agelesslinux.github.io/getting-started.html at main · agelesslinux/agelesslinux.github.io · GitHub

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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>Getting Started — Ageless Linux Docs</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="/style.css">
</head>
<body>

<nav>
  <div class="inner">
    <a href="https://agelesslinux.org" class="logo">AGELESS<span> LINUX</span></a>
    <div class="links">
      <a href="https://agelesslinux.org">Home</a>
      <a href="/index.html" class="active">Docs</a>
      <a href="/age-reporting/">Age Reporting</a>
      <a href="/removal/">Removal</a>
      <a href="/short-circuit/">Short-Circuit</a>
      <a href="/device/">Device</a>
      <a href="https://agelesslinux.org/map.html">State Laws</a>
    </div>
  </div>
</nav>

<div class="container">

  <div class="page-header">
    <h2>Getting Started</h2>
    <h1>Become <em>Ageless</em></h1>
    <p>
      <code>become-ageless.sh</code> is a shell script that converts a Linux system into a
      declared noncompliant state under California's age reporting mandate. It modifies OS
      identity files and installs compliance documentation — nothing more.
    </p>
  </div>

  <section>
    <h3>Requirements</h3>
    <ul style="margin-top:12px; padding-left:24px; line-height:2;">
      <li>A Debian-based system (Ubuntu, Mint, Pop!_OS, Raspberry Pi OS, etc.)</li>
      <li>Root access (<code>sudo</code>)</li>
      <li><code>curl</code> or <code>wget</code> to download the script</li>
    </ul>
  </section>

  <section>
    <h3>Download</h3>
    <p>Grab the script from agelesslinux.org or the GitHub repo:</p>
    <pre>curl -O https://agelesslinux.org/become-ageless.sh</pre>
    <p>Or clone the repository:</p>
    <pre>git clone https://github.com/agelesslinux/agelesslinux.git
cd agelesslinux</pre>
  </section>

  <section>
    <h3>Two Modes</h3>
    <p>
      The script operates in two modes. Both modify the same files; they differ in legal posture.
    </p>

    <div class="card green-card" style="margin-top:24px;">
      <span class="badge badge-green">Standard Mode</span>
      <h4 style="margin-top:12px;">Good-Faith Noncompliance</h4>
      <pre>sudo bash become-ageless.sh</pre>
      <p style="margin-top:12px;">
        Rewrites <code>/etc/os-release</code> to declare the system ageless. Installs a stub
        API endpoint that returns an error when queried for age data — the system acknowledges
        the request but refuses to answer. Installs a machine-readable compliance notice
        explaining the refusal.
      </p>
      <p>
        This mode preserves what the statute calls a "good faith effort" fig leaf under
        <span class="legal-cite">§ 1798.502(b)</span>. The system has an age reporting API;
        it just doesn't report an age.
      </p>
    </div>

    <div class="card red-card">
      <span class="badge badge-red">Flagrant Mode</span>
      <h4 style="margin-top:12px;">Open Refusal</h4>
      <pre>sudo bash become-ageless.sh --flagrant</pre>
      <p style="margin-top:12px;">
        No API at all. No pretense of compliance. Installs a machine-readable
        <code>REFUSAL</code> notice stating that age reporting has been deliberately removed.
        This mode is intended for devices you plan to hand to children — the entire point is
        to be unambiguous.
      </p>
    </div>

    <div class="card" style="border-color:var(--cyan); margin-top:24px;">
      <span class="badge badge-blue">Optional Flag</span>
      <h4 style="margin-top:12px;">Persistent Mode</h4>
      <pre>sudo bash become-ageless.sh --persistent
sudo bash become-ageless.sh --flagrant --persistent</pre>
      <p style="margin-top:12px;">
        Can be combined with either mode. In addition to the one-time conversion, installs
        <code>agelessd</code> — a systemd timer that re-neutralizes systemd userdb
        <code>birthDate</code> fields every 24 hours. This guards against package updates,
        user creation, or desktop tools that may attempt to populate age data in the future.
      </p>
    </div>
  </section>

  <section>
    <h3>What It Changes</h3>
    <p>The script touches only files under <code>/etc/</code>:</p>

    <div class="card">
      <h4 style="margin-top:0;">/etc/os-release</h4>
      <p>
        Backed up to <code>/etc/os-release.pre-ageless</code> before modification. The script
        rewrites identity fields (<code>PRETTY_NAME</code>, <code>NAME</code>, etc.) to include
        "Ageless" in the distribution name, signaling noncompliance to any software that reads
        OS identity.
      </p>
    </div>

    <div class="card">
      <h4 style="margin-top:0;">/etc/lsb-release</h4>
      <p>
        If present (Ubuntu and derivatives), also rewritten for consistency. Backed up to
        <code>/etc/lsb-release.pre-ageless</code>.
      </p>
    </div>

    <div class="card">
      <h4 style="margin-top:0;">/etc/ageless/</h4>
      <p>
        A new directory containing compliance documentation: the notice file (standard or
        refusal, depending on mode), and metadata about when and how the conversion was performed.
      </p>
    </div>

    <div class="card" style="border-color:var(--red);">
      <h4 style="margin-top:0;">/etc/userdb/*.user</h4>
      <p>
        Drop-in records for systemd userdb that neutralize the <code>birthDate</code> field
        (added in <a href="https://github.com/systemd/systemd/pull/40954" style="color:var(--cyan);">systemd PR #40954</a>,
        merged March 18, 2026). Regular mode sets all users to <code>1970-01-01</code>; flagrant
        mode sets it to <code>null</code>. Each record includes full passwd fields (uid, gid,
        home, shell) to avoid shadowing NSS resolution.
      </p>
    </div>

    <div class="card" style="border-color:var(--cyan);">
      <h4 style="margin-top:0;">/etc/ageless/agelessd <span class="badge badge-blue" style="font-size:10px; margin-left:8px;">--persistent only</span></h4>
      <p>
        If <code>--persistent</code> is passed, installs <code>agelessd</code> and a systemd
        timer (<code>agelessd.timer</code>, <code>agelessd.service</code>) that re-neutralizes
        userdb birthDate fields every 24 hours and on boot. This is the only flag that installs
        a systemd service.
      </p>
    </div>
  </section>

  <section>
    <h3>Reverting</h3>
    <p>
      The script preserves your original files. To revert, restore the backups:
    </p>
    <pre>sudo cp /etc/os-release.pre-ageless /etc/os-release</pre>
    <p>If your system had <code>/etc/lsb-release</code>:</p>
    <pre>sudo cp /etc/lsb-release.pre-ageless /etc/lsb-release</pre>
    <p>Optionally remove the compliance directory:</p>
    <pre>sudo rm -rf /etc/ageless/</pre>
  </section>

  <section>
    <h3>Non-Debian Systems</h3>
    <div class="card yellow-card">
      <span class="badge badge-yellow">Warning</span>
      <p style="margin-top:8px;">
        The script technically works on any system with <code>/etc/os-release</code> — which is
        virtually every modern Linux distribution. However, it was designed and tested for
        Debian-based systems.
      </p>
      <p>
        Running it on a non-Debian system means you're liable under both the age verification
        statute <em>and</em> the script's own sense of humor. (It will warn you about this
        double liability at runtime.)
      </p>
      <p>
        That said: if your distro ships age reporting and you need a removal tool, the project
        will build one for your distro. Open an issue on
        <a href="https://github.com/agelesslinux/agelesslinux">GitHub</a>.
      </p>
    </div>
  </section>

  <section>
    <h3>What It Does NOT Do</h3>
    <ul style="padding-left:24px; line-height:2.2;">
      <li>Does <strong>not</strong> install any packages</li>
      <li>Does <strong>not</strong> phone home, collect telemetry, or make network requests</li>
      <li>Does <strong>not</strong> modify anything outside <code>/etc/</code> (except systemd unit
        files in <code>/etc/systemd/system/</code> when <code>--persistent</code> is used)</li>
      <li>Does <strong>not</strong> add repositories or cron jobs (the <code>--persistent</code> flag
        adds a systemd timer — this is the only service the script creates)</li>
      <li>Does <strong>not</strong> require an internet connection to run (only to download)</li>
    </ul>
    <p style="margin-top:16px;">
      The script is intentionally minimal. You can read the entire thing in five minutes.
    </p>
  </section>

</div>

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    Ageless Linux Documentation<br>
    A project of <a href="https://ffwf.net">FFwF Robotics LLC</a> · <a href="https://agelesslinux.org">agelesslinux.org</a> · <a href="https://agelesslinux.org/support.html">Support</a><br>
    <div class="legal-footer">
      This documentation describes tools for removing age reporting infrastructure from Linux systems.<br>
      SPDX-License-Identifier: Unlicense
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