# OpenVoiceOS - A bare minimal (production type of) OS based on Buildroot
**URL:** https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708
**Category:** Modding
**Created:** [October 3, 2018, 12:11pm UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708 "2018-10-03T12:11:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 22
### Author:  [@j1nx](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/j1nx)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2023, 7:32pm UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/423 "2023-01-17T19:32:34Z")
Yeah, I really need to have a look at that. Saw the other day that you can upooad the images as well.
Am a bit lazy on that repo if it comes down to utilizing PR’s and be more descriptive within commits as I am still kind of the only one commiting.
Anyhow, at some point when more people will work on it and / or amount of PR’s increase, i need to do better.
Really not that experienced with git / github.
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### Author:  [@goldyfruit](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/goldyfruit)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2023, 7:35pm UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/424 "2023-01-17T19:35:47Z")
> [@j1nx](#):
>
> Really not that experienced with git / github.
Feel free to ping me, I can share some knowledge.
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### Author:  [@j1nx](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/j1nx)
#### Post date: [January 19, 2023, 9:42am UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/425 "2023-01-19T09:42:43Z")
Showcase of OAuth & Home Assistant;
[![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R89sSEbLI-M)
You scan the QR-Code with your mobile that prompts you for your HASS credentials after which automagically your OpenVoiceOS device gets authorised.
The OAuth PHAL plugin is developed also for future skills such as Spotify and similar.
Please bare in mind that the voice control is not yet implemented but currently being worked by and under control of NeonGecko.
> [@Open Source Bounty: Home Assistant skill for the Neon AI OS for Mycroft Mark II / Neon Core OS](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/open-source-bounty-home-assistant-skill-for-the-neon-ai-os-for-mycroft-mark-ii-neon-core-os/12917):
>
> Work Requested: Create an open source skill smoothly connecting[Home Assistant](https://www.home-assistant.io/) with the [Neon AI Core OS](https://neon.ai/NeonAIforMycroftMarkII)for the [Mycroft Mark II](https://mycroft.ai/). [Here is our GitHub](https://github.com/NeonGeckoCom) if you want a more detailed look at the code for our OS. Bounty Offered: One brand new [Mycroft Mark II,](https://mycroft.ai/product/mark-ii/) shipped to you. There is existing work to build on. Start with this working plugin and add Voice UI; GUI implemented already. Apache unlimited license. [GitHub - AIIX/ovos-PHAL-plugin-homeassistant: HomeAssistant PHAL Plugin for OpenVoice OS](https://github.com/AIIX/ovos-PHAL-plugin-homeassistant). I…
A big shout out of gratitude to our [Friends](https://openvoiceos.github.io/community-docs/friends/) over at [NeonGecko.com](http://NeonGecko.com) @NeonClary
---
### Author:  [@postman](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/postman)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2023, 8:33pm UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/426 "2023-01-21T20:33:25Z")
Having trouble with this image on my Mark 2 … on booting up it goes into a screen insisting I set up a raspberry pi account but doesn’t bring up an on screen keyboard, can’t get past this step
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### Author:  [@postman](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/postman)
#### Post date: [January 22, 2023, 1:12pm UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/427 "2023-01-22T13:12:50Z")
I tried a 2nd time - re-wrote the image and restarted my Mark 2 and the issue didn’t appear this time. Happy days.
[update] it is responding to ‘Hey Mycroft’ but it’s not obvious from the screen that it has woken up and is listening. Hitting the button on top makes the screen have a highlighted border.
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### Author:  [@j1nx](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/j1nx)
#### Post date: [January 26, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/428 "2023-01-26T18:47:16Z")
The hey mycroft should do the same?!?
We will investigate it.👍🏻
Thank tou very much for keep poking at it and reporting back.💪🏻
---
### Author:  [@postman](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/postman)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2023, 7:21am UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/429 "2023-01-27T07:21:59Z")
It’s the least I can do … you’ve made my Mark 2 very useful.
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### Author:  [@j1nx](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/j1nx)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2023, 10:27am UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/430 "2023-01-27T10:27:59Z")
A video presentation @AIIX gave a few months back at the KDE academy explaining OpenVoiceOS.
> **[OpenVoiceOS Voice Assistant Platform Showcase](https://tube.kockatoo.org/w/sYbcQB1ThnYWCR1gYS2UdV)**
>
> OpenVoiceOS is a community-powered Linux platform purpose-built to showcase the power of Open Source Voice Assistance. The major graphical user interface elements powering up the OpenVoiceOS technology stack are built upon KDE Frameworks, Kirigami,...
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### Author:  [@j1nx](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/j1nx)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2023, 12:01pm UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/431 "2023-01-27T12:01:04Z")
Having a fully local on embedded device STT utilizing the OpenAI Whisper model inferenced using the Tensorflow Lite Runtime, just as the Precise Lite Wake word.
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aor6CFkcWzU)
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### Author:  [@j1nx](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/j1nx)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2023, 3:22pm UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/432 "2023-02-02T15:22:17Z")
We took the time to blog about OpenVoiceOS - Buildroot edition. So for the people that would like to have a short introduction of what it is all about;
> **[OpenVoiceOS – Buildroot Edition. A secure, robust, and easy-to-use embedded...](https://openvoiceos.com/openvoiceos-buildroot-edition-a-secure-robust-and-easy-to-use-embedded-operating-system-for-your-smart-speaker-voice-assistant-devices/)**
>
> The Buildroot edition of OpenVoiceOS is a custom embedded operating system created using Buildroot, a popular and efficient tool for generating embedded Linux systems. This means that OpenVoiceOS comes with all the benefits Buildroot brings, such as...
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### Author:  [@SGee](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/SGee)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2023, 2:45pm UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/433 "2023-02-03T14:45:48Z")
Kinda rubbed me the wrong way that someone is asking about MK2 (arrival) in the stream. Should be made absolutely clear that these are not issues remotely in ovos realm of influence.
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### Author:  [@strongthany](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/strongthany)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/434 "2023-02-22T18:47:39Z")
# Blog post - The History Of OVOS
We have a new blog post up, check it out and learn a bit about OVOS’s history!
> **[A Brief History of Open Voice OS](https://openvoiceos.com/a-brief-history-of-open-voice-os/)**
>
> OpenVoiceOS has become one of the leading open source voice assistant systems, though it hasn't always been in that position. Through this post, we'll explore the history of OVOS, and get some insight into how it grew into what it is today. We...
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### Author:  [@JarbasAl](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/JarbasAl)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2023, 4:55pm UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/435 "2023-03-14T16:55:12Z")
ovos-core 0.0.7 was just released!
full changelog: [Release Release 0.0.7 · OpenVoiceOS/ovos-core · GitHub](https://github.com/OpenVoiceOS/ovos-core/releases/tag/V0.0.7)
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### Author:  [@postman](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/postman)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2023, 6:39pm UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/436 "2023-03-18T18:39:40Z")
Will you be uploading a new image to your google drive? (or do I need to get to grips with doing it myself). Thanks.
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### Author:  [@ChanceNCounter](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/ChanceNCounter)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2023, 11:26pm UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/437 "2023-03-18T23:26:07Z")
The Buildroot-based image hasn’t been updated since January, but will be updated very soon, now that 0.0.7 is out. In the meantime, there are more current Manjaro-based images available [here](https://downloads.openvoiceos.com/images/manjaro/).
OVOS-Buildroot takes a long time to build, as you’ve discovered, and we don’t have it on CI/CD yet. Most of the time, building the system means tying up @j1nx’s hardware. Our most recently successful fundraising target was to provide a better build system. Once we’ve done that, we should be able to provide images as often as we desire. A “nightly” option might not be out of the question. However, we’re at least a few weeks from seeing that come to fruition, as we’re still at the paperwork stage of becoming a legal entity.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
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### Author:  [@postman](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/postman)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2023, 11:59am UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/438 "2023-03-19T11:59:11Z")
No apology needed! I appreciate your efforts.
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### Author:  [@chrisl8](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/chrisl8)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2023, 2:36am UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/439 "2023-03-24T02:36:43Z")
Can someone explain the difference between using the Buildroot-based image vs. the Manjaro-based image?
Especially regarding how well each will support the Mark 2 Dev Kit hardware, and how well each will be supported and able to be upgraded going forward?
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### Author:  [@ChanceNCounter](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/ChanceNCounter)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2023, 3:21am UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/440 "2023-03-24T03:21:28Z")
A comprehensive answer to this question is in the works. Our documentation team is just coming together. This is my personal take, but others might put it differently. At the bottom, I’ll link to a feature chart at our technical docs, which describes them thusly:
> OpenVoiceOS ready to use images come in several flavours; The buildroot version, being the minimal consumer type of image and the Manjaro version, being the full distribution easy / easier for developing. a headless raspbian image is also maintained by the community
The Buildroot-based image is the original OpenVoiceOS from way back at the top of this thread. It is
- lightweight
- Pi-first, including the Mark II (several OVOS devs were testing on the Mk2 SDKv1 for a long time, and some still are)
- very much an appliance
The Manjaro-based image is a full-featured Manjaro-ARM spin, also configured to run on a Pi-based smart speaker, and also supporting the Mark II. It’s quite a bit heavier than the Buildroot image, but, being a full OS, it’s the easier place to start tinkering.
Finally, the Buildroot-based system takes a long time to build. For that reason, the image linked on our site is currently outdated. Our most recent fundraising target was a budget for a buildserver, and was successful, but we’re still in the process of incorporating. Once that happens, we expect to go from extremely infrequent updates to extremely frequent.
We’re too young to have developed an LTS policy, but we have no plans to retire either system. Rather, once OVOS is incorporated, and we’re finished with the current round of expansion, our capacity for user support will be greatly improved. Different members of the core team are principally responsible for each, and the tricky work is usually about the hardware rather than the operating system, so we haven’t found much difficulty in maintaining the two.
I realize this doesn’t actually offer much in the way of guidance, and I’m sorry for that. Both systems are meant to support the whole OVOS stack, so it’s tough to say, “Use that one.” Here’s that feature chart, covering our speaker images, a couple of our downstream friends’ images, and MycroftAI’s.
[https://openvoiceos.github.io/ovos-technical-manual/comparison/](https://openvoiceos.github.io/ovos-technical-manual/comparison/)
---
### Author:  [@chrisl8](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/chrisl8)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2023, 10:38pm UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/441 "2023-03-29T22:38:22Z")
@ChanceNCounter Thank you for the amazing reply. That is exactly what I was looking for.
It sounds like the Manjaro-based build is just what I want, as my goal is to tinker, and the Buildroot-based system has been constraining.
---
### Author:  [@biva](https://community.openconversational.ai/u/biva)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2023, 4:00pm UTC](https://community.openconversational.ai/t/openvoiceos-a-bare-minimal-production-type-of-os-based-on-buildroot/4708/442 "2023-11-10T16:00:50Z")
Hello @Michael_McCloud , I’m trying do to the same, just on a RPI3, but with the Adafruit voice bonnet. Could you please share how you managed to install it on OVOS? I have the following error message:
```auto
error: externally-managed-environment
× This environment is externally managed
╰─> To install Python packages system-wide, try apt install
python3-xyz, where xyz is the package you are trying to
install.
If you wish to install a non-Debian-packaged Python package,
create a virtual environment using python3 -m venv path/to/venv.
Then use path/to/venv/bin/python and path/to/venv/bin/pip. Make
sure you have python3-full installed.
For more information visit http://rptl.io/venv
note: If you believe this is a mistake, please contact your Python installation or OS distribution provider. You can override this, at the risk of breaking your Python installation or OS, by passing --break-system-packages.
hint: See PEP 668 for the detailed specification.
```
Thanks!
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