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SparkyLinux 7.5 is the September 2024 quarterly update to the stable Sparky 7 “Orion Belt” series, based on Debian 12 “Bookworm.” It refreshes packages and ships Linux 6.1.106 LTS on PC images. If you already run Sparky 7, the project says to update your system rather than reinstall; the new ISOs are for fresh installations.
What changed in SparkyLinux 7.5?
Published September 18, 2024, SparkyLinux 7.5 refreshed packages from Debian and Sparky’s stable repositories through September 17. It is a point update to the existing Sparky 7 line, not a new Debian base: the release remains based on and fully compatible with Debian 12 “Bookworm.” SparkyLinux 7.5 release notes
Kernel and application versions
The PC images use Linux 6.1.106 LTS. Sparky’s repositories also listed Linux 6.11.0, 6.6.51-LTS and 5.15.167-LTS at release time; those are repository options, not the kernel shipped by default in the PC ISO. ARM images use Linux 6.6.47 LTS.
The release’s listed desktop and application versions are:
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- Desktops: KDE Plasma 5.27.5, LXQt 1.2.0, MATE 1.26, Xfce 4.18 and Openbox 3.6.1.
- Applications: LibreOffice 7.4.7, Firefox 115.15.0esr and Thunderbird 115.15.0.
VirtualBox 7.1 was updated in the Sparky repositories. The project’s release notes say to uninstall VirtualBox 7.0 before installing 7.1. The package nala was removed from the default installation set, but remains available in the official repositories. SparkyLinux 7.5 release notes
Which SparkyLinux 7.5 editions and architectures are available?
The release includes desktop, minimal graphical and text-mode images for several hardware targets.
| Hardware target | Available images |
|---|---|
| amd64 PC, BIOS/UEFI with Secure Boot | Xfce, LXQt, MATE, KDE Plasma, MinimalGUI (Openbox) and MinimalCLI (text mode) |
| i686 | Non-PAE legacy BIOS/UEFI images |
| ARMHF and ARM64 | Openbox and CLI images |
The desktop choices let you select a familiar full desktop or a lighter minimal setup; the i686 images specifically target older non-PAE hardware. Architecture and image availability are stated by the project for this release, and do not imply that every image supports every hardware configuration.
For PC live sessions, the credentials are live:live; for ARM, they are pi:sparky. The project provides the ISO files on its stable download page.
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Do existing Sparky 7 users need to reinstall?
No. Sparky’s guidance is: “If you have Sparky 7 installed – simply keep it up to date. No need to reinstall your OS.” The new ISO images are useful for a fresh installation; current Sparky 7 users should update their installed system through the normal package update process. SparkyLinux 7.5 release notes
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should you know about the kernel versions?
The kernel figures describe different things: Linux 6.1.106 LTS is the kernel in the PC release images, while the other listed versions were available in Sparky repositories. ARM images instead use Linux 6.6.47 LTS. A later project report for September 2024 recorded updates up to Linux 6.11.1, 6.6.53-LTS, 6.1.112-LTS and 5.15.167-LTS, alongside confirmation that Sparky 7.5 had been released. Those later repository figures should not be mistaken for the kernel versions initially shipped in the 7.5 images. SparkyLinux September 2024 project report
