this post was submitted on 08 May 2025
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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I've been feeling gushy about my setup lately, I think I've finally found my home on Linux. For decades I've distrohopped each year and never was really happy with it all, but Fedora Atomic has changed that.

Some things I can do with Fedora Atomic that I cannot do with other Linux distros:

  • I can rebase to Bazzite for gaming performance when I feel like having a long gaming session.

  • I can rebase to Secureblue when I think I will not be gaming and would prefer a more secure linux setup.

  • I can update my system and not have to worry about special instructions, its extremely stable. Many times in the past, running a small ma-and-pa distro with most things pre-configed for performance would end with it breaking after a couple of major updates. This isn't true for configs like Bazzite and Secureblue, they are remarkably stable across many major updates due to how rpm-ostree functions.

  • Distrobox and Flatpak are more than enough at this stage for most programs and they help you avoid making too many alterations to the base image, greatly speeding up the swaps between major images.

The kicker? Your user configs and home files are never changed when you 'image hop'. It always feels like you just installed a fresh distro whenever you upgrade, and the performance benefits are noticeable. You don't have to tinker and do the same changes over and over, its all handled for you by rpm-ostree.

10/10 this is the future of Linux. I hope for a future where I can rebase entire Linux distros while maintaining my configs with one simple command, but for now, Fedora Atomic is fantastic.

The downsides:

  • There is one major downside, and its that all of your system files are read-only. Personally, I've found a dozen ways to get around this, it requires thinking inside the Distrobox. It is a notable issue for many people, though. This means you cannot make specific tweaks without making a whole new image for yourself. Though in practice, I have found the ecosystem has grown a lot. Other people have already made the best tweaks available for you with only a few simple commands.

  • Rpm-ostree also is slow to update because its essentially building a whole git tree to make sure your updates never break and are as stable as possible. You also have to reboot each time you alter it, which can be annoying, but if you stick to flatpaks and distroboxes, this issue is mitigated significantly.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago

You might wanna rephrase that or some feds are gonna have a field day.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I dunno, usually shilling something as hard as possible just means you're a fanboy, it doesn't mean it's as good as you say it is.

I'll wait and see until most people willingly make the choice to immutable distros before believing it's "10/10 the future of linux" or whatever.

Personally, I get annoyed even on regular distros when there's a file that I can't easily edit. I don't really see any of the benefit of immutable distros other than giving the fedora crowd (who loves shilling their OS) a stiffy.

I'm more interested in fixing real issues like having to prepend prime-run to every game I want to use my dedicated GPU or why my IP can leak while connected to a VPN using my system's network configuration.

Heck, I'd be interested in seeing a fix for LUKS when entering the wrong password once requires restarting because something failed to mount or whatever.

You know, practical problems.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 days ago

I never see the cons (excluding nixos) being that only a few desktops(eg kde,gnome,i3 and budgie) are offered compared to mutable distros

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago

10/10 this is the future of Linux

Totally agree

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I agree it is great, but am I the only one running Opensuse MicroOS?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Try NixOS. It's not that hard to use. And also try Home Manager when you'll be on it.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 days ago (3 children)

I've updated enterprise Linux machines automatically for decades. The score is tens of thousands of upgrades, 1 problem I caused, 1 packaging glitch.

You don't need to take on risky drek like flatpaks to get there. It's one command in enterprise and you're kinda done forever.

Glad you like your setup. I hope it works for you and you never learn the risks of flatpaks.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago

I was gonna comment this, decided not to, then decided the info should be part of this thread either for OP or future readers, so here goes:

Enterprise Linux distributions are unbeatable for their purpose. To your point, I've never in my entire career had even the smallest issue maintaining one, they're wonderful. They achieve this, though, by being a stable, truly versioned release that will never see anything beyond minor upgrades. The reason why nobody recommends server distros for gaming is because of hardware compatibility and library support, and you end up maintaining more of your own junk anyway. Got the latest gpu? Great, compile your drivers.

Enterprise Linux distros are awesome and the most painless Linux experience imaginable, as well as a great workstation experience too BUT they typically are among the worst options for gaming if you want a simple system.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago

EL 7 is EL 7. But that time is over

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago

Care to elaborate on 'the risks of flatpak'. If you are refering to the practice of people using unofficial flatpaks: Yes I think that poses a certain risk because you are adding an additional party to your threat model.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 days ago

it’s also supported by Homebrew Package Manager so you can use command line shells outside containers without layering if you want to

[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 days ago (2 children)

I really like it as well. I did three major version upgrades so far and they have been flawless. I also really like Flatpak, finally a way of easily installing something on Linux without breaking half of the system because the application you wanted to install uses libfoo 2.0 and not libfoo 1.9.9-patch-1337. With my atomic desktop applications that worked yesterday also work today. Things don't randomly break all the time.

The future of Fedora Atomic also looks exciting; Timothée Ravier is working on sysexts which are a way of installing applications without ostree layering. I could remove most of my ostree layered packages with that.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

did three major version upgrades so far and they have been flawless.

To be fair, I've upgraded normal Fedora for like.. 8-10 versions in a row maybe, and never had a problem

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

The biggest issue I've had is tweaks causing instability over time. I also have had some issues where I was updating a debian install that hadn't been updated in 3 years and it broke and would require tweaking to fix (why do this when I can just load a new immutable install and fix it for good?). I have enough computers laying around that I'd really rather it work when I want to as a sure thing. So far my testing with immutable distros has been stellar, I'll let everyone know if my ostree tweaks and updates don't load in 3 years, lol.

I think this is a big enough problem that even the Fedora team considered it an issue and therefore pushed out Fedora Atomic.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

Oooh, didn't know about that. Very exciting

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

does an Atomic / Immutable distro use more disk space than say my Arch install? if yes, how much more? if no, I am moving immediately.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 days ago

It uses more, yeah. But it's not a lot more. You could maybe compare the iso sizes

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