How to Transition to Fedora Linux 44 Atomic Desktops: A Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Fedora Linux 44 brings important changes to the Atomic Desktop variants, including Silverblue, Kinoite, Sway Atomic, Budgie Atomic, and COSMIC Atomic. This guide walks you through each modification, helping you update, migrate, and optimize your system without missing a beat. Follow the steps below to ensure a smooth transition.

What You Need

• Fedora Atomic Desktop installed (version 43 or earlier, to upgrade).
• Internet connection for downloading updates and packages.
• Basic command-line knowledge – some steps require terminal commands.
• Backup of important data, especially if using Plasma Vaults with legacy backends.
• Administrative privileges (sudo access) for system modifications.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Update to Fedora Linux 44

Before applying any migration steps, make sure your system is running Fedora 44. If you are still on version 43, run the following commands in a terminal:

1. sudo rpm-ostree upgrade – This updates your current version to the latest available.
2. Reboot when prompted to boot into the new deployment.
3. Verify the update with rpm-ostree status – you should see fedora:fedora/44/... as the active deployment.

If you are using an older release, consider a clean installation or refer to the official upgrade documentation.

Step 2: Migrate Issue Tracking (For Contributors)

The cross-variant issue tracker has moved to the new Fedora forge. If you file or track bugs that affect multiple Atomic Desktop variants, update your bookmarks:

1. Visit the Fedora Forge Atomic Desktops repository.
2. Use this tracker for issues impacting all variants.
3. For desktop‑specific issues (e.g., only Kinoite), continue using each SIG’s tracker as listed in the README of the atomic-desktops organization.

Step 3: Access the Unified Documentation

The new, unified documentation for all Atomic Desktops is now live on the new Forge. To benefit from it:

1. Open the documentation wiki.
2. Bookmark the page – it replaces the previous separate pages for each variant.
3. Note that translations have not yet been migrated; if you can help re‑translate, follow the tracking issue atomic‑desktops#10.

Step 4: Handle Removal of FUSE Version 2 Libraries

FUSE 2 libraries have been removed from the images. This may affect AppImages and Plasma Vault backends.

For AppImages

1. Check if your AppImages rely on the old FUSE 2 runtime. Run file MyApp.AppImage – if the type mentions “FUSE”, it may be affected. See the Discussion thread for detailed detection methods.
2. If an AppImage fails to run, look for a Flatpak version of the same application. Flatpaks are the recommended distribution method for Atomic Desktops.
3. If no Flatpak exists, report the issue upstream and ask the developer to update to a newer AppImage runtime that bundles its own FUSE.

For Plasma Vault (Kinoite)

1. Identify if you are using EncFS or CryFS backends. Open Plasma Vault and check the vault properties.
2. If yes, migrate your data to a new vault using the gocryptfs backend before updating to Fedora 44. After the update, those legacy backends will not be available.
3. If you already updated and need access to old vaults, temporarily install the needed packages: sudo rpm-ostree install cryfs fuse-encfs. Then migrate data, and finally reset layers: sudo rpm-ostree reset.

Step 5: Check for pkla Polkit Rules Removal

Support for the legacy .pkla Polkit rules format has been removed. This change is unlikely to affect typical users. If you have custom .pkla files in /etc/polkit-1/rules.d/, you need to convert them to the modern .rules JavaScript format. Most users can safely ignore this step.

Tips and Recommendations

• Migrate Plasma Vaults before upgrading to avoid being locked out of your encrypted data. If you already updated, the temporary workaround (layering packages) works.
• Prefer Flatpaks over AppImages whenever possible. Flatpaks integrate better with Atomic Desktops and do not depend on host FUSE libraries.
• Bookmark the new documentation – it’s the single source of truth for all Atomic Desktop variants.
• Contribute to translations if you use the documentation in another language. The old translations were not migrated, and any help is appreciated. See tracking issue #10.
• Test your critical AppImages before the upgrade. If they break, switch to Flatpaks or contact upstream.
• Keep your system up‑to‑date with rpm-ostree upgrade regularly to benefit from security fixes and new features.