# Keru OS <sub>ける</sub>

An independent, source-only Linux distribution built around one idea: you
don't install a system, you *craft* one — **ける・けいとうてき** (keru keitō-teki): a system assembled the way you want it.

This repository holds the **operating system itself** — the installer, the
profile system, and the build pipeline. The two things Keru depends on live in
their own repositories:

- **[kama](https://github.com/AstralZX/kama)** — the package manager (a shell script)
- **[kama-packages](https://github.com/AstralZX/kama-packages)** — the recipe repository

## What is Keru

Every package on Keru is built from source by **Kama**, a deliberately small
package manager that simply runs the commands in each recipe. No binary
packages, no opaque package machinery. The whole system — toolchain included —
is compiled from original source.

Nothing is fixed. Nothing you didn't ask for is forced on you.

Read the full **philosophy** in [docs/PHILOSOPHY.md](docs/PHILOSOPHY.md).

## The differentiator: everything is swappable

Keru's installer is a TUI that walks you through designing your exact machine
*before* it ever boots. Every major component is selectable:

- **init system** — Runit (default), s6, OpenRC, systemd, busybox init, and more
- **C library** — glibc, musl, uClibc-ng, and more
- **filesystem** — ext4, btrfs, xfs, zfs, f2fs, jfs, reiserfs, swap, and more
- **kernel** — linux, linux-lts, linux-hardened, linux-cachyos, and more
- **privilege elevation** — doas, sudo, opendoas, su
- **kernel parameters, locale, clock, keymap** — all configurable

Every init, every libc, every filesystem, everything. The selections are made
during install and fixed at first boot. The system that lands on your disk is
precisely the one you chose.

## How installation works

The ISO carries **only the installer** — nothing else. There is no prebuilt
base image on the disk. When you boot it, the installer connects to the
network, and then fetches and builds whatever you selected (init system,
kernel, libc, filesystem tooling, and tools) on the fly.

A working **network connection is therefore a hard requirement** for
installing Keru. The installer checks connectivity and offers in-installer
network setup (wireless via `nmtui`/`wifi-menu`, or Ethernet/DHCP) before the
build begins.

## Repository layout

```
installer/     TUI installer — writes make.conf from your choices
profile/       make.conf template (the swappables + build flags)
scripts/       build pipeline: build-root, mkfs-root, common helpers
docs/          philosophy + design docs + the recipe format spec
```

## Release

Keru OS is currently in development. The first installable release, **0.1**,
will ship as a bootable ISO — no source builds, no manual tooling required.
It will be made available here when it's ready.

## License

AGPL-3.0