I first put JayOS together because I wanted to learn more about
kernels, operating systems, toolchains, and how the system programs
and applications intertwine and support each other on a Linux system.
I had used so many other distros that I was itching to try my own hand
at it, and to do things the Sinatra way.

Now JayOS has become my Linux daily driver.

The main reasons why I continue to use it is because it's super fast
(everything runs from RAM), it's secure (see my docs on encryption),
and it allows me to borrow any x86 workstation and still run within my
own customized environment.

I use a Mac Mini as my workstation, and typically boot JayOS from USB
sticks.  I keep my data either in "the cloud" or on removable media.
This way, I can step up to any other x86, laptop, or Mac Mini (people
love to keep those in their entertainment centers!), boot JayOS and
temporarily re-create my home workstation.

Speaking of environments, I have always liked the Windows 98 user
interface; it's clean, logical, and intuitive.  So I have made fvwm95
the window manager in JayOS.  And yes, it still compiles.

There is quite an eclectic mixture of modern and ancient applications
installed, most of them linked against GNOME, GTK, or QT libraries.
I think the only essentials missing that one might find in a commercial
distribution is Java and some sort of Office Suite.  Both are excluded
only because of their size.

One other reason you may want to try this out is to use it for
building the latest Linux From Scratch, whose LiveCD is no longer being
maintained.  Just boot JayOS, download the LFS book (current 7.0) and
follow the book's instructions.

Finally, if anybody out there is listening, I would next like to work
with embedded operating systems of any sort, but especially any one
based on Linux.