Independent developer

Systems / Linux / Security

BUILDING BEYOND Ben Nguyen DEFAULTS.

LINUXOPENCORE PYTHONNETWORKING LINUXOPENCORE PYTHONNETWORKING
01 About

Curious about every layer—from the metal to the interface.

I’m a student developer based in Portland. I spend my time exploring Linux, programming, networking, server administration, AI, and the less-traveled corners of computer hardware.

My projects are hands-on: building an OS, running a home NAS, making unsupported hardware boot macOS, testing network defenses, and writing tools that make complicated setups easier.

GitHub profile
27Public repositories
1.5+Years building
Things left to learn
02 Selected projects

THINGS I’VE
BEEN BUILDING.

A growing collection of systems, experiments, and deep dives.

01
MIKUOS OPENRC
Linux distribution / Arch

MikuOS

An Arch-based Linux distribution featuring KDE Plasma, Miku-inspired branding, a custom Plymouth boot splash, and the Calamares graphical installer.

Arch LinuxKDE PlasmaCalamares
02
ThinkBook 14 G4 ABA
OpenCore / Hardware

AMD Hackintosh

macOS Tahoe on a Ryzen ThinkBook with GPU acceleration, multi-touch, audio, and detailed troubleshooting notes.

OpenCoreNootedRedmacOS
03
TRUENAS / ONLINE
STORAGE / 78%
VM HOST / 04
UPTIME / 99.9
Infrastructure / Homelab

Home Server

An old PC repurposed into a TrueNAS system for storage, lightweight projects, and virtual machines.

TrueNASNASVirtualization
04
PACKETS
FILTERED
Networking / Security

Firewall Lab

A practical UFW and Firegex setup for learning traffic rules, network exposure, and defensive configuration.

UFWFiregexLinux
05
LOCAL
NO NETWORK
Python / Local AI

Offline AI Runner

A Python utility that downloads, extracts, and launches local AI models through a simpler guided workflow.

PythonLLMAutomation
See all repositories
03 Contact

Have an interesting build, idea, or Linux problem?

LET’S MAKE
IT REAL.