Immutable Linux distributions are a type of distro that are future-proof to quite some extent thanks to how they operate. In such systems, the core of the operating system is left untouched, with the root file system being read-only.
What this allows in is flexibility in handling updates, where a broken update wouldn't deem the operating system unrecoverable (looking at you Ubuntu). Some popular options include NixOS, Vanilla OS, Fedora Silverblue, etc.
You can find more immutable distro options in our list.
Of course, not everyone is a fan of such distros, with some believing that it's a gimmick.
This is where Manjaro Linux comes in, it's a community favorite user-friendly Arch-based distro that caters to a wide variety of use cases. Its developers have now dipped their toes into the immutable pond thanks to a recent announcement.
Let's see what they have been up to. 😃
Manjaro Immutable: What to Expect?
Introduced as a community testing release, Manjaro Immutable is powered by Arkdep, the popular toolkit for creating immutable btrfs-based systems, and Arkane Linux, an “opinionated, immutable, atomic, multi-root Arch-based distribution”.
As this is an experimental release, the developers of Manjaro hope to collect feedback from the community to see how the tech underneath Manjaro Immutable fares in day-to-day use. Do keep in mind that this doesn't guarantee a full release someday.
When asked by a community member whether this would become an official variant for Manjaro, Roman Gilg, CTO at Manjaro Linux said that:
Our plan is definitely for it to become an official variant of Manjaro. With the community testing version we’re now gathering some feedback on what people expect from such a variant and what should still go in there or what could be slimmed down.
There was also a question asking whether an ARM version was planned.
To that, Manjaro developer Dennis ten Hoove added that it would be possible. However, it's untested, and nothing is planned as of now. But, they might try something in the future.
📥 Get Manjaro Immutable
You can get the community testing ISO from the official download mirror.
You can either install it on bare metal, or opt for running it on a virtual machine using VirtualBox or QEMU. Do remember that enabling EFI is mandatory, and a minimum 32 GB of storage is required to install the thing.
Users who want to go the extra mile can provide feedback to the developers by joining the dedicated Matrix channel for it, or by replying to the initial announcement on the Manjaro forum.
💬 Are you looking forward to using an immutable Manjaro? Let me know below!
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Ankush Das
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