NixOS 24.05 arrives with Gnome 46, Plasma 6, and the Linux kernel 6.6
Unleashed into the wild more than two decades ago, NixOS is a Linux distribution that uses the Nix package manager as its foundation. Starting in 2021, the stable NixOS releases arrived in May and November. The most recent one is labeled 24.05 and arrived on May 31st. Since the previous release, 2,491 contributors performed no less than 47,795 commits to the code.
The efforts mentioned above translate to 17,777 new packages, 16,249 updated packages, and the removal of 9,393 ones. This update also comes with 145 new modules, while removing 23. Lastly, 1,983 options were added and 304 were removed. The list of highlights includes the following:
- Gnome 46
- KDE Plasma 6
- Linux kernel 6.6
- Mate 1.28
- Lomiri desktop support
In addition to the above, NixOS 24.05 also arrives with ztsd compression for firmware blobs. For each supported kernel, this improves decompression and brings the ability to install the OS without Perl, as well as a stub ELF loader capable of printing error messages when trying to run binaries not compatible with NixOS.
Multiple download options are available, such as minimal ISO images that only feature a command-line interface, Gnome and KDE images for Intel, AMD, and ARM systems, as well as a VirtualBox image.
Those getting started with Linux might find it useful to grab Noah Herrmann's Linux for Beginners: How to Master the Linux Operating System and Command Line from Scratch, a well-received book that comes for free with Kindle Unlimited and is also available in paperback and hardcover formats.
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