[#]: subject: "Vanilla OS: More Than Just Vanilla GNOME With Ubuntu" [#]: via: "https://news.itsfoss.com/vanilla-os-beta/" [#]: author: "Ankush Das https://news.itsfoss.com/author/ankush/" [#]: collector: "lkxed" [#]: translator: " " [#]: reviewer: " " [#]: publisher: " " [#]: url: " " Vanilla OS: More Than Just Vanilla GNOME With Ubuntu ====== Vanilla OS is Ubuntu on stock GNOME with on-demand immutability and package selection freedom. Sounds fun? Read more here. ![Vanilla OS: More Than Just Vanilla GNOME With Ubuntu][1] That was precisely my thought when I first came across Vanilla OS. When**Mirko Brombin**, the creator of [Bottles][2], announced it on Twitter, that had me interested in it 😎 I joined their Discord channel and hopped in to become a tester. While I did not point out anything new that other testers already did, keeping an eye on the project development is fun. Back to the vital question: **What is Vanilla OS?** **Vanilla OS aims to offer a clean vanilla GNOME experience with on-demand immutability.** Sounds interesting? Let me tell you a few details about it while I give its first open beta build a try. > 💡Vanilla OS plans to have a stable release in November. It will follow Ubuntu point releases. So, you can expect **two releases per year**. For example, you can upgrade from Ubuntu 22.04 to Ubuntu 22.10 and further. You should not replace it as a daily driver unless you know what you are doing. ### Vanilla OS: Yet Another Ubuntu-based Distro? ![vanilla os home][3] **Yes and no.** For starters, I see the following unique reasons to give it a try: - To get a **stock GNOME experience** on top of Ubuntu. (Fedora is an excellent option too, but not for everyone!) - **Allows you to choose and enable Flatpak/Snap/AppImage** with its first-time setup after installation. - **On-demand immutability**, meaning you can make the system read-only to prevent critical changes from third-party applications and updates. - **A new package manager** (apx) allows you to install packages inside a managed container by default. The first-time setup process is a breeze to experience. > ℹ️Currently, it uses the Calamares installer. They intend to replace it with Jade, used in **Crystal Linux**. ![vanilla os installer][4] The more distributions do things like this; I believe more users would be happy to get on board with Linux. ![][5] Vanilla OS Package Manager Selection Of course, distributions like Ubuntu MATE and Pop!_OS have already put in great efforts, and Vanilla OS also adds some improvement to the table. ![Vanilla os color selection][6] It looks like a pretty experience! 😊 Once you finish the first-time setup,  you have nothing else to worry about. You get the usual GNOME desktop with nice wallpapers out of the box by **Patrik Kramolis.** ![vanilla os home][7] Image Credits: Mirko Brombin Next, I tried checking the on-demand immutability, which you can see and tweak using the following commands: ![vanilla OS terminal][8] You can explore more about the utility (almost) that makes this possible on [GitHub][9]. Next, coming to the new package manager, I like the concept of distrobox under the hood, making this possible with apx. The Distrobox creator **Luca di Maio** is also involved in developing Vanilla OS. However, when installing a package with apx, you need to initialize the container using the command: ``` apx init ``` If it had done it automatically, I would call it intuitive. ![vanilla os apx][10] Of course, I'm not aware of the technical limitations. But, for the user end, that would feel seamless! Overall, a package manager that installs applications utilizing a container, getting the ability to choose your package managers, on-demand immutability, and vanilla GNOME make it seem like a good deal to keep an eye on. ### The Road Ahead: First Impressions I can see it as my daily driver once it hits the stable release. **The reason is**: I always like the stock GNOME experience, and I do not have to deal with Fedora's regular upgrades. Of course, once I get to use the stable release, I can give you a verdict on the entire user experience. Until then, I'd say it is a project that I believe a lot of users will appreciate 👏 You can download the ISO by joining its Discord channel for now. The ISO is not yet publicly available to all. Take a look at its [documentation][11] if you are curious. [Vanilla OS][12] However, as per the roadmap, they plan to have a release candidate soon enough. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- via: https://news.itsfoss.com/vanilla-os-beta/ 作者：[Ankush Das][a] 选题：[lkxed][b] 译者：[译者ID](https://github.com/译者ID) 校对：[校对者ID](https://github.com/校对者ID) 本文由 [LCTT](https://github.com/LCTT/TranslateProject) 原创编译，[Linux中国](https://linux.cn/) 荣誉推出 [a]: https://news.itsfoss.com/author/ankush/ [b]: https://github.com/lkxed [1]: https://news.itsfoss.com/content/images/size/w1200/2022/10/first-look-at-vanilla-os.jpg [2]: https://usebottles.com [3]: https://news.itsfoss.com/content/images/2022/10/vanillaos.jpg [4]: https://news.itsfoss.com/content/images/2022/10/vanillaos-installer.jpg [5]: https://news.itsfoss.com/content/images/2022/10/choosing-package-vanillaos.png [6]: https://news.itsfoss.com/content/images/2022/10/vanilla-os-first-setup.png [7]: https://news.itsfoss.com/content/images/2022/10/vanillaos-wallpaper.jpg [8]: https://news.itsfoss.com/content/images/2022/10/Screenshot-from-2022-10-25-12-54-29.png [9]: https://github.com/Vanilla-OS/almost [10]: https://news.itsfoss.com/content/images/2022/10/apx-install.jpg [11]: https://documentation.vanillaos.org [12]: https://vanillaos.org/roadmap