BifrOSt

Íslenskt · frjálst · byggt á Arch Linux

BifrOSt is an independent, Icelandic-first developer workstation and live/install ISO based on Arch Linux. It keeps Arch's official kernel, pacman, repositories, and rolling-release update model, while adding Icelandic defaults, COSMIC, optional development profiles, and an original visual identity.

AÐVÖRUN — VALINN DISKUR EYÐIST

BifrOSt 0.2 setur aðeins upp á heilan disk. Öll disksneiðing og öll gögn á staðfesta markdiskinum verða fjarlægð. Taktu sannreynt afrit og aftengdu diska sem ekki má eyða.

WARNING — THE SELECTED DISK WILL BE ERASED

BifrOSt 0.2 performs a whole-disk installation only. Every partition and all data on the confirmed target are removed. Make a verified backup and disconnect disks that must not be erased. There is no dual-boot or manual-partitioning path.

0.2 release status

The source version is 0.2.0. This release does not claim physical-hardware qualification, offline completeness, bit-for-bit reproducibility, rollback, Secure Boot support, or signed artifacts beyond what the release record documents.

• Installation requires x86_64 UEFI with Secure Boot disabled.
• Online installation from signed official Arch repositories is the normal mode.
• Offline mode is shown only when the medium contains a complete signed schema-v2 local source manifest, trusted keyring/repository, and all required package archives, and that source passes pre-wipe validation. A bootable ISO alone is not an offline-completeness claim.
• A checksum authenticates the publisher only when its detached signature verifies against a release-key fingerprint obtained through an independent trusted channel. Unsigned artifacts are labeled .unsigned.
• Physical support is limited to explicit Pass entries in the release's hardware qualification record. The current template contains no physical-hardware Pass.

Whole-disk safety

The installer shows and freezes the target's current path, model, capacity, serial number, WWN when available, and sector geometry. The UI requires a non-removable target of at least 20 GiB; the backend independently refuses layouts below 16 GiB. It rejects detected live-media ancestry, mounts, holders, swap, read-only/unsuitable media, and any identity or geometry change, then repeats source and target validation immediately before wiping.

Device paths can change. Never identify a disk by /dev/sd… or capacity alone. Compare the displayed model plus serial or WWN with the physical device or firmware inventory. The final styled confirmation names the disk again and requires the exact path displayed at that moment. Cancel if any fact differs.

Read Installation and safety before using the installer.

What 0.2 provides

• Icelandic-first installer and desktop, with English available for critical installation, failure, and recovery messages
• Whole-disk GPT/Btrfs installation with UEFI systemd-boot
• Optional LUKS2 encryption for the root data; the EFI System Partition remains unencrypted
• A mandatory base profile plus optional dev-rust, dev-containers, dev-web, and dev-python profiles
• Pre-wipe target revalidation and package-source readiness checks
• Retained per-run diagnostics below /var/log/bifrost-installer/
• A per-user first-boot BifrOSt welcome that reports recorded encryption/profile choices
• Icelandic locale (is_IS.UTF-8), Icelandic keyboard defaults, and Atlantic/Reykjavik timezone
• COSMIC with original BifrOSt aurora, glacier, basalt, and longship artwork
• Linux and Linux LTS kernels, NetworkManager, and PipeWire from official Arch repositories

BifrOSt does not replace pacman, ship a custom kernel, enable the AUR automatically, or freeze Arch's rolling package versions.

Documentation

Download, verify, and write the USB

Download the exact x86_64 ISO and every accompanying verification artifact from the GitHub releases page. Follow Verify a release and write USB media before booting.

Prefer an image writer that shows the destination model and capacity, such as KDE ISO Image Writer, GNOME Disks, or Rufus. Imaging erases the entire destination. The command-line guide requires a verified /dev/disk/by-id/ identity and deliberately does not suggest copying a generic /dev/sdX.

Install

1. Verify the release artifacts and write the USB safely.
2. Boot the USB in UEFI mode with Secure Boot disabled.
3. Connect to the network for normal online mode.
4. Open Setja upp BifrOSt / Install BifrOSt and select Icelandic or English.
5. Wait for source readiness, rescan targets, and compare the selected disk's model, size, serial/WWN, and path.
6. Choose LUKS2 encryption if wanted, select optional profiles, and enter account details. Keep a separate durable record of the LUKS2 passphrase; BifrOSt cannot recover a lost passphrase.
7. Review every value. In the final destructive dialog, verify the disk identity again and type only the exact target path displayed by the installer.
8. Wait for a success result, shut down, remove the USB, and boot the installed disk.

If the run fails, assume the target may contain a partial installation. BifrOSt does not claim rollback. Preserve the reported run directory and follow Recovery and log collection.

Platform caveats

Secure Boot

Secure Boot is unsupported in 0.2. The project does not claim a signed boot chain. Disable Secure Boot in firmware before booting or installing.

NVIDIA

The installer does not bundle or configure proprietary NVIDIA drivers. The live environment may have limited behavior on NVIDIA or hybrid-graphics systems. A successful live boot does not qualify suspend, external displays, proprietary drivers, or GPU switching; consult current Arch Linux guidance after installation and record real results in the hardware matrix.

Screenshots

Live COSMIC desktop

Graphical installer

Installed desktop

Build on Arch Linux

Install the official build and VM tools:

sudo pacman -S --needed archiso qemu-desktop edk2-ovmf

Build from the repository root:

sudo mkarchiso -v -r \
  -w work \
  -o out \
  profile

The profile consumes current official Arch repositories unless a separately validated complete local source is supplied. Therefore two builds from the same source revision are not claimed to be bit-for-bit reproducible. Build success is also not installation or hardware qualification.

Use the exact QEMU plan for both standard and encrypted release-candidate installs. It requires cold booting each installed disk with the ISO detached and retaining evidence. No physical-hardware qualification is inferred from QEMU.

Icelandic COSMIC translations

BifrOSt drives COSMIC toward complete Icelandic coverage and has contributed translations upstream to System76. Terminology is grounded in the Íðorðabankinn TOLVA computing dictionary.

COSMIC embeds translations at build time. They appear when the relevant upstream change is merged and the official Arch package is rebuilt; the table is contribution history, not a claim that every current binary contains every string.

Identity and attribution

The BifrOSt mark, boot art, and wallpaper are original project artwork. BifrOSt is an independent project, not an official Arch Linux or System76 product. Arch Linux and its marks belong to their respective owners. COSMIC is developed by System76.

License

Project-authored configuration, scripts, documentation, and artwork are released under the MIT License. Upstream ArchISO files and installed software retain their own licenses.