I’m excited to share a project I’ve been working on: Modularis, a prototype designed specifically for Framework 12 laptops. The goal is to create an OS that mirrors Framework’s philosophy: modularity, repairability, and flexibility - all while offering a smooth, modern user experience.
Why I Built This OS
Framework hardware is modular, repairable, and user-focused.
I wanted an OS that aligns with these principles in software.
The aim is a lightweight, fast, and customizable OS optimized for the Framework 12.
Key Features
Custom Boot & Login Animation - smooth and modern transitions.
Modular Dashboard - manage expansions, modules and ports easily.
Hardware and Health Tools - battery, fan, storage, and diagnostics panels.
Touch & Tablet Mode Support - optimized for Framework 12 2-in-1 convertibles.
Framework-Aligned UI - minimalist, modular, and fully configurable.
Feedback & Collaboration
I’d love the community’s thoughts on:
UI design and animation
Ideas for additional Framework-specific tools
Suggestions for performance optimization or hardware support
Thank you for checking out Modularis - Stay tuned for updates.
Where could Linux be, if all the developer resources were not cluttered over hundreds of distributions, just because a new boot-animation is worth bringing a new distribution, but focused on just a handful?!
It’s the power and the biggest loss of open source.
From your post I don’t see any point bringing a new distribution. I would suggest you take your time and knowledge and use your power do e strengthen an existing distribution. Might be you could create fw12-specific packages.
Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want to stop you from doing this, I just think another approach could be more precious.
Really surprised and grateful for the early attention on Modularis. I’m currently designing the boot experience, core UI style, and planning the system layout. More teasers soon.
Modularis 1.0 — First Release for the Framework Community
Modularis 1.0 is now officially released — the first complete version of the OS built specifically for the Framework community. This release includes a fully working 64-bit kernel that boots through GRUB using Multiboot2, enters long mode, initializes VGA text output, and runs stable after boot.
Originally I considered making a distro, but I pivoted into OS development from scratch instead. Modularis isn’t Linux—it’s my own kernel in C/ASM that boots via GRUB. The post is showing early bare-metal work, not a distro.
If you are doing this to learn. I think you might learn more by looking at a bug tracker on an already existing OS, and try to fix some of the bugs.
There are multiple OS already out there. Learn about them before doing your own. E.g. linux, redox os, freebsd, etc.
That is how i got started. I would find hardware that only worked on windows, reverse enginner it, and write drivers for it on Linux so that the hardware worked on linux. That particular problem is largely fixed now, as pretty much all hardware works in linux now.
For example, the installer experience for redox os is not great. Improving that so that it is easy to install redox os in say a VM, with user choosen partition sizes, would be great. Then many more people could work on the applications and their look and feel. Separately from getting the OS running on the hardware directly. (Bare metal)
I also learnt a lot quicker on an open source project because you submit something, and then others help you getting it good enough to be commited.
Modularis 1.0 — First Release for the Framework Community 
