CalamaroOS

Gentoo for everyone
CalamaroOS

A universal distribution built on Gentoo Stage 3 + Systemd, with the Calamares graphical installer to make Gentoo accessible to everyone. Official binary packages, source compilation when needed, Flatpak integrated and four desktop environments to choose from. The power of Gentoo, without barriers.
Gentoo Stage 3 Systemd Calamares Installer Flatpak EXT4 · BTRFS · XFS · F2FS 64-bit

Features

✦ NEW · 2026.06.22 👣 GNOME Desktop CalamaroOS 2026.06.22 First official release of the GNOME edition! The modern desktop environment par excellence: an elegant, clean and consistent interface designed for a smooth, distraction-free workflow. Perfect for those seeking a refined, up-to-date experience. Synchronized with Gentoo as of 2026/06/22, includes OS Prober, disk encryption at install and the GURU community repository enabled by default. First official CalamaroOS GNOME ISO Synced with Gentoo to 2026/06/22 Disk encryption at install OS Prober · /boot permanent · 1 GB Modern GNOME desktop · EXT4 / BTRFS / XFS / F2FS GURU repository · Flatpak · Calamares
✦ NEW · 2026.06.20 🪶 LXDE Desktop CalamaroOS 2026.06.20 First official release of the LXDE edition! Ultra-lightweight GTK-based desktop environment, designed to boot fast and keep CPU and RAM usage minimal. Ideal for older hardware, old laptops or virtual machines. Synchronized with Gentoo as of 2026/06/20, includes OS Prober, disk encryption at install and the GURU community repository enabled by default. First official CalamaroOS LXDE ISO Synced with Gentoo to 2026/06/20 Disk encryption at install OS Prober · /boot permanent · 1 GB Ultra-lightweight GTK desktop · EXT4 / BTRFS / XFS / F2FS GURU repository · Flatpak · Calamares Sudo/root password: calamaroos
✦ Update· 2026.06.04 🌿 MATE Desktop CalamaroOS 2026.05.08 New release of the MATE edition, synchronized with the latest Gentoo updates as of 2026/05/08. The classic environment par excellence, born as a GNOME 2 fork: intuitive, lightweight and productive. This ISO includes the OS Prober fix, which will be applied to all CalamaroOS editions going forward — other operating systems on the disk are correctly detected and shown in the GRUB menu. Also adopts the new permanent /boot partition scheme at 1 GB. Synced with Gentoo to 2026/05/08 OS Prober fixed — detects other OSes in GRUB /boot permanently mounted · 1 GB · initramfs & kernel-bin fix GNOME 2 desktop — classic and stable Flatpak · EXT4 / BTRFS / XFS / F2FS · Calamares
✦ Updated · 2026.06.04 🖥️ KDE Plasma CalamaroOS 2026.06.04 New release synchronized with the latest Gentoo updates as of 2026/06/04. Includes the OS Prober fix, disk encryption support during installation and the GURU community repository enabled by default. Modern, feature-rich desktop with Discover and CJK fonts. Synced with Gentoo to 2026/06/04 Disk encryption at install OS Prober · /boot permanent · 1 GB GURU community repository KDE Plasma · Flatpak + Discover · CJK fonts ⬇ Download CalamaroOS Plasma Sudo/root password: calamaroos
✦ Updated · 2026.06.04 🪟 XFCE Desktop CalamaroOS 2026.06.04 New release synchronized with the latest Gentoo updates as of 2026/06/04. Includes the OS Prober fix, disk encryption support during installation and the GURU community repository enabled by default to widen available packages. Lightweight and fast GTK3 edition. Synced with Gentoo to 2026/06/04 Disk encryption at install OS Prober · /boot permanent · 1 GB GURU community repository GTK3 desktop · Flatpak · Calamares ⬇ Download CalamaroOS XFCE Sudo/root password: calamaroos
✦ NEW · 2026.06.04 🍂 Cinnamon Desktop CalamaroOS 2026.06.04 First official release of the Cinnamon edition! Modern and familiar desktop, based on GNOME 3 but with a classic, intuitive experience. Synchronized with Gentoo as of 2026/06/04, includes OS Prober, disk encryption at install and the GURU community repository enabled by default. First official CalamaroOS Cinnamon ISO Synced with Gentoo to 2026/06/04 Disk encryption at install OS Prober · /boot permanent · 1 GB GURU repository · Flatpak · Calamares ⬇ Download CalamaroOS Cinnamon Sudo/root password: calamaroos
✦ Update· 2026.06.06 ⚡ LXQt Desktop CalamaroOS 2026.05.10 L'edizione più leggera e reattiva della famiglia CalamaroOS, basata sul framework Qt. Ideale per hardware datato o macchine virtuali. In aggiornamento: a breve sarà rilasciata la versione 2026.06 con cifratura disco e repository GURU. Ambiente desktop Qt ultra-leggero OS Prober · /boot permanente · 1 GB Flatpak · EXT4 / BTRFS / XFS / F2FS Calamares graphical installer

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User Reviews

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humrand Posted 2026-05-05

hello, i really like this distro but, could you add support for open rc instead of systemd? if not i understand it but i would love to have open rc lol

Reply from CalamaroOS

Posted 2026-05-05

I understand your request; it's a time constraint. I'm working to improve and stabilize the project; lxde, gnome and cinnamon are still missing. I'll see what I can do later. Thanks for the review.
mago Edited 2026-05-07

I couldn't get the Nvidia driver to work, I followed the guide on the Gentoo wiki. I might be being stupid, but an ISO with this configured could be a good addition. No matter what I did, it only uses llvmpipe as the graphics driver. edit: Thanks for the guide, I managed to install it now and it's working perfectly.

Reply from CalamaroOS

Edited 2026-05-06

Uploaded guide file along with the iso. 1) # nano /etc/portage/make.conf ACCEPT_LICENSE="*" VIDEO_CARDS="nvidia" 2) Beware of the nvidia-drivers for my gtx1070 I had to mask the 595 because it doesn't work on my portage card it was clear. # echo ">x11-drivers/nvidia-drivers-580.126.18" >> /etc/portage/package.mask/nvidia-drivers and set the dist-kernel flag in /etc/portage/package.use, then when you update the kernel the Nvidia drivers will automatically reinstall. # echo "x11-drivers/nvidia-drivers dist-kernel" >> /etc/portage/package.use/nvidia-drivers 3) emerge -DNuag @world (install the nvidia-drivers) 4) Configure Xorg # nvidia-xconfig 5) # nano /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-nouveau.conf blacklist nouveau options nouveau modeset=0 6)nano /etc/dracut.conf.d/nouveau.conf # Force nouveau and drm in the initramfs for NVIDIA cards (Kepler and later) #force_drivers+=" nouveau drm drm_kms_helper " #Disable Nouveau completely in the initramfs omit_dracutmodules+=" nouveau " install_optional_items+=" /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-nouveau.conf " # Optional but recommended hostonly="yes" 7) Add parameters to the kernel. Open /etc/default/grub and in GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT: GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="rw quiet splash nouveau.modeset=0 rd.driver.blacklist=nouveau nvidia-drm.modeset=1" 8) generate everything: # dracut -f # grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg #reboot
pcr1reg Edited 2026-05-09

Tried this once Mate worked greatReally wanted .Cinnamon ,decided to try plasma.Will hook to internet right away ,reboot no internet or sound.Tried mate again same thing.Really like this suspect minor bug.Cinnamon comes out and works will be a favoite in the herd.Thanks for your time and effort.
marc41 Edited 2026-05-16

I tried to install using the full encryption option after the installation finish. When I reboot it couldn’t find the encrypted drive. The installer works without the encryption option. Update review 5/16/2026. Thanks for the update since I’m trying to install this distribution on my laptop with encryption.

Reply from CalamaroOS

Edited 2026-05-14

Hi, we've solved the disk encryption issue. The next plasma ISO and all the others will have working disk encryption. Thanks again for the report, and have a great day.
trando Edited 2026-04-10

nvidia driver not installing,21 stcentury

Reply from CalamaroOS

Edited 2026-05-06

Uploaded guide file along with the iso. 1) # nano /etc/portage/make.conf ACCEPT_LICENSE="*" VIDEO_CARDS="nvidia" 2) Beware of the nvidia-drivers for my gtx1070 I had to mask the 595 because it doesn't work on my portage card it was clear. # echo ">x11-drivers/nvidia-drivers-580.126.18" >> /etc/portage/package.mask/nvidia-drivers and set the dist-kernel flag in /etc/portage/package.use, then when you update the kernel the Nvidia drivers will automatically reinstall. # echo "x11-drivers/nvidia-drivers dist-kernel" >> /etc/portage/package.use/nvidia-drivers 3) emerge -DNuag @world (install the nvidia-drivers) 4) Configure Xorg # nvidia-xconfig 5) # nano /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-nouveau.conf blacklist nouveau options nouveau modeset=0 6)nano /etc/dracut.conf.d/nouveau.conf # Force nouveau and drm in the initramfs for NVIDIA cards (Kepler and later) #force_drivers+=" nouveau drm drm_kms_helper " #Disable Nouveau completely in the initramfs omit_dracutmodules+=" nouveau " install_optional_items+=" /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-nouveau.conf " # Optional but recommended hostonly="yes" 7) Add parameters to the kernel. Open /etc/default/grub and in GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT: GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="rw quiet splash nouveau.modeset=0 rd.driver.blacklist=nouveau nvidia-drm.modeset=1" 8) generate everything: # dracut -f # grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg #reboot