Spaced Linux 9.26

9.26 - 2026-09-08

Spaced Linux 9.26 is a major production release focused on upgrade reliability, graphics-driver recovery, desktop startup resilience, signed package delivery, and substantially stronger automated release validation.

System updates and upgrade reliability

• Reworked Spaced Update to handle complete operating-system upgrades more safely and predictably.
• Added a dedicated APT transaction guard so package changes are protected during the actual locked package-management operation rather than only during preliminary checks.
• Improved handling of package refreshes, native package upgrades, Flatpak updates, release-marker changes, and error reporting.
• Added explicit testing for upgrades from earlier Spaced Linux installations to reduce the chance of regressions affecting existing users.
• Added package-payload validation to confirm that the packages delivered by the production repository match the expected release.
• Added release-identity checks so the built ISO, installed release metadata, package repository, and release version cannot silently drift apart.
• Added a controlled testing-channel upgrade helper while keeping the normal production installation on the stable spaced APT suite.
• Improved spaced-meta post-install behavior and package triggers to make desktop and system migrations more dependable during upgrades.
• Added migration logic for older desktop configurations so existing installations can adopt 9.26 defaults without unnecessarily overwriting user choices.

Signed production APT repository

• Moved Spaced Linux to the signed production APT suite at https://crhy.github.io/spaced-apt.
• Added the Spaced archive keyring directly to the system image.
• Added cryptographic verification of repository metadata before release publication.
• Repository generation now produces and validates InRelease, Release, and Release.gpg.
• Added automated APT trust testing so unsigned, incorrectly signed, or wrong-key repository metadata fails the release gate.
• Hardened repository publishing so already-published package versions cannot be silently replaced with different package contents.
• Added production package and source metadata generation for Spaced Linux packages and patched components.

NVIDIA support and recovery

• Significantly reworked the Spaced NVIDIA installation and recovery stack.
• Added hardware compatibility detection based on the actual NVIDIA PCI device rather than relying only on broad marketing names.
• Added dedicated NVIDIA compatibility, configuration, and persistent-state modules.
• Improved selection of supported packaged NVIDIA drivers for both current and older hardware.
• Improved hybrid-GPU handling and validation.
• Strengthened pre-reboot verification after driver changes.
• Strengthened post-boot validation so a driver installation is not considered successful until the graphics stack and desktop have actually recovered.
• Improved automatic rollback and recovery when an NVIDIA installation fails.
• Added safer handling of Xorg configuration and existing system files during repair.
• Improved detection of Compiz and the active desktop session during post-install checks.
• Expanded NVIDIA installer diagnostics and recovery documentation.
• Added a dedicated spaced-graphics-report utility for collecting GPU, driver, display, and graphics-session information when troubleshooting.
• Added extensive automated NVIDIA compatibility and driver-recovery tests.

AMD graphics and display behavior

• Added a Spaced AMDGPU Xorg configuration with TearFree support to address visible scrolling and presentation artifacts on affected AMD hardware.
• Improved AMD graphics diagnostics through the new graphics-report tooling.
• Expanded display and graphics validation for upgraded systems.
• Improved monitor-state migration and recovery behavior.

MATE, Compiz, and desktop startup

• Hardened the installed MATE/Compiz startup path to reduce black-screen and incomplete-desktop failures after installation or upgrade.
• Improved the Spaced window-manager launcher and Compiz startup checks.
• Added a dedicated Spaced window-decorator launcher and recovery path.
• Improved first-login repair behavior for systems migrating from previous releases.
• Reworked display repair so stale or invalid display state is less likely to prevent a usable desktop from appearing.
• Added a desktop migration utility for applying release-specific configuration fixes while preserving user-owned settings where possible.
• Updated LightDM installed-system configuration for more reliable desktop startup.
• Updated default Compiz configuration and desktop shortcuts.
• Improved MIME defaults for fresh and upgraded users.
• Improved desktop application associations and system defaults.
• Added additional release checks specifically targeting MATE, Caja, Compiz, and desktop-session reliability.

Marco window manager fixes

• Added Spaced-maintained patches for Marco 1.26.2.
• Corrected an XRes success-condition bug.
• Removed an incorrect mask check affecting Marco behavior.
• Added reproducible source checksums and dedicated build scripts for the patched Marco package.
• Published the patched Marco build through the signed Spaced Linux APT repository.

Desktop polish and applications

• Updated Spaced Welcome integration and pinned the verified native release used by 9.26.
• Updated SpacedBazaar integration.
• Updated Spaced Update artwork and desktop integration.
• Added improved system-information output for release and graphics diagnostics.
• Added btop defaults appropriate for the Spaced desktop.
• Refined GTK3 theme behavior in the Spaced dark themes.
• Improved application and file-type defaults.
• Updated Brave's supplied bookmarks.
• Added Discord and Telegram community links to Welcome, the website, Help documentation, and GitHub project documentation.

Wallpapers and visual presentation

• Added selected astronomical imagery from ESA's Euclid mission to the Spaced Linux wallpaper collection.
• Added attribution and source documentation for the Euclid imagery.
• Updated wallpaper registration so the new backgrounds appear in MATE's background chooser.
• Updated Calamares branding and release presentation for 9.26.
• Updated bootloader, installer, release, and system-identification branding to the 9.26 release.

Boot and installation

• Updated live-build configuration and bootloader metadata for 9.26.
• Improved release boot configuration and ISO provenance checks.
• Added a pinned Devuan archive keyring to make bootstrap and build trust more deterministic.
• Added package-selection adjustments needed for the current Devuan Ceres base.
• Added explicit init-system package preferences to protect Spaced Linux's systemd-free design during package resolution.
• Improved local package staging during ISO construction.
• Added dedicated staging and build paths for patched Marco and AMD graphics tooling.

Release testing and CI

9.26 substantially expands the automated release test matrix.

• Added a dedicated source-check GitHub Actions workflow.
• Expanded the monthly clean-ISO workflow.
• Added BIOS and UEFI boot validation.
• Added both KVM/QEMU and VirtualBox smoke testing.
• Added automated 4K virtual-desktop validation.
• Added a live-desktop probe that verifies the actual graphical session rather than treating a successful kernel boot as sufficient.
• Smoke tests now validate the MATE session, panel, Caja, Compiz, and usable graphical desktop state.
• Added screenshot-based validation to help reject blank or unusable virtual desktops.
• Added GTK desktop tests under Xvfb.
• Added automated desktop-reliability tests.
• Added automated driver-recovery tests.
• Added automated NVIDIA compatibility tests.
• Added QEMU smoke-test regression coverage.
• Added APT trust tests.
• Added release identity tests.
• Added release package-payload tests.
• Added production/testing upgrade tests.
• Expanded the release gate so source checks, package checks, desktop checks, and VM checks are exercised together.
• The final 9.26 source gate passed all source checks, 43 unit tests, and the GTK/Xvfb desktop test before release.

Documentation and support

• Added a dedicated 9.26 desktop audit.
• Added a 9.26 issue-status and release-validation document.
• Added expanded release-testing documentation.
• Added a new Spaced Help document.
• Significantly expanded NVIDIA recovery and troubleshooting documentation.
• Updated boot troubleshooting documentation.
• Added guidance for collecting graphics diagnostics and reporting reproducible hardware issues.
• Added clearer instructions for desktop shortcuts, upgrades, applications, graphics, multi-monitor setups, and recovery.

Website and community

• Updated spacedlinux.com for Spaced Linux 9.26.
• Added a full Help and Community page.
• Added direct Discord and Telegram community links throughout the website and GitHub README.
• Updated public download links to the 9.26 GitHub release.
• Updated release text so 9.26 is presented as the current production release rather than a testing build.
• Updated theme and support documentation links.

Release artifacts

• Production ISO: spaced-linux-9.26-amd64.iso
• SHA-256: 7f9d5eeec990c68399d185dfb5aa090ffefd8f3ab451ad33d0c0d5104f9fa173
• Signed APT suite: spaced
• Architecture: amd64
• Base: Devuan Ceres
• Desktop: MATE
• Window manager/compositor: Compiz
• Init system: sysvinit

Spaced Linux 9.26 continues the project's goal of providing a polished, familiar Linux desktop without systemd, while keeping the operating system inspectable, customizable, reproducible, and practical on real hardware.

Verify the ISO

sha256sum -c spaced-linux-9.26-amd64.iso.sha256

SHA-256:

7f9d5eeec990c68399d185dfb5aa090ffefd8f3ab451ad33d0c0d5104f9fa173