The KDE project has unveiled the first alpha release of its own distribution, KDE Linux, which serves as a showcase for the Linux display tailored for the KDE desktop and applications. This distribution has been developed directly by KDE developers without any middlemen. Installation can be done using system images, totaling 5 GB, which can be used to create bootable USB drives operating in Live-mode. For detailed installation instructions, you can visit the official KDE Linux website here.
KDE Linux is built on the ARCH Linux package base but is presented as an undivided image that does not rely on separate packages. It is mounted in read-only mode and updated atomically. Components, in addition to the basic systemic environment, are either sourced from KDE-Builder or provided in the form of Flatpak packages. The distribution supports repeated assemblies, enabling users to verify the distribution assembly process. All user (/home) and variable system data are stored in encrypted sections. The distribution uses Systemd-boot as a bootloader, supporting only EFI mode.
Updates are managed using two disk sections – the update is loaded into a passive section which becomes active after reboot, while the previously active section becomes passive and awaits the next update. A rollback to the previous system state is possible in case of issues following an update. System state changes are facilitated through the BTRFS snapshot mechanism. To update, the distribution utilizes the systemd-sysupdate component and the Updatate utility. For further information on systemd-sysupdate, you can visit the official documentation here.
Additional applications can be installed from various sources such as Flatpak, Appimage, Homebrew, or Snap formats. The distribution also includes tools like Distrobox and Toolbox which enable users to create containers in their home directory for installing packages from other distributions. The systemd-sysext utility can be used to install system extension images. These system extensions are overlaid on the hierarchy/usr/using Overlafs. For more information on systemd-sysext, you can refer to the official documentation here.