The second quarterly update to the Sparky 8 “Seven Sisters” stable series has arrived. SparkyLinux 8.2 features updated packages and desktop environments, plus a handful of fixes. The release keeps close compatibility with Debian 13 Trixie, so users get a familiar base with a lightweight, ready-to-use system that stays current.
SparkyLinux 8.2 focuses on maintenance and stability rather than big changes and new features. All packages have been updated from the stable Debian and Sparky repositories, keeping the system in line with the latest stable software available for the distro.
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For anyone already running Sparky 8, the upgrade process can be handled via a system update.
SparkyLinux 8.2 updates
The release uses the Linux kernel 6.12.69-LTS by default, although alternative kernels are available in the Sparky repositories, including 6.12.72-LTS, 6.6.125-LTS, and 6.19.1. This keeps the core system predictable while offering a choice for anyone seeking newer or different kernel branches.
KDE Plasma 6.3.6, Xfce 4.20, LXQt 2.1.0, MATE 1.26.0, and Openbox 3.6.1 are included as desktop options, ranging from full-featured environments to lightweight and minimal setups.
A number of tools have been updated, with LibreOffice 25.2.3, Firefox 140.7.0esr and Thunderbird 140.7 all included. Firefox 147.0.4 is available to install from Sparky’s own repositories for anyone wanting a newer version of Mozilla’s browser.
The small bug in the Openbox edition that previously prevented users from launching a terminal emulator from the package manager has been fixed in this update.
Sparky 8.2 offers multiple installation images for different platforms. On amd64 systems with BIOS or UEFI support, including Secure Boot, users can choose between Xfce, LXQt, MATE, KDE Plasma, MinimalGUI with Openbox, or the MinimalCLI text-only edition.
ARM64 builds have Openbox and CLI options, with support for lightweight devices and smaller systems.
Default live login details are unchanged, with live:live for PC live sessions and pi:sparky for ARM builds.
There is one known issue in this release affecting ARM64 systems, whereby Wi-Fi could fail to activate after the first boot. Restarting the system allows wireless networking to start automatically.
New ISO images for SparkyLinux 8.2 are available through the project’s stable download page here.
What do you think about SparkyLinux 8.2? Let us know in the comments.
