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Getting started
What WolOS is, what you need, and the first ten minutes.
What it is
WolOS is a desktop operating system for the PC you already own. It has a menu bar at the top, a Dock at the bottom, Search, a Control Center, Settings and a Store, so the first minutes feel familiar. Underneath it is Arch Linux, pinned to a tested snapshot, with WolKernel and a Rust system layer that keeps the desktop calm.
Why
Most people want a computer that starts, stays quick and gets out of the way. WolOS aims for that: no terminal needed for everyday things, updates that can be undone, and a system that does nothing when you do nothing.
How
- Download the ISO from the Download page and check its SHA-256 sum.
- Write it to a USB stick of 4 GB or more with any image writer (balenaEtcher, Fedora Media Writer,
dd), or attach it to a virtual machine. - Start from the stick. The menu offers Install WolOS and Try WolOS. Try runs the whole desktop from memory and changes nothing on the disk.
- Install when you are ready. The installer shows exactly what it will change before it writes anything; see Installing WolOS.
- First start. If the computer uses Secure Boot, a blue key screen appears once; the password is
boot. See Secure Boot.
Around the desktop
| Where | What it does |
|---|---|
| Menu bar | The app's menus on the left, status and the Control Center on the right |
| Dock | Your apps; running apps get a dot |
| Search | Apps, files, Settings pages and plugin results in one box |
| Control Center | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, sound, brightness, Low Power Mode and tiles from plugins |
| Store | Curated apps, Kits and every package source through wopkg |
| Settings | Everything else, including Privacy & Security and Assistants & Automation |
Status
WolOS is in active development. The image installs offline and boots; the full desktop is still being proven on real hardware, so expect rough edges and report what you hit on GitHub.