RakuOS Linux (2026.04.15) — Release Announcement
RakuOS Linux (2026.04.15) is a major release and our last major update for the Fedora 43 base as we begin to move towards Fedora 44, introducing our first COSMIC desktop edition ISO, a new live ISO installation experience, and full Rust rewrites of our core desktop applications.
First COSMIC ISO
RakuOS Linux now ships its first COSMIC desktop ISO, alongside our existing GNOME and KDE editions. Built on the System76 COSMIC Desktop Environment, it delivers a clean, modern experience on top of RakuOS’s immutable, container-native foundation.
Note of caution: COSMIC is still maturing and currently has some issues with gaming. If you are a gamer, we recommend holding off on the COSMIC edition until these issues are resolved by System76.
Live ISOs with Anaconda Web UI
RakuOS Linux (2026.04.15) moves to a live ISO format across all desktop variants. You can boot into a full desktop environment, explore the system, and install when you're ready.
Installation is powered by the Anaconda Web UI and installs the full bootc-based image directly from the live session — no internet connection required during installation.
It supports our default BTRFS layout with zstd compression, handles both EFI and BIOS systems, and provides a smooth, modern installation experience.
Move to main/staging branches for updates/features
RakuOS Linux has been split into main(Stable) and staging(Testing) branches going forward. All updates, changes, ETC will land in staging before going into main(Stable) so the frequency of updates to systems running Stable will slow down going forward. Updates will move to once a week for system updates and should lower the chance of overlay breakage going forward on main(Stable). Staging will be be moving to Fedora 44 over the next couple days to give us time to test and work kinks out before the Fedora 44 release so we won't be far behind the upstream release.
Plymouth Boot Messages
RakuOS Linux (2026.04.15) improves transparency during boot and system operations with descriptive Plymouth messages.
Instead of a silent spinner or blinking cursor, you’ll now see clear progress updates such as:
- Setting up live environment… → Live environment ready. Happens when booting Live ISOs
- Installing default applications… → Default applications installed. Happens after full overlay resets or first boots
- Wiping overlay and reinstalling user applications... → User applications reinstalled. Happens after soft overlay resets
- Updating overlay package database… → Overlay package database updated. Happens after system updates to keep the overlay rpm database healthy and in sync with the system image
No more guessing whether the system is frozen or just busy.
RakuOS Software — Rewritten in Rust
RakuOS Software has been completely rewritten in Rust, replacing the previous Python implementation.
Both the GTK/libadwaita frontend (for GNOME) and the Qt/QML frontend (for KDE and COSMIC) are now native, fast, and fully integrated with their respective desktops.
This rewrite significantly improves performance, responsiveness, and long-term maintainability across the entire experience.
What's new
- Faster performance — startup, search, and browsing are dramatically improved
- Dual native UIs — GTK4/libadwaita for GNOME, Qt6/QML for KDE/COSMIC (libcosmic ui coming soon)
- Flatpak + native + Appimages + web apps — manage everything in one place
- Webapp catalog is now built from and cached from a read only api at rakuos.org/api/webapps
- Webapp Tray support Certian webapps in the catalog can now support the system tray with a menu and running in background. Currently only the RakuOS Chat Matrix server Webapp has tray support.
- Custom web apps — create app shortcuts for any website with custom names and icons
- Local file install — open
.flatpak,.flatpakref, RPM, or AppImage files directly and install them on to the system. - Appimage updates Appimages once installed can have update sources setup in the same way as can be done in Gearlever, so no need to install Gearlever in RakuOS unless you prefer it.
- Live-aware UI — system management features are hidden in live sessions
- Improved System management Vastly improved rollback, image switching, branch switching, and overlay reset options and ui on system page.
- System tray integration — background updates with notification badges
- Expandable category browsing for faster navigation
RakuOS Welcome — Rewritten in Rust
RakuOS Welcome has also been fully rewritten in Rust.
It launches automatically after first login to help new users get started, discover features, and configure their system quickly.
GNOME Edition
The GNOME edition now ships with improved defaults for a more streamlined and polished experience:
- Dark Mode enabled by default
- No Overview at startup using
no-overview@fthx - Always-visible dock using
dash-to-dock@micxgx.gmail.com - Blur effects enabled using
blur-my-shell@aunetx
These changes provide a cleaner desktop experience right after first boot.
Download
Live ISOs for GNOME, KDE Plasma, and COSMIC are available now at rakuos.org.
Existing installations will receive this update through the normal image update process, from RakuOS Software.
What's Coming
- Fedora 44 the rebase to Fedora 44 is landing in staging soon and hopefully we get it push out to stable not long after upstream release.
- Nix package support in the software center (will be laying the ground work soon)
- Community image template — A template repository for community members to build and maintain their own RakuOS Linux spins
RakuOS Linux is built on Fedora, uses bootc for atomic image updates, and is available as open-source software. Found a bug? Report it at rakuos.org/forum or our matrix community server.
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