finally! Ubuntu launches 'immutable'!

Which concept of Linux is popular this year? "Immutability" is definitely indispensable. Ubuntu finally couldn't hold it any longer.

Just in early June, Canonical, the parent company of Ubuntu, announced that it would soon join the immutable distribution trend.

While initially Snap's lead developer Oliver Grawert casually dropped the announcement in a post on the OMG Ubuntu website, the next day Ubuntu desktop product manager Oliver Smith A blog post confirmed that the next long-term support version (LTS) will be released in April next year. In addition to the traditional version based on the deb format, a new version built entirely based on the Snap format will also be launched.

The latter is an immutable desktop distribution built on Ubuntu Core. Because of its experimental nature, it is only available as an alternative download. Fans who like early adopters can try it.

It should be noted that Ubuntu Core, launched by Canonical in 2015, is an "immutable" operating system, also based on Snap, aiming to create a fully containerized platform for the Internet of Things.

1. Why did Linux begin to pursue "immutability"?

Immutable desktop distributions are a popular trend right now. The EndlessOS distribution is the pioneer. There are also several Fedora projects sponsored by Red Hat, including Fedora Silverblue (GNOME) and Fedora Kinoite (KDE), as well as the rising star of Linux distribution Vanilla OS. One of its highlights is that the core of the system is "unable to Change".

So compared to traditional operating systems, what exactly does "immutable" mean, and what are the attributes that make operating systems "immutable".

One, read-only. The main characteristic of an immutable operating system is that users or applications cannot directly modify the running system.

Second, atomic update. Updates are applied atomically. If the update package is installed successfully, the system will be upgraded. If the system update fails, it will be restored to the original system environment to keep the current system environment unchanged.

Third, it is predictable. Because the core operating system does not change, its behavior is predictable across devices.

Fourth, isolate the application. Applications are often isolated from the core operating system and isolated from each other through containerization. This ensures that changes made by the application do not affect the core system or other applications.

The advantages and disadvantages brought by this kind of "immutability" are very clear. Simply put, the performance is better and the use is more complicated.

The advantages are:

Security: It is more difficult for malware to make changes to the system or spread from one application to another.

The stability of the system can be guaranteed because system files will not be changed or deleted unexpectedly, and atomic updates can also ensure that system updates will not cause the system to be only partially updated and become unstable.

Reproducibility: Because the operating system is identical at boot time, it is easier to test, audit, and validate the system, as well as diagnose and resolve problems.

The manageability of the operating system means that system administrators do not have to worry about unexpected changes or inconsistencies between different systems because every instance is the same. Atomic updates and rollbacks simplify the process of applying system updates and fixing issues.

The shortcomings are:

Reduced flexibility: Immutable operating systems are not as flexible as traditional operating systems. Users cannot modify system files or customize their systems to the same extent.

Limited Compatibility: Not all applications and services are compatible with the containerized or isolated environment provided by the immutable operating system.

Storage requirements: Update mechanisms typically require image snapshot storage. Isolated applications can lead to redundancy in the application dependency store.

Developer experience: While containerized development environments provide benefits (such as improved isolation and reproducibility), they can also introduce additional complexity and limit the use of familiar tools and workflows. use.

Oliver Smith believes that immutable operating systems have different characteristics from traditional operating systems and are suitable for more specific application environments. Immutable operating systems are ideal for environments that require extremely high stability, security, and predictability, such as servers, IoT devices, and highly secure environments. However, in recent years we have seen these attributes demonstrate significant user value, first in the mobile operating system space and then increasingly in the PC space. ”

2. Ubuntu enters “immutable”, and the odds of winning are huge

First of all, although this immutable distribution is a new product of Ubuntu, it is not completely A "brand new" distribution: Because it is built on Ubuntu Core. Although Ubuntu Core is not as well-known as mainstream Ubuntu, it has actually been mature and operating for many years. Although Canonical has not officially confirmed the name of the new product, it will be based on Core 24, And provides a set of additional packages on top to provide a graphical desktop. A beta version of what may be a new desktop version has been released on Canonical's GitHub repository.

Source: GitHub

Secondly, based on what we already know, we can make some speculations: it will most likely use the GNOME desktop, because this is the only official Ubuntu product. Of course, there are bound to be exceptions. For example, the maintainers of Ubuntu Unity already have their own immutable distribution, blendOS, which has recently begun to gain prominence.

Furthermore, observing some existing immutable distributions, we can find that they generally require two software distribution tool chains: one is OStree, which is used to install and maintain the operating system itself. , the other is a completely separate Flatpak for the applications running on it. Ubuntu's immutable distribution is definitely different.

Because Ubuntu Core itself is based on Snap, it is certain that the same is true for the desktop version of Core: it will use Snap, and it will use Snap entirely, without Flatpak and without APT.

While many people are dismissive of Snap and Snap-packaged apps, the Snapcraft tool has matured and is truly effective. The Snappy tool differs from Flatpak in that it can be used to package command line programs and operating system components, and is suitable for Ubuntu systems. Compared to all other immutable distributions, Core's desktop version uses a monolithic packaging system that applies to the entire operating system. This may also become a comparative advantage of Ubuntu's new product.

Interestingly, Canonical’s official blog article also provides an in-depth comparison of its competitors’ products. One is Fedora Silverblue, explaining how it uses the OSTree tool to follow a similar approach to Chrome OS. The upgrade mechanism; one is the openSUSE distribution, which mainly introduces how MicroOS, which is similar to Ubuntu Core, uses Btrfs snapshots to support a desktop environment called openSUSE Aeon.

On the one hand, it is very rare for a company in the Linux space to openly discuss its competitors and their technology. Other enterprise Linux vendors usually avoid mentioning competitors as much as possible or even ignore other competition. opponent.

Ubuntu, on the other hand, although relatively late to the immutable desktop market, is well aware of its existing competitors and has realized that a simpler but more powerful and integrated A good software stack is better for Canonical.

3. Netizen: Cunning Ubuntu

However, some people have questioned Ubuntu’s new products: “Just when we think Linux gives us the freedom of choice ", Ubuntu breaks this illusion.

Source: Register

The developer pointed out: " For many beginners, Ubuntu initially felt like a breath of fresh air." They wanted their version of Linux to naturally become the only Linux left, and a major part of their cunning plan was a tout called SNAP. "

This kind of doubt is not without purpose. This contradiction has been traced for a long time.

Looking at the history of Linux distributions, we cannot What is undeniable is that Ubuntu is a "phenomenal" existence, and its development speed can be called rapid. Ubuntu can be said to be easy to get started, easy to use, and contains almost all the functions required by traditional desktop Linux users. In 2004 Just a few years after the release of version 4.10 "Warty Warthog", Ubuntu climbed to the top of the desktop Linux rankings.

Once upon a time, people believed in open source and the motivation for believing in Linux was simple: choice Freedom. Unfortunately, Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, has deviated from this principle in its decision-making. Controversial distribution and development decisions have piled up. This has also disappointed many Linux users.

The most typical incident is that Ubuntu almost imposes the Snap format on users.

Simply put, Snap is a way to distribute software packaged in Snap packages Method, Snap package provides usage compatibility between various Linux distributions. Snap is a format developed internally by Canonical. It is understandable that Canonical wants to push it, but the problem is that in this field, there are also AppImage and Flatpak. Flatpak It is the preferred method that most major Linux distributions tend to use, which is a more important point.

Although Canonical boss Mark Shuttleworth emphasized that Snap is better than Flatpak, in almost all When the Linux community was leaning more toward Flatpak, Ubuntu also insisted on giving up Flatpak. This made many developers feel that Ubuntu, which once had a slogan of "Linux for Humans", seemed to have changed and began to "be born for business." ”.

So when Ubuntu intends to enter the field of immutable desktops, some people also suspect that the desktop version of Ubuntu Core will be mainly positioned at paying enterprise customers, such as those who want to reuse existing desktops and clients for thin clients running Windows.

Objectively speaking, Ubuntu is still one of the most popular and widely used desktop Linux operating systems. Ubuntu is integrating, Assembled and finished, as well as end-user usable, it still has advantages over almost all other desktop Linux distributions. Some analysts have said they expect Ubuntu to enter the immutable distribution market because it may offer more than any existing company. high quality products.

While it’s too early to draw conclusions, this new product has the potential to significantly increase Canonical’s market share in the enterprise desktop market. This could in turn boost the success of its Snapcraft format and app stores.

Reference link:

https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/06/desktop_ubuntu_core_in_2024

https://ubuntu. com/blog/ubuntu-core-an-immutable-linux-desktop

https://www.linuxmi.com/ubuntu-no-flagship-linux.html

https:// github.com/canonical/ubuntu-core-desktop

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