SkyOS

A BeOS-inspired Linux desktop built from scratch in C. Custom window manager, deskbar, launcher, GTK theme, and graphical installer — all running on Arch Linux with a bootable ISO.

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What it is

SkyOS is a complete desktop environment built on X11/Xlib with a distinctive dark blue aesthetic. It ships as a bootable ISO you can try live or install to disk.

Components

Component	Description
skywm	Stacking window manager — titlebars, 3-button close/maximize/minimize, snap-to-edge, double-click maximize
skydeskbar	Sidebar panel — clock, date, task list, CPU/RAM/battery status
skylauncher	App launcher — keyboard-driven grid of application shortcuts
skyinstall-gui	Graphical installer wizard — disk selection, user setup, live progress
SkyOS GTK theme	Matching dark theme for GTK 2/3 apps

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Building the ISO

Requirements: Docker Desktop (Mac/Windows/Linux)

./build-iso.sh

Output: dist/skyos-YYYYMMDD.iso

The build runs entirely inside a Docker container — no Arch Linux install required on the host. First build downloads ~600 MB of packages and takes 10–20 minutes. Subsequent builds are fast thanks to Docker layer caching.

What the build does

1. Starts from the official archlinux:latest Docker image
2. Installs archiso and build tools
3. Builds the SkyOS binaries (skywm, skydeskbar, skylauncher, skyinstall-gui)
4. Assembles an archiso profile with the full package set
5. Produces a hybrid ISO that boots on both UEFI and legacy BIOS hardware

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Flashing to USB

Balena Etcher (recommended): https://etcher.balena.io — drag the ISO, pick the USB, flash.

Command line (Mac/Linux):

# Find your USB drive first
diskutil list          # macOS
lsblk                  # Linux

# Flash (replace diskN / sdX)
sudo dd if=dist/skyos-*.iso of=/dev/diskN bs=4m   # macOS
sudo dd if=dist/skyos-*.iso of=/dev/sdX  bs=4M    # Linux

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Booting

Boot from the USB. SkyOS starts the live desktop automatically — no login required (user: sky, password: skyos).

Intel Mac notes:

• Hold Option at startup to select the USB boot device
• WiFi uses the broadcom-wl driver (loaded automatically)
• Trackpad: tap-to-click and two-finger scroll are enabled by default
• Audio uses PipeWire + SOF firmware for Intel HDA

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Installing to disk

Click Install SkyOS in the launcher, or run sudo skyinstall-gui from a terminal.

The graphical installer walks through:

1. Disk selection (shows all disks ≥ 4 GB with model and size)
2. Hostname, username, and password
3. Review screen with erase warning
4. Live installation with progress bar and log
5. Reboot

The installer auto-detects UEFI vs legacy BIOS and sets up the appropriate bootloader (systemd-boot for UEFI, GRUB for BIOS).

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Included software

Category	Applications
Browser	Firefox
Office	OnlyOffice
Files	Thunar
Terminal	XTerm
Video	mpv
Images	Viewnior
PDF	Evince
Text editor	Mousepad
Audio	PipeWire, pavucontrol
Network	NetworkManager, nm-applet
Bluetooth	bluez, blueman
Compositor	picom (GLX, xrender fallback)
Notifications	dunst

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Building from source (without Docker)

Requires an Arch Linux system with libx11, libxft, fontconfig development headers.

make          # build all components
make install  # install to /usr/local (run as root)

Individual components:

make -C wm        # skywm
make -C deskbar   # skydeskbar
make -C launcher  # skylauncher
make -C installer # skyinstall-gui

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Project layout

OS/
├── wm/             skywm window manager (C/Xlib)
├── deskbar/        skydeskbar panel (C/Xlib/Xft)
├── launcher/       skylauncher app grid (C/Xlib/Xft)
├── installer/      skyinstall-gui + skyinstall backend
├── themes/
│   ├── SkyOS/      GTK 2/3 theme
│   ├── picom.conf  compositor config
│   └── skywallpaper  wallpaper setter
├── iso/
│   └── docker/     Dockerfile + entrypoint.sh (ISO builder)
├── build-iso.sh    one-command ISO build script
└── Makefile

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Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Alt + F1	Open launcher
Alt + F4	Close window
Alt + F10	Toggle maximize
Super + ←	Snap window left
Super + →	Snap window right
Alt + drag	Move window
XF86MonBrightness↑↓	Screen brightness
XF86Audio*	Volume / mute

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License

MIT