Ultramarine Linux

Overview

Ultramarine Linux is a free, open-source Linux distribution based on Fedora Linux, using a stable release model. It aims to provide an intuitive, easy-to-use, and efficient desktop experience, allowing users to "focus on work, not the system." Developed by the Fyra Labs team and the spiritual successor to Korora Linux, it is hosted at ultramarine-linux.org and supports x86_64 and arm64 architectures (including the Raspberry Pi), making it suitable for desktops, laptops, and cloud environments. Ultramarine Linux emphasizes "out-of-the-box" performance, with numerous pre-applied optimizations (such as multimedia codecs, Flatpak support, and Chromebook compatibility). It offers desktop environments such as Budgie, KDE Plasma, GNOME, and XFCE. It uses the DNF package manager, supports RPM Fusion and third-party repositories, and comes pre-installed with Firefox, LibreOffice, VLC, and other software.

History and Development

• Origin:
  • 2023: The Ultramarine Linux project is launched by the Fyra Labs team as the spiritual successor to Korora Linux (a Fedora derivative), aiming to simplify Fedora usage and provide an "out-of-the-box" desktop experience.
  • Inspired by Fedora's stability, it adds more default optimizations (such as multimedia support and themes).
• Development History:
  • December 2023: The first release of Ultramarine Linux 41 "Cyberia" is released. Based on Fedora 41, it provides desktops such as Budgie and KDE, and introduces the Ultramarine repository.
  • 2024: Ultramarine 41 is updated with optimized installation scripts and Chromebook support.
  • July 2025: Ultramarine Linux 42 "Heart of Gold" is released. Based on Fedora 42, it uses kernel 6.10 and improves boot time and stability.
• Community and Support:
  • Maintained by Fyra Labs, hosted at ultramarine-linux.org, GitHub, and the Wiki (wiki.ultramarine-linux.org).
  • Supports English and some Chinese (depending on the desktop environment), with documentation covering installation and optimization.
  • Reddit users call Ultramarine "a Fedora-friendly version."
• Open Source Licenses:
  • GPL v3 (core scripts), MIT (some tools).

Key Features

Ultramarine Linux is user-friendly, pre-optimized, and Fedora-compatible, making it ideal for desktop users. Here are its key features:

1. Pre-Application Optimization
   • Default installation of multimedia codecs, Flatpak support, Chromebook compatibility, and themes (such as accent colors).
2. Multiple Desktop Environments
   • Supports Budgie, KDE Plasma, GNOME, XFCE, and more, providing consistent theming.
3. Fedora Repository
   • Based on the Fedora repository, uses DNF for package management, and supports RPM Fusion.
4. Hardware Compatibility
   • Supports x86_64 and arm64 (Raspberry Pi). Minimum requirements are 2GB RAM and 20GB disk (4GB RAM and 50GB disk recommended).
5. Security and Privacy
   • Firewalld is enabled by default, with SELinux support.
6. Development Support
   • Pre-installed Python 3 and Git, with support for Flatpak and Snap.

Advantages and Limitations

Advantages

• Out-of-the-box operation:
  • Pre-applied optimizations (e.g., codecs, Flatpak) surpass Fedora's manual configuration.
  • X's post stated, "The out-of-the-box experience of the Ultramarine 42 is fantastic."
• User-Friendliness:
  • Suitable for beginners and Windows migrations, better than Void Linux's command line.
• Fedora Stability:
  • Stable release plan, better than Archcraft's rolling release risk.
• Multiple Desktop Support:
  • Budgie, KDE, etc., better than Chimera Linux's alpha status.
• Community Support:
  • The Fyra Labs Wiki and GitHub are active and provide documentation.

Limitations

• Installation Issues:
  • Virtual machine installation requires a migration script, better than Chimera Linux's alpha, but not as simple as Linux Lite.
• Community Size:
  • Smaller than Ubuntu or Fedora, with limited documentation in Chinese.
• ARM Support Beta:
  • ARM64 beta, not as good as Raspberry Pi OS.

Summary

Ultramarine Linux is a free, open-source, Fedora-based Linux distribution. The latest version, version 42 "Heart of Gold" (July 2025), is based on Fedora 42 and features Linux kernel 6.10, with support for x86_64 and arm64. It focuses on out-of-the-box performance, pre-optimization, and user-friendliness, offering DNF package management and multiple desktops (Budgie, KDE, etc.). Ultramarine Linux is known for its pre-optimization and stability, but installation requires scripts and has a small community.