Exploring openSUSE's MicroOS
No Change!
© Photo by Lauren Mancke on Unsplash
If you want the most recent software without sacrificing stability, try running a minimal Linux distribution then adding additional services and applications in containers. OpenSUSE MicroOS provides a robust foundation for implementing this vision.
Open source software development happens so rapidly that the distributions can't keep pace and often still have older versions in their repositories. Or, even if you don't have old software, running multiple services or applications on the same operating system sometimes results in compatibility issues.
If your goal is to run a couple of services in a reliable way, you'll likely find yourself using a container-based solution like Docker or Podman. But even then, you still need to manage that underlying Linux distribution. In an ideal scenario, you would want to only deal with the containers and forget about the host system.
Several Linux distributions have introduced minimal systems that offer only the packages necessary for running containers. You can't install any software directly on such a system; you can only install software in containers. You also don't need to manage or update anything after the initial configuration process. This kind of operating system is somewhat exaggeratedly called an immutable OS.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Debian Unleashes Debian Libre Live
Debian Libre Live keeps your machine free of proprietary software.
-
Valve Announces Pending Release of Steam Machine
Shout it to the heavens: Steam Machine, powered by Linux, is set to arrive in 2026.
-
Happy Birthday, ADMIN Magazine!
ADMIN is celebrating its 15th anniversary with issue #90.
-
Another Linux Malware Discovered
Russian hackers use Hyper-V to hide malware within Linux virtual machines.
-
TUXEDO Computers Announces a New InfinityBook
TUXEDO Computers is at it again with a new InfinityBook that will meet your professional and gaming needs.
-
SUSE Dives into the Agentic AI Pool
SUSE becomes the first open source company to adopt agentic AI with SUSE Enterprise Linux 16.
-
Linux Now Runs Most Windows Games
The latest data shows that nearly 90 percent of Windows games can be played on Linux.
-
Fedora 43 Has Finally Landed
The Fedora Linux developers have announced their latest release, Fedora 43.
-
KDE Unleashes Plasma 6.5
The Plasma 6.5 desktop environment is now available with new features, improvements, and the usual bug fixes.
-
Xubuntu Site Possibly Hacked
It appears that the Xubuntu site was hacked and briefly served up a malicious ZIP file from its download page.