SparkyLinux 7.7 brings Linux 6.1 LTS kernel, updated software and desktop environments

Sparky, a Debian-based Linux distribution, has rolled out its latest version, Sparky 7.7, featuring the Linux 6.1 LTS kernel. Additional kernel options available in the Sparky repositories include Linux kernels 6.14, 6.12 LTS, and 6.6 LTS, with the Linux 6.12 LTS kernel specifically provided for ARM devices.

The 7.7 release includes updated software packages such as LibreOffice 7.4.7, with the option to access version 25.2.2 from the Debian backports repositories. Firefox 128.9 ESR is available, with version 137 accessible in the Sparky repositories, alongside Thunderbird 128.9 ESR.

Desktop environments in Sparky 7.7 include KDE Plasma 5.27.5, LXQt 1.2.0, MATE 1.26, Xfce 4.18, and Openbox 3.6.1. Notably, Plasma 6 is not included in this release. A significant fix addresses an issue with the Sparky CLI installer that previously caused installation failures when selecting alternate desktops.