RavenLinux

A developer-focused Linux distribution built from scratch with custom tooling.

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Overview

RavenLinux is an independent Linux distribution designed for developers and application development. It features:

• Custom Package Manager (rvn) - Fast, Rust-based package management with developer workspaces
• Custom Bootloader (RavenBoot) - Multi-boot UEFI bootloader with Linux EFI stub support
• Native Tools Integration - First-class support for Vem editor, Carrion language, and Ivaldi VCS
• Minimal Base - Built with musl libc for a clean, lightweight system
• Rolling Release - Always up-to-date packages

Downloads

Download the latest release from GitHub Releases:

File	Description
ravenlinux-vX.X.X.iso	Bootable ISO image
raven-usb-vX.X.X-linux-x86_64	USB flasher tool
ravenlinux-vX.X.X-source.tar.gz	Complete source code
ravenlinux-tools-vX.X.X-linux-x86_64.tar.gz	All tools bundled

Quick Install

# Download the ISO and raven-usb tool, then flash to USB
chmod +x raven-usb-*-linux-x86_64
sudo ./raven-usb-*-linux-x86_64 ravenlinux-*.iso /dev/sdX

# Boot from USB and follow the installer

Technology Stack

Component	Language	Description
Kernel	C	Linux kernel with EFI stub
Bootloader	Rust	UEFI multi-boot loader (RavenBoot)
Init System	Rust	Custom init and service manager
Package Manager	Rust	System package management (rvn)
Text Editor	Go	Vem - Modal editor with syntax highlighting
Version Control	Go	Ivaldi - Distributed VCS
Programming Language	Go	Carrion - Custom programming language
WiFi Manager	Go	TUI/GUI tools to connect to WiFi networks
Installer	Go	GUI system installer
USB Flasher	Go	Tool to create bootable USB drives

Native Tools

RavenLinux includes these custom development tools:

Vem (Text Editor)

Modal text editor with syntax highlighting and modern editing features.

vem myfile.txt

Carrion (Programming Language)

Custom programming language designed for system scripting and application development.

carrion run script.crn

Ivaldi (Version Control)

Distributed version control system with a focus on simplicity.

ivaldi init
ivaldi commit -m "Initial commit"

Networking

WiFi Setup

Connecting to WiFi is simple. Just run:

sudo wifi

This opens an interactive terminal interface where you can:

• See all available networks with signal strength
• Use arrow keys to select a network
• Enter password when prompted
• Connection is automatically saved for next time

That's it! No complicated commands to remember.

Note: RavenLinux ships rtw89 firmware and sets options rtw89_pci disable_aspm=1 by default to ensure RTL8852BE cards reliably create a wlan* interface at boot.

Alternative: GUI WiFi Manager

If you prefer a graphical interface:

raven-wifi

Advanced: Manual WiFi (CLI)

For power users who prefer raw commands:

# Using iwd
iwctl station wlan0 scan
iwctl station wlan0 get-networks
iwctl station wlan0 connect "NetworkName"

# Using wpa_supplicant (fallback)
wpa_passphrase "NetworkName" "password" > /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
wpa_supplicant -B -i wlan0 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
dhcpcd wlan0

Building from Source

Requirements

• Linux system (tested on Arch Linux)
• 20GB+ disk space
• 8GB+ RAM recommended
• Rust toolchain
• Go toolchain (1.23+)
• Build tools: gcc, make, cmake, meson

Build Steps

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/javanhut/RavenLinux.git
cd RavenLinux

# Build everything and generate ISO
./scripts/build.sh all

# Or build individual stages:
./scripts/build.sh stage1    # Download toolchain and build base
./scripts/build.sh stage2    # Build native sysroot
./scripts/build.sh stage3    # Build packages
./scripts/build.sh stage4    # Generate ISO

Development Environment

# Set up development environment
./scripts/dev-env.sh setup

# Mount overlay filesystem for editing
./scripts/dev-env.sh mount

# Enter chroot to test
./scripts/dev-env.sh chroot

# Boot in QEMU with graphics
./scripts/dev-env.sh qemu -g

# Boot in QEMU headless (no new window, serial console in this terminal)
# Tip: In the RavenBoot menu select "Raven Linux (Serial Console)" for best logs/debugging.
./scripts/dev-env.sh qemu

# Console access:
# - tty1: starts `/bin/raven-shell` via `agetty --skip-login` (PAM-free rescue shell)
# - tty2: starts a normal `login` prompt (use this to test PAM/password logins)

# Check status
./scripts/dev-env.sh status

Project Structure

RavenLinux/
├── bootloader/          # RavenBoot UEFI bootloader (Rust)
├── init/                # Init system and service manager (Rust)
├── tools/
│   ├── rvn/             # Package manager (Rust)
│   ├── raven-installer/ # GUI system installer (Go)
│   └── raven-usb/       # USB flasher tool (Go)
├── configs/             # System configurations
│   └── kernel/          # Kernel configs
├── scripts/             # Build and utility scripts
│   ├── build.sh         # Main build script
│   ├── dev-env.sh       # Development environment
│   ├── build-initramfs.sh
│   └── stages/          # Build stage scripts
├── etc/                 # Base system configuration
└── .github/workflows/   # CI/CD pipelines

Package Manager (rvn)

# Install packages
rvn install rust nodejs python

# Search packages
rvn search editor

# Sync repository metadata (required for fast/offline search)
rvn sync

# Generate an index.json for a repo directory (expects ./packages/*.rvn)
rvn repo index /path/to/raven_linux_v0.1.0

# Developer tools
rvn dev rust           # Set up Rust toolchain
rvn dev node 20        # Set up Node.js 20

# Workspaces (isolated dev environments)
rvn workspace create myproject --lang rust,python
rvn workspace enter myproject

# System management
rvn system snapshot    # Create system snapshot
rvn system rollback    # Rollback to snapshot
rvn system health      # Check system health

Bootloader (RavenBoot)

The custom UEFI bootloader supports:

• Linux EFI stub booting with initrd support
• Multi-boot with other operating systems
• Auto-detection of Windows, other Linux distros
• Keyboard navigation and configurable timeout
• Configuration via /EFI/raven/boot.cfg (preferred) or /EFI/raven/boot.conf
• Recovery mode boot option

Boot Configuration

# /EFI/raven/boot.cfg
timeout = 5
default = 0

[entry]
name = "Raven Linux"
kernel = "\EFI\raven\vmlinuz"
initrd = "\EFI\raven\initramfs.img"
cmdline = "rdinit=/init quiet"
type = linux-efi

[entry]
name = "Raven Linux (Recovery)"
kernel = "\EFI\raven\vmlinuz"
initrd = "\EFI\raven\initramfs.img"
cmdline = "rdinit=/init single"
type = linux-efi

System Requirements

Target System

• x86_64 CPU with UEFI firmware
• 2GB RAM minimum (4GB recommended)
• 20GB disk space

Build Host

• Linux system
• 20GB+ disk space
• 8GB+ RAM recommended
• Internet connection for downloading sources

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please open an issue or pull request on GitHub.

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file