Agama is a new installer currently in development from openSUSE. It is designed to succeed the renowned YaST, fulfill the demands, and overcome the challenges anticipated with the upcoming ALP releases.
Initially known as “D-Installer,” Agama began its development journey over a year ago and has been gradually evolving. With each update, it inches closer to becoming a complete product. The recently announced Agama 8 version introduces significant changes, so let’s look at them.
Agama 8 Installer: Main Changes
The most striking change in this release is the decision to ditch Cockpit in favor of an HTTP, which simplifies communication among Agama’s components and significantly accelerates startup times and overall responsiveness.
Although some existing features, like the integrated terminal and specific device management tools, have been temporarily removed to adhere to a “release early, release often” strategy, the team assures that they will be gradually reintroduced.
Another highlight of Agama 8 is its redesigned interface for storage configuration. Tailored to both novices and seasoned users, it offers advanced customization options, allowing users to manage partitions, logical volumes, and encryption settings more effectively.
This update retains the essence of the traditional YaST Guided Setup but with a modern twist to accommodate today’s diverse hardware landscapes.
Apart from storage, Agama 8 introduces improvements across the board:
- A revamped software selection interface aligns more closely with Agama’s new aesthetic.
- Enhanced TPM-based full disk encryption setup offers better security guidance.
- An overhauled network stack and numerous visual and usability enhancements to various widgets.
With Agama 9 slated for release next month, the team focuses on improving unattended installations and AutoYaST compatibility and substantially reorganizing the web interface.
And now, to the most important question that interests you: When can users anticipate the release of the final, stable version? Although SUSE has not committed to specific timelines so far, it is unlikely that we will see the installer as a finished product by the end of the year.
Instead, we should anticipate its debut with the Leap 16 release, slated for 2025. However, there is plenty of time before then, so in the short term, just a reminder that openSUSE Leap 15.6 is expected next month.
Please refer to the announcement for additional details on SUSE’s new Agama 8 installer. If you’re interested in testing it, the demo ISO images are available for download here.
