I've used every immutable Linux distro, and this is the one I'd install today - here's why

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

Ultramarine has a caller default desktop, and it's inactive outstanding.
This immutable organisation is rock-solid, secure, and Linux to its core.
You tin download and instal Ultramarine for free.

Ultramarine Linux is simply a rotation of the Fedora desktop organisation that not lone "just works" retired of the box, but ever works… period.

This open-source organisation achieves that feat by being immutable (which means the halfway of the OS is mounted successful read-only mode, truthful it cannot beryllium changed). That immutability sets it isolated from its base, providing a importantly higher level of security.

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But Ultramarine isn't conscionable astir offering rock-solid security.

Ultramarine is besides an astonishing desktop organisation for those who privation to beryllium creative, productive, oregon entertained.

With the merchandise of Ultramarine 43, respective changes volition beryllium important for users.

RPM is back, baby

Prior to mentation 43, Ultramarine pushed Flatpak arsenic the default bundle manager. With this caller release, the developers listened to the assemblage and person brought backmost the enactment to usage RPMs instead.

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This volition fulfill a batch of users who spot Flatpaks arsenic a discarded of strategy resources (CPU and RAM successful particular).

Readymade

Ultramarine has chosen to usage Readymade, an OS installer that greatly simplifies the Linux installation. Readymade is easy connected par with the newest Ubuntu installation to marque it 1 of the easiest I've ever used.

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Readymade is simply a GUI front-end for systemd-repart, a instrumentality that automatically manages disk partitions to let for the instauration and resizing of disk partitions based connected predefined configuration files.

Readymade makes it imaginable for anyone to instal Linux. It truly is that simple. With conscionable a fewer speedy clicks, you're done.

The caller default desktop

Goodbye "Flagship" brand.

For years, Ultramarine Linux offered Budgie arsenic the flagship (default) desktop environment. With the merchandise of mentation 43, each that changes. Now, the flagship mentation uses KDE Plasma. This determination doesn't astonishment maine successful the least, fixed however KDE Plasma has go 1 of the finest Linux desktop environments available.

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Over the years, I've watched KDE Plasma not lone amended exponentially but besides go progressively popular. Once upon a time, uncovering a organisation that offered KDE Plasma arsenic the default desktop could beryllium challenging. You tin present find plentifulness of distros that default to Plasma, and Ultramarine Linux is present 1 of them.

According to the official Ultramarine 43 merchandise page, "KDE Plasma's 6.0 merchandise made Plasma into a highly polished, modern experience, and it's lone gotten amended since. KDE and the Fedora KDE SIG enactment an insane magnitude of effort into Plasma, from its 5-Minute-Bugs inaugural to dropping X11 enactment earlier GNOME."

Ultramarine has dropped the "flagship" rubric and is simply recommending the Plasma variation arsenic the champion enactment for "newcomers and indecisive people."

Yes, you tin inactive download a mentation with Budgie, arsenic good arsenic Xfce and GNOME. Simply prime the desired enactment from the Ultramarine download page and travel the installation instructions.

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Given my newfound emotion of KDE Plasma, I opted to download that mentation to spot what it was each about. Like the erstwhile Ultramarine releases, 43 is conscionable plain wonderful.

You inactive get each the bundle you request retired of the box -- LibreOffice, Firefox, KDE Connect, Elisa (a caller euphony player), Haruna (a multi-media player), Kamoso (webcam software), and overmuch more. If you don't find what you need, motorboat KDE Discover and instal the required bundle with a azygous click.

It should travel arsenic nary astonishment that the default taxable is acheronian (why, oh, why?). Thankfully, KDE Plasma makes it precise casual to power to a lighter taxable oregon download third-party themes from System Settings > Colors & Themes > Global Theme.

All different desktop editions person besides been updated, truthful you tin get:

Plasma 6.5
Budgie 10.10
Xfce 4.20
GNOME 49

Performance

As I've experienced with Ultramarine previously, show is top-notch. Actually, I'd spell truthful acold arsenic to accidental it feels a spot zippier compared to erstwhile releases. This is astir apt owed to KDE Plasma. Apps unfastened quickly, installations are fast, and upgrades are painless.

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I ran done my accustomed process of installing Ollama (localized AI) to spot however good it performed. When I was acceptable to tally a query, I did my usual:

What is Linux?

Ollama instantly spat retired the response, which was impressive, fixed the constricted resources I assigned to the virtual machine. However, this is Linux, truthful I expect thing little than outstanding performance.

My recommendation

After utilizing Ultramarine implicit the weekend, I came to the decision that migrating to KDE Plasma arsenic the default was the close determination to make. Yes, I emotion the Budgie Desktop, but KDE Plasma offers a overmuch much acquainted and reliable desktop for those who mightiness opt for an immutable Linux distribution, specified arsenic Ultramarine.

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If you're connected the obstruction astir this distribution, I highly urge giving it a try. It performs brilliantly, looks great, and offers the accustomed flexibility, security, and reliability that comes with the Linux OS.

Download an ISO of Ultramarine Linux contiguous and either burn it connected a USB drive oregon rotation it up arsenic a virtual instrumentality with VirtualBox. Either way, I'm assured you'll beryllium impressed.

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