blendOS

Overview

blendOS is a free, open-source Linux distribution based on Arch Linux. Designed to be immutable and atomic, it aims to provide an operating system that seamlessly integrates multiple Linux distributions, Android applications, and custom packages. Developed by Rudra Saraswat and a community team, it supports x86_64 and arm64 architectures, making it suitable for desktop and development environments. It ships with either the KDE Plasma or GNOME desktop by default. blendOS uses the linglong package manager to support containerized applications and offers declarative configuration (system.yaml files), allowing users to customize the kernel, drivers, and application sources. It emphasizes security, privacy, and multi-distro compatibility, supporting Android apps running via Waydroid. The latest version is blendOS v4 (released in June 2024), based on Arch Linux, supporting containers for Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, and others. It uses kernel 6.9 (assuming no major updates until September 2025, based on available data).

History and Development

• Origins:
  • March 2023: The blendOS project was launched by Rudra Saraswat with the goal of creating an immutable Arch Linux variant supporting multi-distro integration and Android apps.
  • Inspired by the immutable designs of Fedora Silverblue and Vanilla OS.
• Development History:
  • March 2023: Release of v1 "Avial," based on Arch with basic container integration support.
  • July 2023: v2 introduced Android support (Waydroid) and more desktop options.
  • 2023: v3 optimized system.yaml configuration and atomic updates.
  • June 2024: Release of blendOS v4, refactored as an immutable Arch variant with support for Debian, Ubuntu, and Fedora containers, Linglong package management, and Wayland.
  • 2025: v5 planned, with support for RISC-V and further AI integration (speculated based on available data, no major updates recorded).
• Community and Support:
  • Maintained by Rudra Saraswat and the community, hosted on blendos.co, GitHub, and the forum (discuss.blendos.co).
  • Supports English and some Chinese (via desktop environment setup), with documentation covering installation and configuration.
  • DEV Community users call blendOS "the innovator of immutable Linux."
• Open Source Licenses:
  • GPL v3 (core), MIT (some tools).

Key Features

blendOS is built for developers, with an immutable design, multi-distro integration, and atomic updates at its core. Its main features are as follows:

1. Immutable and Atomic Design
   • The root file system is immutable, using system.yaml to declaratively configure the kernel, drivers, and applications.
   • Atomic Updates: Updates take effect after a reboot, with rollback support.
2. Multi-Distro Integration
   • Supports containerized applications from Arch, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, and others, and can be installed using the linglong package manager.
3. Android Support (Waydroid)
   • Built-in Waydroid supports running Android apps.
4. Performance and Hardware Support
   • Minimum requirements: 2GB RAM, 20GB disk (4GB RAM, 50GB disk recommended), kernel 6.9, and support for Intel, AMD, and Nvidia.
   • Idle usage: 1-1.5GB RAM, 1-10% CPU usage.
5. Security and Privacy
   • An immutable root file system improves security, with support for AppArmor and SELinux. 6. Development Support
   • Inherits Arch's AUR, supporting Python, Node.js, Go, and more.

Advantages and Limitations

Advantages

• Multi-distro integration:
  • Supports Arch, Debian, Ubuntu, and Fedora containers, surpassing Mageia's single repository.
  • Post X claims, "blendOS v4's integration capabilities are a revolution for Linux."
• Immutable design:
  • Atomic updates and rollbacks improve stability, surpassing the rolling update risks of Arch Linux.
• Android support:
  • Waydroid integrates Android apps.
• Declarative configuration:
  • system.yaml simplifies management.
• Community support:
  • Active GitHub and forums with tutorials.

Limitations

• New distribution:
  • Launched in 2023, with less community and documentation than Arch Linux or Mageia.
• Rolling update risks:
  • Potentially unstable, requiring regular backups.
• Limited ARM support:
  • The arm64 version is in beta, not as good as Raspberry Pi OS.

Summary

blendOS is a free, open-source Linux distribution based on Arch Linux. Its latest version, v4 (June 2024), runs Linux kernel 6.9 and supports x86_64 and arm64. It's built around an immutable design, multi-distro convergence (Arch, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora), and atomic updates. It offers desktops like KDE Plasma and GNOME. While blendOS's convergence and immutability are prominent, its community is small, and rolling updates can be risky.