Traditional Workstation / Server and Immutable Desktop / Server

Project Discussion
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Hello all, I kind of need a serious yet simple yes / no answer to this question: Will the immutable variants of Fedora ever totally replace the traditional Workstation and Server distribution, or will Fedora continue to offer both?

Simply because Fedora Workstation works for me in the following manner:

  • Lifespan of 12 - 13 months per release. Which fits perfectly into my upgrade appetite for a clean installation
  • I touch and mess with things in /usr , /usr/{lib, lib64} /boot and /etc. And custom-built kernels and mesa, which I do not package into RPMs for convenience. Very often. Key thing is I know how to protect my installation from breakage, and in the rare event it does happen, undo the breakage
  • I have both Gnome and KDE installed and running concurrently on different TTYs. Not aware of any sane, easy way to achieve this in Silverblue and Kinoite. This can be very easily done by starting a Fedora Server installation and installing both with dnf
  • I tried Silverblue and Kinoite. Gave it a good chance. Decided their very nature and design are just not compatible with my needs and wants. That’s all.

So with the discussions and speculations about immutable eventually becoming the replacement for standard releases, I really need a yes / no answer on whether the standard releases will eventually be dropped and immutable desktops become the new Workstation, if only so that I know whether to make plans for migration to another distribution or OS.

Thanks.

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Hello @etnaz and welcome to :fedora: !

As far as I am aware, both the package mode (traditional) and image mode (immutable) variants of Fedora will coexist in the foreseeable future.

The manner Fedora Workstation (KDE Plasma Desktop or Server) works for you currently is likely achievable if you try to build a customized derived container image from either bootc, or the still unofficial Fedora Atomic Desktops container images.

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I would expect: Silverblue will eventually become the new Workstation, and you’ll need to use an alternative installer or some sort of “unlock” mechanism (which does not currently exist) to install traditional package-based Fedora. I wouldn’t expect the package-based version to go away anytime soon.

There’s also this thread with more discussion.

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There is always uncertainty over the long term future of linux distributions, and certainly not more certainty with the current US administration. It is advisable to keep abreast of alternatives with an eye to diversity in terms of governance and packaging systems so you can respond quickly if migration becomes necessary.

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The signs point to yes (Immutable replacing Traditional):

  • Every mainstream distro has an Atomic/Immutable spin
  • Most people like Flatpaks or the concept of “not breaking their system”

I’d prepare for it now and have alternatives ready.

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This topic comes up every once in a while. My opinion (elaborated at Criteria for making Fedora Atomic the default desktop experience - #13 by casey128) is that Silverblue covers the 80% use case for Fedora Workstation, but it has been stuck at 80% for a while because the last 20% is the hardest.

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Short answer: No.

Long one: