Installing ProteanOS

Prerequisites

You'll need a working Linux box to build ProteanOS. We assume you're comfortable at the command line and know your way around basic dev tools. If you're on Windows, use WSL or spin up a VM.

System Requirements

• OS: Any mainstream Linux distro works—Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, whatever you prefer. BSD might work too but you're on your own.
• Disk: 10 GB minimum. If you're building multiple architectures or big packages, grab more.
• RAM: 4 GB works but 8+ makes builds noticeably faster.
• Network: You'll need internet access to pull packages.

Required Tools

Install these before you start:

• git — For cloning repos
• make — Build automation
• gcc — Host compiler
• tar, gzip, bzip2 — Archive tools
• python3 — Some scripts need it
• wget or curl — For fetching stuff

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git make gcc tar gzip bzip2 python3 wget

Installing the SDK

Pretty straightforward: download the SDK, unpack it, set up your environment. Takes maybe 10 minutes.

Step 1: Download

Grab the SDK from the downloads page. Pick the one for your target hardware (ARM Cortex-A8, Cortex-M3, etc.).

Step 2: Check the Checksum

Always verify downloads:

sha256sum proteanos-sdk-*.tar.gz
# Match this against the checksum on the download page

Step 3: Unpack It

Make a directory and extract:

mkdir -p ~/proteanos
cd ~/proteanos
tar xzf /path/to/proteanos-sdk-*.tar.gz

Step 4: Configure Environment

Add the SDK tools to your PATH by sourcing the environment setup script:

source ~/proteanos/sdk/environment-setup
# Verify installation
prokit --version

Step 5: Test the Installation

Build a simple example to verify the toolchain is working correctly:

cd ~/proteanos/sdk/examples/hello
prokit build
# Check for successful build output

Cross-Compilation

You're building on x86/x64 for ARM targets, so everything's cross-compiled. The SDK handles this—when you source the environment script, it sets CC, CXX, CFLAGS, etc. Most build systems pick these up automatically.

Common Problems

Things that trip people up:

• Missing deps: Install everything listed above first. Don't skip it or you'll hit weird build errors later.
• Wrong PATH: SDK tools need to come before system tools. If make is picking up the wrong compiler, check your PATH.
• Forgot to source: The environment script isn't permanent. Run it in each new terminal, or stick it in your .bashrc.
• Out of space: Cross builds generate tons of temp files. Keep an eye on disk usage.
• Permissions: Don't install to /usr or anywhere needing sudo. Use your home directory.

Updating the SDK

To update to a newer SDK version:

1. Download the new SDK package
2. Verify the checksum
3. Optionally back up your current SDK directory
4. Extract the new SDK (can be to the same location)
5. Re-source the environment setup script