623: 50 Days of Blue

In this episode of Linux Unplugged, Chris, Wes, and Brent discuss the macro trend of immutable Linux distributions, highlighting projects like Universal Blue, Bluefin, and Bazzite, and how these distributions are shifting the desktop landscape by building on top of images and layers rather than forking projects. Chris shares his 50-day check-in with Bluefin, discussing its auto-update feature, the Ujust command, and the read-only root file system. The hosts explore the pros and cons of immutable distros for different types of users, particularly developers, and debate whether these systems are truly for tinkerers or those who want a computer that "just works." They also touch on NixOS as a divergent path in the immutable future, the challenges of customizing immutable systems, and the potential of Bluefin as a headless server. The episode concludes with a pick of the week, Bitchat, a new Bluetooth mesh chat application, and listener feedback.