{"id":13167,"date":"2026-01-09T01:02:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T06:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/?p=13167"},"modified":"2025-12-31T04:17:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T09:17:31","slug":"how-immutable-linux-could-save-libraries-thousands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/?p=13167","title":{"rendered":"How Immutable Linux Could Save Libraries Thousands"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image created by David Both on ChatGPT.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our small public library, where I volunteer weekly, we have several ten-year-old all-in-one desktops with i5 CPUs and 8 GB of RAM. They\u2019re currently running Windows 10, and the library needs to upgrade to Windows 11, according to the IT folks at the library system. Those of us who are regular Linux users know that there is almost no such thing as a computer too old for Linux. Why should these libraries be forced to purchase new computers, especially now that memory prices are skyrocketing, when a different operating system could keep the computers secure, extend their lifetime, and save these libraries thousands of dollars?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The search for a solution led me to consider Fedora Silverblue,<\/a> which is an immutable Linux desktop. I\u2019ve been reading about immutable Linux distributions for a couple of years, but I hadn\u2019t explored them until today. Immutable Linux distributions use a read-only root filesystem. That means it cannot be changed the way a typical Linux filesystem can. This means that every installation is identical to every other installation of the same version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immutable systems like Silverblue can be configured for kiosk mode in libraries and other public spaces that allow patrons to use them for internet access and other uses but do not allow those patrons to change the core system in any way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I downloaded Silverblue and gave it a try. I set it up in VirtualBox, and after it was installed, I started it up. It ran well, and I looked at other Atomic Desktops on the Fedora Project website. Cosmic Atomic<\/a> caught my eye as I have been running Cosmic from System76 on my laptop for a couple of weeks. I downloaded the ISO, created a bootable USB drive, and installed it on my Dell Latitude 7410.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The laptop has a quad-core Intel Core i7-10610U processor, 16 GB of RAM, and a 512 GB SSD. It\u2019s about four years old. I purchased it recently for projects like testing distributions. I connected the USB drive to the laptop, pressed the power button, then pressed F12 to boot from USB and started the install, which took some time. I was prompted to choose an install location and provide a username and password. Once the installation was complete and the computer restarted, I logged in to Cosmic Atomic for the first time. The initial login looked identical to my experience with Cosmic on Pop!_OS, but then I noticed some changes from my past experiences with traditional Linux distributions. LibreOffice was not installed by default. Firefox was installed by default, so I had access to a browser. I learned from reading that immutable distributions like this one use Flatpak to install other programs, such as the Brave browser, Chrome,  LibreOffice, Visual Studio Code, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Costmic
Screen Picture by Don Watkins CC-by-SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I opened a terminal to use inxi<\/strong> and discovered that it was not installed by default. I tried using dnf<\/strong> to install inxi,<\/strong> but that doesn\u2019t work on an immutable system. Some research and reading showed me that to install utilities like that, I needed to use a new command to change the immutable system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

$ rpm-ostree install inxi<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow that command with systemctl restart, and I was in business to look at my system. I can see advantages to immutable systems. There are distinct advantages to immutable systems. They are reliable and easy to maintain. The core system is locked down so it cannot be compromised by malware. Applications are easily installed from the \u2018Cosmic Store\u2019 for Cosmic Atomic. Click the application you want to install, and in short order, it is added and ready to use. No need to remember to use<\/p>\n\n\n\n

$ sudo dnf install application<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cosmic
Screen Picture by Don Watkins CC-by-SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Once the application is installed, it appears as it should in your library. The applications seemed to run faster on their Flatpak installs, but that might be an illusion. In any event, I am impressed at how easy application installation is and how well the \u2018Cosmic Store\u2019 is appointed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cosmic
Screen Picture by Don Watkins CC-by-SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Exploring Fedora Silverblue and Cosmic Atomic reminded me that aging hardware doesn\u2019t have to be a burden\u2014especially for places like public libraries, where every dollar matters. Immutable Linux desktops offer a modern, secure, and low\u2011maintenance alternative that can extend the life of capable machines while reducing costs and complexity. After installing and testing Cosmic Atomic on a four\u2011year\u2011old laptop, it\u2019s clear that these systems deliver a smooth, reliable experience without demanding new hardware or constant tinkering. As libraries face pressure to upgrade to Windows 11, it\u2019s worth asking whether the real solution lies not in replacing computers, but in rethinking the operating systems we rely on. Embracing Linux could empower libraries to stay secure, stay functional, and stay within budget\u2014a win for staff, volunteers, and the communities they serve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Immutable systems like Silverblue can be configured for kiosk mode in libraries and other public spaces that allow patrons to use them for internet access and other uses but do not allow those patrons to change the core system in any way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":13177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[907,5],"tags":[904,906,905,908],"class_list":["post-13167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-immutable-linux","category-linux","tag-atomic","tag-cosmic-atomic","tag-fedora-silverblue","tag-immutable"],"modified_by":"David Both","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13167"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13184,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13167\/revisions\/13184"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}