Null Linux
/dev/tty1 null-linux
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root@null-linux:~# whoami

A simple Buildroot-based Linux distribution — install tooling, a lightweight editor, and not much else yet. Built by one person, one tool at a time.

v0626 · Dyson T · Beta
Download ISO
Null-Linux-dyson0626T.iso 59 MB S/N fb0626
SHA256:
795c991a9fb2ca2b32c104050a9d320aa5dabfb61c8d650978b58eeaff027fd0
> jump to install
About

Small, on purpose

Null Linux is a from-scratch distribution built on Buildroot with a BusyBox userland. There is no desktop environment to strip out and no upstream distro underneath it — every binary that ships is there because it was put there on purpose.

Right now it's genuinely simple: a set of install tools to get the system onto a disk, and Bit Studio, a small text editor for writing code directly on the system. It's a solo project, actively developed, currently in beta — more tools land as they're built, not before.

Base system
Buildroot + BusyBox
Kernel
Linux 6.18.x
Architecture
x86_64
Init
BusyBox init
Status
Beta — actively developed
Tools

usr/bin/

A handful of purpose-built commands ship with the system, written for the Buildroot/BusyBox environment specifically — no external dependencies, nothing assumed to already be installed.

permissions name description
-rwxr-xr-xnullinstallerguided installer — pick a disk, install the system
-rwxr-xr-xnull-diskdisk utility for the installer toolchain
-rwxr-xr-xnull-fmtfilesystem formatting tool
-rwxr-xr-xnull-deploydeploys the system image to disk
-rwxr-xr-xnull-boot-setupinstalls and configures the bootloader
-rwxr-xr-xbit-studiosmall code editor — nano engine, dialog-based UI
-rwxr-xr-xsysinfokernel, uptime, CPU, memory and disk at a glance
-rwxr-xr-xnusrmounts /proc, /sys, /dev and /run
-rwxr-xr-xnunetbrings up the network over DHCP
-rwxr-xr-xsystemsingle entry point for the commands above
Install

From a USB drive

Boot the target machine from the Null Linux USB installer, then follow these steps at the prompt.

  1. Start the guided installer.

    nullinstaller

  2. A list of available disks appears. Choose the one to install to, then follow the on-screen steps.

  3. When it finishes, reboot into the newly installed system.

  4. Mount the system's virtual filesystems.

    mount

  5. Bring the network up.

    nunet