Ikey Doherty Returns to Challenge Omarchy With Barney, a Rust-Based Distro-Building Tool
The creator of Solus is emerging from retirement to build Barney, a Rust-based framework for constructing Linux distributions from source, in direct response to what he views as excessive funding behind David Heinemeier Hansson's Omarchy project.
Ikey Doherty has stepped back into the Linux world, motivated by concerns over the financial backing behind Omarchy. In a YouTube video, the founder of Solus and AerynOS criticized the scale of funding behind DHH's distribution initiative and announced his own approach: Barney, a Rust-based utility designed to construct Linux distributions from source code.
Since its August debut, Omarchy's Omacom Foundation has secured pledges exceeding $13 million, beginning with eight technology leaders—including Michael Dell—each committing $1 million. The initiative has faced opposition, notably when 1Password contributed $300,000 while its workforce protested the decision. Doherty's video emerged shortly after the foundation revealed $1.95 million in AI computational resources from Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI, and Fireworks.
A Tool, Not a Distribution
Barney functions as an instrument for constructing Linux distributions rather than serving as a finished product itself. The project's repository characterizes it as "yet another feckin' tool to build a Linux distro" and explicitly states that releasing a distribution is not the objective.
Doherty intends to demonstrate the mechanics of distribution development through a YouTube series rather than delivering what he terms a "wallpaper respin." The construction process operates entirely from source, with outputs linked to their dependencies. Modifying a dependency automatically triggers rebuilds of all downstream components. Doherty emphasizes stateless layouts, a principle he contributed to during his tenure with Intel's Clear Linux initiative and subsequently advanced through Solus and AerynOS (previously known as Serpent OS).
Container-based builds store results by content hash, ensuring that identical files across multiple packages occupy storage space only once. The strategy encompasses rebuilding the entire toolchain from its foundation. The entire codebase is implemented in Rust and distributed under the MPL-2.0 license. The project's designation carries personal significance—Barney is the name of Doherty's son.
Development has commenced, with the inaugural episode, "Episode 0: Getting Ready," already published. Doherty has established a Ko-fi page for those wishing to provide direct financial support.
A Response From an Irish Traveller
Doherty's position on this matter warrants serious consideration given his background. David Heinemeier Hansson, known as DHH and the architect of Omarchy, had previously authored commentary comparing Denmark's wolf population to Romani individuals occupying Copenhagen parks.
As a member of the Irish Traveller community—a group subjected to longstanding discrimination—Doherty felt compelled to respond. On LinkedIn, accompanying his video, he characterized DHH's remarks as "horrific" and explained that the combination of funding and these viewpoints had motivated his return to active development.
His consumer preferences have shifted accordingly. Since Michael Dell ranked among the foundation's initial supporters, Doherty has decided to exclude Dell from future purchases. He also issued a broader condemnation of Omarchy:
Gonna be honest I won't buy another Dell laptop after Michael Dell showing support for DHH. Skipping the point of it being yet another wallpaper-respin distro.. I cannot possibly tolerate the comments made by DHH (on a number of topics)As an Irish traveller, I strongly condemn his rhetoric surrounding nomadic people. As a former Linux distro developer, I wouldn't touch his shit if you paid me.
Ikey Doherty
Prospects and Timing
Predicting Barney's trajectory remains uncertain. The more pertinent observation, however, is that the conventional success metric may not apply. According to Doherty's own framing, Barney succeeds by demonstrating how a genuine distribution emerges while the broader community observes.
Doherty has previously abandoned major initiatives; both Solus and AerynOS continued without his involvement. Barney could follow a similar path.
What merits attention is the convergence of circumstances. Auke Kok, another former Clear Linux contributor, is independently constructing The Ur Project from scratch, and neither developer is awaiting foundation support to advance their work.
The possibility exists that if Doherty and Kok were to join forces, they might demonstrate to the Linux community that substantial financial commitments are not prerequisites for creating quality software.