Introduction
Fedora Linux 44 is now available, bringing a host of improvements for users of Atomic Desktop variants—Silverblue, Kinoite, Sway Atomic, Budgie Atomic, and the newly introduced COSMIC Atomic. These immutable, container-oriented spins offer a stable and secure foundation for desktop computing. This article highlights the most significant changes that affect all Atomic Desktop users in Fedora 44.
Cross-Variant Enhancements
Issue Tracking Migrated to the New Fedora Forge
The cross-variant issue tracker has been relocated to the updated Fedora Forge platform. This centralized location is the primary hub for reporting problems that affect multiple Atomic Desktop variants or for coordinating collaborative efforts across them. For issues specific to a single desktop environment (e.g., only Silverblue or Kinoite), the respective Special Interest Groups (SIGs) maintain their own trackers. You can find links to these SIG trackers in the README file of the atomic-desktops organization on the new Forge.
Unified Documentation Goes Live
After considerable effort, the unified documentation for all Atomic Desktops is now live on the new Forge. This consolidated resource replaces the fragmented documentation previously scattered across variants. Unfortunately, translations from the old documentation were not carried over. We welcome community help to re-translate the content once the translation infrastructure is ready on the new platform. The process should be straightforward—mostly copy-and-paste from the previous documents—and this time translations will need to be done only once for all variants, rather than separately for each new spin. For further details, refer to the tracking issue atomic-desktops#10.
Removal of FUSE Version 2 Libraries
FUSE version 2 libraries have been deprecated and unmaintained for some time, so they have been removed from the Atomic Desktop images. This change has two practical implications:
- AppImages: Some AppImages that rely on an older runtime requiring FUSE 2 may stop working.
- Plasma Vault (Kinoite): Legacy backends (EncFS and CryFS) depend on FUSE 2 and will no longer be supported.
See the Fedora Change announcement and tracking issue atomic-desktops#50 for more details. Below, we explore these topics in depth.
AppImages and the FUSE 2 Libraries
Some AppImages still bundle an old runtime that expects FUSE 2 libraries to be present on the host system. If you encounter AppImages that fail to launch after upgrading to Fedora 44, check the runtime version by consulting the Fedora Discussion thread that explains how to inspect the runtime. To resolve the issue, we recommend:
- Look for a Flatpak version of the same application and try that instead. Flatpaks are self-contained and do not rely on host FUSE libraries.
- Report the issue to the upstream project so they are aware that they need to use a newer AppImage runtime. Consider helping upstream package their application as a Flatpak if possible.
Note: If you must continue using older AppImages, you can temporarily install the necessary FUSE 2 packages via rpm-ostree install fuse2, but this is not recommended as a long-term solution.
Plasma Vault: EncFS and CryFS Backends Removed
KDE upstream no longer recommends using EncFS or CryFS backends for Plasma Vaults, primarily because they rely on the deprecated FUSE 2 libraries. If you currently use one of these backends, you should migrate your data to a new vault that uses the only maintained backend, gocryptfs. The migration should ideally happen before upgrading to Fedora 44. If you have already upgraded and need access to your vault, you can temporarily re-add the required packages (cryfs or fuse-encfs) using the command:
rpm-ostree install cryfsAfter migrating your data to a new gocryptfs vault, reset the overlays with:
rpm-ostree resetThis will restore a clean base image. For a permanent solution, make sure to create new vaults using gocryptfs going forward.
Removal of pkla Polkit Rules Support
Fedora 44 drops compatibility for the legacy pkla format of Polkit rules. This obsolescent format has been deprecated for years and is no longer supported. Most users are unlikely to be affected, as modern rules use the rules.d or actions methods. If you have custom policy kits in the old pkla format, you will need to convert them to the current format to avoid authentication or permission issues.
Summary
Fedora 44 brings several behind-the-scenes improvements for Atomic Desktop users, including a centralized issue tracker, unified documentation, and the removal of deprecated software components. While these changes may require a few adjustments—particularly for AppImage users and Plasma Vault users with legacy backends—the overall direction strengthens the stability and security of the immutable desktop ecosystem. Be sure to review the migration steps outlined above to ensure a smooth transition.