What’s New in Vanilla OS 2: A Comprehensive Overview

Looking for a sweet new Linux distro to try? Vanilla OS 2 ‘Orchid’ has been released.

Compared to the first release of Vanilla OS in 2023 a lot has changed.

Vanilla OS 2 is now built atop Debian (Sid). The distro announced its switch from Ubuntu last year to enable it to provide a more ‘vanilla’ GNOME experience, skip snap-related package swap snafus, and not be bound to Ubuntu’s release schedule.

This foundational shift paired with a “complete rewrite” of the OS result in scores of new features, integrations, and security improvements.

Vanilla OS 2 remains an immutable Linux distribution, underpinned by its home-grown ABRoot utility. This provides ‘full immutability and atomicity’, transacting between two root filesystems and updates using OCI images.

It also lets you install packages from other Linux distributions using the Distrobox-based APX utility. This also now has a GUI letting you create custom environments and configurations, add development stacks, control subsystems, and more.

Vanilla OS 2 also debuts an experimental ability to install Android apps (side-load APKs or get from F-Droid) via Waydroid. This is integrated into VSO v2, which also now supports system automation.

Elsewhere, a new Vanilla installer handles the job of installing the OS for new users or OEMS, and integrates recovery options, while user account creation, setting a web browser, etc is done by a new set-up app that appears on first-run.

And to help inform users about all the (many) features in Vanilla OS 2 there’s a new Tour app that can be run at any time.

Other changes in Vanilla OS 2 ‘Orchid’:

• LVM thin provisioning
• PolKit Policies replace sudo for secure privileged operations
• FsGuard and FsWarn boot-time system integrity checks
• New Vanilla installer with support for encrypting /var partition with LUKS2
• New setup experience
• New system utilities, including dual-GPU switching
• Vanilla Image Builder (VIB) OCI recipe system
• New wallpaper and branding
• Vanilla setting now accessible from GNOME Settings
• Kernel 6.9.8
• GNOME 46

Vanilla OS has always been a unique Linux distribution, and this release continues to see it plough its own furrow. The embrace of containerisation, immutable system management, and hybrid packages mean Vanilla OS is far from a bland Debian-repack.

Of its new logo, the team describe it as “a visual representation of our commitment to providing an OS that is both familiar and fundamentally enhanced [and] signifies our dedication to merging tradition with cutting-edge advancements…”

And the future looks promising.

“Our goals remain the same, but they are now more ambitious: simplicity, cleanliness, freedom, and an obstruction-free experience”, the team say of his release.

Ultimately the team sums up the release of Vanilla OS 2 ‘Orchid’ as follows: –

[Vanilla OS 2] redefines simplicity and performance, providing a seamless and intuitive experience for everyone regardless of whether you’re a web surfer, gamer, developer, or designer. Enjoy an out-of-the-box experience that meets all your needs.

Vanilla OS

Interested in trying it out? You can grab the latest release from the link below.

• Download Vanilla OS 2 ‘Orchid’

Thanks Scotty!