KaOS 2026.03 Released With Major Move Away From systemd Components

The KaOS project has rolled out its March 2026 ISO, introducing one of the most extensive internal transformations the distribution has seen in years. This release continues the shift that began earlier in 2026, where the developers started reducing reliance on tightly coupled systemd components and the traditional KDE Plasma desktop.

Ongoing System Redesign

Earlier updates introduced a new default desktop environment built around the Niri compositor and the Noctalia shell. With KaOS 2026.03, this transition goes deeper, affecting core system components and infrastructure.

Boot and Init System Changes

One of the most notable updates is in the boot process:

The default bootloader has changed from systemd-boot to Limine
mkinitcpio has been replaced with Dracut for generating initramfs and building ISO images

These changes reduce systemd’s involvement in early boot stages and introduce a custom Dracut module tailored for the KaOS live environment.

The development team has indicated that these adjustments are part of a broader long-term roadmap. They have been exploring alternatives due to upstream changes in systemd, particularly around support for split /usr configurations. While systemd is still currently in use, groundwork is being laid for a potential move to Dinit in the future.

Desktop Environment Shift

KaOS 2026.03 no longer includes KDE Plasma as part of the default installation. Instead, the system now ships with:

Niri Wayland compositor
Noctalia shell, built using Qt

Although KDE Plasma is still available through the repositories, its removal from the default ISO highlights the project’s effort to minimize dependencies tied to systemd.

Despite these changes, KaOS continues to stay true to its design philosophy by focusing exclusively on Qt and avoiding GTK-based components entirely.

Updated Core Stack

This release brings updates across the entire software stack, including:

Linux kernel 6.19 LTS
Wayland 1.25
Qt 6.11
GStreamer 1.28
ZFS 2.4.1
OpenCV 4.13

The toolchain and libraries have also been rebuilt to align with the latest Qt version and updated dependencies.

Installer and System Improvements

The Calamares installer now runs fully on Wayland, fixing earlier issues related to QML input handling. The default filesystem remains XFS, with CRC and finobt features enabled to enhance data integrity and long-term reliability.

User Experience Enhancements

Several changes have been made to improve the overall user experience:

Kitty replaces Konsole and Yakuake as the default terminal
Btop is now included as the system monitoring tool
Starship is used as the default shell prompt
A new Phonon backend based on MPV replaces VLC due to lack of Qt6 support

Wayland is now used system-wide, including in the SDDM display manager. However, this may introduce compatibility challenges in virtualized environments such as VirtualBox, which still requires specific configurations for proper Wayland support.

Additional Tools

To support the updated desktop stack, several utilities have been added:

cliphist
brightnessctl
seatd
xwayland-satellite

Additionally, Kjournald, a graphical log viewer, is now included by default, making it easier to review system logs without relying on command-line tools like journalctl.

Known Limitations

Some restrictions still apply in this release:

RAID installations are not currently supported
XFS cannot be used with BIOS-based installations due to GRUB limitations
VirtualBox requires 3D acceleration and specific display settings to run properly

Availability

The KaOS 2026.03 ISO image is available for download from the project’s official page, along with a full announcement detailing all changes.

Final Thoughts

KaOS 2026.03 represents a bold step toward a more modular and independent Linux distribution. By reworking its boot process, desktop environment, and core components, the project is positioning itself for a future with reduced systemd reliance while maintaining its strong Qt-focused identity.

For more details, see the announcement.