SparkyLinux is a lightweight distro based on Debian that offers a high degree of customizability.
It offers a stable edition and a semi-rolling release.
Almost a month after SparkyLinux 2024.01 release, we now have a new point release for the semi-rolling edition featuring some important tweaks and improvements.
So, let's check those out!
Suggested Read 📖
Ankush Das
🆕 SparkyLinux 2024.02: What's New?
Equipped with Linux kernel 6.6.13, this release features upgraded packages from the Debian and Sparky testing repositories until February 11, 2024. There are also a few other Linux kernel options available from the Sparky repos; 6.7.4, 6.6.16-LTS, 6.1.77-LTS, 5.15.148-LTS.
The SparkyLinux 2024.02 release focuses on providing some much-needed improvements, over providing new features. We start off with the CLI installer that now sees support for XFS and Btrfs making a comeback.
Support for those file systems had to be dropped due to the GRUB bootloader not playing nice; that has now been fixed. Then there's the ability to not set a root password, when you choose that, the user password will be used instead.
For Sparky Backup, memtest86+ was added to the live EFI boot menu, a new UEFI firmware configurator for the live EFI GRUB menu. In addition, the ability to create EFI-compatible ISOs even if you don't have GRUB-EFI debs in your home/offline directory.
That sounds pretty exciting! 🤩
And, a couple more important bits:
- PipeWire 1.0.3 package handles the audio/video department
- Inclusion of GRUB 2.12
- Fixes for Sparky Tray that have resulted in quick access to a few system tools
You can go through the official release notes to learn more about this release.
📥 Download SparkyLinux 2024.02
You can head over to the official website to get the latest ISO. It houses various variants such as LXQt, MATE, Xfce, KDE Plasma, MinimalGUI and MinimalCLI.
⚙️ Upgrade from Older Release
If you are already running an older release, then just run this command in the terminal to get the latest update:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgradeFor more info, you can refer to the official wiki.
💬 What do you think of this release? Let us know below!
Here's why you should opt for It's FOSS Plus Membership
- Even the biggest players in the Linux world don't care about desktop Linux users. We do.
- We don't put content behind paywall. Your support keeps it open for everyone. Think of it like 'pay it forward'.
- Don't like ads? With the Plus membership, you get an ad-free reading experience.
- When millions of AI-generated content is being published daily, you read and learn from real human Linux users.
- It costs just $2 a month, less than the cost of your favorite burger.
