Sparky Linux 9 brings a rolling release to Debian
When you think of rolling releases, Arch Linux is probably the first distribution that comes to mind. There’s also openSUSE Tumbleweed, Manjaro, Gentoo, Kali Linux, Solus, and Void Linux.
Those distributions are either Arch-based or independent.
You might also be surprised that there are Debian-based rolling release distributions. That’s right, the “Mother of all distributions” has inspired a few itself, which is a bit counter to the ethos of a distribution that prides itself on rigorous testing and a slower release cycle.
And yet, there are Debian-based rolling release distributions, such as Sparky Linux.
Sparky Linux has been around since May of 2012 and has recently unleashed the latest iteration, 9.0. Sparky Linux is known for being a stable rolling release distribution that is fast, offers several different desktop environments (even a CLI version), has its own repository, and uses minimal system resources.
For anyone who’s used a Debian-based distribution, Sparky Linux might seem like every other one you’ve used. On the surface, Sparky Linux 9 (Tiamat) might seem a bit boring. But then, Debian is known for being rather boring. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, because Debian’s predictability has made it one of the most stable operating systems on the planet.
So, boring has its benefits.
Even with Linux.
Sparky Linux offers five different versions: LXQt, MATE, Xfce, KDE Plasma, Minimal GUI, and Minimal CLI. I opted to go with the KDE Plasma version to see what (if anything) the Sparky developers did with this particular desktop.
Let’s dive in and see what’s what.
Sparky’s KDE
The Sparky Linux take on KDE is, not surprisingly, fairly plain. The devs did very little to make this desktop vary from a very vanilla take on the desktop. It is as “Debian” as KDE Plasma can get. Even the wallpaper screams, “Debian!”
To my surprise (and pleasure), Sparky Linux defaults to a light theme. I’m not a fan of dark themes, so that’s usually the first thing I change. Sparky does offer the slightest bit of transparency, which is a nice touch (Figure 1).
Figure 1: The Sparky Linux take on KDE Plasma is minimal but tasteful.
Of course, if you don’t like the default theme, go to System Settings > Appearance > Colors & Themes > Global Theme, and switch it there or download new themes. I will offer this one warning: some of the themes found in the online market error out when installing, so your luck may vary.
I will also mention this: the version of KDE Plasma shipped with Sparky Linux is 6.5.4. This is surprising, given Sparky is a rolling release. I would have thought KDE Plasma to be at least version 6.6.3.
Oh well… can’t win ’em all.
Preinstalled software
Sparky Linux comes with just enough software to get you going, so there’s no bloatware to be found. You’ll get Firefox ESR, Elisa (music player), Gufw (a GUI firewall configuration tool for UFW), GDebi Package Installer, GIMP, GParted, K3b (disk writing app), KDE Connect (connect your phone to your desktop), LibreOffice, Noi (more on this in a bit), Raspberry Pi imager, Riseup-vpn, Synaptic Package Manager, Thunderbird, Timeshift, USB Imager, vokoscreenNG (desktop recorder), VLC media player, and all of the KDE utilities.
Noi
Let’s talk about Noi. I only recently discovered Noi and found it to be incredibly impressive (although slightly challenging). Noi is a GUI app (Figure 2) that brings together a host of services that you might use, such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, GitHub Copilot, AI Studio, NotebookLM, Perplexity, DeepSeek, Qwen, Z.ai, Kimi, Dev, GitHub, Hugging Face, VS Code, DeepWiki, and more.
Figure 2: I’m happy to report that it’s pretty easy to add your locally installed instance of Ollama.
I was even able to add my locally installed Ollama instance (running on a server within my LAN).
Noi allows you to create Spaces, where you can curate the services you want to make for a cleaner, more efficient UI. I’ve kicked the tires of Noi a few times and have found it to be a stellar application, so I’m glad to see it included with Sparky Linux. This app should appeal to users of all types, from everyday to developers.
Performance
I did my usual Ollama performance testing with Sparky Linux. If you’re unaware of what that is, I install Ollama local AI and run 2 queries:
- What is Linux?
- Write a Python GUI app that accepts input from a user for name, age, gender, email, and favorite Linux distribution.
In both cases, Sparky Linux was incredible. The responses were immediate, with zero lag. While the queries were running, I even started opening other apps to see how they performed and they opened and functioned perfectly, even under the load of local AI.
Who is Sparky Linux for?
If you’ve ever wanted a rolling release that had the stability and reliability of Debian, as well as the performance of a lightweight distribution, Sparky Linux might be the perfect match. This distribution is a great option for those who want Debian with the latest software (KDE Plasma 6.5 notwithstanding), without the instability that can sometimes come with running the latest/greatest.
If I’ve piqued your interest, head over to the Sparky Linux download page, grab an ISO with your desktop of choice, and install it as either a VM or on a spare machine.
You won’t regret the choice.
