KDE developer Ivan Čukić has launched KDE Ni! OS, a playful proof-of-concept that explores how immutable Linux could fit into the KDE ecosystem. The project was inspired by talks at this year’s Akademy conference, where immutable KDE distributions were a key topic.
At Akademy, two projects drew particular attention: KDE Linux, positioned as an officially branded immutable distribution, and KDE Neon Core, an effort that rethinks KDE Neon with an immutable foundation while remaining largely independent of its predecessor. With that said, KDE Ni! OS emerged as a third entry in this space, partly as a joke and partly as a practical exploration of the same design goals.
But unlike KDE Linux or KDE Neon Core, KDE Ni! OS is not meant to be a separate distribution. Čukić says he does not plan to build a new distro from the ground up. Instead, KDE Ni! OS is a reproducible system setup based on NixOS, which is known for its strong approach to immutability.