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1 • Immutable Distros (by Jacob Alexander Tice on 2024-07-15 01:37:06 GMT from United States)
I'm gonna be perfectly honest: I think that outside of embedded systems, immutable distros are a fad. I certainly don't see any benefits. But that's just me.
2 • Immutable Distros (by Ivan on 2024-07-15 01:47:00 GMT from Italy)
I've seen a high percentage of people who don't use/don't like immutable distributions. It would have been interesting to see the two options separated. Personally I prefer to have full control of my system, both to install applications and to apply custom configurations. Limitations bother me.
On the other hand, I admit that if someone intends to "market" a Linux distro they are the best solution in this sense: less damage from users = less technical support.
3 • Immutable Distros (by Vinfall on 2024-07-15 02:05:58 GMT from Hong Kong)
The thing is, almost every VM software allows you to set a disk to immutable status. In the worst case, you can just set RO flag on the disk file itself. I just don't buy the story of immutable distros since literally every OS can be immutabe this way. Moreover, DOS (aka. Disk Operating System), can also be immutable. Immutable is a feature from hell as old as computer. How come it resurrects from the tomb and becomes popular? Of course, official support is better but I can't see how that can change the play dramatically.
4 • immutable distribution is not the only way (by Jorge on 2024-07-15 02:57:39 GMT from Argentina)
OverlayFS have some similar abilities. Am I Right?
Any Live Distribution is using this ability to run a complete packed OS
Maybe with a easier approach we can just adding packages over the OS layers without touching the filesystem.
5 • Immutable distributions (by Bobbie Sellers on 2024-07-15 03:04:33 GMT from United States)
I don't really get it. What makes an immutable System different from a simple old-fashioned Rolling Release? I don't think i have seen a review of the IS that is happy with the result. In some uses they might be good but for everyday they are awkward.
B. Sellers
6 • @ 4 • immutable distribution is not the only way (by Because: reason on 2024-07-15 03:29:43 GMT from New Zealand)
correct.
And as a "bonus", they can be made to be updateable and have functionality expanded by enabling persistence ( if your distro of choice allows this. ) Standard packages can be added and then removed in the usual way, including kernels if required, again distro dependent.
I currently have 3 on this hardware. The system partitions (combined root / home) are from 7-10GB, with separate persistence partitions for each .
!!!!! just do not try to remove a package from the overlayFS !!!!!
7 • Immutable Distros (by Reyfer on 2024-07-15 05:16:16 GMT from Venezuela)
To me, personally, immutable distros "could" be good for enterprises or government offices, but for me as a private user, I prefer the full freedom to "break" my system if I want to and learn how to fix it, so.....
8 • immutable distros (by user on 2024-07-15 05:21:16 GMT from Bulgaria)
I don't like and will not use immutable distros - ever!
I have tried the immutable openSUSE Micro and I'm horrified.
Immutability is a denial to choice - your choice of init system, file-system, kernel version, compilers version, containerization, desktop flavor and richness, etc. You are left on the mercy of the distro developers to chose for you what they seem fit for the system components and core system build, and these you are not allowed to modify. It is an Android like experience, where the user loses entirely control over the OS, and is allowed only to interact with it by applications. It is a distro specific technologies selections lock-in, worse even than Windows. Immutability is impractical in Deskop use, many restarts are needed to modify your own personal settings if allowed.
On the positive side my immutability experience reminded me how truly free the classic Linux architecture is.
9 • Immutable Distros (by Bin on 2024-07-15 05:36:00 GMT from United Kingdom)
To a large extent IDs are not going to appeal to folks who enjoy Distrowatch - but then they are not the market.
However, if you look at EndlessOS, their web site and how they position their offering then you get a better idea of where it does work. There are linux savvy people who do run Endless on a number of family machines.
If you are not used to being able to alter your working environment and just need simple tools for day to day browsing, email, games etc then an immutable system can be just what is needed.
Why not try putting the base version of EOS into a VM and looking at it from a different point of view?
10 • Immutable OS (by Flattermann on 2024-07-15 06:25:54 GMT from Germany)
In practice, immutable distros were a terrible experience for me (no out-of-the-box experience; setting up external devices such as printers, multiple screens; interacting with colleagues; updates became a process where you weren't sure whether everything was still working). Personally, I see a security gain, but not a huge one. The fact that you have an immutable OS does not mean that it is unassailable. Downloading apps from the Snapstore or Flathub, for example, is practical, but as a user you have to trust that everything works perfectly there, just like in a classic repository. The internet and its risks will always be a problem. The router is becoming increasingly interesting for hackers, not the computer and its OS, because the bad guys adapt.
11 • Bootloader in Fedora (by Pumpino on 2024-07-15 07:05:24 GMT from Australia)
I decided to install Fedora 40 last night after playing with the Cinnamon live system for a while. Fedora correctly added a grub entry for my Ubuntu partition and replaced Ubuntu's grub, which was expected. However, it didn't add an entry for itself. I had to boot into Ubuntu, run update-grub to detect Fedora and then replace Fedora's grub with Ubuntu's grub. Maybe Red Hat should look at mastering grub before it moves to an alternative.
12 • Immutable distros poll (by SuperOscar on 2024-07-15 08:13:34 GMT from Finland)
I wonder why NixOS and GNU Guix were not listed as alternatives? AFAIK they’ve been around for longer than any of those listed.
13 • Hidden files (by James on 2024-07-15 09:30:17 GMT from United States)
If I had a file I wanted to keep prying eyes from I would use 7z to compress it, hied the file name and password protect it. As far as system hidden files I see little difference between putting a . before the file or checking a box to hide the file. Both are easily changed and found by checking see hidden files in the file browser.
14 • The Dystopias Materialising While We Speak (by Jo on 2024-07-15 09:32:58 GMT from United Kingdom)
>"...will not proceed without a valid SSO account e-mail address"
The cancer continues: corporate-agenda "Surveillance Capitalism" in the nominally-FLOSS corpus.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Age_of_Surveillance_Capitalism]
15 • Nix and Guix (by Jesse on 2024-07-15 10:13:38 GMT from Canada)
@12: "I wonder why NixOS and GNU Guix were not listed as alternatives?"
Because neither Nix or Guix are, in any way, immutable distributions. They would have no reason to be in the list.
16 • Hidden files (by Jeffrey on 2024-07-15 10:29:16 GMT from Czechia)
It interesting to see an article on this topic without mentioning Rob Pike's "A lesson in shortcuts". While the article was originally posted on Google+, and is thus unavailable, there are many re-posts, such as the one here: https://glenda.0x46.net/articles/dotfiles/ Long story short: in all likelihood, the very existence of dot-entries (let alone their being "hidden") was totally unintended, and it was a result of "programmer laziness".
> so the naming of the file (and the idea of renaming a hidden file) is pretty much a non-issue.
This is clearly false. No matter how rarely you might need to include dot-files and dot-directories in the arguments of a command, mayhem ensues. (You have to go full-RE just to include them, but of course you can't just use an RE like "all entries beginning with '.'", because that will include ".." and all its entries....) Another issue is that dot-files and dot-directories enable (and almost encourage) "littering": throwing countless files and directories under $HOME, under the caring protection of that leading dot, without regard to the number of (sub)directories, directory structure, or automatic removal of the files/directories once they are not needed. A third (and related) issue is complete inconsistency: some programs put their files right in $HOME (e.g. config files could be ~/.foobarrc or ~/.foobar.conf), some use their own directory (e.g. ~/.foobar/), some use one or more of the ~.config, ~/.local and ~/.cache directories, again, often pretty inconsistently. (E.g. some programs put caches or other non-config data under ~/.config, which is clearly wrong.) Some programs put their executables in ~~/.local/bin, some under their own subdirectory (foobar/bin) in some dot-directory of $HOME, some may even put it in ~/bin -- and then some of these programs will add this directory to your $PATH, whether you want it or not, whether it is already in $PATH or not. And then you have to deal with the same program providing alternatives for the same file, e.g. the Nano user config can be in ~/.nanorc or in ~/.config/nano/nanorc. (If you like your current Nano config and want to back it up, but it turns out both files exist [littering, right?], which one do you back up? You have to work just to find out...)
The proper, correct way to do it would be to completely do away with dot-entries, and use some parts of the FHS under $HOME as well. E.g. it makes complete sense that if config files are under /etc/, then user config files are under $HOME/etc/. User caches should go under ~/var/cache/, and shell and other histories should go under ~/var/hist/ or similar. (User logs, if not sent to the system log, should definitely go under ~/var/log/.) Also, programs should always offer the user to customise the program's file and directory locations, in case the user doesn't like the defaults; programs should also offer to clean up their files when being uninstalled, and leave a script for the user to later do the same.
17 • I like the one I use: Murena (by Biff on 2024-07-15 12:29:26 GMT from Sweden)
I mean its in the list - and its technically an immutable distro but for phones - and it does its job perfectly. For a phone you get a lot of advantages and tend not to stumble on all the extra abstractions that has to be done I suppose
18 • Surveillance Capitalism (by Friar Tux on 2024-07-15 13:29:59 GMT from Canada)
@14 (Jo) Surveillance Capitalism has been around long before computers ever came along - since the invention of pencil and paper. Computers just made it a whole lot simpler. I remember a store in Montreal, Que., Canada, (in the 1960s) where the owner knew every purchase my Mother made and always had the stuff ready when she walked in. (No, Mom didn't call ahead on the telephone. That was unheard of at the time.) I used to walk into the local candy store with my two bits and the proprietor already had my favourite candy ready. Surveillance Capitalism is actually a "new" thing, just a new name.
19 • Surveillance Capitalism was NOT in the 1960s (by doesntmatter on 2024-07-15 13:53:44 GMT from Germany)
@18 (Friar Tux) What you describe is not the same, due to the completely different scope.
A single store owner remembering the habits of his customers (or even documenting them) is in no way comparable to what huge platforms and tech companies do today. The store owner you mentioned surely did not sell his knowledge to the biggest ad companies in the world, he used it himself. That is a huge difference. And he did not have the ability - or probably even the intent - to enforce the concept of "no privacy" in totalitarian fashion. One could even argue that his customers consented to this data collection by using his store, since they obviously had alternatives. And they could agree safely, since the information would not be shared uncontrollably.
20 • immutable distributions (by Pogi Americano on 2024-07-15 20:18:22 GMT from United States)
I'm not a real "techie" person, at least not yet, I came to Linux because of the promise that I could get the source code and read books, go to classes and learn by poking around, changing a few things and if it works, I could share it with the world and not worry about licenses and copy writes or breaking some law. This "immutable" stuff worries me. It sounds like, "look but don't touch" ... Again, I could be wrong in my thinking. I'm worried that some day "immutable" will become like Microsoft and Apple, with source code locked away in a vault somewhere. I do praise the Linux community for trying stuff and letting everyone play with it, just don't go the way of Microsoft and Apple. OR Red Hat, yes, I know they are an open source company, but they do have licenses that allow only a certain amount of people to use it, and can you just download the latest source code? ... Just my 2 cents.
21 • Immutable distros (by penguinx86 on 2024-07-16 03:38:55 GMT from United States)
I like the idea of Fedora Silverblue. I tried it and it works well. Seems like it could prevent some malware. But I quit using it because I don't like Gnome. It would be better if there was a choice of desktop environments like Xfce.
22 • Immutable distro (by TheCatboy on 2024-07-16 05:46:33 GMT from United States)
I run SteamOS and love it
23 • Immutable distros (by De Schatberg on 2024-07-16 10:06:24 GMT from The Netherlands)
@21 (by penguinx86 from United States)
"I like the idea of Fedora Silverblue. ... It would be better if there was a choice of desktop environments..."
There is, but fortunately no XFCE. There are Budgie and KDE versions, and the somewhat freaky Sway.
24 • Immutable distro (by andrabt on 2024-07-16 11:12:07 GMT from Indonesia)
I don't think that everyone here know what immutable distro is (and why they existed). So in everyone point of view may differs because feel that they don't need them.
I enjoy Linux and use it from 2005. I've tried many distro, and several of them are my favourite such as EndeavoursOS and Solus. The problem is when I use it above a year, sometimes I encounter bad update and need complex fixes. Sometimes I don't have time to do the fixes while I need to use my machine ASAP.
Immutable distro brings something like atomic updates, which we can rolled back to previous state without hassle. Yes, I know that snapper and btrfs provide that too (and that's cool). But I prefer distro which just works when I need it, even though I like to troubleshoot myself too (while it must not differ that much from standard state).
Currently I use NixOS and Fedora Silverblue (as my second backup and my playground too).
25 • Mozilla & UEFI (by De Schatberg on 2024-07-16 12:30:37 GMT from The Netherlands)
By the way, have you checked your Firefox settings after updating to version 128? Since the update, Mozilla has been collecting user data for its newly acquired ad company. This feature is automatically enabled unless you manually disable it in the preferences.
I don't know how many of you remember or bought the article whose link I posted a few weeks ago, but it looks like Microsoft's UEFI changes are starting to hit Linux users. If you don't use Secure Boot, you may get firmware update errors with UEFI and CSM mode.
As always, it depends on your browser version and distribution.
26 • Immutable Distros (by npaladin2000 on 2024-07-16 13:59:19 GMT from United States)
You probably should have used Fedora Atomic rather than Fedora Silverblue.
27 • immutable useless (by rhtoras on 2024-07-16 16:42:56 GMT from Greece)
No usecase scenario for immutable distros. You have to understand: Linux and Unix never die. systemD will die... gates win postponed for another day... No benefit for these types of distros to the end user. Are they offering something that normal distros can't do ? I doubt. And we can see from the answers that no all users know 100% what these are and what they can do. To sum it up: immutable distros share similarities with windows (update system, installation methods e.t.c) and this is why people do not like them. NO use of apt ON debian based ? This is not linux way of doing things.
28 • @Jesse (by Débarqué on 2024-07-17 11:17:57 GMT from France)
How come have you got the idea to try running Ubuntu Core as a desktop distro, while you DID know Ubuntu guys intented it ONLY "for deploying IoT and embedded systems"?
IoT and embedded systems are typically headless systems (no screen, no keyboard, no mouse...) with a dedicated application program on top of it.
Besides, why such a thing needs to log in to Ubuntu SSO to install makes no sense. Especially embedded systems are often purposefully deprived of any network connection. I guess Ubuntu guys do not to expect you to install it on a device of a space probe!
I advised you do not install Ubuntu Core on sensitive production devices either. Imagine parts of a nuclear plant monitoring system preconfigured with an Internet access... - creepy.
29 • (follows previous comment) (by Débarqué on 2024-07-17 11:23:10 GMT from France)
Actually, an Internet connexion on your surveillance camera is already creepy.
30 • Embedded or not? (by De Schatberg on 2024-07-17 12:08:04 GMT from The Netherlands)
@28 (by Débarqué from France)
On the other side, probably the biggest part of all embedded systems are connected to the internet—think of online payment systems.
31 • My fav Immutables (by viamoiam on 2024-07-18 13:15:10 GMT from Canada)
So many great immutable' distro's were not mentioned. Well technically not just 'immutable' as they can be layered. My favourites are great for gaming like Steam OS for Steam Deck, and for everything else ChimeraOS or Bazzite. Both give a console experience if wanted and can work with DeckyLoader.
I was surprised everything from Universal Blue wasn't mentioned seeing as they are about atomic desktops. https://universal-blue.org/ only one fedora Atomic desktop was mentioned out of the 4 from the official list from Fedora. Okay, okay not just immutable, but better as it solves my issues with immutable distro customization by letting me add my layer on top.
Even MacOS or Windows needs to be customized and have the customization be easily reproduced. I can't restore from a backup so easily on an immutable but I can generate the updated layer for atomic. Stuff like Bazzite can be more easily updated and the customization regenerated or the base switched out from say gnome to kde for ex.
32 • Global IT outage (by linuxuser on 2024-07-19 14:31:37 GMT from Greece)
Linux systems are not affected by the Global IT outage. Good news.
Number of Comments: 32
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Archives |
| • Issue 1173 (2026-05-18): Sylve on FreeBSD, the benefit of BleachBit, Debian commits to reproducible builds, Debian publishes updated install media, Haiku introduces SMP support on ARM64 processors, Rocky Linux creates opt-in security repository, Fedora reconsiders AI tools, KDE receives generous donation |
| • Issue 1172 (2026-05-11): Fedora 44, dealing with extra fonts, Fedora plans to provide AI tools, problems with Ubuntu's new coreutils, TrueNAS extends its development cycle, postmarktetOS improves the boot splash screen, Redox ports tmux |
| • Issue 1171 (2026-05-04): Xubuntu 26.04, extending memory with VRAM, Ubuntu plans AI features, Devuan developer forks GTK2, Mint introduces hardware enablement builds, Linux running on a PlayStation 5, local kernel exploit found in Linux |
| • Issue 1170 (2026-04-27): ENux 5.2.1, picking a second distro, AlmaLinux expands CPU support, FreeBSD publishes Status Report, Ubuntu MATE skips 26.04 release |
| • Issue 1169 (2026-04-20): Lakka 6.1, free software and source-based distributions, FreeBSD Foundation publishes compatible laptop list, Debian holds Project Leader election, Haiku progresses ARM64 port, Mint to extend development cycle, Linux 7.0 released |
| • Issue 1168 (2026-04-13): pearOS 2026.03, EndeavourOS 2026.03.06, which distros are adopting age verification, Arch adjusts its firewall packages, Linux dropping i486 support, Red Hat extends its release cycle, Debian's APT introduces rollbacks, Redox improves its scheduler |
| • Issue 1167 (2026-04-06): Origami Linux 2026.03, answering questions for Linux newcomers, Ubuntu MATE seeking new contributors, Ubuntu software centre is expanding Deb support, FreeBSD fixes forum exploit, openSUSE 15 Leap nears its end of life |
| • Issue 1166 (2026-03-30): NetBSD jails, publishing software for Linux, Ubuntu joins Rust Foundation, Canonical plans to trim GRUB features, Peppermint works on new utilities, PINE64 shows off open hardware capabilities |
| • Issue 1165 (2026-03-23): Argent Linux 1.5.3, disk space required by Linux, Manjaro team goes on strike, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA driver support and builds RISC-V packages, systemd introduces age tracking |
| • Issue 1164 (2026-03-16): d77void, age verification laws and Linux, SUSE may be for sale, TrueNAS takes its build system private, Debian publishes updated Trixie media, MidnightBSD and System76 respond to age verification laws |
| • Issue 1163 (2026-03-09): KaOS 2026.02, TinyCore 17.0, NuTyX 26.02.2, Would one big collection of packages help?, Guix offers 64-bit Hurd options, Linux communities discuss age delcaration laws, Mint unveils new screensaver for Cinnamon, Redox ports new COSMIC features |
| • Issue 1162 (2026-03-02): AerynOS 2026.01, anti-virus and firewall tools, Manjaro fixes website certificate, Ubuntu splits firmware package, jails for NetBSD, extended support for some Linux kernel releases, Murena creating a map app |
| • Issue 1161 (2026-02-23): The Guix package manager, quick Q&As, Gentoo migrating its mirrors, Fedora considers more informative kernel panic screens, GhostBSD testing alternative X11 implementation, Asahi makes progress with Apple M3, NetBSD userland ported, FreeBSD improves web-based system management |
| • Issue 1160 (2026-02-16): Noid and AgarimOS, command line tips, KDE Linux introduces delta updates, Redox OS hits development milestone, Linux Mint develops a desktop-neutral account manager, sudo developer seeks sponsorship |
| • Issue 1159 (2026-02-09): Sharing files on a network, isolating processes on Linux, LFS to focus on systemd, openSUSE polishes atomic updates, NetBSD not likely to adopt Rust code, COSMIC roadmap |
| • Issue 1158 (2026-02-02): Manjaro 26.0, fastest filesystem, postmarketOS progress report, Xfce begins developing its own Wayland window manager, Bazzite founder interviewed |
| • Issue 1157 (2026-01-26): Setting up a home server, what happened to convergence, malicious software entering the Snap store, postmarketOS automates hardware tests, KDE's login manager works with systemd only |
| • Issue 1156 (2026-01-19): Chimera Linux's new installer, using the DistroWatch Torrent Corner, new package tools for Arch, Haiku improves EFI support, Redcore streamlines branches, Synex introduces install-time ZFS options |
| • Issue 1155 (2026-01-12): MenuetOS, CDE on Sparky, iDeal OS 2025.12.07, recommended flavour of BSD, Debian seeks new Data Protection Team, Ubuntu 25.04 nears its end of life, Google limits Android source code releases, Fedora plans to replace SDDM, Budgie migrates to Wayland |
| • Issue 1154 (2026-01-05): postmarketOS 25.06/25.12, switching to Linux and educational resources, FreeBSD improving laptop support, Unix v4 available for download, new X11 server in development, CachyOS team plans server edtion |
| • Issue 1153 (2025-12-22): Best projects of 2025, is software ever truly finished?, Firefox to adopt AI components, Asahi works on improving the install experience, Mageia presents plans for version 10 |
| • Issue 1152 (2025-12-15): OpenBSD 7.8, filtering websites, Jolla working on a Linux phone, Germany saves money with Linux, Ubuntu to package AMD tools, Fedora demonstrates AI troubleshooting, Haiku packages Go language |
| • Issue 1151 (2025-12-08): FreeBSD 15.0, fun command line tricks, Canonical presents plans for Ubutnu 26.04, SparkyLinux updates CDE packages, Redox OS gets modesetting driver |
| • Issue 1150 (2025-12-01): Gnoppix 25_10, exploring if distributions matter, openSUSE updates tumbleweed's boot loader, Fedora plans better handling of broken packages, Plasma to become Wayland-only, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1149 (2025-11-24): MX Linux 25, why are video drivers special, systemd experiments with musl, Debian Libre Live publishes new media, Xubuntu reviews website hack |
| • Issue 1148 (2025-11-17): Zorin OS 18, deleting a file with an unusual name, NetBSD experiments with sandboxing, postmarketOS unifies its documentation, OpenBSD refines upgrades, Canonical offers 15 years of support for Ubuntu |
| • Issue 1147 (2025-11-10): Fedora 43, the size and stability of the Linux kernel, Debian introducing Rust to APT, Redox ports web engine, Kubuntu website off-line, Mint creates new troubleshooting tools, FreeBSD improves reproducible builds, Flatpak development resumes |
| • Issue 1146 (2025-11-03): StartOS 0.4.0, testing piped commands, Ubuntu Unity seeks help, Canonical offers Ubuntu credentials, Red Hat partners with NVIDIA, SUSE to bundle AI agent with SLE 16 |
| • Issue 1145 (2025-10-27): Linux Mint 7 "LMDE", advice for new Linux users, AlmaLinux to offer Btrfs, KDE launches Plasma 6.5, Fedora accepts contributions written by AI, Ubuntu 25.10 fails to install automatic updates |
| • Issue 1144 (2025-10-20): Kubuntu 25.10, creating and restoring encrypted backups, Fedora team debates AI, FSF plans free software for phones, ReactOS addresses newer drivers, Xubuntu reacts to website attack |
| • Issue 1143 (2025-10-13): openSUSE 16.0 Leap, safest source for new applications, Redox introduces performance improvements, TrueNAS Connect available for testing, Flatpaks do not work on Ubuntu 25.10, Kamarada plans to switch its base, Solus enters new epoch, Frugalware discontinued |
| • Issue 1142 (2025-10-06): Linux Kamarada 15.6, managing ZIP files with SQLite, F-Droid warns of impact of Android lockdown, Alpine moves ahead with merged /usr, Cinnamon gets a redesigned application menu |
| • Issue 1141 (2025-09-29): KDE Linux and GNOME OS, finding mobile flavours of Linux, Murena to offer phones with kill switches, Redox OS running on a smartphone, Artix drops GNOME |
| • Issue 1140 (2025-09-22): NetBSD 10.1, avoiding AI services, AlmaLinux enables CRB repository, Haiku improves disk access performance, Mageia addresses service outage, GNOME 49 released, Linux introduces multikernel support |
| • Issue 1139 (2025-09-15): EasyOS 7.0, Linux and central authority, FreeBSD running Plasma 6 on Wayland, GNOME restores X11 support temporarily, openSUSE dropping BCacheFS in new kernels |
| • Issue 1138 (2025-09-08): Shebang 25.8, LibreELEC 12.2.0, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, the importance of software updates, AerynOS introduces package sets, postmarketOS encourages patching upstream, openSUSE extends Leap support, Debian refreshes Trixie media |
| • Issue 1137 (2025-09-01): Tribblix 0m37, malware scanners flagging Linux ISO files, KDE introduces first-run setup wizard, CalyxOS plans update prior to infrastructure overhaul, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1136 (2025-08-25): CalyxOS 6.8.20, distros for running containers, Arch Linux website under attack,illumos Cafe launched, CachyOS creates web dashboard for repositories |
| • Issue 1135 (2025-08-18): Debian 13, Proton, WINE, Wayland, and Wayback, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, KDE gets advanced Liquid Glass, Haiku improves authentication tools |
| • Issue 1134 (2025-08-11): Rhino Linux 2025.3, thoughts on malware in the AUR, Fedora brings hammered websites back on-line, NetBSD reveals features for version 11, Ubuntu swaps some command line tools for 25.10, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA support |
| • Issue 1133 (2025-08-04): Expirion Linux 6.0, running Plasma on Linux Mint, finding distros which support X11, Debian addresses 22 year old bug, FreeBSD discusses potential issues with pkgbase, CDE ported to OpenBSD, Btrfs corruption bug hitting Fedora users, more malware found in Arch User Repository |
| • Issue 1132 (2025-07-28): deepin 25, wars in the open source community, proposal to have Fedora enable Flathub repository, FreeBSD plans desktop install option, Wayback gets its first release |
| • Issue 1131 (2025-07-21): HeliumOS 10.0, settling on one distro, Mint plans new releases, Arch discovers malware in AUR, Plasma Bigscreen returns, Clear Linux discontinued |
| • Issue 1130 (2025-07-14): openSUSE MicroOS and RefreshOS, sharing aliases between computers, Bazzite makes Bazaar its default Flatpak store, Alpine plans Wayback release, Wayland and X11 benchmarked, Red Hat offers additional developer licenses, openSUSE seeks feedback from ARM users, Ubuntu 24.10 reaches the end of its life |
| • Issue 1129 (2025-07-07): GLF OS Omnislash, the worst Linux distro, Alpine introduces Wayback, Fedora drops plans to stop i686 support, AlmaLinux builds EPEL repository for older CPUs, Ubuntu dropping existing RISC-V device support, Rhino partners with UBports, PCLinuxOS recovering from website outage |
| • Issue 1128 (2025-06-30): AxOS 25.06, AlmaLinux OS 10.0, transferring Flaptak bundles to off-line computers, Ubuntu to boost Intel graphics performance, Fedora considers dropping i686 packages, SDesk switches from SELinux to AppArmor |
| • Issue 1127 (2025-06-23): LastOSLinux 2025-05-25, most unique Linux distro, Haiku stabilises, KDE publishes Plasma 6.4, Arch splits Plasma packages, Slackware infrastructure migrating |
| • Issue 1126 (2025-06-16): SDesk 2025.05.06, renewed interest in Ubuntu Touch, a BASIC device running NetBSD, Ubuntu dropping X11 GNOME session, GNOME increases dependency on systemd, Google holding back Pixel source code, Nitrux changing its desktop, EFF turns 35 |
| • Issue 1125 (2025-06-09): RHEL 10, distributions likely to survive a decade, Murena partners with more hardware makers, GNOME tests its own distro on real hardware, Redox ports GTK and X11, Mint provides fingerprint authentication |
| • Issue 1124 (2025-06-02): Picking up a Pico, tips for protecting privacy, Rhino tests Plasma desktop, Arch installer supports snapshots, new features from UBports, Ubuntu tests monthly snapshots |
| • Issue 1123 (2025-05-26): CRUX 3.8, preventing a laptop from sleeping, FreeBSD improves laptop support, Fedora confirms GNOME X11 session being dropped, HardenedBSD introduces Rust in userland build, KDE developing a virtual machine manager |
| • Issue 1122 (2025-05-19): GoboLinux 017.01, RHEL 10.0 and Debian 12 updates, openSUSE retires YaST, running X11 apps on Wayland |
| • Full list of all issues |
| Star Labs |

Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
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| Random Distribution | 
Senpai Respins
Senpai Respins is a set of (principally) MX Linux respins with Cinnamon, GNOME, LXDE, LXQT, MATE and Moksha desktops and window managers, user interfaces that the upstream project does not offer. It also provides a respin of Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) with MATE, and MX Linux with the Parrot distribution installed on top of it. The MX Linux variants offer a choice between the systemd and SysV init systems. Other than integrating a new desktop into an existing distribution, Senpai brings very few other modifications, leaving the software composition and visual appearance of the upstream project intact.
Status: Active
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| TUXEDO |

TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite Choose from a wide range of laptops and PCs in various sizes and shapes at TUXEDOComputers.com. Every machine comes pre-installed and ready-to-run with Linux. Full 24 months of warranty and lifetime support included!
Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
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| Star Labs |

Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
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