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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Does anyone run their desktop environment containerized? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 8 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

19 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I'm used to using Linux from the terminal. I have a new machine which I plan to use mostly headless but would occasionally like to run a desktop environment and play games with GPU acceleration. I know I don't have to launch the desktop environment on startup, but I was wondering if it's possible to have that entire portion containerized, like an instance in LXD.

I am trying Bazzite right now, I really like the idea of layering on top an immutable base. That's close to what I want. If I understand correctly, I could have a different layer for the headless part to keep them totally separate, but I'd have to do restarts to switch from one to the other.

I also think NixOS could also be what I want, just with a steeper learning curve.

I'm wondering if anyone has already set something like this up? It would be helpful to read about what software people have for this and their experiences using that.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

What are your goals? What's the motive to containerize? Is it security?

Do you specifically need a full DE, or are you okay with something more lightweight like a window manager or kiosk mode display?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

That's a good question. Security is a factor. I like the idea of a containerized DE so I can easily back up and restore changes independently of the distro beneath. Or like totally abandon one, try something new, and still have the first setup available. I think a container could be portable from system to system, maybe less of a burden migrating to a new machine?

I also think it would be interesting :)

My objective with the DE is to be able to play GPU accelerated games and browse the web. I'd be fine with a simpler software than a full DE if I could do that.