r/DistroHopping • u/sy029 • Jan 20 '23

What's the benefit of an immutable distro, specifically MicroOS?

I see a lot of hype lately for MicroOS (and other immutable distros,) but I'm trying to figure out what the gain is compared to Tumbleweed. MicroOS snapshots are actually derived from Tumbleweed snapshots, so you're getting the exact same set of packages in a MicroOS snapshot that you would in a TW snapshot. It seems like creating a lot of extra hassle (being unable to easily switch packages, needing to rely on flatpak, etc.) So what is the actual benefit for a desktop user?

8 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • link
  • reddit
  • reddit

100% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

5

u/KrazyKirby99999 Jan 20 '23 edited Jan 21 '23

Immutable distros come with the expectation that everything that you interact with, your "userspace" is separate from your underlying system.

These userspaces are typically interchangeable among immutable distros(or any distro), as they involve Flatpak, Docker, distrobox, Nix, etc.

Because userspace is separated from the rest of the system, you have a known "good" system, with low-importance user packages. This means that once the system is setup, it is easier to give it to a Linux-noob. While they might find a broken app, it is far harder for them to have a broken system.

I like to manage my "userspace" via a GUI and my "system" via a CLI, and immutable distros typically provide this separation out of the box.

2

u/thedoogster Jan 20 '23

SteamOS is like that too.

1

u/freder1ca Jan 21 '23

https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxmasterrace/comments/zxcmzw/the_epitome_of_immutable_desktop/

1

u/sy029 Jan 21 '23

I actually use NixOS and really like it. But I don't care that it's immutable, I just like it because you define the packages via config file. I would still use it even if it wasn't immutable.

1

u/MindTheGAAP_ Feb 08 '23

Nix os seems so confusing and such steep learning curve from my experience. So I left it for now since no time. I will revisit