{"id":936,"date":"2026-03-08T20:54:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T19:54:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orditux.org\/happy\/?page_id=936"},"modified":"2026-08-02T16:42:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T14:42:28","slug":"history-of-the-project","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/orditux.org\/happy\/en\/history-of-the-project\/","title":{"rendered":"History of the project"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why Happy Ordi?<\/h2>\n

Reading time:<\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"NoThis project was born from a double observation: millions of still-functional computers end up in landfills<\/strong> for lack of accessible alternatives. While the tools to address this exist, they remain technically out of reach for most people.<\/p>\n\n

Happy Ordi is both a free\/open-source software project and an entrepreneurial venture, built on twenty years of technical and hands-on experience, and on a long-held ecological conviction<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Drawn to nature as much as to technology from the start, \"Figure I began my journey after earning a degree in Organic Farming and living on a smallholding for a few years. It all started with my very first computer and a 56k dial-up connection.<\/p>\n

This page retraces the journey to help readers grasp what is really at stake: to fight against planned obsolescence, the digital divide, and the environmental crisis<\/strong>, Happy Ordi is a hands-on solution born from field experience.<\/p>\n

The Journey So Far<\/h2>\n

From 2004 to 2018<\/strong>, the adventure took root in the Free Software movement as a way to promote organic farming and concrete ecological alternatives through the website Mieux \u00catre et Synergie<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I acquired my first internet-connected PC (via a dial-up connection), discovered and installed Mandrake Linux<\/strong> that same year, and then, from late 2004 to 2005, co-authored a book on the early releases of Ubuntu Linux with Lionel DRICOT and Beno\u00eet CACCINOLO, published in 2006.<\/p>\n

I then provided professional IT services as an independent contractor starting in 2009. That same year, I began learning how to remaster<\/strong> a Linux distribution.<\/p>\n

The goal was to provide a Linux distribution combining extreme lightness<\/strong> with great ease<\/strong> of use, for everyday users working on aging or sluggish hardware.<\/p>\n

I have been regularly providing them ever since, building on various Linux distributions over time. First made available through the hosting of various volunteer contributors, they were then provided on the website https:\/\/linuxvillage.org<\/strong><\/a>, hosted by the company Gandi<\/a><\/strong> as part of their supported open-source projects initiative.<\/p>\n

In 2018<\/strong>, I opened a shop, Orditux Informatique,<\/strong> in the town center of Pamiers, in Ari\u00e8ge. During the following years, I provided diverse digital services with a strong focus on open-source software, repair, and computer refurbishment. But the social movements of late 2018, followed by the Covid crisis<\/strong> and the lockdowns starting in March 2020<\/strong>, subsequently led me to rethink the direction of the business.<\/p>\n

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Easy PC Diagnostics Project<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2020<\/strong> First POC (Proof of Concept) of Happy Ordi: a functional Linux distribution generating a full hardware inventory report with a single click from a desktop shortcut.<\/p>\n

Late 2022 to late 2024<\/strong> Work-study program leading to a diploma in IT Maintenance and Support Management (Level 5 \/ EQF), obtained in late 2024 in Toulouse. January 2023: registered as a freelance business. In May 2023<\/strong>: closure of the shop in Pamiers.<\/p>\n

2022<\/strong> Beginning of the adaptation of the Bento environment to antiX Linux<\/strong>, a very lightweight Debian-based distribution, available in 32 and 64 bits: birth of Bento antiX<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

2024<\/strong> A series of phone interviews with about ten refurbishment organizations in France: the findings revealed that none of them were using Linux to test and record hardware inventory simultaneously, and that most sent any machine unable to run a recent version of Windows straight to recycling.<\/p>\n

2025<\/strong> Early in the year, the build recipes and source files for the Bento Openbox distributions were structured and published on GitHub, along with the documentation for the build tools. Several months of work were spent remastering and testing on virtual machines and bare metal. Happy Ordi moved forward in parallel, rebuilt on the foundations of the first POC, with two additional remixed versions based on Bento antiX.<\/p>\n

2026<\/strong> Work continues in several directions: technical, communication, and partnership building. A collaborative wiki powered by XWiki, part of the Linuxvillage project (online since 2011), has been opened for registrations. It includes several sections, one dedicated specifically to technical datasheets on refurbished computers, designed to pool knowledge among refurbishers and save time for everyone through shared research.<\/p>\n

Currently in progress<\/h2>\n

The Happy Ordi project, both a free\/open-source software project and an entrepreneurial venture, is steadily progressing on several fronts. Planning for the next steps is currently underway to build solid foundations, preparing each stage as the project moves forward.<\/p>\n

Further reading<\/h2>\n