SparkyLinux 8.1, the first update to the Sparky 8 “Seven Sisters” series, is now available. This release follows the project’s quarterly update cycle and is fully compatible with Debian 13 “Trixie”.

Sparky Linux 8.1 release poster

What’s New in Sparky 8.1

This update brings all packages in line with the latest stable Debian and Sparky repositories as of November 10, 2025.

Key highlights include:

  • Linux kernel (PC): 6.12.48-LTS
    Available alternatives: 6.17.7, 6.12.56-LTS, and 6.6.115-LTS in the Sparky repositories
  • Linux kernel (ARM): 6.12.47-LTS
  • LibreOffice: 25.2.3
  • KDE Plasma: 6.3.6
  • LXQt: 2.1.0
  • MATE: 1.26.0
  • Xfce: 4.20
  • Openbox: 3.6.1
  • Firefox ESR: 140.4.0 (145.0 in repositories)
  • Thunderbird ESR: 140.4.0

Editions and Architectures

Sparky 8.1 provides images for multiple desktop environments and hardware architectures.

Available editions:

  • amd64 BIOS/UEFI + Secure Boot: Xfce, LXQt, MATE, KDE Plasma, MinimalGUI (Openbox), and MinimalCLI (text mode)
  • ARM64: Openbox and CLI

Support for i686 and ARMHF architectures has been discontinued.

Default login credentials:

  • PC live: live:live
  • ARM: pi:sparky

Installation and Updates

Users already running Sparky 8 can simply keep their systems up to date — no reinstallation is required.

For new installations, ISO images for Sparky 8.1 “Seven Sisters” are available from the project’s download/stable page.