing/Forky base with a curated 6-month delayed update model
• Live MI Linux apt repository at https://apt.mannindustries.org
• Release-specific apt suites: forky-founder and forky-tester
• Dedicated archive signing key/keyring package
• Custom MI Linux Update Manager
• MI Linux Welcome app
• Flatpak/Flathub enabled
• GNOME Software included for apps
• Firefox default browser
• ONLYOFFICE default office suite
• Geary mail, Rhythmbox music, VLC media playback
• Timeshift/System Restore support
• UFW, ClamAV, rkhunter, chkrootkit, and unattended security updates
• Secure Boot, UEFI, and Legacy BIOS support
• Checksums and GPG signatures for ISO releases

Recent fixes and why they matter

The current source includes fixes from installed-system testing that are intended for future builds and package updates:

• Lock screen follows the desktop wallpaper: MI Linux now installs a wallpaper sync helper and user service. When a user changes the desktop wallpaper, the lock screen is updated to match instead of staying on an older image.
• Login screen follows the same wallpaper: GDM receives matching dconf defaults, a readable synced wallpaper copy, and a GNOME Shell theme override. This prevents the login screen from falling back to a plain grey background on GNOME Shell 50.
• Update Manager uses plain language: the GTK Update Manager now reports results such as “Updates were installed successfully” or “Your system is up to date” instead of showing technical exit codes.
• Update Manager handles common apt conflicts: update installation now stops the background PackageKit updater when needed, waits for apt locks, uses noninteractive config handling, and keeps existing config choices unless the package can safely use its default.
• Package metadata was tightened: the affected MI Linux packages now declare the runtime tools they actually use, so fresh installs and package updates have the required components available.
• Boot and shutdown image fills the screen: the Plymouth boot/shutdown theme now scales the MI Linux splash art to the active display size instead of centering it at its original pixel dimensions. This keeps the startup and shutdown screens from looking like a small image on high-resolution displays.

These changes were added because a beginner-friendly desktop should make update and wallpaper behavior predictable without requiring users to understand Linux service names, apt locks, dconf databases, or shell exit codes.

Website and downloads

The official website is live at https://mannindustries.org/mi-linux/ and https://mi-linux.mannindustries.org/. It includes download links, checksums, install guidance, known issues, release notes, support/bug-report links, and links back to this public GitHub build source. The first Founder Preview release is published on GitHub, with the full ISO hosted on Cloudflare R2 because it is too large for GitHub Releases:

• GitHub Release: https://github.com/robertlmann02/mi-linux/releases/tag/v0.1.0-founder-preview
• Website: https://mannindustries.org/mi-linux/
• Direct website subdomain: https://mi-linux.mannindustries.org/
• ISO download: https://pub-8cb27617fff04109ab14c6a58945ce2d.r2.dev/founder-preview/mi-linux-forky-founder-amd64.iso
• SHA256: https://pub-8cb27617fff04109ab14c6a58945ce2d.r2.dev/founder-preview/mi-linux-forky-founder-amd64.iso.sha256
• SHA512: https://pub-8cb27617fff04109ab14c6a58945ce2d.r2.dev/founder-preview/mi-linux-forky-founder-amd64.iso.sha512
• GPG signature: https://pub-8cb27617fff04109ab14c6a58945ce2d.r2.dev/founder-preview/mi-linux-forky-founder-amd64.iso.sig
• Support MI Linux: https://buymeacoffee.com/robertlmann02

Support MI Linux

If MI Linux helped you, you can support development, hosting, download bandwidth, test hardware, and future builds here:

https://buymeacoffee.com/robertlmann02

MI Linux may add tasteful sponsor placements later, but the download path should stay clean and trustworthy. Good fits are Linux hardware, open-source tooling, privacy, developer, hosting, and gaming-related sponsors. Avoid popups, autoplay/video ads, deceptive buttons, or generic ads beside ISO downloads.

Search indexing

Site-side search indexing files are published at:

https://mi-linux.mannindustries.org/robots.txt
https://mi-linux.mannindustries.org/sitemap.xml

Google Search Console still requires manual account verification. The checklist is in docs/GOOGLE-SEARCH-CONSOLE.md.

Create a bootable USB from GitHub

Users can create a bootable USB from the GitHub release page:

1. Open the Founder Preview release: https://github.com/robertlmann02/mi-linux/releases/tag/v0.1.0-founder-preview.
2. Download the MI Linux ISO using the Cloudflare R2 ISO link in the release notes.
3. Download the matching .sha256 and .sha512 files from the release assets or public download links.
4. Download the GPG signature when it is provided.
5. Verify the ISO checksums/signature.
6. Write the ISO to a USB drive:
   • PC/Windows users: use Rufus or balenaEtcher.
   • Mac users: use balenaEtcher, or the macOS Terminal diskutil/dd method in the full guide.
   • Linux users: use GNOME Disks, Ventoy, or the included scripts/write-usb.sh helper.
7. Boot the computer from the USB and choose Install MI Linux from the live desktop.

Full step-by-step instructions for PC, Mac, and Linux users are in:

docs/CREATE-BOOTABLE-USB.md

Linux users can also clone this repository and use the included checked writer:

git clone https://github.com/robertlmann02/mi-linux.git
cd mi-linux
lsblk -o NAME,PATH,SIZE,MODEL,VENDOR,TRAN,RM,RO,TYPE,MOUNTPOINTS,FSTYPE,LABEL
OVERWRITE=YES sudo -E ./scripts/write-usb.sh /path/to/mi-linux-forky-founder-amd64.iso /dev/sdX

Use the whole USB disk, such as /dev/sdb, not a partition such as /dev/sdb1. The helper refuses non-removable targets and verifies that the USB matches the ISO after writing.

Plans going forward

The roadmap for MI Linux includes:

1. Founder Preview ISO testing — boot the live ISO, verify the desktop, test installation, confirm update behavior, and document known issues.
2. Public website launch — live at https://mannindustries.org/mi-linux/ with install guidance, release links, checksums, known issues, and source links.
3. MI Linux apt repository — live at https://apt.mannindustries.org with signed forky-founder and forky-tester suites.
4. Custom Update Manager — ship a GTK/GNOME MI Linux Update Manager that shows channel status, applies the 6-month delay policy, handles non-security update prompts, and recommends Timeshift snapshots before larger updates.
5. Welcome app and Recommended Apps — provide a clear first-run experience with optional browsers, gaming apps, Windows-app tools, creative tools, developer tools, NVIDIA driver setup, and Waydroid choices.
6. Secure Boot and Waydroid validation — verify the selected kernel, Secure Boot path, binder/binderfs support, and Waydroid install experience on real hardware.
7. Quarterly releases — publish updated ISOs quarterly after testing and documenting changes.
8. Community feedback — use GitHub Issues for first-release bug reports and improve hardware notes after real users report results.

Repository layout

• auto/ — live-build helper scripts
• config/ — live-build configuration, package lists, hooks, includes
• packages/ — MI Linux .deb package source skeletons
• src/mi-linux-update-manager/ — GTK/GNOME Update Manager
• src/mi-linux-welcome/ — GTK/GNOME Welcome app
• apt-repo/ — apt repository policy and publishing notes
• docs/ — user and release documentation
• docs/CREATE-BOOTABLE-USB.md — GitHub download and bootable USB instructions
• docs/UPDATE-SERVER.md — MI Linux apt repository/update server instructions
• website/ — static website content for mannindustries.org/mi-linux

Licensing

• Build scripts: GPLv3
• Documentation: CC BY-SA 4.0
• MI Linux/Mann Industries names, logos, wallpapers, boot art, and visual branding: All Rights Reserved / Mann Industries-owned
• Unofficial remixes are allowed only if MI Linux/Mann Industries branding is removed and the remix is not presented as an official MI Linux build.