One of the few Linux distros not using the GNU Core Utilities, Alpine Linux has been around for almost two decades. A minimal distro usually used for Docker containers, it can be tweaked for use in desktop computers as well. A minimal disk setup requires less than 150 MB, and a container only needs 8 MB. This makes it an ideal choice for routers, firewalls, servers, VPNs, and so on. After almost two decades of history, Alpine Linux is now introducing loongarch64 support with the first release in the 3.21 stable series, which is labeled 3.21.0.
In addition to supporting a new hardware architecture as mentioned earlier, Alpine Linux 3.21.0 also comes with the following highlights:
- Linux kernel 6.12
- KDE Plasma 6.2
- GNOME 47
- Rust 1.83
- GCC 14
- LXQt 2.1
- PHP 8.4
- Qt 6.8
- .NET 9.0
The full list of changes is available via the Alpine Linux wiki, but those who want to take a more technical approach should also check out the git log and bug tracker. The downloads section provides a generous list of options, which includes builds such as Standard, Extended, Netboot, Raspberry Pi, Generic ARM, and more.
Those interested in containers might want to check out Linux Containers and Virtualization: A Kernel Perspective, which starts below $15 in both Kindle and paperback formats.