Developer preview · Public package in progress

CloudberryOS

A real Ubuntu computer for curious kids, with the web turned into a shelf instead of a slot machine.

See how installation works Open the child experience

Made for questions, pictures, beats, stories, code, stars, and things worth keeping.

The idea

The internet should be a library, not a casino.

CloudberryOS is an Ubuntu overlay for children. It gives them a beautiful workshop full of serious creative tools, while replacing the open web with a small collection of places chosen by a parent.

01

Powerful, not patronizing

Photo editing, music production, animation, programming, writing, science, and offline reference tools remain child-facing.

02

Curated, not surveilled

Wikipedia, Khan Academy, NASA, TypingClub, and parent-approved resources replace feeds, ads, recommendations, and doomscrolling.

03

The parent stays in charge

The child uses a non-admin account. The parent account remains a normal, fully unlocked Ubuntu administrator account.

The child experience

A place to begin, not another feed to escape.

Each child gets a personal workshop with Wikipedia search, approved learning resources, selected videos, offline knowledge, and invitations to make something of their own.

Explore Noah’s workshop
What it changes

01 · Web

A parent-built shelf

Direct student web traffic is restricted to approved domains. Wikipedia keeps its pictures. Khan Academy’s embedded lessons still work.

02 · Video

YouTube without YouTube

Parents approve individual videos. Children watch them inside CloudberryOS without the homepage, comments, shorts, or recommendation feed.

03 · Computer

A creative workshop

Apps are organized around activities: make a beat, edit a photo, animate a story, code a game, explore the sky, or write a book.

04 · Parent

Designed to grow

Resources and videos live in portable configuration. A parent admin panel, app packs, channel approval, and time budgets are on the roadmap.

Not a toy computer

Real tools for real interests.

Art & photos

Tux Paint · GIMP · Krita · Shotwell · Inkscape

Music & beats

Hydrogen · LMMS · Audacity · Mixxx · Sonic Pi

Stories & film

LibreOffice · Pencil2D · Stopmotion · Kdenlive · Scribus

Code & making

KTurtle · Thonny · Pygame · Godot · Arduino · OpenSCAD

Science & world

Kiwix · GCompris · Marble · KStars · Kalzium · Stellarium

Install CloudberryOS

Start with a spare Ubuntu laptop.

CloudberryOS installs as a Debian package with a guided setup command. Until signed releases are published, you build that package from source on the Ubuntu 26.04 machine you’re setting up — the steps below are exactly that.

Install today · Build from source

Build the package, then install it

On the Ubuntu 26.04 laptop you’re setting up, from the parent/admin account, build and install the CloudberryOS package:

sudo apt install -y devscripts debhelper
git clone https://github.com/samhotchkiss/cloudberryos.git
cd cloudberryos
dpkg-buildpackage -us -uc -b
sudo apt install ../cloudberryos_0.2.0_all.deb

Then run the guided setup — it creates the child account and applies the curated homepage, proxy, firewall, and desktop:

sudo cloudberryos-setup

Or non-interactively, for example a young-child device with no login password:

sudo cloudberryos-setup --non-interactive \
  --child-name "Noah" --student-user noah \
  --no-password --autologin --apps recommended

Use a spare laptop. The install changes login behavior, browser configuration, proxy rules, firewall rules, and the student desktop. The parent account remains an administrator.

Coming · Signed releases

One-line install, later

A signed apt repository will let families install and update without building anything. The setup command stays the same:

sudo apt install cloudberryos
sudo cloudberryos-setup
  • Repeatable installs for siblings and classrooms
  • Updates through normal Ubuntu package tools
  • Family settings preserved across upgrades
  • Clear uninstall and recovery path
There is not yet a public one-click download. We are saying that plainly because software that changes a child’s account and network access should be reviewable, reversible, and tested before it is presented as effortless.
Roadmap

Useful now. Portable next. More humane over time.

V1

The dependable Ubuntu overlay

Curated browser, child account, local homepage, approved videos, network enforcement, app packs, `.deb` installer, and repeatable updates.

V2

The parent control surface

Local and Tailscale admin panel, approved channels, video time budgets, resource requests, config export, and richer project organization.

Later

A shared public project

Signed package repository, documented compatibility, classroom-friendly setup, community resource catalogs, and perhaps a complete install image.