bootc is a new deployment method that powers Image mode for RHEL and HeliumOS, a new Linux distribution. We are excited to announce that AlmaLinux now offers bootc images for Intel/AMD(x86_64) and ARM64(AArch4). How did this start? My goal as developer of HeliumOS is to produce a Linux-based desktop operating system that is user-friendly, stable, and reliable. The first foray towards this goal used a Debian base, however this had some issues: Debian has 3-5 years of support. Though stable relative to most Linux distributions, I wanted more stability. An unexpected interruption during a traditional Linux package manager update can render the system un-bootable or otherwise broken. 2 months ago, I learned of Image mode for RHEL, a new method of deploying RHEL that used OCI images for updates. Rebasing on Enterprise Linux and using bootc, the technology behind Image mode for RHEL would solve both of the issues that I found with Debian. After various experiments, HeliumOS announced an Alpha release based on CentOS Stream.

From the Creator of HeliumOS, a distro based off AlmaLinux or CentOS Stream on top of the technology of Fedora Atomic Desktops, Bazzite, Fedora coreOS and RHEL Image Mode.

This is a pretty big thing, as extreme stability + stable packages makes the perfect workhorse for an install-and-forget PC.

Together with KDE or other Desktop Environments (CentOS 10 will have Plasma 6 in the external “EPEL” repos) this will be more than a great Windows 10 replacement.

Have all your apps as Flatpak or with a Fedora Distrobox, no problems.

Maybe even an image using packages of the “CentOS Stream Hyperscale SIG” that backports newer Fedora kernel, systemd, mesa and others for improved hardware support, GPU tasks, drivers etc.

  • nanook@friendica.eskimo.com
    2·
    1 month ago

    I can understand the desire for it in Alma, since it’s primarily a replacement for Scientific-Linux, and will be on a lot of cloud services, but anytime you add a requirement for something to basically function, you increase the likelihood that it won’t.

    • boredsquirrel@slrpnk.netOP
      1·
      1 month ago

      What requirement would that be?

      I have not used Alma in daily usage.

      I think as a “just works” Workstation it is great, based on the giants, and bootc makes it even more stable.

      By using EPEL, KDE, or even CentOS Stream and Hyperscale packages (which Meta does in production but I can imagine not everyone wants to do), you get more instability. This could be mitigated with the atomic structure.

      Also, instead of full Hyperscale, the COPR kwizart/kernel-longterm could be used, which is the more current, official LTS kernel.

  • nanook@friendica.eskimo.com
    1·
    1 month ago

    No thanks, adding unnecessary complexity decreases reliability and efficiency. Might make it easier to migrate things to AWS, also a negative.

    • boredsquirrel@slrpnk.netOP
      2·
      1 month ago

      Where is the complexity?

      A compose file can literally be

      FROM quay.io/almalinuxorg/almalinux-bootc:9.4

# Add files from same directory
ADD somefile /etc/somefile

# Add EPEL repository
RUN dnf install -y epel-release

# Install KDE Desktop environment
RUN dnf groupinstall -y "KDE Plasma Workspaces"

# Install flatpak, podman, distrobox, and fish
RUN dnf install -y flatpak podman distrobox fish

RUN systemctl enable sddm

      Done, build an ISO, push the images to a registry and you have made your own “distro”. There are at least 3 implementations, on Github, Gitlab and Codeberg, so you can use their individual runners