The community of users of lightweight, modular, and immutable Linux distributions has a new reason to upgrade. We're talking about the release of PorteuX 2.6The latest stable version of this Slackware-based operating system, which draws directly from the philosophies of Slax and Porteus, has been released. This new release arrives just two months after its predecessor, solidifying its position as an increasingly mature and versatile option for those seeking a fast, portable, and highly customizable system.
PorteuX 2.6 is not a simple maintenance update; It incorporates significant changes under the hood and in the user experience.The most significant leap is found in its core, which now uses the kernel series. Linux 6.19This translates into broader hardware support and optimized performance. Furthermore, the distribution expands its already extensive catalog of desktop environments, offering standalone versions with the latest releases of KDE Plasma 6.5.5, GNOME 49.4, Xfce 4.20, LXQt 2.3, Cinnamon 6.6, COSMIC 1.0.8, MATE 1.28.2, and LXDE 0.11.1. This allows each user to choose the graphical experience that best suits their workflow or computer's resources.
PorteuX 2.6, most notable new features
Among the most practical new features of PorteuX 2.6 is the inclusion of support for the Automatic loading of Intel and AMD microcode This is especially important when booting into non-fresh modes (modes that preserve changes). This is crucial for system stability and security, particularly on modern devices. In addition, support for the TLP command-line utility, now available through the system's App Store, is included—an essential tool for those looking to automatically optimize and extend battery life on their laptops.
Performance has also been a major focus in this version. The developers have improved the build flags to maximize system speed and optimized the stripping process in several modules, helping to maintain PorteuX's characteristic small size. On the bug front, a frustrating issue preventing the screensaver from locking correctly while playing videos in Firefox has been fixed, and the position of the GTK3 tooltips has been adjusted for a better visual experience.
New desktop products
The COSMIC edition, which uses the desktop environment developed by System76, receives special attention in this update. Integration and support for GTK and Qt themes have been improved, and icons missing from previous versions have been added, thus refining the overall experience. Meanwhile, the LXDE edition features a new default font and has had its issues with desktop element labels fixed; these labels previously displayed incorrect text after being activated.
At a more technical and system level, PorteuX 2.6 includes fixes for key scripts, such as the save-change script, which now correctly locates the porteux.cfg configuration file. A problem with cryptsetup that prevented it from running from initrd has also been resolved, and several Glib warnings in the libfm library have been silenced. For developers and advanced users, the GNU C Library and GNU Coreutils have been added to the build pipeline, and the naming convention for the EFI boot folder has been standardized to /EFI/BOOT.
This version updates a large number of packages to their latest versions, ensuring that users have the latest features and security patches for the included applications. Those interested in full technical details and the complete changelog can consult the release notes Official releases are available on the project's GitHub page. The ISO images of Porteux 2.6, in all its desktop variants, are now available for download.
It is worth remembering that since version 2.4 of the operating system, the stable branch has ceased to be available, and now only the one labeled as "current" is offered, which follows the Rolling Release development model.