AerynOS, an atomic-update-based (not to be confused with immutability) still-in-development Linux distro currently in alpha, has published its February 2026 project update alongside a new Alpha ISO, AerynOS 2026.02, which ships with Linux kernel 6.18 LTS.
As with previous images, it is a live GNOME environment that serves primarily as a delivery vehicle for the project’s lichen installer. Installation requires a network connection to fetch the latest package sets.
Recent project improvements have significantly increased MOSS (AerynOS’s atomic update and package management system) blitting speeds during atomic /usr transactions. According to devs, on modern SSD and NVMe drives, cold transactions can now process approximately 65,000 files from a fresh install in about one second.
Moreover, the latest AerynOS ISO now provides two distinct minimal installation paths. The existing Headless Install option remains aimed at server-style deployments that expect wired networking. Alongside it, a revised Console-only option now includes the required WiFi components, ensuring systems that rely solely on wireless connectivity remain functional after installation.
The February update also delivers the latest versions of the major supported desktop environments:
COSMIC 1.0.8 includes recent upstream fixes that address VLC freezing, file manager behavior, and applet handling. GNOME 49.4 is a stable bug-fix release that resolves issues with Quick Settings tab focus, default folder recreation, and monitor screen sharing frame rates.
KDE Plasma 6.6.1 introduces a first-run setup wizard, OCR support in Spectacle for text extraction from screenshots, and accessibility enhancements, including a grayscale filter under color blindness correction settings. Plasma Login Manager is now the default KDE login option in Lichen, with SDDM available as a fallback.
Apart from the desktop environment, many core system components are updated as well, including Mesa 26.0, along with Docker 29.2.1, QEMU 10.2.1, PipeWire 1.6, Firefox 148, Thunderbird 148, Wine 11.3, libinput 1.31, and dracut 110.
Significant updates have been made to Boulder, the project’s package build tool. All recipe version fields are now strings, and Boulder automatically quotes them during creation or updates.
On top of that, Boulder now caches upstream sources when creating or updating recipes, reducing redundant downloads and improving packager efficiency. The new --verify feature enables comparison of rebuilt manifests with repository manifests, helping to identify outdated recipes or artifacts during large-scale rebuilds.
Finally, in February, the team finalized the design of the next-generation MOSS repository format. A temporary soft freeze on new package additions is now in effect. The project will focus on maintaining existing packages while tooling matures.
The AerynOS 2026.02 Alpha ISO is available on the project’s download page for testing and evaluation, not for production use.
If you want to try the distro, keep in mind that AerynOS doesn’t include a graphical installer. Instead, the installation takes place entirely in the terminal using the Rust-written, in-house Lichen installer. Before using it, you must manually create the appropriate partitions.
Alongside the updated ISO, the project team also shared a detailed overview of their accomplishments in February, as outlined in the announcement.
