First Version of Vanilla OS is Available to Download

The Linux distro scene just got A LOT more interesting thanks to the first stable release of Vanilla OS.

If you’re not familiar with Vanilla OS then honestly, you’re not alone. It’s a relatively new Linux distribution that has only been in development for the past four months. Plus, outside of a closed beta, it’s not been available for the wider community to try.

Until now .

Vanilla OS: What is it?

Ubuntu-based Linux distros are ten a penny, but few tend to diverge from their parent OS in any interesting or unique ways. Not so with Vanilla OS. Far more than “just another” Ubuntu fork, the distro takes a novel new approach to computing thanks to an immutable file system.

Vanilla OS doesn’t use apt. Instead, it uses its own package manager and subsystem called apx. This is described as “a wrapper around multiple package managers to install packages and run commands inside a managed container” and is inspired by Distrobox.

E.g., instead of running sudo apt install foo as you would on a regular Ubuntu install you run apx install foo instead.

The apx package manager is exciting for two reasons:

Firstly, the benefit of the containerised approach is that any apps the user installs cannot change, alter, or affect core system packages. This improves security, reliability, and stability. A real differentiator; it’s somewhat akin to Fedora Silverblue and similar immutable distros.

Secondly, apx allows users to install packages from other distro archives. To do this it creates a container for that distro, and integrates apps installed inside with the base system. Subsystem apps work like any other, and can be managed from Vanilla OS Control Center.

System updates are also handled differently, using a custom-made tech called ABRoot:

ABRoot achieves this by transacting between 2 root file systems: A and B. Let’s give an example. Let’s say you want to install a new package. ABRoot will check which partition is the present root partition (i.e A), then it will mount an overlay on top of it and perform the transaction. If the transaction succeeds, the overlay will be merged with the future root partition (i.e B). On your next boot, the system will automatically switch to the new root partition (B). In case of failure, the overlay will be discarded and the system will boot normally, without any changes to either partition..

Vanilla OS developers

Another thoughtful change: smart updates. Instead of install updates automatically in the background regardless of what the user is doing, the Vanilla System Operator periodically checks for updates but only installs them in the background if the device is not under heavy use or running low on battery. If it is, updates wait to install instead.

Despite the huge delta in how Vanilla OS works versus a traditional Ubuntu-based distro, most users will barely notice a difference. Apps still install, they still open and save to local folders and drives, and they continue to take full advantage of system drivers and hardware.

Vanilla OS User Experience

Being based on Ubuntu 22.10, Vanilla OS uses the GNOME desktop environment by default. But unlike Ubuntu, it opts to present a pure GNOME experience: no Ubuntu Dock, no Yaru theme, and none of Ubuntu’s other modifications.

A small selection of GNOME Core apps come preinstalled including the Nautilus file manager, the GNOME Software app (which runs better than Ubuntu’s fork), and Web as the default web browser. There are a nice collection of bespoke wallpapers included, all available in light/dark.

More apps can be installed during the Vanilla OS First Setup process. Additionally, apps can be fetched from the Software app, from the Ubuntu repos (using the apx package manager), or installed from a different distro by using those aforementioned subsystems.

Overview of Vanilla OS:

• Custom GTK4/libadwaita installer
• Uses apx package manager/subsystem
• Atomic system updates
• Integrated driver manager
• Transactional shell access
• Helpful setup wizard
• Smart updates

You can download Vanilla OS 22.10 ‘Kinetic’ from the Vanilla OS GitHub page. It’s provided as a flushable .iso image that you can use in a virtual machine or write to a USB drive to boot a real-world system.

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Source: OMG! Linux