Over four months after its latest Neo release, the Linux astronauts from the Arch-based EndeavoursOS project announced the availability of EndeavourOS Mercury.
Powered by the latest and greatest Linux kernel 6.13 and building on the solid foundation of previous EndeavourOS ISOs, the new release ships with a set of updates and new features that significantly refine the installation process and user experience:
- Calamares 25.02: The latest iteration of the Calamares installer addresses several issues, including fixes for double entries in EFI selections and problems with the “replace Partition” option.
- Firefox 135.0: Provides a secure and up-to-date web browsing experience straight out of the box.
- Linux kernel 6.13: Although the developers had to overcome a few wrinkles introduced by kernel 6.13, the new ISO now runs smoothly on it.
- Mesa 24.3 and Xorg 21.1: Ensures a stable and optimized graphics environment for both new and seasoned Linux users.
- Nvidia 570.86: Helps users with NVIDIA GPUs enjoy better performance, making the Mercury release appealing to gamers and content creators alike.
Moreover, the live environment itself gets several noteworthy improvements. For instance, Mercury now includes a memory test feature for EFI-based systems and resolves issues related to BIOS/Legacy installs.
Additionally, dark theme defaults have been introduced across popular desktops—KDE, GNOME, Xfce, MATE, Budgie, and Cinnamon—for a sleek, modern appearance right from the start.
For GNOME, changing from light to dark mode automatically updates wallpapers. Additionally, Xfce’s theme is now closer to the desktop environment’s default setup, preserving the familiar look and feel that many users appreciate.
A crucial point for current EndeavourOS users is that Mercury’s changes primarily affect the live environment, the Calamares installer, and fresh installations only. In other words, installing Mercury from scratch is unnecessary if you have regularly updated your existing EndeavourOS system.
However, it is worth noting that the Mercury ISO includes improving ranking mirror lists, ensuring that the chosen repositories reflect the user’s preferences even during the live session. For more information, see the release’s announcement.
If you opt for a fresh install, EndeavourOS can be downloaded directly from the project website’s home page.
