I'm just curious if it's possible to install the Linux kernel alone, or if you need to use one of the flavours. If it were possible, how would you do it? I don't need a detailed tutorial. I just want to know how it would be done conceptually. I'm not good with low-level stuff, and want to know how you get an OS into the computer. I imagine it has something to do with the MBR.Oh and I noticed that a lot of the answers suggest a certain distribution of some minimal Linux. I should have probably stated that I am not looking to install a minimal or bare bones Linux. This question is purely theoretical. Still, I really appreciate all the answers, and will refer to them immediately, if ever I would want to install a truly personalized Linux.
Is it possible to install the Linux kernel alone?
linux kernel
You can technically install just a bootloader and the kernel alone, but as soon as the kernel boots, it will complain about not being able to start init, then it will just sit there and you can't do anything with it.BTW, it is a part of the bootloader that is in the MBR. The kernel sits somewhere on the regular area of a disk. The bootloader is configured to know where that is, so it can load the kernel and execute it.