Backroot 8 Milestone 1.6v3

Backroot 8 Milestone 1.6v3

Bootable hybrid live ISO for x86_64 PCs (BIOS + UEFI). Latest 1.6 line with OOBE loading pipeline fixes and live OOBE debug tooling.

Download

• backroot8-milestone1.6v3.iso — write to USB with dd or boot from optical media / QEMU

What's new in 1.6v3

• OOBE loading runs create-account, sign-in, and desktop restart in the background (no restart countdown message)
• trigger-oobe-debug — on live ISO/USB, run as root to arm and launch the full OOBE wizard for testing

Live OOBE debug

sudo trigger-oobe-debug

Requires live boot (backroot8iso on kernel cmdline). Restarts the desktop and starts OOBE.

Prefer this over

• Milestone 1.5 (DEFECTIVE)
• 1.6 / 1.6v2 if you need the latest OOBE behavior

Quick start

sudo dd if=backroot8-milestone1.6v3.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync

Build: backroot8/RELEASE-MILESTONE1.6.md

Test: http://localhost:6080/vnc.html?autoconnect=1&resize=scale

Backroot 8 Milestone 1.6v2

Backroot 8 Milestone 1.6v2

Bootable hybrid live ISO for x86_64 PCs (BIOS + UEFI). Rebuild of Milestone 1.6 with start-menu and OOBE loading fixes.

Download

• backroot8-milestone1.6v2.iso — write to USB with dd or boot from optical media / QEMU

What's new in 1.6v2 (since 1.6)

• Start menu opens quickly: one long-lived br8-start, lazy wallpaper load, per-user layout config
• OOBE loading shows a live restart countdown (30s) and auto-restarts the desktop if setup stalls
• All 1.6 fixes retained: installer checkmarks, OOBE intro/account, no login xterm, loading handoff

Do not use

• Milestone 1.5 — DEFECTIVE
• 1.6 first ISO if you need this build — prefer 1.6v2

Quick start

sudo dd if=backroot8-milestone1.6v2.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync

Build from source: backroot8/RELEASE-MILESTONE1.6.md

Test in browser (QEMU + noVNC): http://localhost:6080/vnc.html?autoconnect=1&resize=scale

Backroot 8 Milestone 1.6

Backroot 8 Milestone 1.6

Bootable hybrid live ISO for x86_64 PCs (BIOS + UEFI). Fixes critical regressions in Milestone 1.5.

Download

• backroot8-milestone1.6.iso — write to USB with dd or boot from optical media / QEMU

Supersedes Milestone 1.5 (DEFECTIVE)

Milestone 1.5 shipped broken first-run setup (OOBE), installer checkmarks, and login session behavior. Do not use 1.5. This release is the supported path from 1.5.

Fixes

• Installer: completed steps show proper checkmarks (not missing-character boxes)
• OOBE intro: “Personalize” and “Sign in” labels fit on screen
• OOBE account: Finish creates users with passwords; inline errors when validation fails
• OOBE loading: “We are setting up your computer” dismisses when the taskbar is ready
• Login: no surprise xterm window on every session start

Carried forward from 1.5

• Plymouth splash, Start menu, Settings, live installer, OOBE flow, PowerPDF, Segoe UI chrome
• Live squashfs + tmpfs overlay (backroot8iso hooks)

Quick start

sudo dd if=backroot8-milestone1.6.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync

Build from source: backroot8/RELEASE-MILESTONE1.6.md

Test in browser (QEMU + noVNC): http://localhost:6080/vnc.html?autoconnect=1&resize=scale

Backroot 8 Milestone 1.5 (DEFECTIVE)

DEFECTIVE — do not use

This release has broken OOBE, installer checkmarks, and login behavior.
Use Milestone 1.6 instead.

---

Backroot 8 Milestone 1.5

Bootable hybrid live ISO for x86_64 PCs (BIOS + UEFI). Builds on Milestone 1 with the current main desktop stack.

Download

• backroot8-milestone1.5.iso — write to USB with dd or boot from optical media / QEMU

What's new since Milestone 1

• Plymouth quiet boot splash (backroot8 theme) plus framebuffer boot emblem through early boot
• Start menu (br8-start): slide-in animation, user header, Desktop tile wallpaper preview, app grid on scroll
• Settings metro app (br8-settings): wallpaper, display, keyboard, mouse, time zone
• Live USB installer (br8-install) and first-boot OOBE (br8-oobe) with intro slides, transitions, and account setup
• Segoe UI for title bars and taskbar clock
• Win7/8-style close button (elongated X in red square at title bar top)
• PowerPDF document viewer
• Same live root: squashfs on ISO + tmpfs overlay (backroot8iso / mkinitcpio hooks)

Verification

• QEMU serial boot: live overlay root and backroot8 login: or Started Backroot 8 Desktop
• Desktop: WM, panel, xterm; Start button; Settings; installer on live boot

Quick start

sudo dd if=backroot8-milestone1.5.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync

Boot Backroot 8 Live in GRUB. Desktop autostarts on tty1.

Login: root / backroot8

Build from source: backroot8/RELEASE-MILESTONE1.5.md

SHA256

5d4c317b64639d93d1613f6fec5a3f6fe2f947fccaf10c29b432f4159bae8868  backroot8-milestone1.5.iso

Commit

42692870f0f927603c21de314af761a1c7ff9c44

Backroot 8 Build 1501

Build 1501 — Lock screen and login flow

Pre-release ISO from cursor/lock-screen-login-8cc0 (PR #49).

What's new

• Lock screen (br8-lock) — user wallpaper + Segoe UI Light clock (bottom-right) when a password is set
• Swipe up to sign in — drag upward to reveal the password login screen
• Login → Start screen — successful unlock opens the start menu automatically
• User menu — click the user avatar on the start screen for Shut down and Log out
• Password verification — setuid br8-chkpass helper; Plymouth quits before lock screen

Quick start

sudo dd if=backroot8-build-1501.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync

Boot Backroot 8 Live in GRUB. Lock screen appears for root / backroot8.

Test in browser (dev): http://localhost:6080/vnc.html?autoconnect=1&resize=scale

SHA256

04235c3fd204e3ed9a3e2d00fcb3ac2cbb870a18d4344928e0c78ee5b903d2c2  backroot8-build-1501.iso

Commit

860baae658622c3e5cbf17c3abe0c8f83f5e8660

Backroot 8 Build 0114f4

Build 0114f4 — OOBE loading handoff (panel autostart)

Pre-release ISO from cursor/oobe-panel-autostart-8d9e (not merged to main).

Fixes since Build 0114f2

• OOBE loading screen stuck — panel launcher no longer deadlocks waiting for WM restart if br8-panel exits before br8-wm starts
• Panel autostart on handoff — panel starts before loading overlay; br8-oobe --loading spawns panel if needed; WM unblocks launcher during OOBE
• Session restart — finish-login uses detached stop/start of backroot8-desktop
• Includes 0114f2 fixes: /run/br8-oobe permissions, wizard/OOBE flicker (pixmap buffering)

Commit

b7dad106dbd999a282273fceb2d9ba0a4202d917

Download: backroot8-build-0114f4.iso

sudo dd if=backroot8-build-0114f4.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync

Backroot 8 Build 0114f3v3

Build 0114f3v3 — boot emblem visible (Plymouth + framebuffer)

Pre-release ISO from cursor/plymouth-boot-splash-04b0 (not merged to main).

Fix since Build 0114f3v2

Boot stayed black with no emblem because:

1. Plymouth script used Window.SetRefreshFunction (invalid) instead of Plymouth.SetRefreshFunction, and RGBA sprites often do not render on QEMU -vga std.
2. Plymouth DRM path on QEMU can show a blank surface even when the theme files are present.

This build:

• Correct Plymouth script API + letterboxed bootscreen.png (emblem at Windows-style ~36% from top, baked into the image).
• backroot8_splash initramfs hook: paints the emblem on /dev/fb0 with fbi right after Plymouth (reliable on QEMU).
• backroot8-fb-splash.service: same framebuffer splash through early systemd until the desktop starts.
• bochs DRM module in initramfs for QEMU std VGA.

Still included

• Quiet boot (default GRUB entry), debug entry with br8.debug
• OOBE / wizard fixes from 0114f2 stack

Commit

f0ce13917d654513b3ba17e3f9b898699b6a08b5

SHA256

0c6444101b24af5a31a58ffe5f367973def2662a4d865a65acd22d0bd71e9a16  backroot8-build-0114f3v3.iso

sudo dd if=backroot8-build-0114f3v3.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync

Backroot 8 Build 0114f3v2

Build 0114f3v2 — Plymouth emblem fix

Pre-release ISO from cursor/plymouth-boot-splash-04b0 (not merged to main).

Fix since Build 0114f3

• Boot emblem visible — Plymouth theme PNGs (emblem.png, bootscreen.png) were not copied into the rootfs, so boot showed only a black screen with no logo
• Emblem is drawn at the Windows-style position (horizontally centered, center at ~36% from top, height ~11% of screen) from assets/bootscreen.png

Still included

• Plymouth quiet boot (no log scroll on default GRUB entry)
• OOBE loading handoff + wizard/OOBE flicker fixes (0114f2)
• Debug GRUB entry: Backroot 8 Live (debug)

Commit

983119e17d654513b3ba17e3f9b898699b6a08b5

SHA256

468b8d559bd4696edf6a720dc02a12143e04da3b087c83747e22c9f64daee1f7  backroot8-build-0114f3v2.iso

Download: backroot8-build-0114f3v2.iso

sudo dd if=backroot8-build-0114f3v2.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync

Backroot 8 Build 0114f3

Build 0114f3 — Plymouth quiet boot

Pre-release ISO from cursor/plymouth-boot-splash-04b0 (not merged to main).

Since Build 0114f2

• Plymouth boot splash — backroot8 theme (same centered emblem on black as the existing bootscreen) from initramfs through desktop load
• Windows-style quiet boot — default GRUB entry uses quiet splash; initramfs progress only with br8.debug
• Removed legacy splash — fbi / backroot8-splash.service / feh X splash handoff
• Debug GRUB entry — Backroot 8 Live (debug) disables Plymouth and shows init logs

Still included from 0114f2

• OOBE loading screen handoff — /run/br8-oobe world-writable so panel-ready works for the new user
• Install wizard / OOBE flicker fix (pixmap double buffering)

Commit

84d306d17d654513b3ba17e3f9b898699b6a08b5

SHA256

75ffaba19c362cb82e3cad2ff7f11c01938095ba02c15aa3ff7ab9831553aa8b  backroot8-build-0114f3.iso

Download: backroot8-build-0114f3.iso

sudo dd if=backroot8-build-0114f3.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync

Test in browser (dev): http://localhost:6080/vnc.html?autoconnect=1&resize=scale

Backroot 8 Build 0114f2

Build 0114f2 — OOBE loading handoff + flicker fix

Pre-release ISO from cursor/release-build-0114f2-8d9e (not merged to main).

Fixes since Build 0113

• OOBE loading screen stuck — /run/br8-oobe is now world-writable so the new user's br8-panel can create panel-ready and dismiss the "We are setting your computer up" overlay
• Wizard / OOBE flicker — pixmap double buffering in br8-oobe and install wizard

Full OOBE stack

• Wallpaper picker ("Make this computer yours")
• Create a computer account + auto-login
• Loading screen through session handoff
• Taskbar visible after first login (no manual panel start / reboot)

Commit

797dfeaac1aaae3de3bbc159af834c1a8aa3363b

Download: backroot8-build-0114f2.iso

sudo dd if=backroot8-build-0114f2.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync