| 1 | # Limine [](https://matrix.to/#/#limine:matrix.org) |
| 2 |
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| 3 | <p align="center"> |
| 4 | <img src="https://github.com/Limine-Bootloader/Limine/blob/trunk/logo.png?raw=true" alt="Limine's logo"/> |
| 5 | </p> |
| 6 |
|
| 7 | ### What is Limine? |
| 8 |
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| 9 | Limine (pronounced as demonstrated [here](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20limine)) |
| 10 | is a modern, secure, portable, multiprotocol bootloader and boot manager, also used |
| 11 | as the reference implementation for the [Limine boot protocol](https://github.com/Limine-Bootloader/limine-protocol/blob/trunk/PROTOCOL.md). |
| 12 |
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| 13 | ### Community, Support, and Donations |
| 14 |
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| 15 | #### Donate |
| 16 | If you want to support the work I ([@mintsuki](https://github.com/Mintsuki)) do on Limine, feel free to donate to me on Liberapay: |
| 17 | <p><a href="https://liberapay.com/mintsuki/donate"><img alt="Donate using Liberapay" src="https://liberapay.com/assets/widgets/donate.svg"></a></p> |
| 18 |
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| 19 | Donations welcome, but absolutely not mandatory! |
| 20 |
|
| 21 | #### Community |
| 22 | We have a Matrix room at [`#limine:matrix.org`](https://matrix.to/#/#limine:matrix.org) if you need support, info, or you just want to hang out with us. |
| 23 |
|
| 24 | ### Limine's boot menu |
| 25 |
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| 26 |  |
| 27 |
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| 28 | [Photo by Levent Simsek](https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-tabby-cat-in-close-up-photography-3617160/) |
| 29 |
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| 30 | ### Supported architectures |
| 31 | * IA-32 (32-bit x86) |
| 32 | * x86-64 |
| 33 | * aarch64 (arm64) |
| 34 | * riscv64 |
| 35 | * loongarch64 |
| 36 |
|
| 37 | ### Supported boot protocols |
| 38 | * Linux |
| 39 | * [Limine](https://github.com/Limine-Bootloader/limine-protocol/blob/trunk/PROTOCOL.md) |
| 40 | * Multiboot 1 |
| 41 | * Multiboot 2 |
| 42 | * Chainloading |
| 43 |
|
| 44 | ### Supported partitioning schemes |
| 45 | * MBR |
| 46 | * GPT |
| 47 | * Unpartitioned media |
| 48 |
|
| 49 | ### Supported filesystems |
| 50 | * FAT12/16/32 |
| 51 | * ISO9660 (CDs/DVDs) |
| 52 |
|
| 53 | If your filesystem isn't listed here, please read [the FAQ](FAQ.md) first, especially before |
| 54 | opening issues or pull requests related to this. |
| 55 |
|
| 56 | ### Minimum system requirements |
| 57 | For 32-bit x86 systems, support is only ensured starting with those with |
| 58 | Pentium Pro (i686) class CPUs. |
| 59 |
|
| 60 | All x86-64, aarch64, riscv64 and loongarch64 (UEFI) systems are supported. |
| 61 |
|
| 62 | ## Packaging status |
| 63 |
|
| 64 | All Limine releases since 7.x use [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html) for their naming. |
| 65 |
|
| 66 | [](https://repology.org/project/limine/versions) |
| 67 |
|
| 68 | ## Binary releases |
| 69 |
|
| 70 | For convenience, for point releases, binaries are distributed. These binaries |
| 71 | are shipped as assets as part of the |
| 72 | [Limine GitHub releases](https://github.com/Limine-Bootloader/Limine/releases) |
| 73 | (see the `limine-binary-*` files). |
| 74 |
|
| 75 | The `limine` host tool is shipped in highly portable source form as part of the |
| 76 | binary release package. For most/all UNIX-like OSes, in order to rebuild it, |
| 77 | simply run `make` in the unpacked binary release directory. Alternatively, it |
| 78 | can be built stand-alone using any C99 compatible compiler. |
| 79 |
|
| 80 | `limine` host tool binaries for x86 Windows are provided as part of the binary |
| 81 | release package. |
| 82 |
|
| 83 | ## Build and Install Instructions |
| 84 |
|
| 85 | *The following steps are not necessary if using a binary release.* |
| 86 |
|
| 87 | See [INSTALL.md](INSTALL.md). |
| 88 |
|
| 89 | ## Usage |
| 90 |
|
| 91 | See [USAGE.md](USAGE.md). |
| 92 |
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| 93 | ## 3rd Party Software Acknowledgments |
| 94 |
|
| 95 | See [3RDPARTY.md](3RDPARTY.md). |
| 96 |
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