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EasyOS: An experimental Linux distribution designed from scratch for containers
- 4ad 7y ago> Run as root. This is controversial, however, it is just a different philosophy. The user runs as administrator (root), apps may optionally run as user 'spot' or in containers as a "crippled root" or user 'zeus'. The practical outcome is that you never have to type "sudo" or "su" to run anything, nor get hung up with file permissions. Yeah, no thanks.
- isostatic 7y agoQuite, it's ridiculous. You have individual account for individual people. Use sudo if you need to elevate permissions - that gets fired over to your syslog server, so if you screw up you know what you did. If someone else screws up, you can see who it was and either fix it, or contact them to find out what they were trying to do (likely both)
- dTal 7y agoWhat's ridiculous is taking a security model designed for multiuser university mainframes in the 1970s, riddling it with 40 years of hacks to get around places where it's inconvenient, and insisting that it is the One True Way to run a personal laptop. I'm glad that some people are willing to fight dogma and be experimental.
- icebraining 7y agoBased on the language ("the user") and the focus on the GUI, I think this OS is designed more for single-user workstations, rather than multi-user servers. This philosophy of "root by default" is also implemented by Puppy Linux, which was created by the same person.
- dec0dedab0de 7y agoBut what would be the benefit of containers on a single-user workstation?
- geggam 7y agoFrom what I can gather skimming instead of using users / groups to isolate processes they are using containers. It feels like Linux and windows are converging into a single OS
- heavenlyblue 7y agoSingle-user workstations are usually pets, and it's much easier to manage a pet when every single unit of execution is separated from other units of execution. It's also much easier to manage each application with it's own root for everything, rather than multiple applications installed into a single root.
- saagarjha 7y agoMore interesting link, IMO: https://easyos.org/tech/how-easy-works.html https://easyos.org/tech/how-easy-works.html
- darkwater 7y agoTBH, it doesn't look "easy" at all. Plus, why re-inventing the wheel and create yet another containerization system?
- melicerte 7y agoThe project is running at least since 2017. Maybe it was less « yet another containerization system » at that time?
- balboah 7y agoYet the design of the website reminds me of the 90's
- equalunique 7y agoThey had me after 90s web design
- darkwater 7y agoDocker was in full swing in 2017, just like LXC. Even rkt predates it, I'd say
- holstvoogd 7y ago> why re-inventing the wheel and create yet another containerization system? Because that is how we make progress. Try different approaches, learn and evolve the ecosystem. That is how we got usable containers in the first place, it's not a new idea and variants have been around for decades. But only now we've seen it evolve in to something usable. At least they are trying to solve problems. It might not be the best/right solution, hell it might not be an improvement, but if we don't try, we will never learn.
- darkwater 7y agoI get that but this is not an "unsolved problem" IMO. Anyway anybody is 100% free to use their time as they prefer, it just makes me wonder if there are/were real technical, unpatchable limits in the already existing solutions or it's just a (totally reasonable) case of NIH.
- nickik 7y agoOpenSuse has something like this as well. We are seeing more and more OS go in that direction. https://en.opensuse.org/Kubic:MicroOS https://en.opensuse.org/Kubic:MicroOS
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- andridk 7y agoIf everything is a container, does that mean processes have failed?
- jjtheblunt 7y agoContainers run processes, in a context where those within a container only see those within the same container, by underlying OS accounting generalization.
- pests 7y agoContainers aren't even a thing like that though. They don't run anything per se. Implementations vary but it can be as simple as an extra struct field in the process list.
- jjtheblunt 7y agoagreed that my language was sloppy. genuine thanks.
- seabrookmx 7y agoA container _is_ a process, just with cgroups associated to it on startup so it has no visibility of other processes in the system (aka. is sandboxed). So no.. processes haven't failed. Anything that runs on your system is or is part of a process.
- tuyiown 7y agoNot really, for shared ressources, it was not that long before realizing that isolation was necessary for memory, storage has been has been managed via fs with rights since sharing files between processes is handy, shared networking as been a problem from day 1 (port numbers assignation). Container just homogenise the paradygm for all resources: strict isolation by default, else explicit sharing.
- jacobush 7y agoFeels even more OS360/IBM :)
- tmikaeld 7y agoSo, like Qubes OS, but on an application-level isolation?
- masklinn 7y agoYes, like qubes but without the security.
- icebraining 7y agoBut also more lightweight, since it doesn't have to run a kernel for each application.
- masklinn 7y agoRunning regular processes is even "more lightweight".
- icebraining 7y agoA containerized process is a regular process, which just happens to be in a different namespace from the init process.
- geggam 7y agoSo your definition of a container is simply the namespaces ? No cgroups ?
- icebraining 7y agoEh, for the purpose they're essentially the same thing: just kernel metadata on how to group regular processes.
- merb 7y agowell there is also rancher/os or k3os
- als0 7y agoI’m interested to know how this improves on Moby and ContainerLinux, both of which are “designed for containers”
- simosx 7y agoIf EasyOS is specifically for containers, I do not see a container image at the LXC/LXD repository at https://us.images.linuxcontainers.org/ https://us.images.linuxcontainers.org/ Even Kali Linux has a container image at https://us.images.linuxcontainers.org/ https://us.images.linuxcontainers.org/ edit: If anyone at EasyOS wants to add a container image, see as an example the PR for Kali, https://github.com/lxc/distrobuilder/pull/179 https://github.com/lxc/distrobuilder/pull/179
- sandGorgon 7y agoFedora Silverblue is already semi-production ready https://silverblue.fedoraproject.org https://silverblue.fedoraproject.org https://fedoramagazine.org/what-is-silverblue/ https://fedoramagazine.org/what-is-silverblue/ https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/fedora-silverblue/toolbox/ https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/fedora-silverblue/toolb...
- mdaniel 7y agoI waved off Silverblue when I learned one must reboot to install packages. Maybe that's not a big deal with a server OS, but having to unlock the full-disk encryption, then restore my desktop and possibly reauth any apps is a bridge too far for me. To say nothing of the heartache involved when you realize that, haha, you didn't know the full package list you needed, so now you are iterating through that process.
- temptemptemp111 7y agoHaha... So the host is designed for the guest? No, even worse: the host is designed for the container!
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 7y agoAfter spending a scant few minutes looking at it, here are the things I like about this project so far: - It has a "How and why are we different" page. In the age of "I made a meta package on top of Ubuntu and called it a new OS", it's refreshing to see a Linux distribution come right out and say "here's what we do that separates us from the other 700". - It actually is different. Recognizing the nigh-uselessness of separate user accounts (for personal computers), embracing of simple GUI tools over terminal wankery, eschewing of the legacy UNIX file hierarchy. - They use the ROX filer, the only file manager for Linux with AppDir support and the centerpiece of the unfortunately long-defunct ROX Desktop. I'm anxious to find out more.
- swiley 7y agoMaybe it's because of my limited experience with containers but I can't imagine why on earth you would prefer GUI tools (especially a graphical shell) in a container.
- tracker1 7y agoApplication isolation and the ability to upgrade separate applications and components with their dependencies separately from each other. Less issues with "update X" now broke A, B and C apps... you now have to add a PPA for Apps A and C, but B you'll have to build from source, oh crap, no longer actively maintained... switching to D app which was forked a couple months ago. Not to mention the ability to easily support different build tool chains combinations, etc. Right now, my preferences are flatpak, snap, ppa, repo in that order. Not really looking to play with a new linux, Manjaro is next on my list. Currently running Pop!_OS, which has been nice (just jumped this past month, haven't tried a linux desktop in 5+ years before that). I've been relatively happy. That said, my biggest issues so far: * need to update kernel and new mesa drivers before putting the 5700 XT video card. * needed to update kernel for wifi support (intel ax). * rainbow puke from RGB controllers, the Gigabyte (X570 Aorus Master) support is all but worthless, and the open-source project I saw was actually for windows. For the Lian Li o11 Dynamic Razor edition case, there's open-source Razor drivers, but I'll need to setup a windows drive in order to capture some data in order to support the specific device. I haven't even looked into the Corsair ram yet (which is actually the biggest eye sore at the moment). I really regret not building another black box. My first two choices of cases without windows were sold out, so I went for the "pretty" case option. Which would be great if I were running windows, but I have no intention to. A lot of money on RGB fans (all matching), water cooling, ram, etc... and none of the controllers have good linux support. Would switch to another controller, but the only one I keep finding is a German company and doesn't seem to actually be sold anywhere. Which wouldn't cover the ram or case.
- whydoyoucare 7y agoRun as root to avoid typing sudo or su? That is like having a handgun without the safety! No thank you!
- swiley 7y agoInterestingly I've been told by handgun users that this is currently a popular idea.
- whydoyoucare 7y agoPopular need not imply secure. :-)
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 7y agoThat's because when you actually need the handgun you'll want it to function as expected when you pull the trigger. A safety is just extra complication that provides no significant benefit if you're already handling the firearm like you're supposed to (which is to say, never pointing it at anything you don't want to destroy). Even without external safeties, modern firearms often do contain internal safeties to ensure that they only go off when the trigger is operated, as opposed to being dropped or something.
- rahulun 7y agoIirc Clear Linux also started as an OS for containers and morphed into a full functioning desktop OS, let’s how this goes.
- kvark 7y agoThey bought me on "No full install". I've always been annoyed how Unix systems treat the system as "their property" with the user just being a temporary guest (if not an intruder).