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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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What's the proper way to install every-day CLI tools on immutable distributions like Fedora Bluefin? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 week ago by versionc@lemmy.world to c/linux@lemmy.ml

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I've read that containers are preferred for development, but they aren't persistent and it doesn't seem like files such as /etc/fstab can be accessed through them when running distrobox (I enjoy editing such files using vim).

It's also a bit annoying having to enter a specific container to run something like btop.

Are you supposed to layer them with rpm-ostree?

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[–] TaintTaul@programming.dev 1 points 6 days ago

You're indeed describing workflows that suit servers better. Be it "immutable"(/atomic) or not.

But, atomicity (i.e., updates either occur as a whole or simply don't at all) have been used on our phones (source) for quite a while now. And we do all kinds of things on our phones.

Similarly, we might borrow other concepts for reliability: like e.g. making part of the root filesystem read-only at runtime. On Fedora Atomic (and its derivatives; OP's Bluefin being one of them), this basically only applies to /usr. This is the extent of its immutability. Most of the remaining root folder is symlinked to /var (source). Which, together with /etc, continues to be mutable. Thus, enabling it to become perfectly suitable for desktop workflows. Like, literally; there's very little you actually can't do on these. The main difference being how. Hence, it's more of a paradigm shift if anything.

Rant on the naming scheme

Unfortunately, the name "immutable distro" doesn't do a great job at conveying the nuance described above. Heck, while atomic distro is definitely more descriptive, I don't think it helps to group/categorize these distros under one name beyond contrasting it to the traditional model. Simply, because the guts of these distros tend to differ a lot compared to traditional distros. I'm afraid that this will inevitably lead to a shift in how these convos will go: Instead of peeps making all kinds of assumptions because "immutability", they might make all kinds of assumptions based on their experiences with the popular kids; i.e. Fedora Atomic and NixOS.