Vanilla OS Initial Release Is Now Available
A stock GNOME experience with on-demand immutability finally sees its first production release.
A brand new Linux distribution is now available with a unique feature you won't find in many operating systems. This distribution is called Vanilla OS and offers a stock GNOME experience (using GNOME 43) and is based on Ubuntu 22.10.
The key features of Vanilla OS include its own installer (written in GTK4 and libadwaita), a handy first setup application to guide users through the first steps, an OS Control Center to help you run things like critical updates and installing drivers, and on-demand immutability.
It's the on-demand immutability that should excite many users. With this feature, core bits of the system are locked to prevent unwanted changes. This is achieved using ABRoot which works in conjunction with the apt replacement, apx. Apx installs packages inside a managed container without modifying the root file system.
You'll also find VSO (Vanilla System Operator) which is a tool that periodically checks for an update and then downloads and installs it in the background but only if the system isn't under heavy load.
You can read more about Vanilla OS on the official Kinetic announcement page and then download an ISO for installation from the distribution Github page.
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
-
Go-Based Botnet Attacking IoT Devices
Using an SSH credential brute-force attack, the Go-based PumaBot is exploiting IoT devices everywhere.
-
Plasma 6.5 Promises Better Memory Optimization
With the stable Plasma 6.4 on the horizon, KDE has a few new tricks up its sleeve for Plasma 6.5.
-
KaOS 2025.05 Officially Qt5 Free
If you're a fan of independent Linux distributions, the team behind KaOS is proud to announce the latest iteration that includes kernel 6.14 and KDE's Plasma 6.3.5.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 Now Available
The latest Linux kernel is now available with several new features/improvements and the usual bug fixes.
-
Microsoft Makes Surprising WSL Announcement
In a move that might surprise some users, Microsoft has made Windows Subsystem for Linux open source.
-
Red Hat Releases RHEL 10 Early
Red Hat quietly rolled out the official release of RHEL 10.0 a bit early.
-
openSUSE Joins End of 10
openSUSE has decided to not only join the End of 10 movement but it also will no longer support the Deepin Desktop Environment.
-
New Version of Flatpak Released
Flatpak 1.16.1 is now available as the latest, stable version with various improvements.
-
IBM Announces Powerhouse Linux Server
IBM has unleashed a seriously powerful Linux server with the LinuxONE Emperor 5.
-
Plasma Ends LTS Releases
The KDE Plasma development team is doing away with the LTS releases for a good reason.