motang writes: Canonical, the sponsor of widely popular Ubuntu Linux, plans on shipping the next LTS in two versions. In addition to the traditional version, there will be one immutable desktop OS flavor. From Canonical blog: The technology behind snaps extends beyond the distribution of desktop applications however. With Ubuntu Core this philosophy of security and stability applies equally to the components that make up the entire Ubuntu operating system. Rather than treating the OS as a single immutable 'blob,' Ubuntu Core breaks it up into discrete components. The base of Ubuntu Core, for example, is built on four primary snaps: Gadget: Defines the system's bootloader, partition layout and default configurations for snaps. Kernel: Containing the Linux kernel and hardware drivers. Base: A minimal Ubuntu OS image containing only the necessary services and utilities to support the applications running on top. Snapd: Manages the lifecycle of all snaps in an Ubuntu Core system. Additional OS snaps can then be layered onto this image to enable other elements of the operating system such as a desktop environment.

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