{"id":180236,"date":"2025-07-30T20:21:43","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T20:21:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/?p=180236"},"modified":"2025-07-30T23:56:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T23:56:21","slug":"alma-based-heliumos-10-is-out-heres-what-i-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/alma-based-heliumos-10-is-out-heres-what-i-think\/","title":{"rendered":"Alma-Based HeliumOS 10 Is Out \u2014 Here\u2019s What I Think"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

HeliumOS<\/a> is a new name in the Linux world, which just rolled out version 10 a few days ago. Don’t be confused by this number\u2014it\u2019s probably just keeping in line with Alma’s release numbering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chances are, you haven\u2019t heard of it yet\u2014so here\u2019s a quick intro. It\u2019s based on AlmaLinux<\/a> (specifically AlmaLinux Kitten 10<\/a>), but takes a different approach by embracing immutability and offering atomic updates right out of the box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, while Alma is typically geared toward servers, HeliumOS flips the script and focuses strongly on desktop users. Version 10 bets entirely on the KDE Plasma desktop\u2014specifically version 6.4.2<\/a> (with packages pulled from the EPEL repo). It\u2019s a really nice touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like I mentioned earlier, even though the distro is based on Alma, it doesn\u2019t have much in common with it. I mean, this isn\u2019t your typical operating system\u2014it\u2019s built around immutability, so think of it more like a bootable container layered on top of Alma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are other key differences as well – powered by Linux kernel 6.12 LTS (from Alma, signed for secure boot), the distro uses Btrfs filesystem and ships with Zsh as default – an unconventional and interesting approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s even an experimental Edge Edition of HeliumOS 10 available for those who want the cutting edge. It runs the newer kernel 6.14<\/a> provided by the CentOS Hyperscale SIG. But let’s get back to the topic\u2014the just-released Helium OS 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Helium<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Let me be upfront\u2014if you’re not already familiar with tools like rpm-ostree (a hybrid image\/package system) and bootc (bootable containers), this probably isn\u2019t the right distro for you. Because, yes, HeliumOS is yet another try at immutability and atomic updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t get me wrong\u2014I genuinely like (and use) these tools. But frankly, I think that these approaches are still a long, long way from being embraced by the average Linux user. Right now, they mostly live in the realm of DevOps folks\u2014but that\u2019s a whole other conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of that immutability, as you might guess, all software on HeliumOS is installed through Flatpak. Or, you can<\/em> try using rpm-ostree layering\u2014like in the example below\u2014to install something like Firefox, especially if you want to avoid the questionable choice of leaving users with Angelfish as the default browser. Unfortunately, things are not working out as expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Trying<\/a>
Trying to install Firefox.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another selling point of HeliumOS is its built-in containerization support. Out of the box, you\u2019ve got both Docker and Distrobox (which spins up Podman containers) ready to go. Honestly, though, that feels a little over the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I mean is that if someone\u2019s tech-savvy enough to use an immutable distro, chances are they can spend ten minutes setting up these tools if<\/em> they actually want them. Including both by default feels less like a feature and more like something being pushed on the user.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, if you decide to check out the distro\u2019s documentation, good luck; it\u2019s pretty much nonexistent. The four generic paragraphs in the so-called \u201cdocumentation\u201d section are nowhere near what anyone would expect to find when clicking on that part of the website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final thoughts: HeliumOS puts a fresh spin on AlmaLinux, pairing it with the latest Plasma desktop\u2014and honestly, it works pretty well. The choice of Btrfs as the default filesystem is a nice touch, too. I also really appreciated that it comes without all the usual software bloat. That said, there are a few things I think could be improved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, I\u2019m a big fan of the Fish shell\u2014but let\u2019s be real, Bash is the standard. A ton of tools and scripts rely on it, so making Fish the default just doesn\u2019t feel like the most practical choice. As for Docker and Distrobox, their inclusion felt more like a developer\u2019s bias than a well-justified default for everyone. If I need them, I’ll install them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, the distro clearly isn\u2019t meant for the average Linux user. Instead, it\u2019s geared more toward developers\u2014especially those who are into the immutability and containerization stuff. Adding some documentation is a must. Without it, it\u2019s hard for the project to be taken seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, it\u2019s also important to take into account how young the project still is. If it holds up over the next few years, there’s a good chance it could grow and mature. For now, however, there’s still a lot of room for improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, in my opinion, HeliumOS\u2014at least in its current state\u2014falls into that category of Linux distros described here<\/a>. It feels experimental, figuring out what it wants to be. If you’re a distro hopper, chances are it\u2019s already slipped under your radar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if what you’re after is a reliable, immutable setup with atomic updates, Fedora Silverblue or openSUSE MicroOS are still the go-to proven choices\u2014and probably will be for a good while.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alma-based HeliumOS 10 is out now with Linux kernel 6.12, Zsh as default, Btrfs with optional encryption, and Docker preinstalled\u2014here\u2019s my take.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":180239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[3248,6413],"class_list":["post-180236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-os","category-news","tag-almalinux","tag-heliumos"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=180236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180236\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/180239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=180236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=180236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=180236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}