KDE Linux: Help Test the Official Linux Distribution

The KDE project is building its own immutable Linux distribution called KDE Linux, and testing builds are available for download. The distro gives you a new way to experience the Plasma desktop, directly from the people making it, free from third-party modifications.

Unlike traditional Linux distributions that package KDE Plasma with their own customizations, KDE Linux serves as a “reference implementation” showing exactly how KDE developers want the desktop environment to look and behave.

Currently, users experience KDE Plasma through downstream distributions like Kubuntu, Manjaro, or Fedora KDE Spin. However, these distributions tend to apply their own branding, software choices, and configuration changes that can alter the intended user experience.

This shift reflects the fact that Linux desktops environments are increasingly platforms in their own right. Take GNOME and GTK4/libadwaita: developers typically build GNOME apps using GNOME technologies and adhere to GNOME design guidelines rather than, say, Ubuntu’s.

For desktop environment creators, this platform approach helps ensure their vision reaches users undiluted and undistllled.

KDE Linux (codenamed “Project Banana”) is a new, distinct Linux-based operating system owned and developed by KDE directly and serves as a “reference implementation”.

How is it different to KDE neon? Neon is a popular way to enjoy the latest KDE Plasma releases, but it is an Ubuntu-based distribution with additional repositories and refinements on top. Essentially, it’s built on someone else’s distribution which KDE developer have little control over.

KDE Linux is a distinct OS, fundamentally different from KDE neon. Its derived from Arch Linux (but it is not an ‘Arch-based’ distro, and pacman is not installed), features a read-only base system, uses atomic image-based A/B updates with rollback functionality via systemd-sysupdate. It is exclusively designed for Wayland; there’s no X11/Xorg session.

This ‘immutable’ model, where the core operating system is read-only and locked down image, has advantages over a traditional approach. It helps prevent accidental system breakages and enables reliable, atomic updates. If an update fails, the system can roll back to the previous working state.

But though immutable Linux distros are growing in popularity, and do provide many advantages that make them better suited for everyday use, they aren’t without drawbacks: OS updates are sizeable and require a reboot to apply.

“KDE Linux leans on Systemd for a great deal of functionality. Updates are atomic and A/B image-based, with automatic Btrfs snapshots for the last 5 OS images. Only the Wayland session is supported. Apps primarily come from Flatpak and Snap,” reads the official website.

By adopting this immutable approach, the KDE project takes a modern appliance-like approach to OS management. In doing so, it aims to deliver a reliable and best-in-class Plasma experience for end-users and developers alike.

From a user perspective, the experience remains familiar despite the technical changes underneath. The Discover software center handles both app and OS updates, and tools for installing packages from other sources also available.

The project website stresses that KDE Linux is a volunteer-run effort with “no hidden costs, no ads, and no selling of your personal data.”

It is early days for KDE Linux. The current release is a “Testing” edition, and KDE developers make it clear it is intended for enthusiasts and developers only – i.e., those who want to contribute and are comfortable with an experimental system.

For now, it offers Linux users the opportunity to enjoy KDE Plasma as its creators intend, free of any modifications or adjustments, and gives developers an easy way to work with the latest technologies free of the fear of breaking their system.

More details (and known issues) can be found on the KDE Linux wiki.

Thanks Scotty!

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Source: OMG! Linux