AerynOS 2026.08 It is now available as a new installation image of this independent distribution based on a model rolling releaseThe update brings together the most important changes introduced during the last few weeks, incorporating experimental support for OpenZFS, a major systemd update, and various improvements to the system infrastructure, package manager, and installation process.
Although AerynOS is still a relatively young project, its development continues to progress rapidly thanks to proprietary tools such as the Moss package manager and the Lichen installer. Its goal is to offer a modern distribution with a "install once, upgrade forever" approach, avoiding the periodic reinstallations common in other operating systems. The new ISO 2026.08 represents another step in that direction by integrating the latest available improvements right from the first boot.
AerynOS 2026.08 adds support for OpenZFS and updates systemd
The main new feature of this version is the addition of experimental support for data units based on OpenZFSAerynOS already supported Btrfs and Bcachefs, but now expands the options available for those who prefer the well-known ZFS file system. Currently, the developers indicate that this feature is still in the experimental phase and encourage users to share their results to further improve compatibility.
Another of the most important changes affects systemdMoss, which has been upgraded to version 261.2 following a major repackaging overhaul, is now distributing several components, including systemd-boot, systemd-resolved, systemd-homed, systemd-container, systemd-coredump, and systemd-udev, as separate packages. Additionally, Moss operations no longer overwrite the state of services that the user has manually enabled or disabled, resulting in much more predictable behavior during updates. The developers also advise that some systems may experience changes in network interface names after a system reboot.
Moss improvements and updated desktops
The update also completes the second phase of the new versioned repository system. Thanks to this work, Moss can update automatically even when the internal format of the repositories changes, eliminating the need for manual migrations and bringing the project closer to its goal of providing continuous, uninterrupted updates. New checks have also been added to verify the integrity of downloaded files, along with native support for [specific features/methods]. reflinks in XFS file systems, improving both reliability and storage efficiency.
The new ISO also incorporates the kernel Linux 7.1AerynOS now includes an updated GNOME-based live image and network access to the KDE Plasma 6.7.3 and COSMIC Desktop 1.5 desktops with the latest available packages. In addition, the NVIDIA 610.43.03 driver has been added to the repositories, and various internal projects are ongoing, including the future migration of package definitions from YAML to KDL and the evaluation of Codeberg as a potential alternative to GitHub for project development. With all these changes, AerynOS continues to build an increasingly modern infrastructure, ready to evolve without breaking compatibility with existing installations.