Frequently Asked Questions
What we get asked most about MimOS: installing it, hardware, updates and privacy.
Can I install MimOS?
Yes. The installer completes a real installation: erasing the disk, beside an existing Windows, or partitioning the disk yourself. It can encrypt the whole system with LUKS2, and every installation ends up with snapshots and recovery straight from the boot menu.
Can I use it every day?
Yes. That is what 1.0 means. It is worth saying where the edge is: we use it daily ourselves, on XI14's machines, and that is the real experience behind this release. The closer your computer is to an ordinary desktop with Intel, AMD or NVIDIA graphics, the more trodden the ground.
Do I have to turn Secure Boot off?
Yes, before installing. MimOS does not sign its boot chain, and that is a decision taken with the measurements in hand: enrolling your own keys requires putting the firmware into setup mode, which is more of a nuisance than turning Secure Boot off, and the other route needs a registered legal entity and a certificate that takes months. MimOS ships “sbctl” for anyone who wants to set it up themselves.
What computers has it been tested on?
Machines with Intel, AMD and NVIDIA graphics: all three families have booted MimOS, and it has been installed on all three. They are XI14's own machines, so it is variety of graphics, not a compatibility lab. If your machine is unusual, start with the Live session: boot from the USB without touching the disk.
Does MimOS use the AUR?
The packages in the image come from Arch's official repositories and from the signed MimOS channel; nothing is resolved from the AUR automatically. The image ships “paru” so you can reach the AUR when you want to, and the updater accounts for it in its safe order: official first, AUR after.
Does it collect telemetry?
No, and it is not a promise but a measurement: we captured every network packet from a freshly installed system, and ten minutes of silence produced two time queries and one DNS lookup. No telemetry and no mandatory accounts.
Is accessibility validated?
All 679 interactive nodes in the installer carry an accessible name, the five credential fields announce theirs in Spanish, the synthesiser's default voice is Spanish, and a listening pass with Orca has been done on the system. What is still not fully covered is 200% scaling: the installer is usable there but tight.
Is this an official Arch or KDE project?
No. MimOS is independent and not officially affiliated with those projects.
How do I download and verify the ISO?
As a single file from iso.mimoslinux.org, beside its SHA-256 sum and a detached signature that verifies against the key every MimOS image carries inside. Check the sum before writing it to a USB stick; if it does not match, do not use it.
Does MimOS update itself?
Yes. MimOS's own packages come from a repository signed over HTTPS, and “pacman -Syu” updates them alongside Arch's. The signature verifies against a key that travels inside the image itself, so an installed system reaches the channel on its own, with nothing to repair. A tray notification tells you when there is something new.
Care and recovery
How to update, what the snapshots keep, and how to go back in two minutes when something goes wrong.
Read the guideReport vulnerabilities
MimOS is made by two people and we do not offer security-supported releases: we could not sustain it. What does happen is that almost all the software comes from Arch's official repositories, so their security fixes reach you when you update; ours are corrected in the next release. The source repository is private, so there are no public issues or security advisories to write to yet: if you find something, tell us on Discord until we open a route of our own.