NOKENIX

NOKENIX is a community Linux distribution project based in Roanoke, Virginia.

The project goal is straightforward: build a Debian-based desktop distro that feels polished and distinct, stays approachable for new Linux users, remains comfortable for intermediate users, and can realistically be maintained by a small volunteer club.

Current Direction

• Base: Debian stable, currently pinned to trixie
• Desktop: KDE Plasma
• Architecture: amd64
• Software policy: free software only for the initial release direction
• Character: beginner-to-intermediate friendly, daily-driver oriented, Debian-first

NOKENIX is intentionally not trying to be a custom kernel distro, an experimental platform, or a large fork of Debian internals. The project’s identity is expected to come from branding, defaults, curation, and out-of-box experience rather than low-level divergence.

Project Status

The repository is in early build and planning stage, but it is already past the “idea only” phase.

What exists today:

• Core project context and decisions
• A live-build-based ISO scaffold
• A documented canonical build environment
• A first bootable live ISO path
• Automated boot smoke testing in QEMU
• Early branding work and visual system drafts

What is not finished yet:

• Installer integration
• Final default application suite
• Final branding assets
• Release cadence and versioning
• CI pipeline

Build The Current ISO

The canonical build environment is a clean Debian stable VM.

From the project root:

./scripts/build-iso

To run the current smoke tests:

./scripts/test-iso
./scripts/test-boot-smoke

If live-build is not available locally but Docker is installed, ./scripts/build-iso can fall back to a privileged Debian trixie container. That fallback is for convenience; the documented primary path is still Debian stable.

Repository Layout

• PROJECT_CONTEXT.md: foundational project context
• DECISIONS.md: accepted, proposed, and open decisions
• ROADMAP.md: phased project plan
• docs/build-environment.md: build and test workflow
• docs/package-policy.md: current packaging guardrails
• docs/release-checklist.md: release gate
• build/README.md: build directory notes
• scripts: helper scripts for build and test work

Principles

The current project direction is guided by a few simple constraints:

• Stay close to Debian unless divergence is clearly worth the maintenance cost
• Prefer simple, reproducible tooling over clever infrastructure
• Aim for a polished desktop experience without building unnecessary custom internals
• Keep the project maintainable by a small volunteer team

Contributing

Contributions are welcome, especially in these areas:

• build and installer work
• package curation
• testing in VMs and on real hardware
• documentation
• branding, wallpapers, boot assets, and desktop polish

Start with CONTRIBUTING.md.