Fedora Linux 44: Enhanced Atomic Desktop Experience for Silverblue, Kinoite, and More

Overview of Fedora Atomic Desktop Updates

Fedora Linux 44 has arrived, bringing a suite of refinements for the Atomic Desktop family—Silverblue, Kinoite, Sway Atomic, Budgie Atomic, and COSMIC Atomic. This release focuses on streamlining development workflows and improving system consistency. Below, we break down the key changes that affect all variants.

Centralized Issue Tracking on the New Fedora Forge

One of the most notable infrastructure shifts is the relocation of the cross-variant issue tracker to the new Fedora forge. This platform is now the primary hub for reporting bugs or coordinating work that impacts all Atomic Desktops. For issues specific to a particular desktop environment (e.g., GNOME or KDE), the respective SIG trackers remain the preferred venue. You can find links to these trackers in the atomic-desktops organization’s README.

Unified Documentation Goes Live

After a long wait, the unified documentation for all Atomic Desktop variants is finally available on the new forge. This consolidation means that users of Silverblue, Kinoite, and other variants can find guidance in a single location. Note that translations have not yet been migrated—volunteers are welcome to help re-translate content once the translation infrastructure is ready. The process is expected to be straightforward, largely involving copy-pasting from previous docs, and translations will need to be done only once rather than per variant.

For ongoing progress, see the tracking issue atomic-desktops#10.

Removal of FUSE Version 2 Libraries

Fedora 44 removes the deprecated and unmaintained FUSE version 2 libraries from Atomic Desktop images. This change has two practical consequences:

• Some AppImages that rely on an older runtime may no longer work.
• If you use Plasma Vault on Kinoite with legacy backends (EncFS or CryFS), you will need to migrate your data.

For full details, refer to the Fedora Change and the tracking issue atomic-desktops#50.

AppImages and FUSE 2

AppImages built with an old runtime expect FUSE 2 on the host. If you encounter failures after upgrading, check the runtime version using methods described in the Discussion thread. Recommended steps:

1. Switch to Flatpak where possible—many applications are available as Flatpaks, which integrate better with Atomic Desktops. Consider asking upstream to package their app as a Flatpak.
2. Report the issue upstream so developers know to update their runtime. You might even assist them in the process.

Plasma Vaults: End of EncFS and CryFS Backends

KDE no longer recommends EncFS or CryFS for Plasma Vaults, mainly because they rely on FUSE 2. The only supported backend moving forward is gocryptfs. If you currently use EncFS or CryFS, migrate your data before upgrading to Fedora 44. If you’ve already upgraded and need access, temporarily layer the required packages (cryfs or fuse-encfs) via rpm-ostree install, migrate your data, then reset the layers with rpm-ostree reset.

Dropping Legacy pkla Polkit Rules

Support for the pkla format of Polkit rules has been removed in this release. This legacy format is seldom used, so most users won’t notice the change. If you have custom .pkla files, you’ll need to convert them to the newer JavaScript-based rules. The transition is straightforward but should be completed before updating.

With these updates, Fedora Atomic Desktops continue to mature, offering a more cohesive and secure experience. Whether you’re a Silverblue enthusiast or exploring COSMIC Atomic, Fedora 44 brings improvements that streamline development and daily usage alike.