Engineer Absolute Permanence.
Cabina OS provides an ultra-lightweight, zero-configuration infrastructure immune to time degradation. We eliminate technical complexity, allowing archivists to focus purely on curation, preservation, and exhibition without the friction of conventional IT overhead.
The THree Core Pillars.
Global
Compliance
Automate Dublin Core validation at the core level, ensuring historical data natively adheres to global metadata standards for long-term preservation.
Zero-Config
Exhibition
Destroy technical barriers by pre-integrating a ready-to-boot Omeka Exhibition Engine, enabling archivists to instantly construct public narratives.
Frictionless
Environment
Deliver a distraction-free, sub-300MB RAM workspace. A matte, bloat-free desktop environment engineered purely to respect and sustain deep focus.
Roadmap.
CabinaOS is an Arch Linux-based operating system for managing and archiving digital assets (a Digital Archive OS), focused on easy installation through a GUI installer and a visual identity that can be personalized through theme selection.
Main
Focus.
The fundamental pillars of CabinaOS architecture currently in active development or planning.
GUI Installer (Calamares)
Integration of Calamares into the existing ISO (KDE + Omeka pre-installed), including synchronization of the partition scheme with the already-tested CLI script, and full end-to-end installation testing from boot to reboot.
Theme Selection at Install Time
Users will be able to choose a Cabina visual variant (color/branding) during installation. Requires an additional Calamares module that stores the user's choice and applies the selected theme set (GRUB theme, Plymouth, KDE color scheme) to the target system.
Unified Kernel Image (UKI)
UKI applies to UEFI systems only. CabinaOS boot will have two paths: UEFI machines use UKI (kernel + initramfs + cmdline bundled into a single .efi file), while legacy BIOS machines continue using GRUB with separate kernel and initramfs.
Legacy BIOS Support
Requires a bios_grub partition (1-2MB) in the partition scheme, in addition to the existing EFI System Partition. The installer also needs to detect firmware mode at runtime and adjust the target partition scheme accordingly.
Secure Boot Support
Requires a signed bootloader (shim), a key generation and signing pipeline (sbctl), and a MOK enrollment flow for custom keys. Closely tied to UKI — the combination of both is the modern, complementary approach.
Evrock Apps Integration
Evrock applications are already installed on CabinaOS and will continue to be developed incrementally.
Disk Encryption (LUKS)
Full installation support with LUKS encryption for uncompromising security.
Offline Installation
Complete installation capability without internet access, relying entirely on local packages shipped within the ISO.
Contributor Docs
Global code contribution guidelines and standardization.
Not a Server Edition
Server edition is not currently a focus. Current development is exclusively centered on the desktop user experience.