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SparkyLinux 2022.07 is released
The developers of SparkyLinux have introduced the new version of the operating system, updating
the Linux kernel to 5.18.5.
SparkyLinux, one of the Debian-based GNU/Linux distributions has received a new ISO snapshot.
The semi-rolling release comes with many package updates.
This update comes approximately three months after the release of the SparkyLinux 2022.04,
which was a minor update for mostly bug fixes.
Four DE options
SparkyLinux 2022.07 comes with Linux kernel 5.18.5, which is currently almost the most
up-to-date version.
While the stable versions of SparkyLinux come with LXQt, Xfce, and KDE Plasma desktop environment
editions, the latest, semi-rolling version comes with the MATE desktop environment option
as well.
You can see the versions of the desktop environments below:
LXQt: 0.16.0 MATE: 1.26.0
Xfce: 4.16 KDE Plasma: 5.24.5
The new ISO images now include nala, hypnotix, zstd, and onboard packages and the sparky-upgrade
tool prioritizes nala instead of apt, if nala is installed on the operating system.
This release removes Phyton 3.9 and delivers Phyton 3.10.4 by default as well.
You can see the remaining updated package versions below:
Firefox: 102.0.1 Thunderbird: 91.10.0
GRUB: 2.06 VLC: 3.0.17
Openbox: 3.6.1 Calamares: 3.2.60
SparkyLinux 2022.07 comes with a new GRUB configuration option GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false
because GRUB 2.06 does not detect the other operating systems as default and it is necessary
to make os-prober work again.
This release removes Kopete messaging software from KDE Plasma and LXQt versions; replaces
them with KDE Telepathy and Pidgin, respectively.
Additionally, Onboard, a virtual keyboard software, replaces Florance.
Update SparkyLinux to 2022.7 Existing SparkyLunix users do not need a fresh
installation to receive the updates.
You can simply use the following command to update your SparkyLinux instance:
sparky-upgrade
:: More ::
Sparky Linux 2022.07 Semi-Rolling Is Available for Download
Sparky Linux released an update to their rolling edition with updated packages in the Debian
and Sparky test repos as of July 5, 2022.
Sparky Linux is a Debian-based lightweight desktop Linux distribution.
It aims to be easy on system resources and can breathe new life into aging computers.
There are two editions of the distribution.
The first is a regular point release based entirely on the stable Debian branch that
adheres to the established pattern of releasing new versions over time.
However, the second version of Sparky Linux, which we are discussing, adheres to the rolling
release model.
It’s worth noting that it provides an interesting mixture of stable and testing Debian packages.
It’s intended for all users who want to have newer software versions on their systems.
Today, the Sparky team announced the release of Sparky Linux 2022.07 Semi-Rolling, so let’s
look at what’s new.
Sparky Linux 2022.07 Highlights
You’re probably wondering what the term “Semi-Rolling” means.
In short, this is a release model in which third-party packages follow a rolling release
model, but core system packages are point-release based.
Now, back to the main topic.
The main changes in this release are solely related to the updated package base.
All available packages have been updated to the current versions in the Debian test repositories
as of July 5, 2022.
With that said, in Sparky Linux 2022.07, you get Firefox 102, Thunderbird 91.10, and VLC
3.0.17.
In addition, Python 3.9 has been retired, and Python 3.10 has been implemented as the
default.
In terms of desktop environments, you receive relatively recent versions of those supported
by Sparky, namely LXQt 0.16, MATE 1.26, Xfce 4.16, and KDE Plasma 5.24.5.
For your information, the Kopete app has been replaced by KDE Telepathy in Sparky’s KDE
spin.
In addition, it’s also not available in the LXQt spin, where the popular Pidgin can
be used instead.
Under the hood, Sparky 2022.07 ships with the Linux kernel 5.18.5 as versions 5.18.9
and 5.15.52-LTS are also available in Sparky’s unstable repositories.
Last but not least, we should mention that several new packages have been added to the
installation ISO file.
These are Nala (APT Frontend), Hypnotix (IPTV), ZSTD (Compression Tool), and onboard (On-screen
Keyboard).
But in this enumeration, there is something very important.
Did you notice Nala’s presence?
Nala is a frontend for the APT package manager so that now you can have prettier output and
faster downloads of packages.
If you’re unfamiliar with Nala, our “Nala: A Prettier Frontend for the APT Command”
guide will get you started in no time.
You can refer to the official announcement for detailed information about all changes
in Sparky Linux 2022.07.
Download Sparky Linux 2022.07 installation ISO images
can be downloaded from the download/rolling page of the project.
Of course, there is no need to reinstall Sparky Semi-Rolling if you already have it installed
on your computer.
Instead, you may easily update via command-line, executing:
sudo sparky-upgrde
:: More ::
SparkyLinux 2022.07 Arrives with Linux Kernel 5.18, New Packages, and Other Changes
The developers of the Debian-based SparkyLinux distribution announced today the release of
SparkyLinux 2022.07 semi-rolling ISO images based on the Debian GNU/Linux Testing repositories.
Powered by the latest Linux 5.18 kernel series and based on the Debian Testing repositories
as of July 5th, 2022, the SparkyLinux 2022.07 release is here to provide those who want
to install the semi-rolling version of SparkyLinux with an up-to-date installation medium.
New features in SparkyLinux 2022.07 include Python 3.10.4 as the default Python implementation
with the mention that Python 3.9 support was completely removed, the latest Calamares 3.2.60
graphical installer, as well as support for the sparky-upgrade command-line upgrade utility
to use nala (if available) instead of apt for performing upgrades.
Several new packages are now pre-installed on the SparkyLinux ISO images, such as the
Hypnotix IPTV streaming application from Linux Mint, nala front-end for libapt-pkg, Onboard
on-screen keyboard, and zstd (Zstandard) fast lossless compression utility.
Please note that nala is now installed by default, so sparky-upgrade will use it automatically
when upgrading your system to newer versions.
Other changes include the replacement of the Kopete instant messaging app with KDE Telepathy
in KDE Plasma image, as well as with the Pidgin IM in the LXQt edition, the addition of the
GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false option in GRUB bootloader’s config to make os-prober detect
other operating systems by default, and various updated components.
SparkyLinux 2022.07 is available for download right now from the official website as live
64-bit ISO images with the KDE Plasma 5.24.5 LTS, Xfce 4.16, LXQt 0.16.0, MATE 1.26.0,
and Openbox 3.6.1 (MinimalGUI) graphical user interfaces, as well as a MinimalCLI edition
that comes with a graphical environment.
If you’re using SparkyLinux 2022.04 or a previous version, you don’t need to download
the new ISO images.
To upgrade your installation to the 2022.07 release, simply run the sparky-upgrade command
in a terminal emulator.
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