I used OpenFactory to build my own Linux distro overnight - this AI tool is going to be big

is going to be big">

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.

Recently, a developer, Erik Ziegenbald, reached out to me to test his new service, called OpenFactory. I was skeptical at first, because I've seen such services make lofty promises they didn't deliver on. Still, I offered to give it a try.

If you head over to openfactory.tech , you can scroll down and read the following description:

"Build bootable Linux images, multi-node labs, and fleet deployments from a prompt, Git repo, or reusable recipe. Boot and test them in VMs, apply CIS controls, deploy web apps, and record visual app tests."

Sounds complicated, because it is. Anytime you're dealing with such a service, most likely it's going to speak in a language that only those in the IT industry will understand, so let me put it in simpler terms.

Also: Want a free Photoshop alternative on Linux? How to get Affinity today: 2 ways

With OpenFactory, you can build a bootable Linux distribution, create a remote lab of servers, or even generate reusable recipes so you can recreate those distros at a later time. Once built, you can download the ISO of your operating system and boot it.

You can even build an OS for a PinePhone.

Or, you can simply try different distributions online. You can choose from the likes of AerynOS, AlmaLinux, Alpine Linux, AnduinOS, antiX, Archcraft, Arch Linux…okay, you get the idea. Including variants, there are 1356 different distributions for you to run.

That should sound a bit more appealing, right?

Keep in mind, this is pre-alpha software, so my experience was a bit bumpy. I had a lengthy back-and-forth with the developer to describe my experience, so he could resolve bugs along the way. In the end, I had a Debian-based, KDE Plasma distribution with the tools I needed as a creator. Even better, I could go back to that build, run tests, rebuild it (adding or removing features), view details, or download the ISO again.

Also: I converted this Mini PC from Windows to Linux, and it came alive. Here's how

There are also two ways you can build your distro: Either via an AI prompt or a selection menu. I tried both paths and found each led to a successfully bootable distribution.

Imagine you need a Linux distribution to do a very specific thing, or a combination of things, and neither is offered by any other distribution on the market. Yes, you could take the time to build everything you need from a base (such as Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, or Arch), but in some cases, the pieces necessary to create what you need could be quite challenging to put together. Either that, or you need a reproducible recipe that can be shared across organizations, so every member of your IT team can deploy the same Linux distribution with the same feature set.