Blendos, the distribution based on Arch Linux, has recently released Blend OS v3. The new version uses container isolation to enable the coexistence of packages from various Linux distributions within a single system. This allows users to install packages in APK, DEB, and RPM formats from repositories such as Debian 12, Ubuntu 22.04/23.04, Fedora 38, Arch Linux, Crystal Linux, Kali Linux, AlmaLinux 9, Rocky Linux, as well as Android applications from Google Play and F-Droid catalogs.
To provide users with a user-friendly environment, Blendos offers 7 different assemblies with user environments including GNOME, KDE, Cinnamon, Deepin, Mate, XFCE, and LXQT. These assemblies can be downloaded from the Blendos SourceForge page, with ISO images averaging around 3.5 GB in size.
One of the key features of Blendos is its immutable basic system environment. Based on Arch Linux, this environment remains unchanged during operation and is updated in atomic mode by replacing root sections. New updates are obtained by synchronizing the contents of new ISO images, which are used as a source of updates. The process is efficient, with the average data uploaded during updates ranging from 10 to 100 MB.
User-installed packages are placed in isolated containers, each associated with a specific distribution. When the same applications are installed in different containers, the application option used is determined based on the priority set for each container. Blendos provides a graphical interface for controlling containers and overlays, allowing users to set desired launch priorities.
The integration of applications in containers with the main system is achieved through tools similar to DISTROOX. While the initial Blendos release used Distrobox, a tool that uses the Podman platform to control containers has since replaced it. This toolkit manages the user’s home catalog within containers, provides access to the X11 and Wayland servers for graphic applications, organizes sound output, and integrates with D-Bus and Udev.
In addition to supporting traditional applications, Blendos also supports web applications and mobile applications for the Android platform. Waydroid, a package utilized in Blendos, enables the creation of an isolated environment within a Linux system to load the full Android platform image. Furthermore, users can install Steam and Heroic on Blendos for gaming purposes.
For installation, Blendos uses its own installer with a user interface based on Jade-gui from Crystal Linux.