An inside look at a small distro

Distro Walk – NuTyX

© Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash

© Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash

Article from Issue 268/2023
Author(s):

Thierry Nuttens, the developer of NuTyX, shares a behind-the-scenes look at a small Linux distribution.

Today, the emphasis in Linux is on the major distributions. NuTyX GNU/Linux [1], however, looks back to an earlier time, when a distribution was the work of a single user or at best a small group of developers. Inspired by Linux From Scratch (LFS) [2], Thierry Nuttens has developed NuTyX over the past 16 years to provide a transparent, maximized system that can be appreciated by all levels of users (Figure 1). Intrigued by this passion project, I invited Nuttens to talk about his efforts. His answers provide an in-depth look at how one small distribution is run.

Linux Magazine (LM): Why did you start to develop NuTyX?

Thierry Nuttens (TN): I tend to always want to understand the inner workings of what I put together. NuTyX is no exception to this rule. When I started discovering this system of explanation, more than 17 years ago, I didn't understand much about the free software world. What interested me the most was to have a high-performance, reliable, and easy-to-maintain system. My vision of Linux changed radically when I discovered the Linux From Scratch project, a project where (almost) everything is explained, from building a chrooted system to building the build toolchain to finally get a working operating system built yourself. Even today, I am still learning from this project and its simple and transparent maintenance.

[...]

Use Express-Checkout link below to read the full article (PDF).

Buy this article as PDF

Express-Checkout as PDF
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)

Buy Linux Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
 
SUBSCRIPTIONS
 
TABLET & SMARTPHONE APPS
Get it on Google Play

US / Canada

Get it on Google Play

UK / Australia

Related content

  • Popular Maverick

    Arch Linux, one of the more popular Linux distros, goes its own way, putting you in control.

  • Arch Linux

    If you’re looking for a fast, stable system without the GUI goo, try Arch Linux.

  • Installing Software

    We provide an introduction to installing and managing RPM packages.

  • Kernel News

    This month in Kernel News: Spanking Linus; Controlling Boot Parameters via Sysfs; Finessing GCC; and Dealing with Loose Build Dependencies.

  • Smart Package Manager

    The package manager is one of the central components on any Linux system. If you have a system with unreliable package management – such as Suse Linux 10.1 – you may want to consider the Smart alternative.

comments powered by Disqus

Direct Download

Read full article as PDF:

Price $2.95

Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Find SysAdmin Jobs

News