About Prime GNU/Linux

One of the definitions for prime is to make ready or prepare

Prime GNU/Linux mirrors the design goals of the original Core Linux system which is to produce "a minimal distribution of the GNU/Linux operating system designed to be the basis for a complete system constructed by the end user. A fresh installation... will boot into a console and provide the user with the tools needed to download, compile and install other applications. [It] contains nothing beyond what is required to perform these tasks. [It] is primarily designed for experienced GNU/Linux users, though it has found an audience with those looking to learn about the internals and operation of a GNU/Linux system." (This is the description of Core when version 1 was originally released on April 4, 2003 by Josh Devan.)

Distributions such as [K,X]Ubuntu, OpenSuse, Fedora and others are becoming more and more mainstream in the desktop arena and easier to install than ever.

With this popularity you also get the software bloat effect where the average distribution is now available on a minimum of 3 plus CD's or even multiple DVDs. Rich desktop environments are installed to give the average user the desktop experience they know and understand from a Microsoft Windows or Apple MacOS environment.

This is happening to the point where the average user does not even have a chance of knowing what all is installed during the installation process. Newer installation routines give the user little chance to customize what is being installed on their system.

So the question is: what was installed that is using 2 GBs of your hard drive?

These recent developments on the desktop have also carried over to the server environment where installations provide a multifunction server environment, and often installing too much bloatware for the purpose of the server.

The developers of Core 2 (the update for the original Core Linux project) want to go back to the basics - keeping GNU/Linux the way it was known to the community: a versatile and customizable operating system which can be optimized for the planned operation thus preparing/priming a system for its main purpose.

Welcome to Prime GNU/Linux