| | {{infobox |
| | | title = Stormux |
| | | image = stormux-logo.png |
| | | caption = The Stormux logo: gothic lettering whose O is a carved jack-o-lantern wearing headphones, an X of crossed lightning bolts, and Grade 2 Braille dots spelling "Stormux" beneath. Artwork: stormux.org. |
| | | base = Arch Linux / Arch Linux ARM |
| | | type = Console-first accessibility distribution |
| | | platforms = x86_64 PCs · Raspberry Pi and other single-board computers |
| | | status = Maintained |
| | | screen_readers = Fenrir (console) · PipeWire audio · RHVoice |
| | }} |
| | |
| - | **Stormux** is an accessibility-first Linux distribution built on **Arch Linux** and **Arch Linux ARM**, targeting both ordinary PCs and single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi — the cheap, silent, always-on hardware where a talking console turns a $35 board into a full computer for a blind user.[[cite: stormux.org — Stormux project]] |
| + | **Stormux** is an accessibility-first Linux distribution built on **Arch Linux** and **Arch Linux ARM**, targeting both ordinary PCs and single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi — the cheap, silent, always-on hardware where a talking console turns a $35 board into a full computer for a blind user.[[cite: [stormux.org](https://stormux.org) — Stormux project]] |
| | |
| - | Its architecture is the technically interesting part. The console is driven by **Fenrir**, a *userspace* console screen reader — the same class of design [[Fedora 45]]'s KMSCON transition needs, delivered years earlier by the accessibility community. Fenrir reads the console without depending on the kernel's fbcon/speakup path, and Stormux wires it in from **the very first boot** — no sighted person is required to switch anything on. On the desktop side it ships the **I38** tiling environment driven by the **Cthulhu** screen reader — an Orca fork maintained inside the project — over an **XLibre** X server, with audio routed through **PipeWire** and speech via **RHVoice**. A `configure-stormux` tool walks first-boot setup, including volume calibration before anything else.[[cite: Stormux documentation — stormux.org]] |
| + | Its architecture is the technically interesting part. The console is driven by **Fenrir**, a *userspace* console screen reader — the same class of design [[Fedora 45]]'s KMSCON transition needs, delivered years earlier by the accessibility community. Fenrir reads the console without depending on the kernel's fbcon/speakup path, and Stormux wires it in from **the very first boot** — no sighted person is required to switch anything on. On the desktop side it ships the **I38** tiling environment driven by the **Cthulhu** screen reader — an Orca fork maintained inside the project — over an **XLibre** X server, with audio routed through **PipeWire** and speech via **RHVoice**. A `configure-stormux` tool walks first-boot setup, including volume calibration before anything else.[[cite: Stormux documentation — [stormux.org](https://stormux.org)]] |
| | |
| | # Features |
| | |
| | - Accessible from first boot — speech without any sighted setup step |
| | - **Fenrir** userspace console screen reader — bypasses legacy kernel fbcon dependencies |
| | - **PipeWire** audio paths + **RHVoice** speech synthesis |
| | - Runs on x86_64 and ARM single-board computers (Raspberry Pi) |
| | - Rolling Arch base — current packages by default |
| | |
| | # In the Fedora 45 debates |
| | |
| | Stormux demonstrates that a modern, userspace console stack *can* be made accessible — but the tooling came from the accessibility world, not the display-stack world. The F45 discussion's gap is precisely Fenrir-shaped. See [[The Hat Tips Both Ways]]. |
| | |
| | # See also |
| | |
| | - [[Accessible-Coconut]] · [[Stormux]] · [[Slint Linux|Slint]] · [[Vojtux]] · [[Adriane Knoppix]] · [[Vinux]] · [[Sonar Linux|Sonar]] |
| | - [[Fedora 45]] · [[Why Debian Is Still King]] |
| | |
| | [[Category:Distributions]] |
| | [[Category:Linux]] |
| | [[Category:Accessibility]] |
| | |
