A new foundation for TUXEDO OS: Switching to Debian - TUXEDO Computers
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A new foundation for TUXEDO OS: Switching to Debian
2026-07-07 08:49:54
Many users have noticed that we have reduced our update cadence over the past few months, particularly with regard to Plasma updates. While Plasma 6.7.x is already available, TUXEDO OS is currently still based on Plasma 6.5.x. We have also not yet provided a concrete timeline for when Ubuntu 26.04 LTS will become the foundation of TUXEDO OS for existing users.
As many of you have probably already guessed, there is a good reason for this — one that has already been speculated about on social media. Today, we can finally reveal it and explain why Ubuntu will no longer serve as the foundation of TUXEDO OS in the future.
Why we are leaving Ubuntu
TUXEDO OS follows a hybrid release model that combines the strengths of rolling and point releases. Core components such as web browsers, the graphics stack including NVIDIA drivers, and the Plasma desktop are updated continuously, while the underlying Ubuntu LTS base remains deliberately stable and only receives security updates and carefully selected changes.
However, as an LTS release ages, backporting modern software becomes increasingly difficult. Newer dependencies are often unavailable or only provided in outdated versions, making it significantly more complex to integrate current software reliably into an older package base.
Updating central libraries such as Qt, on which KDE is built, can also cause software from the Ubuntu repositories to stop working correctly. This is not a challenge unique to TUXEDO OS — KDE neon regularly faces the same issue.
Additional reasons relate to Canonical’s strategic direction. It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep the Snap packaging system out of the operating system, as Canonical is distributing more and more applications exclusively as Snap packages while gradually pushing traditional DEB packages into the background.
Another factor is the AI roadmap announced by Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth during the Ubuntu Summit 26.04. At this point, its concrete implementation remains insufficiently transparent. In addition, we believe that security updates occasionally take longer to reach users than necessary.
What will become the new foundation of TUXEDO OS?
The most exciting question has a straightforward answer: we are moving to the distribution on which Ubuntu itself is built — Debian. This change provides a much more flexible foundation for our release model and gives us greater technical freedom for the long-term evolution of TUXEDO OS.
Since Debian 13 „Trixie“ deliberately focuses on a conservative software stack, future versions of TUXEDO OS will instead be based on Debian Testing. This is Debian’s development branch, where Debian 14 is continuously taking shape as the next stable release while receiving an ongoing stream of current software.
How is Debian structured? Debian organizes its packages into several development branches. New software first enters Unstable (Sid) and, after successful testing, usually migrates automatically to Debian Testing after approximately two weeks. Testing eventually becomes the next stable Debian release (Stable), which is then maintained over the long term with a strong emphasis on reliability.
However, TUXEDO OS will not switch to the next Stable branch once Debian 14 is released. Instead, Debian Testing will remain our permanent foundation. We call this model Continuous Debian, allowing us to continue our hybrid release concept on a significantly more suitable base.
Fastfetch already reveals the new Debian base of TUXEDO OS. The final design is still under development, but underneath, the system is already running on Debian.
Core components such as the kernel, browsers, and the graphics stack will continue to receive frequent updates. This ensures ongoing support for the latest hardware and applications without compromising the overall stability of the operating system.
What are the advantages of the new foundation?
As long as TUXEDO OS is based on Ubuntu, Canonical determines fundamental aspects such as the release cycle, strategic technology decisions like the increasing focus on Snap, and future AI integration. As an Ubuntu derivative, we either have to adopt these decisions or invest considerable effort in working around them.
The transition is not yet visible in KDE Plasma. However, the terminal already shows the new Debian repositories from which TUXEDO OS will soon source its packages.
Debian, by contrast, is not controlled by a...