r/bedrocklinux • u/linuxLover67 • 1d ago
Should i get bedrock linux?
I will be getting a thinkpad soon and i want to try new linux distributions is bedrock awfully hard, how long does the set up take
1
u/ParadigmComplex founder and lead developer 1d ago
My usual recommendation is to first try Bedrock out in a non-production environment like a spare machine or VM. Run the interactive tutorial via brl tutorial basics then exercise the environment like you would your production environment. If that works out, then consider using it for your production setup; if it doesn't, then maybe it isn't for you, at least not yet.
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u/MindlessEffective381 1d ago
Personally I don't think it is hard to install bedrock, but it has different levels of difficulty depending on what do you want to use.
I mean, I did have a whole Arch Linux running on my pc (with installed packages using up to 53% of my disk), i've downloaded the Bedrock Hijacking script (instead of compiling it myself. My processor isn't that good for compile stuff yet I do use the AUR + Make, what an irony). It took just 1 minute to hijack my whole distro, i've restarted the PC, the bedrock init showed a screen for where I do want to boot (as I only had Arch/Systemd, that's the only one I booted on), then it became slower the first time i had to restart, second time kinda slow but now I managed to get into my "new" yet already existing Arch Stratum (the hijacking process from before converts your hijacked distro into an stratum, because Bedrock Linux use the system of Strata for help you manage your distros you mount on bedrock), yet the posterior bootings were as fast as before hijacking my own distro.
WIth brl fetch/import and podman (or docker) pulling images, bedrock converts the images automatically on a usable stratum, mounts it and it works really well. you can remove it for sure with brl disable (stratum) && brl remove (stratum) of course. So no real difficult here to be honest. Just a big distrobox but better and "native"
Now, if you want to have a init like openrc, sysvinit, runit, and then use systemd distros, then that could make the things a bit hard, i mean, depeding on what do you want to do next after installing bedrock linux the difficulty may vary from easy to hard.
Yet again, if you want to test it, you can make and use a partition of your disk, install arch, debian, or any recommendable distro the Bedrock Documentation says it has no problems (i've heard fedora is a bit problematic). Once installed hijack the partition with the bedrock hijack sh script, do what it says, and if it works, then it can go well on your computer
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u/TJRoyalty_ 1d ago
For me, the setup took about 3 minutes; you just need to find the correct URL for your hijack. Be absolutely sure you want to use Bedrock on your laptop, as it's irreversible, and there are some instabilities that have come with it. (Bedrock is my first distro to break.)
That being said, I don't want to scare you away from Bedrock Linux, as it's a fascinating and useful concept. I would recommend learning how Bedrock works on a VM or non-essential device before using it on your ThinkPad if you use it for work or school.