Immutable desktop operating system
Topics: Operating system
On an immutable operating system, every installation is identical to every other installation of the same version. The operating system that is on disk is exactly the same from one machine to the next, and it never changes as it is used. This design is intended to make the operating system more stable, less prone to bugs, and easier to test and develop.
On immutable operating systems, software updates happen in a staged manner, usually requiring a reboot to activate the updated software set. This also allows for a simple way to roll back to a previously installed setup in case of any issues with the new one.
Since a fully immutable operating system would be useless, Colin Walters suggests to call the main property of these operating systems “anti-hysteresis” instead.
Since this process is quite rigid and inflexible, immutable operating systems generally use a Container Runtime to provide the user with an environment that can easily be extended and changed. One example for this approach is Container toolbox.