SparkyLinux has released 2026.09 “Tiamat” installation images for its semi-rolling branch, featuring an updated Debian Testing base, Linux kernel 7.2, and a new Labwc edition for users seeking a lightweight Wayland setup.
The release is based on Debian’s upcoming “Forky” branch, with packages from the Debian and Sparky Testing repositories as of September 21, 2026. The default kernel is updated to Linux 7.2.6, while Linux 7.2.7, 6.18.53 LTS, and 6.12.111 LTS are also available through Sparky’s repositories.
The biggest addition this time around is the new Sparky Labwc edition. Labwc is a lightweight Wayland compositor inspired by Openbox, offering a similar workflow while replacing the older X11-based stack with Wayland.
Sparky offers the Labwc option as a MinimalGUI image. Unlike regular desktop editions, it does not include administrative applications like APTus, Synaptic, Gufw, or the Calamares installer by default. Instead, users install the system from the command line with sudo sparky-installer and add their preferred desktop environment afterward.
Sparky notes that installing through the CLI installer on UEFI systems requires an active internet connection and recommends using Calamares for UEFI-based computers. The CLI installer remains available for older 64-bit BIOS systems.
Beyond Labwc, the refreshed images ship with LXQt 2.4, KDE Plasma 6.7.4, Xfce 4.20.1, MATE 1.26.1, and Openbox 3.6.1. Labwc itself arrives at version 0.20.2.
The software stack has also received the expected round of updates, including Firefox 140.16 ESR, Thunderbird 140.14 ESR, LibreOffice 26.8, Python 3.14, GCC 16, and the Calamares 3.4.3 graphical installer.
SparkyLinux 2026.09 is available for 64-bit systems in LXQt, KDE Plasma, MATE, Xfce, MinimalGUI with either Openbox or Labwc, and MinimalCLI editions.
Existing users of Sparky’s rolling branch do not need to reinstall the operating system to receive the new packages. A regular system update is enough to bring an existing installation up to date.
For more information and download links, see the official SparkyLinux announcement.
