Manjaro Stable: what is this thing called "semi-rolling release"

Manjaro and its branches

Do not tell its most faithful users because the answer may not be the most sympathetic, but there are people who refer to the development model of Manjaro as "semi-rolling release". What is this? Why do they say it? Basically and in short, they say this because there are times when their developers decide to put up with some updates, and because packages don't arrive as soon as they do to the system they are based on.

By definition, this is what they refer to as semi-rolling release does not exist. There is a rolling release, which is simply a development model in which updates arrive continuously, without having to reinstall the operating system from time to time. In theory and if done well, these types of updates are less aggressive than those of the complete operating system, and are safer in that it is more difficult for something to break. In theory and if done right.

semi-rolling release does not exist, actually

That there are people who say that a system like Manjaro is a semi-rolling release is due to a reason: updates are not instant. The team of developers behind each desktop decides whether to upload it to the official repositories or put it up for a while, something they have done, for example, in GNOME 40 or Plasma 5.25. But time is not what determines whether a development model is rolling-release or not.

Also, operating systems that are based on others often make their own decisions. Arch Linux has a philosophy of delivering packages as soon as they are available. Manjaro, like others like Endeavor, they may decide to examine what comes to them from "above", and deliver it only when they think it is at an acceptable point.

Manjaro offers two "lines of defense"

Furthermore, in the specific case of Manjaro, the option that takes the longest to receive the packages is the one from the Stable branch, but it also offers two others. remaining. As they explain themselves:

  • stable branch: The packages that make it to the stable branch have gone through about a couple of weeks of testing by users of the Unstable/Testing repos, before getting the packages. These packages are usually free of problems.
  • Testing Branch: This is the second line of defense. Being a larger number of users than those using Unstable, they refine the work done before them by providing information about the packages they receive in updates.
  • unstable branch: Unstable is synchronized several times a day with Arch package releases. Only a subset of Arch packages are modified to accommodate Manjaro. Those using Unstable need to have the skills to get out of trouble when they move their system to this branch. They are the Manjaro users most likely to need to use such abilities. Due to feedback from users of the Unstable repo, many issues are caught and fixed at this level. Although the latest software is found here, using the unstable branch is generally safe, but – in rare cases – it can cause problems with your system.

User decides

Although we have already explained that, by definition, that semi-rolling release does not exist (it is or it is not), in the specific case of Manjaro it is the user who chooses. It is true that the most novice who does not know the information may think that some packages always take a while to update, but this is not the case. When the operating system is installed, the repositories it uses are those of the Stable branch, and it is in this where the most tested packages are received. Days before reaching the Stable branch, it is tested in the Testing, the "second line of defense". In what they have called Unstable, most of the packages arrive just after Arch Linux, only retaining a few to adapt them to Manjaro.

Whoever wants a kind of Arch Linux easier to install and configure, you can install Manjaro and change the branch to Unstable. If you want something more stable, well, you can stay in the Stable. But, in all cases, what is by definition is rolling-release: continuous updates and without jumps to other full versions of the operating system. semi-rolling release must be something that was first mentioned by Erwin Schrödinger.


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  1.   richo said

    thank you very much it is very clear