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The proof

What boots, where

TinyCore “Core” baseline 15.x for x86_64, built from upstream sources: kernel 6.6.8-tc plus a fresh core.gz. It boots in QEMU (TCG, no KVM) to a working tc@box:~$ shell on the serial console. No panics, no failed execs.

Evidence, captured from the boot log

The boot log is down to eudev and sudo noise only. Milestone 1 landed the same day as first boot: the tc-misc helpers and blkid compiled into the image. Everything runs unprivileged. No root is needed. fakeroot covers mknod and chown.

The gaps

The boot completes without these, and they stay on the record:

  • No kernel modules in the image. The biggest gap. No modprobe target, no loop or squashfs for extensions. A same-config rebuild with modules was already running.
  • No eudev. No udevd, no hotplug. This is why the kernel cmdline carries nozswap nortc.
  • No sudo. It ships as an extension, not in base.
  • Cosmetic debts. The banner still says Core 12.0, and the embedded kernel image predates the loader fix.