WolfOS Documentation

Overview

WolfOS is a hybrid El Torito + GRUB2 live system from Saberdog Studios. Write the ISO to a USB stick or burn it to DVD. At power-on you get a high-contrast GRUB selection screen, then a BusyBox-based mainframe shell. The Classic Desktop (Windows 2000–class UI) starts automatically as a local web service on port 8790.

You do not need to install WolfOS to a hard disk. It is designed as a portable demo, training, and development environment that coexists with your normal OS.

Features

Download

Current universal release (x86_64 hybrid ISO):

wolfOS-1.0.0-x86_64.iso

Platform packages (Windows x64, Mac Intel, Linux) wrap the same ISO with write instructions and helper scripts. See the releases/ folder of your distribution drop.

Write the ISO to USB or DVD

Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch, …)

# Identify the USB device (whole disk, not a partition)
lsblk

# Destructive write
sudo dd if=wolfOS-1.0.0-x86_64.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync

# Or use the included helper (from the Linux package)
sudo ./write-usb.sh /dev/sdX

Windows 10 / 11 (x64)

1. Download Rufus or balenaEtcher.
2. Select wolfOS-1.0.0-x86_64.iso.
3. If Rufus asks about ISOHybrid, choose Write in DD Image mode.
4. Start the write, then reboot and pick the USB from the firmware boot menu.

Mac (Intel only)

diskutil list
diskutil unmountDisk /dev/diskN
sudo dd if=wolfOS-1.0.0-x86_64.iso of=/dev/rdiskN bs=4m
diskutil eject /dev/diskN

Or use balenaEtcher. At restart hold ⌥ Option and select the EFI/USB entry.

QEMU quick test

qemu-system-x86_64 -m 2048 \
  -cdrom wolfOS-1.0.0-x86_64.iso -boot d \
  -netdev user,id=n0,hostfwd=tcp::8790-:8790 \
  -device virtio-net-pci,netdev=n0 \
  -serial stdio

Then open http://127.0.0.1:8790/desktop on the host.

First boot

GRUB shows a high-contrast selection screen:

After the kernel and initrd load you reach the WolfOS mainframe shell. Type help for built-in commands. The Classic Desktop service (wolfgui) starts automatically on 0.0.0.0:8790.

Classic Desktop

The Classic Desktop is a browser-based shell with Windows 2000–style chrome: Start menu, taskbar buttons, system tray, overlapping windows, resize grips, Alt+Tab, desktop icons, and a context menu.

Keyboard

• Alt+Tab — window switcher
• Ctrl+W — close focused window
• Esc — close Start menu / dialogs
• F1 — help

Apps & .wlf packages

Applications ship as .wlf packages (ZIP archives with a manifest.json). Typical fields:

{
  "wlf_version": 1,
  "id": "com.saberdog.calc",
  "name": "WOLF Calculator",
  "version": "1.3.0",
  "type": "python",
  "entry": "server.py",
  "port": 8825,
  "permissions": ["network"],
  "categories": ["utility", "math"],
  "min_wolfos": "1.7.0"
}

Bundled examples include Calculator, File Manager, Console, Browser, IRC, Audio Deck, Settings, Cash Register, Tap to Pay, Aetheria, Task Manager, and more.

CLI helpers (on the live system):

wolfapp list
wolfapp install path/to/app.wlf
wolfapp install-all
run --list
surf --x

Surf's Up 3D

Offline WebGL surfing game (Three.js). 1- or 2-player split screen, level-scaled waves, collectibles, sharks, and optional high-score publish to the local mine API.

• On WolfOS: surf or surf --x
• Standalone HTML5 build: Surfsup3D.html (Safari 10 / macOS 10.12+ compatible)
• .wlf package: surfsup3d-1.7.9-osx1012.wlf

Controls: WASD / arrows to steer, Space / Enter to jump.

Host mode (no reboot)

Run the Classic Desktop stack on a normal Linux host without booting the ISO:

# Mount or extract the ISO, then:
bash scripts/extract-rootfs.sh          # → /tmp/wolfos-root
export WOLFOS_ROOT=/tmp/wolfos-root
$WOLFOS_ROOT/bin/wolfgui --bind 127.0.0.1 --port 8790

# Open http://127.0.0.1:8790/desktop

The live rootfs lives inside boot/initrd.img and includes Python 3.12, wolfgui, app servers, and the full /opt tree.

Architecture

Default ports

FAQ

Why do apps say “moved, edited, or deleted”?

You opened desktop.html via file://. Serve it through wolfgui instead (http://127.0.0.1:8790/desktop).

Does it install to my hard drive?

No. It is a live system. Your disk is left alone unless you intentionally write to it from the shell.

Can I run it on an M1/M2/M3/M4 Mac?

Not natively. There is no ARM64 kernel in this release. Use an Intel Mac, a Windows/Linux x64 PC, or x86_64 emulation (slow).

How do I stop the desktop server?

On the live shell, kill the wolfgui / Python process, or reboot. In host mode use Ctrl+C on the terminal running wolfgui.

Where is the source / version string?

Version files report 1.7.9-lunar-fang inside the image; the public universal ISO name is wolfOS-1.0.0-x86_64.iso.

Support & contact

Saberdog LLC · Santa Fe & Albuquerque, New Mexico
Web: saberdog.us
Email: saberdogretailers@gmail.com
Phone: 917-512-3769 (c/o FIREPHONE)

WolfOS, Classic Desktop, Surf's Up 3D, and .wlf packaging are products of Saberdog Studios. Documentation last updated for the 1.0.0 / 1.7.9 Lunar Fang release line.