Fedora Asahi Remix 44 Arrives for Apple Silicon Macs with Plasma 6.6 and GNOME 50

The Fedora Asahi Remix team is excited to announce the general availability of version 44, bringing Fedora Linux's latest improvements to Apple Silicon Macs. Developed in close partnership with the Fedora Asahi Special Interest Group (SIG) and the Asahi Linux project, this release delivers a polished desktop experience alongside enhanced performance and stability.

What's New in Fedora Asahi Remix 44

Fedora Asahi Remix 44 inherits all the major updates from Fedora Linux 44, including upgraded packages, security fixes, and performance optimizations. A notable change is the retirement of the custom Mesa and virglrenderer packages previously bundled with the remix. Users who haven't manually switched will be automatically migrated to the upstream versions provided by the official Fedora repositories, ensuring better compatibility and future updates.

Fedora Asahi Remix 44 Arrives for Apple Silicon Macs with Plasma 6.6 and GNOME 50 — Source: fedoramagazine.org

Desktop Environments and Variants

KDE Plasma 6.6 – The Flagship Desktop

The remix continues to offer KDE Plasma 6.6 as its primary desktop environment, delivering a modern and feature-rich experience. This release introduces a new Plasma Setup wizard to replace the older Calamares installer, providing a seamless, Plasma-native process for creating user accounts and configuring the system. Additionally, the Plasma Login Manager now serves as the default greeter and session manager instead of SDDM, offering better integration with the desktop. Note that these changes apply only to fresh installations; existing users upgrading from previous versions retain their current configuration.

GNOME 50 – An Alternative Experience

For those who prefer a different workflow, Fedora Asahi Remix 44 also provides a GNOME variant featuring GNOME 50. Both desktop editions mirror what is available in standard Fedora Linux 44, ensuring feature parity and application support.

Server and Minimal Images

Beyond desktop use, the remix includes a Fedora Server variant tailored for server workloads and headless deployments. A Minimal image is also available for users who wish to build their own custom environment from scratch.

Installation and Upgrading

Fresh Installation

New users can get started by following the official installation guide on the Fedora Asahi website. The guide walks through downloading the appropriate image and booting it on an Apple Silicon Mac.

Upgrading from Previous Versions

Existing systems running Fedora Asahi Remix 42 or 43 can be upgraded using the standard Fedora upgrade process. However, note that upgrades via GNOME Software are not supported. Instead, users should employ KDE's Plasma Discover or the command-line DNF system upgrade command. Detailed instructions are available in the same installation guide.

Support and Community

For any remix-specific issues, please report them in the official bug tracker. Community support is available through the Discourse forum and the Matrix room. The development team actively monitors these channels to assist users.

We are grateful to the Fedora Asahi SIG and the Asahi Linux project for their continued collaboration, and to the broader community for testing and feedback. With Fedora Asahi Remix 44, Apple Silicon Mac users can enjoy a first-class Linux experience that is both powerful and polished.

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