Atomic Linux distribution
Topics: Linux distribution
Atomic Linux distributions take a different approach to installing software than the ones using traditional software packages. Changes are applied to a separate version of the OS that only gets enabled when the system is booted.
Similar to a Version control system, the whole system is updated in one go, and an update will not apply if anything goes wrong.
In case the system has malfunctions after an update, the previous working version can be chosen during bootup, returning the system to a working state.
Subtopics
Application software
Graphical applications are usually installed independently from the OS, using a “sandboxed” method such as Flatpak that allows for fine-grained control over their permissions.
Development
Software development usually requires the installation of many additional applications and components such as compilers and libraries. Installing those as part of the OS is not encouraged and often would be hard if not impossible to do.
On an atomic distribution, the following alternative approaches are available: