Debian-based SparkyLinux 6.0 'Po Tolo' can make your old PC feel like new again!
There are a lot of Linux-based operating systems these days, and if you have some free time, I suggest trying as many as you can. Think of it like fruit -- apples are great, but you shouldn't stop after just tasting that. The world is full of different choices, such as mangoes, bananas, and oranges. The same can be said of Linux -- even if you really like, say, Ubuntu, you should also test Fedora, Mageia, and more.
Today, yet another distro hits a major milestone; SparkyLinux achieves version 6.0. Code-named "Po Tolo," it is a rolling release operating system that is based on the brand-new Debian 11 "Bullseye." Sparky aims to be easy on system resources, with choices of three main desktop environments -- LXQt, KDE, and Xfce. This lightweight operating system can breathe new life into aging computers. SparkyLinux even still supports older 32-bit processors.
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Of note, there are three new wallpapers included and there is a new "Sparky Welcome" screen to introduce new users to the operating system. More substantive, however, is the inclusion of a free VPN app for privacy purposes. The developers explain more about that below.
Having in mind security and anonymity whilst surfing the net, all Sparky 6 iso images have RiseupVPN application preinstalled. It is not loaded as default, but can be started from your application’s Internet menu.
The SparkyLinux team shares the following significant updates in version 6.0.
- based on Debian stable 11 "Bullseye"
- Firefox 78.13.0ESR instead of Firefox (latest)
- Thunderbird 78.13.0
- VLC 3.0.16
- LibreOffice 7.0.4
- Calamares 3.2.41.1
- Linux kernel 5.10.46 LTS as default
- desktop fonts set to 11
- exfatprogs replaced exfat-fuse & exfat-utils to manage exFAT partitions
- installed ipp-usb to allow a USB device to be treated as a network device
- MinimalGUI: PCManFM replaces DoubleCMD-GTK; Firefox-ESR replaces Epiphany browser
- MinimalCLI: removed multilingual from boot settings and cli installer
Want to try SparkyLinux 6.0 "Po Tolo" for yourself? You can download the Linux-based operating system here now. If you do install it, we kindly request you share your experience with the lightweight distribution in the comments below.
Image credit: Marina Shvedak_nice foto / Shutterstock