MikrOS Linux is the Linux kernel/backend target of MikrOS for the oldest and smallest machines that can still run a maintainable Linux system.
MikrOS is one operating-system/distribution architecture across supported kernels. Linux and ELKS are backend targets, not separate MikrOS products. The Linux target follows MikrOS' shared package, build, configuration and administration model while using Linux-native components where appropriate.
It takes inspiration from Alpine Linux's minimalism and simplicity, with Debian-style pragmatism toward portability and architecture support.
- Support the lowest practical Linux platform baseline per architecture.
- Prefer small, understandable components and minimal dependencies.
- Keep the system useful, not merely bootable.
- Share MikrOS package metadata, repository concepts, build conventions, configuration model and administration UX with other MikrOS backends where practical.
- Make cross-compilation and emulator-first qualification first-class workflows.
- Avoid unnecessary daemons and runtime complexity.
- Keep architecture-specific compromises explicit and documented.
M0 investigates m68k, 32-bit ARM, 32-bit x86 and 32-bit PowerPC. No CPU generation is supported until it passes MikrOS qualification.
MikrOS Linux and MikrOS ELKS are two kernel/backend targets of the same MikrOS architecture.
They should share, where practical:
- package recipe and repository concepts,
- package naming and metadata,
- host-side build tooling,
- system configuration conventions,
- service-management concepts,
- release/version policy,
- user-facing administration conventions.
They do not require identical binaries, libc, init implementations or command implementations. Backend-specific components are expected whenever they are needed for maintainability or platform constraints.
Minimum practical platform, small by default, upstream first, emulator first, simple administration, and shared MikrOS semantics without forcing binary-level compatibility between backends.
M0 determines the true minimum supported platform for each initial architecture. See ROADMAP.md and docs/targets.md.
Software authored specifically for MikrOS is intended to use the MIT License unless an imported component requires its upstream license. Third-party components retain their respective licenses.