Sparky is a fast, lightweight, and fully customizable OS built on Debian that offers a few versions for different users and tasks. It is one of the few distributions which offers two versions, based on the Debian stable and testing branches.
The SparkyLinux 6.2 ‘Stable’ version features ISOs with different desktop environments such as LXQt, Xfce, and KDE. It also offers 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 added.
Just three months after the previous 6.1 release, the SparkyLinux team announced today the general availability of the latest stable release – SparkyLinux 6.2. This release includes updated bundled applications and various improvements. With that said, let’s quickly take a look at what’s new.
SparkyLinux 6.2 Highlights
Powered by the Linux kernel 5.10, SparkyLinux 6.2 comes with updated packages from the Debian 11 “Bullseye” repository as of February 8, 2022, so you are supposed to get a lot of improvements.
SparkyLinux 6.2 ships with Linux kernel. 5.10. It should be noted that the Linux kernel 5.10 is a Long Term Supported (LTS) version. The kernel developers have plans to maintain kernel 5.10 LTS up to 2026.
Moreover, with the latest release, you can also find updated application packages that include:
- Firefox 91.5 ESR
- Thunderbird 91.5
- VLC 3.0.16
- LibreOffice 7.0.4
- LXQt 0.16.0
- Xfce 4.16
- Openbox 3.6.1
- KDE Plasma 5.20.5
If you’re already using SparkyLinux 6.x on your personal computer, system reinstallation is not required. You can upgrade to the latest SparkyLinux 6.2 release using the command shown below:
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgradeFor detailed information about all changes in SparkyLinux 6.2, you can refer to the official announcement.
Download
Sparky 6.2 is available in the following flavors:
- amd64: LXQt, KDE Plasma, Xfce, MinimalGUI (Openbox) & MinimalCLI (text mode)
- i686: LXQt, MinimalGUI (Openbox) & MinimalCLI (text mode)
- armhf: Openbox & CLI (text mode)
SparkyLinux 6.2 amd64 can be installed on BIOS or UEFI machines. Sparky 6.2 i686 works on BIOS machines only. Installation on UEFI machines can be done with Secure Boot off. After installing, the Secure Boot can be turned on back.
New ISO images of SparkyLinux 6.2 can be downloaded from the project’s website.
