Kick off this Memorial Day weekend by replacing Windows 11 with NixOS 25.05
Memorial Day weekend is finally here! Most folks are obviously thinking about barbecues, beach trips, and most importantly, honoring members of the military that lost their lives defending this great nation.
However, there’s another way to celebrate freedom -- ditching Windows 11 for Linux. Yes, you can install something that actually respects your control and privacy. NixOS 25.05 “Warbler” has just landed (read full release notes here), and it’s a perfect excuse to finally make the switch.
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NixOS 25.05 is now publicly available, and it brings a massive number of upgrades to the popular Linux distribution. Whether you’re a longtime Linux user or just tired of Microsoft deciding what’s best for your PC, this release makes a strong case for starting fresh over the long weekend.
Backed by over 2,800 contributors and more than 57,000 commits, this release is a powerhouse. It introduces nearly 8,000 new packages and updates over 28,000 existing ones. Old and insecure packages weren’t spared either. Over 1,600 of them were removed in the name of stability and maintainability.
NixOS is unique in the Linux world because of its approach to system configuration. Everything is declarative and reproducible, which means your setup is consistent every time you deploy it. Version 25.05 adds 137 new system modules and nearly 2,000 configuration options, giving users even more flexibility. Unused and outdated modules were cleared out as well.
On the desktop, GNOME 48 “Bengaluru” makes its debut. It brings notification stacking, HDR support, a slick new music player, and other improvements. It’s a nice step forward for folks who want a modern and cohesive desktop experience.
Warbler also ships with Linux kernel 6.12 by default, and development tools are fully updated. For instance, LLVM hits version 19, while GCC moves to version 14. These changes bring performance improvements and compatibility boosts across the board.
Swapping out Windows 11 for NixOS this Memorial Day weekend absolutely honors the idea of freedom. And a long weekend is perfect for testing something new, don’t you think? Grab an ISO here.