Long term support, stability, and powerful developer tools are what make Linux popular among power users. The LTS (Long Term Support) versions of various Linux distributions are supported for 5-years. Yes! and you can also download them from Beta channels where the distros are less stable (not very unstable like Windows’ Insider Builds) and lend developers a hand in fixing bugs.
There are many risks involved in installing beta versions. Hence, we suggest you take a sweet backup of your data before proceeding. By using these “unstable” OSes, you might notice some parts of the OS working flawlessly at the same time you may also face app crashes. Well, here are the five distros that offer Cutting Edge Updates.
1) Fedora Rawhide
Fedora rawhide is supported by SUSE and Redhat, which are the two largest distros to use the RPM package format. Hence, both have a bleeding-edge version of their OS. Rawhide is Fedora’s bleeding-edge OS. It is an OS made for testing new software, both for fixing bugs and getting an early look at the nightly versions of the software. Packages receive quick and steady updates.
Rawhide is entirely usable. Fedora always tries to push the most stable versions of the software. That means all of the code comes from prominent developers intended for everyday use. It also has a top-notch GNOME implementation.
2) Gentoo Arch
Gentoo is a distro where you compile software specifically for your machine. If you’re a newcomer in the Linux universe, you might want to stay away from this one as you might potentially end up harming your computer.
It is quite stable and flexible because you compile programs on your computer rather than downloading a pre-compiled software on most other distros. Gentoo has a stable (arch) and unstable release system.
3) Debian Sid
Debian has always done the opposite of bleeding-edge Linux and for a good reason. The standard Debian Stable provides users with tested software containing very few bugs, which means that you’ll have a pleasant experience, but your software won’t be up-to-date.
To test and refine the code, Debian uses two other branches of the same software with different levels of stability. The first branch is called Testing. The packages inside it are kept aside, and after some time, they become the next stable version of Debian. Another branch is called Sid, which is Unstable. Sid receives the latest version of Debian first.
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Debian Sid is still quite reliable. The difference in stability comes from the ‘software’ developers instead. Meaning Sid relies on developers of let’s say Chrome to push stable updates only then the Sid updates will be pushed.
4) openSUSE Tumbleweed
openSUSE is a feature-packed, and user-friendly OS, and Tumbleweed takes it a step further by introducing bleeding edge updates. openSUSE has two versions, Leap and Tumbleweed. Leap receives its update once a year, whereas the updates are continuous on Tumbleweed. You can get a proper installation image on the website, and most of the users have reported it to be stable.
5) Arch Linux
Arch Linux is known for being hard to install and use. In the first boot, all you’ll see is just a terminal with a few tools. Arch strives to keep programs as modern as possible without breaking things.
Arch’s gives users access to the user for managing system administration, meaning that they are required to do a little more to their operating system than other alternatives. For example, on Debian, program services start-up automatically. In Arch, you need to enable them manually.
So, these are the 5 Linux OSes which offer cutting edge updates. If you want to try installing any one of these, make sure you take a backup. Let us know in the comments section below if you want a list of stable OSes as well.
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