Re:Nixos-unstable’s ISO_minimal.x86_64-Linux is 100% reprodu...
by donio on Sunday June 20, 2021 @09:04PM
(#27575279)
https://github.com/fosslinux/live-bootstrap is another approach, bootstrapping from a tiny binary seed that you could hand-assemble and type in as hex. But it doesn't address the dependency on the underling OS being trustworthy.
Re:Nixos-unstable’s ISO_minimal.x86_64-Linux is 100% reprodu...
by bmwiedemann on Wednesday June 30, 2021 @01:23AM
(#27685189)
There is stage0 by Jeremiah Orians that is designed to be able to bootstrap on hardware that can be built from transistors. Currently it mostly runs in a small VM process that is somewhat harder to subvert.
What we can't do is throw our hands up and say anyone who compromises the toolchain deep enough is just allowed to win. It will happen at some point if we don't put the right barriers in place.
It's the first step of a long journey, but it is a step we should be taking.