Sparky Linux is a lightweight desktop-based Linux distribution based on Debian. It aims to be easy on system resources and can breathe new life into aging computers.
Sparky is a unique distribution in the sense that it provides both Debian stable and testing editions. In general, Sparky is not targeted to Linux beginners, but rather users with some amount of Linux knowledge.
The stable version features ISOs with different desktop environments such as LXQt, Xfce and KDE. They also offer a semi-rolling version which is based on Debian’s testing branch and features more up to date packages. The semi-rolling version comes with the same desktop environments as their stable version plus MATE desktop environment.
Related: What is a Rolling Release Linux and What is the Real Benefit of Using it
The Sparky team has published a new update to the distribution’s semi-rolling branch, Sparky 2021.10, which presents users with software from Debian’s testing “Bookworm” branch. So let’s see what’s changed.
What’s New in Sparky Linux 2021.10
Sparky Linux 2021.10 has received the system upgrade powered by the latest Debian testing repos as of October 12, 2021, so you are supposed to get a lot of improvements. One of the highlights of this release is that it ships with Linux kernel 5.14.9.
The applications that come pre-loaded have also been updated to the latest versions, so for example, Sparky 2021.10 ships with Firefox 78.14esr (Extended Support Release), Thunderbird 78.14, and LibreOffice 7.2.1. Of course, if you want to stay up to date with the latest Firefox 93 version, it is also available for installation.
Sparky Linux 2021.10 ships with the latest Calamares 3.2.44.3 installer which will ensure a smooth and trouble-free installation.
New ISO images of Sparky 2021.10 semi-rolling can be downloaded from the download/rolling page on the Sparky Linux website.
If you’re already running Sparky Linux on your device, no reinstallation is required. You can easily update using Sparky Upgrade or via apt with the following two commands:
sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade
