Curated Forky base
Designed around a delayed Debian Testing / Forky model: newer than Debian Stable, calmer than raw Testing.
Founder Preview
Mann Industries Linux
MI Linux is a polished Debian Testing / Forky-based GNOME desktop OS built for everyday users who want modern hardware support, gaming ready performance, privacy-respecting defaults, and a clear update path.
- Release
- MI Linux Forky Founder
- Base
- Debian Testing / Forky
- Desktop
- GNOME
- Status
- Founder Preview
mi-linux@founder:~$ verify-release ISO: mi-linux-forky-founder-amd64.iso Size: 3,178,332,160 bytes SHA256: f357ce90ba864b56... SHA512: 68243169f7d58a89... Source: GitHub public recipe
What is MI Linux?
A real installable Linux desktop, not just a theme pack.
Mann Industries Linux, short name MI Linux, is a Debian Testing / Forky-based desktop operating system project from Mann Industries. The first public release is MI Linux Forky Founder — Founder Preview.
MI Linux is being created for people who want a polished, beginner-friendly Linux desktop without giving up modern hardware support, gaming-ready performance, privacy, or control over system updates. It is not just a theme pack. The goal is a real installable operating system with a live ISO, Calamares installer, MI Linux update path, documentation, checksums, signatures, and a public build recipe.
Why it was made
MI Linux was created because many Linux choices force users to pick between extremes: very stable but older packages; very current but too risky for normal users; polished desktops that hide too much control; powerful systems that expect new users to know too much up front; and app ecosystems that push users toward unwanted defaults.
MI Linux is designed to sit in the middle: more current than Debian Stable, calmer than raw Debian Testing, polished enough for beginners, and transparent enough for advanced users. The Founder Preview is the first step toward a Mann Industries desktop OS that can be downloaded, verified, booted, installed, updated, and improved in the open.
Download
Get MI Linux Founder Preview
The full ISO is hosted on MannCloud. Checksum files are published alongside it so you can verify the download before writing it to a USB drive.
Why MI Linux
More than a theme. Built like a real OS.
Polished GNOME desktop
MI Linux will feel familiar from the start, with a bottom taskbar, its own visual identity, Firefox, ONLYOFFICE, Flatpak, Flathub, and GNOME Software included.
Gaming ready
Planned support for i386 multiarch, Vulkan, GameMode, MangoHud, controllers, and Proton tools without overloading the base install.
Privacy-respecting defaults
No telemetry, no required online account, no automatic usage reporting, and user-controlled bug reporting.
Real release artifacts
Bootable ISO, checksums, release notes, known issues, public source, and MannCloud-hosted downloads.
Mann Industries identity
Branding, wallpaper, full-screen boot/shutdown art, welcome app, update manager, and a dedicated apt repository.
Latest update
Founder Preview refresh: cleaner startup, login, lock screen, and updates
This refresh fixes the boot and shutdown screen so the image fills the display. It also keeps desktop, lock, and login wallpapers in sync. Update Manager now uses plain language and handles common apt lock issues more safely.
Current ISO: mi-linux-forky-founder-amd64.iso Build: 2026-08-22 Founder Preview refresh Source commit: f3d51beaa72619b654ba5846f45ae6e92b847242
Verification
Verify before you install
After downloading the ISO, compare it with the SHA256 or SHA512 file. The checksum should match exactly before you write the USB.
Size: 3,178,332,160 bytes SHA256: f357ce90ba864b5697824133fd15d13b0c2fdb4b571a0d381ded3a9653ba92f9 SHA512: 68243169f7d58a898c7440cc1bf82d58 c194d7a537fe6838c7eb140b9b4d813a 6a6f2d78bb007b94dd9667346a01b059 9c3b50eb1bd00326c95d4ad31b4ed637 sha256sum -c mi-linux-forky-founder-amd64.iso.sha256 sha512sum -c mi-linux-forky-founder-amd64.iso.sha512
Update server
Signed MI Linux apt repository
Installed systems use the MI Linux update server at apt.mannindustries.org. The Founder Preview channel is forky-founder, with a separate forky-tester channel for early testing.
Types: deb URIs: https://apt.mannindustries.org Suites: forky-founder Components: main Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/mi-linux-archive-keyring.gpg
Install path
Try it live, then install with Calamares
- DownloadGet the ISO and checksum files from MannCloud.
- VerifyCheck SHA256 or SHA512 before writing the image.
- Write USBUse Rufus, balenaEtcher, GNOME Disks, Ventoy, or the repo helper script.
- Boot liveStart the USB in UEFI or Legacy BIOS and try the live desktop.
- InstallLaunch Install MI Linux and follow the Calamares installer.
Open build recipe
Review the project on GitHub
Build scripts, live-build configuration, package sources, documentation, and website files are public for review and feedback.