Surf Wiki
Save to docs
technology/operating-systems

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

CRUX

Linux distribution

Summary

Linux distribution

FieldValue
nameCRUX Linux
logo[[File:cruxlogo.png250pxleftThe Crux Linux Logo]]
screenshot[[File:CRUX screenshot.jpg250pxKDE Desktop for Crux Linux OS]]
captionScreenshot KDE Desktop for Crux Linux OS (2007).
website
developerPer Lidén and CRUX community
familyLinux (Unix-like)
source_modelOpen source
released
latest_release_version3.8
latest_release_date
kernel_typeLinux (Monolithic)
userlandGNU
influencedArch Linux
uiOpenbox
licenseVarious
working_stateActive
supported_platformsx86-64
updatemodelports
package_managerpkgutils

the Linux distribution

CRUX is a lightweight x86-64 Linux distribution targeted at experienced Linux users and delivered by a tar.gz-based package system with BSD-style initscripts. It is not based on any other Linux distribution. It also utilizes a ports system to install and upgrade applications.

Although crux is the Latin word for "cross," the choice of the name "CRUX" itself has no meaning. Per Lidén chose it because it "sounded cool," and ends in "X" which puts it in line with various other Unix flavors such as IRIX, Ultrix, Mac OS X and IBM AIX.

Installation

CRUX does not include a GUI installation program. Instead, the user boots the kernel stored on either a CD or diskette; partitions the hard disk drive(s) to which the operating system will be installed (using a program such as fdisk or cfdisk); creates the appropriate file systems on the various partitions; mounts the CD or NFS share along with the partitions made previously for use by the package installation script; compiles a new kernel; and installs a bootloader, all via shell commands.

Package management

CRUX implements an infrastructure similar to that of BSD-based operating systems for package management. Packages consist of a Pkgfile (which is a shell script), any patches required to adjust the program to work, md5sum hashes used to verify the integrity of the downloaded files and a footprint file listing the files to be included in the packages. These files are downloaded from a CRUX software repository, compiled, and installed using the prt-get frontend to pkgutils. The software sources are downloaded from the websites of their respective upstream at the address specified in the Pkgfile.

Releases

VersiondmyDate
1.02002 December
1.12003 March
1.22003 August
1.32003 December
1.3.12004 February
2.02004 March
2.12005 April
2.22006 April
2.32007 March
2.42007 December
2.52008 December
2.62009 September
2.72010 October
2.7.12011 November
2.82012 October
3.02013 January
3.12014 July
3.22015 November
3.32017 February
3.42018 May
3.52019 June
3.62020 December
3.6.12020 December
3.72022 September
3.82025 April

Reviews

Simone Rota reviewed CRUX for OSNews:

References

References

  1. (21 April 2025). "Release Notes for CRUX 3.8".
  2. "The Package System". Crux.nu.
  3. "Interview With the Creators of CRUX and Root Linux".
  4. "HomePage". Crux.nu.
  5. (July 22, 2008). "6. Miscellaneous". Crux.nu.
  6. "Installing CRUX". Crux.nu.
  7. (July 15, 2008). "NFSInstall". Crux.nu.
  8. "CRUX {{!}} Main / ReleaseNotes3-5".
  9. "CRUX {{!}} Main / ReleaseNotes3-6".
  10. [http://www.osnews.com/story/4720/Review_CRUX_Linux Review: CRUX Linux] {{Webarchive. link. (2018-06-12 , '''OSNews''')
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

source-based-linux-distributions linux-distributions-without-systemd linux-distributions
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about CRUX — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report