Liberated Linux kernels with no surveillance. Ever.
Based on CachyOS kernels + Liberated systemd
FreeOS combines the high-performance CachyOS Linux kernels with Jeffrey-Sardina's Liberated systemd -- a fork of systemd with all surveillance and telemetry removed. No age verification. No hardware survey. No phone-home. Ever.
The upstream systemd/systemd project contains surveillance features:
- Age verification via
repart.d(UKI age verification key support) - Hardware survey (
systemd-hwdbtelemetry upload to Red Hat/Fedora servers) - Microsoft integration via
systemd-oomdand other components
Liberated systemd strips all of this out. See Jeffrey-Sardina/systemd for details.
Each scheduler is optimized for different use cases. We recommend testing each one to find the best fit for your specific requirements.
| Scheduler | Full Name | Package(s) | Best for... | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BORE | Burst-Oriented Response Enhancer | linux-cachyos-bore |
Interactive workloads & gaming | firelzrd |
| EEVDF | Earliest Eligible Virtual Deadline First | linux-cachyos, linux-cachyos-eevdf |
General-purpose computing | Peter Zijlstra |
| BMQ | Bit Map Queue CPU Scheduler | linux-cachyos-bmq |
N/A | Alfred Chen |
linux-cachyos-hardened- Security-focused kernel with hardening patcheslinux-cachyos-lts- Long Term Support version for stabilitylinux-cachyos-rt-bore- Real-time kernel with BORE schedulerlinux-cachyos-server- Server-optimized configurationlinux-cachyos-deckify- Steam Deck optimized variant
- Advanced Compilation: Highly customizable PKGBUILD with support for both GCC and Clang compilers
- Link Time Optimization (LTO): Thin LTO enabled by default for better performance
- Profile-Guided Optimization: AutoFDO + Propeller profiling for optimal code generation
- Timer Frequency Options: Configurable between 300Hz, 500Hz, 600Hz, 750Hz, and 1000Hz (default: 1000Hz)
- Architecture Optimizations: Support for x86-64-v3, x86-64-v4, and AMD Zen4 specific builds
- Multiple Schedulers: BORE, EEVDF, and BMQ schedulers for different workload optimization
- AMD P-State Enhancements: Preferred Core support and latest amd-pstate improvements
- Real-Time Support: RT kernel builds available with BORE scheduler integration
- CachyOS Sauce: Custom
CONFIG_CACHYconfiguration with scheduler and system tweaks - Low-Latency Optimizations: Patches for improved responsiveness and reduced jitter
- ZFS Support: Built-in ZFS filesystem support with pre-compiled modules
- NVIDIA Integration: Proprietary and open-source NVIDIA driver support
- I/O Scheduler Improvements: Enhanced BFQ and mq-deadline performance
- Memory Management: le9uo patch for preventing page thrashing, Zen-kernel memory management tweaks
- Gaming Hardware: Steam Deck patches and ROG Ally support
- Apple Hardware: T2 MacBook support included by default
- ASUS Hardware: Extended ASUS hardware compatibility patches
- Graphics: HDR support enabled, AMDGPU min_powercap override
FreeOS/
├── systemd/ # Liberated systemd (Jeffrey-Sardina/systemd)
├── linux-cachyos/ # EEVDF scheduler (default)
├── linux-cachyos-bore/ # BORE scheduler
├── linux-cachyos-bmq/ # BMQ scheduler
├── linux-cachyos-deckify/ # Steam Deck optimized
├── linux-cachyos-eevdf/ # EEVDF scheduler
├── linux-cachyos-hardened/ # Security-hardened
├── linux-cachyos-lts/ # Long Term Support
├── linux-cachyos-rc/ # Release Candidate
├── linux-cachyos-rt-bore/ # Real-time + BORE
├── linux-cachyos-server/ # Server-optimized
└── ...
- CachyOS - Base kernel packages and optimizations
- Jeffrey-Sardina - Liberated systemd fork
- firelzrd - BORE Scheduler developer
- Arch Linux - Foundation distribution
- Linux Kernel Community - Upstream kernel development
GPL-3.0 - See LICENSE.md for details.