MAS

MAS 1.0

A lightweight Linux distro based on Debian 13, with a KDE Plasma desktop and encrypted disks, built for people who want two separate systems on one machine.

Download MAS 1.0 (2.1 GB)

64-bit PC (amd64), live ISO, hosted on the Internet Archive, codename Dagger. Released October 2, 2026.

What you get

  • Try before you install. The USB boots into the full desktop, so you can look around first.
  • One encrypted disk per profile. Each has its own passphrase, typed once at boot.
  • One system or two. The second is a copy of the first with its own passphrase, username and passwords. Switch with a reboot.
  • A guided installer. Pick the kernel, graphics driver and privacy options: DNS over TLS, firewall, AppArmor, snapshots.

Before you install

Disk
40 GB minimum for one profile, 80 GB for two. The whole disk you choose is erased.
Memory
4 GB RAM or more.
Internet
Required during install. The kernel and desktop are downloaded then.
Firmware
UEFI (Secure Boot supported) or legacy BIOS.

Back up anything you need first. The installer wipes the target disk.

Tested on

CPU
Intel Core i5-3320M
Memory
8 GB RAM
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GT 710M, 1 GB VRAM
Storage
500 GB HDD and 250 GB SSD, tested on both

Install

  1. Write the ISO to a USB stick of 8 GB or more. On Linux: sudo dd if=masdistro-amd64.hybrid.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync. Check the device with lsblk first, because this erases it. On Windows or macOS, use balenaEtcher.
  2. Boot from the USB and connect to the internet.
  3. Double-click MAS Installer on the desktop and follow the wizard.
  4. Reboot, remove the USB and enter your passphrase.

Verify the ISO before you write it: the checksum is in the install guide. Live session login: user live, password live.

Documentation

Install, Two profiles, Privacy options, Recovery and Troubleshooting. How MAS works explains the design.

Community

Questions, bug reports and feedback: join the MAS Discord server.

Developer

MAS is built and maintained by masgroup2000 on GitHub.

Licenses and source

MAS is based on Debian 13. Debian's packages keep their own licenses (GPL, LGPL and others). The ISO also includes non-free firmware for Wi-Fi and graphics. The MAS installer and tools are under the MIT license. The name and logo are not. See Licenses and source.

MAS is an independent project and is not in Debian's repositories. Source for the Debian packages in MAS is available from Debian at sources.debian.org. You can also ask us for it: see the source offer.

Known limits

  • Installing needs a network connection. There is no offline install yet.
  • The live session uses the open GPU drivers. Proprietary NVIDIA is offered during install.
  • Built and tested by one person, on one machine (see above).