01 / THE OPERATING SYSTEMDEVELOPMENT
violetBSD 11.0
Everything for the kernel and disk installation, together in one ZIP.
- Flash kernelGENERIC #23
- Whole-disk image16 GiB · ld3a root
- Installation notes + checksumsIncluded
FOR THE FOENIX A2560Me
A new flight
for your Foenix.
A familiar Unix foundation.
A new home on your 68k machine.
violetBSD brings a native BSD environment to the Foenix A2560Me — from the command line to X11, with working GGE DAC audio.
Get violetBSD 11.0 Development release · October 12, 2026
Foenix A2560Me
Motorola 68LC060
Build 67 · 66.67 MHz
mSATA · ld3a
OLD-SCHOOL HARDWARE. ROOM TO EXPLORE.
Your Foenix.
A full Unix workspace.
Boot into a native userland, start an X11 desktop, or play audio through the board’s line-out. The release image includes nano, pkgin and git-base, so you can settle in and start exploring.
Native m68k userlandX11 / startxGGE DAC audio
TAKE IT FOR A SPIN
Your release.
Your installation tools.
The release bundle for your Foenix.
Two native apps for your everyday computer.
02 / THE DISK TOOL
Image Writer
A native desktop app. Choose your image, choose your drive, and write. Unique entropy is provisioned automatically and the entire write is verified.
Writer setup & entropy verification03 / THE KERNEL TOOLDEVELOPMENT
Kernel Flasher
Choose your .flash kernel and a local debug serial port. Connect your A2560Me directly by USB. The app verifies SRAM staging, programs onboard flash, then cold-resets the board.
This is an early development release. The public image rebuild still needs hardware boot validation; macOS and Windows physical-drive writing still needs native acceptance testing. Linux Kernel Flasher hardware flashing and reboot have been confirmed by a user; macOS and Windows hardware validation is pending.
FROM DOWNLOAD TO BOOT
Make room for violetBSD.
- 01
Unpack the release.
Download and extract the ZIP. It contains a flash kernel and a compressed
.img.gzdisk image. Check the included SHA256 hashes. - 02
Write your drive.
Use a 32 GB or larger drive. Open the Image Writer, select the
.img.gzand the destination, then confirm. Writing erases that drive. - 03
Install the kernel. Boot.
Shut down the board, connect its debug USB port to your computer, and use Kernel Flasher to select the
.flashfile and local port. Confirm to replace onboard flash. Connect the mSATA drive, select ld3 as root, and boot to the local console.
A few things to know.
Does the Image Writer install the kernel too?
No. It writes the disk image and provisions entropy. The included .flash kernel must be installed separately with the Kernel Flasher. Flashing replaces the board’s existing flash contents.
What should I do on first boot?
Log in as root at the local console and set a password with passwd. Networking and SSH are disabled by default. Configure them when you’re ready. See the release notes for details.
Do I need to seed entropy manually?
The violetBSD Image Writer adds a fresh private seed for each installation. After boot, run sysctl kern.entropy.needed; it should report zero. The writer guide explains how to verify it.
Where does violetBSD come from?
violetBSD is an independently maintained fork based on NetBSD 11.0, adapted for the Foenix A2560Me. Original NetBSD and other component copyright and license notices are retained.