Immutable Linux Finally Got Fixed: How RakuOS Solved My Biggest Frustration

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ZDNET’s key points

• RakuOS blends immutable and traditional Linux features
• It combines top-tier security with everyday usability.
• RakuOS is free to download and install.

Immutable Linux offers some of the strongest security you’ll find in an operating system. By locking critical directories as read-only, it prevents tampering by hackers or malicious software. In fact, I trust immutable Linux completely for worry-free computing.

That was until I needed to install a program using the standard package manager.

On immutable Linux systems, installing apps is usually handled through container platforms like Flatpak or Snap. This is because the locked-down directories can’t be modified in the usual way. As a result, familiar tools like apt, dnf, or pacman won’t work out of the box.

Also: What is immutable Linux, and why would you use it?

So does that mean your app choices are limited on an immutable system? To a degree, yes. But for most everyday users, it won’t feel restrictive because Flathub and Snapcraft both offer extensive app libraries.

However, I’ve run into trouble when I wanted to install a specific tool like Ollama — and needed the very latest release (at the time, I was running Ollama 0.30.7 on my Pop!_OS machine). I gave Flatpak a shot, and while the installation appeared to succeed, the application simply didn’t show up anywhere.

I tried multiple times with the same disappointing outcome. Meanwhile, running `sudo dnf install ollama` works perfectly — even though, in theory, it shouldn’t.

Why shouldn’t DNF work? Because RakuOS is immutable — installing software via DNF isn’t supposed to be possible. But RakuOS disagrees. According to its website, “RakuOS uses a persistent overlay system on top of /usr. Your core system stays untouched — yet you can add any native packages you need, and they’ll remain through every update.”

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This hybrid approach gives you:

• An immutable core with instant rollback via bootc.
• Native packages that carry over through system updates.
• Installation via dnf, dnf5, or the RakuOS Software Center.
• A full system reset to factory state with one command (details coming up).
• Flatpak for apps needing a security sandbox, plus native packages for everything else.

Simply put, you get the advantages of both approaches.

Trying out RakuOS firsthand

What I valued most about RakuOS is that beneath its immutable foundation, it still feels like a regular Linux desktop. The main visible change was that the KDE Plasma Discover store was swapped out for the RakuOS Software app. On the plus side, this replacement app looks and works much like Discover.

On RakuOS, I managed to install all my usual software through a mix of Flatpak and DNF. When I wanted the extra isolation that sandboxing provides, I used Flatpak; otherwise, I stuck with DNF.

Also: 5 Linux distributions that require some initial setup but are well worth it

In terms of speed, RakuOS ships with the performance-tuned CachyOS kernel. Whatever task I threw at it, the desktop handled it effortlessly. Even running a demanding Ollama query — generating a Python GUI application — didn’t cause any slowdown.

The CachyOS kernel is impressive, and the RakuOS developers made a smart call including it.

Then my curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to test the “pristine reset” to see how effective it was. After installing several apps and saving some files in my home directory, I searched the RakuOS website for the exact command but came up empty-handed.

Since RakuOS builds its overlay in /usr, I wondered what would happen if I just deleted everything inside /usr. “Can’t hurt to try, right?” After all, I was running RakuOS in a virtual machine, so if things went sideways, I could easily spin up a fresh VM.

So I ran:

sudo rm -rf /usr/

That was a bit nerve-wracking.

I restarted to check the outcome — and the reboot failed. I forced the VM to shut down and tried again. The boot process was much slower than usual, which made sense given that I’d wiped the /usr directory. Perhaps RakuOS was trying to reconstruct it.

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Maybe?

I waited… and waited… and waited.

No luck.

I rebooted one more time, but the same problem remained. Time to start over with a fresh installation. This time, I recalled that RakuOS is built on OSTree, so the correct reset command was straightforward:

sudo rpm-ostree reset

Even after years of working with technology, everyone occasionally trips up.

On the second attempt, everything went smoothly. After installing, using the system, and resetting with the right command, I was left with a perfectly clean OS.

My overall impression of RakuOS: I’m genuinely impressed. This distribution delivers an ideal blend of immutability and traditional package management. The installation does take a bit longer than what I’m accustomed to, but the payoff is well worth the wait.

If you want an operating system that’s both highly secure and easy to use, RakuOS is worth a look. Grab an ISO for the KDE Plasma, GNOME, or COSMIC edition, create a bootable USB, and give it a try.

If you’re already on a Fedora Atomic-based distribution, reset with:

sudo rpm-ostree reset

Then switch over to RakuOS using one of the following commands: