OpenFactory Builds 9GB Custom Linux ISO Overnight as Pre-Alpha Bugs Delay General Use 3 Months
Updated
Updated · ZDNet · Aug 14
OpenFactory Builds 9GB Custom Linux ISO Overnight as Pre-Alpha Bugs Delay General Use 3 Months
1 articles · Updated · ZDNet · Aug 14
Summary
An overnight OpenFactory run eventually produced a bootable 9GB custom Linux distro after the author and developer Erik Ziegenbald worked through multiple pre-alpha bugs.
OpenFactory lets users generate bootable Linux images from an AI prompt or menu selection, then test, rebuild and download them as ISOs; the author said both build paths ultimately worked.
Early runs exposed credential, packaging and installer failures, including a wrong desktop environment and missing apps, while one build was only 58% complete after 30 minutes and the final download took two hours.
The service targets businesses needing reproducible Linux builds, remote labs and fleet deployments, but also supports individual use cases such as custom desktops and PinePhone images across 1,356 distributions and variants.
Pricing ranges from a free tier with 15 builds a month to $59-per-seat Team plans, while Ziegenbald said OpenFactory is still about 3 months from general readiness.