Sparky Linux is a Debian-based lightweight desktop Linux distribution. It aims to be easy on system resources and can breathe new life into aging computers.
There are two editions of the distribution. The first is a regular point release based entirely on the stable Debian branch that adheres to the established pattern of releasing new versions over time.
However, the second version of Sparky Linux, which we are discussing, adheres to the rolling release model. It’s worth noting that it provides an interesting mixture of stable and testing Debian packages. It’s intended for all users who want to have newer software versions on their systems.
Today, the Sparky team announced the release of Sparky Linux 2022.07 Semi-Rolling, so let’s look at what’s new.
Sparky Linux 2022.07 Highlights
You’re probably wondering what the term “Semi-Rolling” means. In short, this is a release model in which third-party packages follow a rolling release model, but core system packages are point-release based. Now, back to the main topic.
The main changes in this release are solely related to the updated package base. All available packages have been updated to the current versions in the Debian test repositories as of July 5, 2022.
With that said, in Sparky Linux 2022.07, you get Firefox 102, Thunderbird 91.10, and VLC 3.0.17. In addition, Python 3.9 has been retired, and Python 3.10 has been implemented as the default.
In terms of desktop environments, you receive relatively recent versions of those supported by Sparky, namely LXQt 0.16, MATE 1.26, Xfce 4.16, and KDE Plasma 5.24.5.
For your information, the Kopete app has been replaced by KDE Telepathy in Sparky’s KDE spin. In addition, it’s also not available in the LXQt spin, where the popular Pidgin can be used instead.
Under the hood, Sparky 2022.07 ships with the Linux kernel 5.18.5 as versions 5.18.9 and 5.15.52-LTS are also available in Sparky’s unstable repositories.
Last but not least, we should mention that several new packages have been added to the installation ISO file. These are Nala (APT Frontend), Hypnotix (IPTV), ZSTD (Compression Tool), and onboard (On-screen Keyboard). But in this enumeration, there is something very important. Did you notice Nala’s presence?
Nala is a frontend for the APT package manager so that now you can have prettier output and faster downloads of packages.
If you’re unfamiliar with Nala, our “Nala: A Prettier Frontend for the APT Command” guide will get you started in no time.
You can refer to the official announcement for detailed information about all changes in Sparky Linux 2022.07.
Download
Sparky Linux 2022.07 installation ISO images can be downloaded from the download/rolling page of the project.
Of course, there is no need to reinstall Sparky Semi-Rolling if you already have it installed on your computer. Instead, you may easily update via command-line, executing:
sudo sparky-upgrde
