The team behind the lightweight Debian-based Linux distro Sparky announced the release of version 8.1, the first quarterly update to its “Seven Sisters” series based on Debian 13 “Trixie” stable branch.
The new release ships with Linux kernel 6.12 LTS as its default for PC editions, while kernels such as 6.17 and 6.6 LTS are also available in the Sparky repositories for those who prefer to upgrade manually.
For ARM devices, the default kernel has been updated to 6.12.47 LTS, offering improved compatibility and long-term support.
Regarding desktops, Sparky Linux 8.1 provides refreshed versions of popular desktop environments:
- Openbox 3.6.1
- KDE Plasma 6.3.6
- LXQt 2.1
- MATE 1.26
- Xfce 4.20
Additionally, key applications have been updated, including LibreOffice 25.2.3, Firefox 140.4 ESR (with Firefox 145 available in the Sparky repository), and Thunderbird 140.4 ESR. Together, these updates ensure a consistent and modern user experience across all available editions.
For more information, see the release announcement.
The Sparky 8.1 release is now available for download on AMD64 BIOS/UEFI systems with Secure Boot. For ARM64 users, Sparky offers Openbox and CLI editions. However, support for i686 and ARMHF architectures has now been discontinued.
