this post was submitted on 18 Oct 2023
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Linux
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Why over-complicated? I'm genuinely curious, as I think it sounds pretty cool that you can install apps from different package managers in containers, but export them to use them in your main environment.
Technically, only
aptexists, as per Debian. The filesystem is ext4 but with two system partitions, so that you:It gets compared to NixOS because NixOS is also an immutable distribution and the package manager is equally as flexible as
apx(even thoapxalso allows you to use nix)Multiple package managers outside of
apt/dpkgfrom Debian get managed automatically using theapxtool, only if you wish to use it. Otherwise, for the desktop they promote the use of Flatpaks or AppImages.When you're on A, updates go to B. When you're on B, updates go to A.
After an update, a reboot will switch slots.
Looks bad in comparison with Silverblue where I can pin many previous version. Thanks to OSTree, you can downgrade to any point in the history or even switch back to an older release.
If OSTree suits you better, that's fine!
The A/B Partition method and OSTree are both great, but have different strengths
VanillaOS described it in their FAQ once:
The 40gb total are both already reserved, and a normal user isn't supposed to modify it so it shouldn't fill up.
For desktop apps, Vanilla will primarily stick to Flatpaks, so Firefox will also be a Flatpak.
VanillaOS already has a custom boot menu that can be used to switch slots in case an update went wrong, so that you can go back to your older, but working system.
The partitions are also not synced.
If you install something using abroot (e.g an update) it will only be installed to the unused slot. So if you run
abroot --updateor use the included updater, and you're in Slot A, it'll modify Slot B, and vice versa.