/tech/ - Technology★

OP here. I meant to say specifically "Overlayroot"

>>902857 (OP)

Pardon me for one moment. What you are calling Linux, is in actuality, GNU/Linux, or as I have nicknamed it, GNU plus Linux. Linux isn't an operating system by itself, but it is just another part of the GNU system, which has been extended in functionality via various GNU components (including GNU's shell utilities and corelibs) which only then fit the definition of a complete operating system as outlined by POSIX.

There are many people today who are running the GNU operating system without even being aware of it. Through a strange turn of events, a misnomer has emerged where people refer to a widely used version of the GNU system as "Linux", unaware that the proper name for the system they run is the GNU operating system.

Now while they are in fact using Linux, it is only one component of the system that they run. Linux is used as the kernel: the part of an operating system which distributes a machine's resources to other programs which request them. While this functionality is essential for the successful functioning of a system, it cannot function on its own, it needs an operating system within which it can carry out its functions. Linux is commonly paired with the GNU operating system: the entirety of the system is GNU with the addition of Linux, or GNU/Linux. Every single "Linux Distribution" is actually a distribution of GNU/Linux.

>>902861

Look man not every linux system is using GNU software.

I'm new to OverlayFS. What does it let me do and how can I use it? Why is it better than standard /home, /var, /boot etc. on separate partitions?

>>902862

Linux is a kernel, a program in a system.

>>902873

I imagine symbolic links would be annoying because you'd have to keep recreating them and deleting them.

Also what happens when you try to write to the overlaid filesystem? Which directory does it go into?

From The UNIX Programming Enviroment, by Rob Pike and Brian Kernighan:

> What is "UNIX"? In the narrowest sense, it is a time-sharing operating system kernel: a program that controls the resources of a computer and allocates them to its users.

It's just Linux.

>runs a monolithic kernel and init system with more than 1 million lines of code

>I no longer have to fear CIA niggers getting all up in my shit either

Don't be such delusional.

And what's up with the YOUUNEEKS way? 125 ways to do one thing and none of them is right? That's it, now I get the philosophy.

>>902880

>init system with >1M lines of code

I don't use systemd

>monolithic kernel with more than 1M lines of code

Most linux source code is never compiled or executed by the average user. (drivers, debugging code, etc.)

>>902864

>>902873

Having an Overlayroot is useful because you can have an otherwise normal system be completely temporary by setting root to a tmpfs. Any changes made is reverted upon reboot. So in a way its like running a LiveCD on your HDD. The difference is that you can make changes if you have to by disabling it through grub

>>902877

It depends on how you configure it. Which means writes can go to a scratch partition that's cleared on reboot, or a portion of RAM

>>902902

>normalfags

>linux

>kiosk PC

no no no no nononononononono

I swear there will be a 90% chance they complain to you about how they don't know how it works (BUT I WANT MACROSHIT WANGBLOWS BACK!)

>>902904

You're not wrong. But you're also missing my point

God damn it, after years of bullying Freetards I finally get back into Linux and then this shit. Guess I deserve it

>>902905

Ok, to address your point.

If you wanted a computer which couldn't be fucked up by guest users, why not just install a normalfag distro like Linux Mint and enable the kiosk mode/guest user?

Or just have the home directory on a tmpfs which is deleted and recreated when the user logs out.

>>902902

>>902904

You can also just use VMs. It's what I do. Have a microshit VM and boot to that and have them connect to there. Or pass the GPU through on boot or whatever. The same can be said for Linux and frankly I find it the better solution. If my Web VM shits it's pants or I feel I'm not doing something right, a simple reinstall of maybe 30 minutes and I am back to fresh Linux.

I can see the benefits of tmpfs but I feel like it's a hell of a lot of trouble myself. I also prefer to have permanent changes to my FS as a personal preference. Maybe that's an autism thing.

>>902908

Because I would sometimes like to install applications or do other shit as root myself and I can't trust myself not to fuck shit up so its nice having everything be temporary

>>902911

>I can see the benefits of tmpfs but I feel like it's a hell of a lot of trouble myself.

sudo apt install overlayroot
nano /etc/overlayroot.cfg
overlayroot=tmpfs:swap=1,recurse=0

It's that simple my dude

>>902911

You seem to have missed my point. I proposed using tmpfs for the home directory (the user being unable to modify anything else because permissions)

>>902915

I'm mostly talking about the long term pain in the ass, not the short term installation or benefits. Using a RAM distro is a similar comparison.

>>902918

>I proposed using tmpfs for the home directory

>(the user being unable to modify anything else because permissions)

I'm a little drunk and/or retarded. So slow down a little friend. You mean that using tmpfs for the /home would prevent you from editing anything else on the partition? Also isn't the desktop in /home?

I'd guess, a seamless VM on a separate hypervisor OS would be an ideal kiosk for guest normalfags. My autism can't comprehend how you could possibly save a running main system with all encryption keys in memory from fucking with.

>>902870

Kill yourself.

Almost everybody using Linux does this you moron. It's called Factory Data Reset.

>>902857 (OP)

How is this different from having a Bedrock Linux install?

>>902921

Using tmpfs for the home directory of the guest user (let's say /home/guest) would allow the user to store temporary files in memory. Ordinary unix permissions would prevent the guest user from changing anything in /usr, /etc, /var etc..

After the guest user logs out, everything in his home directory (/home/guest) will be removed and replaced with the default.

>Isn't the desktop in /home

The desktop icons are stored in each user's home directory, but they would be restored to the default upon each logout.

>>902969

Are you serious matey? This is already the /tech/ subreddit.

>>902861

this crap shouldbe filtered board-wide?