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Get Tamarin Linux

Download the latest Tamarin Linux ISO and boot it on real hardware or in a virtual machine.

Download ISO (x86_64)

SHA256 Checksum

53d47235e04221c064dca9087c46284c897489998ddb8467026ea328a9390a21

Run sha256sum tamarin-grub-hybrid.iso and compare the output above.

Early Release — No Installer Available Yet

This ISO is an early development build of Tamarin Linux. There is currently no graphical or automated installer. You will not see a familiar “Next → Next → Finish” setup wizard.

What this means in practice:

Who is this for right now? This release is intended for developers, Linux enthusiasts, and anyone who wants to explore or contribute to Tamarin Linux. If you are looking for a beginner-friendly install experience, check back once an installer script is available.

An installation guide and automated installer scripts are planned and will be published alongside future releases.

What You Can Do Right Now

Even without an installer, you can already:

Boot the ISO quickly in QEMU with:

qemu-system-x86_64 -cdrom tamarin-grub-hybrid.iso -m 512M

Userspace Documentation

TamarinLinux Userspace Documentation

Overview

TamarinLinux is a minimal, custom-built Linux distribution designed for educational purposes, experimentation, and full system transparency. The userspace of TamarinLinux is intentionally small and predictable, built around two core components:

  • BusyBox as the primary userspace toolkit
  • GNU Guix as the package manager

This combination provides a lightweight base system while still allowing reproducible, declarative package management when more advanced software is required.

Design Philosophy

  • Minimalism — only essential tools are present by default
  • Transparency — all components are explicitly built and configured
  • Reproducibility — system state can be recreated deterministically
  • User Control — no hidden abstractions or automated magic

BusyBox Userspace

BusyBox is a single binary that provides many standard Unix utilities forming the foundation of the TamarinLinux userspace:

  • Core shell: sh / ash
  • File utilities: ls, cp, mv, rm, mkdir
  • Text utilities: cat, echo, grep, sed
  • System utilities: mount, umount, ps, top, dmesg

The default shell is BusyBox ash, started automatically after boot.

Filesystem Layout
/
├── bin       # BusyBox applets
├── sbin      # System administration applets
├── etc       # System configuration
├── dev       # Device nodes
├── proc      # Kernel interface
├── sys       # Kernel interface
├── run       # Runtime data (tmpfs)
├── tmp       # Temporary files
├── var       # Variable data
├── root      # Root user home directory
├── home      # User home directories (optional)
├── mnt       # Mount points
├── boot      # Bootloader and kernel files
├── init      # Early init binary
├── linuxrc   # Early init binary
├── usr       # Optional user-installed hierarchy
└── gnu       # GNU Guix system data
    └── store # Guix package store

GNU Guix Package Manager

GNU Guix is a functional, declarative package manager for reproducible systems. Key concepts:

  • Functional package management — packages are immutable
  • Profiles — isolated user or system environments
  • Rollbacks — instant reversion to previous states
  • Garbage collection — unused packages can be safely removed

Install a package:

guix install git

Add Guix binaries to your PATH:

export PATH="$HOME/.guix-profile/bin:$PATH"

Limitations

The TamarinLinux userspace does not include by default:

  • GNU Coreutils
  • Full-featured shells like Bash or Zsh
  • Desktop environments
  • Automatic dependency resolution outside Guix

All of these can be added via Guix.

Intended Audience

TamarinLinux is intended for Linux learners, system programmers, OS developers, and users who want full control over their system. It is not a general-purpose desktop distribution.