Frequently Asked Questions

Soplos Linux is a modern, user-friendly Linux distribution based on Debian Testing. It comes in three desktop variants: Tyron (XFCE) for lightweight performance, Tyson (Plasma) for a modern, feature-rich experience, and Boro (GNOME) for a polished, workflow-centric environment. Soplos includes exclusive applications and tools to make your Linux experience simple and enjoyable.

Yes! Soplos Linux is completely free and open-source. You can download, use, modify, and distribute it without any cost. However, donations are appreciated to support development and server costs.

Choose Tyron (XFCE) if:

• You have older or limited hardware
• You prefer a lightweight, fast system
• You want longer battery life on laptops
• You like simplicity and efficiency

Choose Tyson (Plasma) if:

• You have modern hardware
• You want beautiful animations and effects
• You enjoy extensive customization options
• You prefer a modern, polished interface

Choose Boro (GNOME) if:

• You prefer a distraction-free, workflow-oriented interface
• You want a modern and consistent design
• You use touch gestures or trackpads extensively
• You want a polished out-of-the-box experience

While technically possible to install multiple desktop environments, we recommend doing a fresh installation for the best experience. Each variant is optimized for its specific desktop environment and includes tailored applications and configurations.

zRAM is a Linux kernel feature that creates a compressed swap space directly in RAM. Instead of writing swap data to a slow disk, it compresses it and keeps it in memory — making the system much more responsive when RAM is under pressure.

Why Soplos enables it by default:

• Faster than disk-based swap — no I/O bottleneck
• Reduces disk wear on SSDs and eMMC storage
• Noticeably improves responsiveness on systems with 4–8 GB of RAM
• Zero configuration needed — active on first boot

zRAM is enabled automatically via Soplos System Service on every Soplos variant. You can check its status from the terminal with zramctl.

Ghostty is a modern, GPU-accelerated terminal emulator focused on performance and correctness. It is the default terminal in all three Soplos variants (Tyron, Tyson and Boro) as of RC1.

Why Ghostty:

• GPU rendering — smooth scrolling and zero latency even with heavy output
• Full Unicode and ligature support out of the box
• Native Wayland and X11 support
• Minimal dependencies — fast to start, low on resources

You can replace it with any terminal you prefer. Other terminals are available through Soplos Welcome → Software or via sudo apt install.

Soplos uses zsh as the default shell because it provides a significantly better interactive experience than bash while remaining fully compatible with bash scripts.

• Smarter tab completion — completes commands, options, file paths and arguments
• Shared command history across terminal sessions
• Spelling correction for mistyped commands
• Powerful globbing and pattern matching
• Extensible via Oh My Zsh and other plugin frameworks

If you prefer bash, you can switch anytime with chsh -s /bin/bash.

Yes! Soplos Linux supports dual boot installation. During installation, choose "Install Soplos Linux alongside [existing OS]" option. Make sure to:

• Backup your important data first
• Disable Fast Startup in Windows
• Ensure you have enough free disk space (at least 30GB)
• Disable Secure Boot if you encounter issues

Try these solutions:

1. Check if the USB is properly created (recreate if necessary)
2. Enter BIOS/UEFI settings and set USB as first boot device
3. Disable Secure Boot temporarily
4. Try different USB ports (preferably USB 2.0)
5. Use a different USB drive if available
6. Check if your computer supports UEFI or Legacy boot

Minimum requirements:

• Tyron (XFCE): 20GB
• Tyson (Plasma): 35GB
• Boro (GNOME): 35GB

Recommended:

• Tyron (XFCE): 30GB or more
• Tyson (Plasma): 50GB or more
• Boro (GNOME): 50GB or more

More space allows for additional software, updates, and personal files.

Yes. Ventoy is fully supported and is the recommended way to try multiple ISOs from a single USB drive. Just copy the Soplos ISO file onto a Ventoy-formatted USB and it will appear in the boot menu automatically.

• No need to re-flash the USB to switch ISOs — just copy or delete files
• Boot any of the three Soplos variants (Tyron, Tyson, Boro) from the same USB
• Available for Windows and Linux from ventoy.net

Ventoy is also listed in the Installation Guide alongside other USB creation tools.

Yes, all three Soplos variants run well in virtual machines. Recommended settings and supported hypervisors:

• VirtualBox: Allocate at least 4 GB RAM and 64 MB video memory. Install VirtualBox Guest Additions from Soplos Welcome → Drivers → VM Tools for better resolution and clipboard sharing.
• VMware (Workstation / Player): Fully supported. VMware Tools are detected and managed automatically by Soplos Welcome.
• QEMU/KVM (virt-manager): Recommended for advanced users. Use the Virtio drivers for best performance. SPICE guest tools are available from Soplos Welcome.

3D graphics performance is limited in all VMs. For gaming or GPU-heavy workloads, a bare-metal installation is recommended.

Yes, BTRFS is the recommended filesystem if you want to use Timeshift snapshots and Grub BTRFS (boot directly into a snapshot from GRUB). Both tools require BTRFS on the root partition.

• BTRFS + Timeshift: Automatic system snapshots before updates — roll back if something breaks
• BTRFS + Grub BTRFS: Boot into a previous snapshot directly from the GRUB menu without needing a live USB
• EXT4: Also supported and perfectly stable, but not compatible with Timeshift BTRFS snapshots or Grub BTRFS

Select BTRFS in the Calamares partitioning step during installation. Timeshift and Grub BTRFS can then be installed from Soplos Welcome → Security → System Backups.

Soplos Linux has excellent hardware support thanks to its comprehensive driver collection accessible through Soplos Welcome. The Drivers tab includes support for:

• Graphics:
  • NVIDIA Legacy and Latest drivers
  • AMD graphics drivers
  • Intel graphics drivers
• WiFi Adapters:
  • MediaTek, Intel, Realtek, Broadcom, Atheros
• Bluetooth: Comprehensive Bluetooth stack support
• Printers: Extensive printer driver database
• Virtual Machines: VMware Tools, VirtualBox Guest Additions, QEMU Guest Agent

Most hardware works out of the box, and additional drivers can be easily installed through Soplos Welcome's intuitive interface. You can test compatibility using the live USB before installation.

Installing NVIDIA drivers in Soplos Linux is simple using Soplos Welcome:

1. Open Soplos Welcome from the applications menu
2. Go to the Drivers tab
3. In the Graphics section, select the driver for your GPU:
   • 610 / 590 / 580 (RC1 default: 580.159.04): RTX 5000, RTX 4000, RTX 3000, RTX 2000, GTX 1600 series and newer
   • 550: Older GTX 900 / GTX 1000 series still supported by this branch
   • 470 (Legacy): GTX 600 / GTX 700 series
   • 390 (Legacy): GTX 400 / GTX 500 series
   • 340 (Legacy): GeForce 8000 / 9000 / 200 / 300 series
4. Click the install button next to your appropriate driver
5. Reboot your system when installation is complete

Alternative method: You can also install via terminal:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nvidia-driver
sudo reboot

Yes! Soplos Linux offers comprehensive BTRFS support in all variants (Tyron, Tyson, and Boro):

• BTRFS File System: Modern, copy-on-write file system with advanced features
• Timeshift Integration: Pre-configured system snapshot management
• Automatic Snapshots: System snapshots before major updates and installations
• Easy Recovery: Restore your system to a previous state if something goes wrong
• Subvolume Management: Efficient storage with BTRFS subvolumes

Benefits of BTRFS + Timeshift in Soplos:

• Rollback system changes safely
• Protection against failed updates
• Space-efficient snapshots
• Automatic cleanup of old snapshots
• GRUB integration for boot-time recovery

You can choose BTRFS during installation or manage snapshots through Timeshift's user-friendly interface.

Soplos Linux includes comprehensive Wi-Fi driver support. Try these solutions:

1. Use Soplos Welcome (Recommended):
   • Open Soplos Welcome → Drivers tab
   • Check the WiFi section for your specific adapter:
     • MediaTek WiFi drivers
     • Intel WiFi drivers
     • Realtek WiFi drivers
     • Broadcom WiFi drivers
     • Atheros WiFi drivers
   • Click install on the appropriate driver for your hardware
2. Basic troubleshooting:
   • Check if Wi-Fi is enabled in network settings
   • Restart network manager: sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager
   • Install firmware packages: sudo apt install firmware-linux firmware-linux-nonfree

Most Wi-Fi adapters work out of the box thanks to Soplos' comprehensive driver collection.

Soplos Linux comes with GUFW (Graphical Uncomplicated Firewall) pre-installed for easy firewall management:

• Access GUFW: Available through the applications menu or system settings
• User-friendly interface: No need to use complex command-line UFW commands
• Simple rules creation: Easily allow/deny applications and ports
• Profile management: Different firewall profiles for various scenarios
• Real-time monitoring: View active connections and firewall status

The firewall is automatically configured with sensible defaults, but GUFW allows you to customize rules according to your needs without technical complexity.

Timeshift and Grub BTRFS work together to give you safe, bootable system snapshots:

1. Timeshift creates the snapshot: It takes a BTRFS snapshot of your root subvolume. Snapshots can be created manually or on a schedule (hourly, daily, weekly).
2. Grub BTRFS detects the snapshot: After each snapshot, Grub BTRFS automatically adds a new boot entry to GRUB pointing to that snapshot.
3. Booting into a snapshot: At boot, select BTRFS Snapshots in the GRUB menu to see the list of available snapshots and choose one to boot into (read-only).
4. Restoring permanently: Once booted into the snapshot, open Timeshift and click Restore to make that state permanent.

Both tools are available from Soplos Welcome → Security → System Backups. BTRFS must be selected as the filesystem during installation.

Tyson (KDE Plasma) uses Plasma Login Manager — the new login manager introduced in KDE Plasma 6.3 as the official successor to SDDM. It provides deeper Plasma integration, a more consistent look and feel with the rest of the desktop, and better Wayland support. Soplos adopted it in RC1 alongside the upgrade to Plasma 6.6.5.

Soplos Linux offers multiple ways to install software, all accessible through Soplos Welcome:

• Soplos Welcome → Software tab:
  • Software Centers (Discover, Synaptic, GNOME Software)
  • Package Managers (APT, Flatpak, Snap)
  • Easy one-click installation interface
• Soplos Welcome → Recommended tab:
  • Curated essential applications
  • Categorized by purpose (productivity, multimedia, development, etc.)
  • One-click installation with automatic dependencies
• Command line: sudo apt install package-name
• .deb packages: Download and double-click to install

Note: Some applications require Flatpak to be installed first, which Soplos Welcome handles automatically.

Yes, there are several options:

• Wine: Run Windows applications directly
• PlayOnLinux: Simplified Wine interface
• Lutris: Gaming-focused compatibility layer
• VirtualBox: Run full Windows in a virtual machine
• Steam Proton: For Windows games on Steam

Many popular applications also have native Linux alternatives.

Soplos Linux includes several exclusive applications developed in-house:

• Soplos Welcome: Central hub for system configuration, software installation, driver management, kernel selection, security tools and gaming setup — 7 comprehensive tabs
• Soplos GRUB Editor: Bootloader customization and theme management
• Soplos Plymouth Manager: Boot splash screen customization
• Soplos Theme Manager: Full desktop theming — themes, wallpapers, panels, dock and avatar (Tyron/XFCE)
• Soplos Repo Selector: Repository management, mirror selection and sources generator
• Soplos Sys Cleaner: Dual-layer system cleaner — APT cache, orphaned packages, old kernels, firmwares, Flatpak, Snap and user cache
• Soplos AppImage Manager: Install, update and remove AppImages from a graphical interface
• Soplos WebApp Manager: Convert any website into a standalone desktop application
• Soplos System Service: Background system service that handles automatic tasks on startup

GRUB Editor, Plymouth Manager and Theme Manager are available from the Soplos repositories via Soplos Welcome or Soplos Repo Selector. In Tyron (XFCE), Theme Manager is not included in the ISO but can be installed from the Soplos repos.

Yes. Soplos Welcome includes a dedicated Kernels tab with two approaches:

• Soplos Kernel Installer (SKI): Compiles a custom kernel from source with selectable profiles. Also offers prebuilt Soplos kernels from the repository (no compilation required): Stock, BORE, BORE+NTSync, NTSync, RT, ZEN — all based on kernel 7.1
• Liquorix Kernel: Low-latency kernel optimized for desktop performance and gaming
• XanMod Kernel: Performance-focused kernel with various optimization profiles

All options are available from Soplos Welcome → Kernels with one-click installation and automatic GRUB configuration.

Soplos AppImage Manager is a graphical tool to install, manage and remove AppImage applications on Soplos Linux. AppImages are self-contained Linux applications that run without installation.

• Browse and install AppImages from a curated catalogue
• Automatic desktop integration — icons, launchers and file associations
• Check for and apply updates to installed AppImages
• Clean removal including desktop entries and integration files

Available from Soplos Welcome → Software or directly from the applications menu. See the AppImage Manager wiki page for full documentation.

Soplos WebApp Manager lets you convert any website into a standalone desktop application that launches in its own window, without browser tabs or toolbars.

• Creates a dedicated desktop entry and icon for the web app
• Launches in a minimal browser window — no tabs, no address bar
• Works with any URL: web tools, SaaS apps, streaming services
• Choose which browser engine to use as the backend

Available from the applications menu on all three Soplos variants. See the WebApp Manager wiki page for details.

For Tyron (XFCE):

• Right-click desktop → Settings → Appearance
• Use Soplos Theme Manager for easy theme switching
• Customize panels through panel preferences
• Use Soplos Docklike for a dock-style taskbar

For Tyson (Plasma):

• Right-click desktop → Configure Desktop
• System Settings → Appearance
• Download additional themes from KDE Store
• Customize widgets and panels

For Boro (GNOME):

• Settings → Appearance
• Use GNOME Tweaks (pre-installed) for advanced options
• Use Extension Manager (pre-installed) to manage GNOME Shell extensions
• Visit extensions.gnome.org for more functionality

Both desktop environments:

• Right-click on an empty area of the desktop
• Select "Desktop Settings" or "Configure Desktop"
• Choose from included wallpapers or browse for your own
• Set up slideshow mode for rotating wallpapers

Try these optimization tips:

1. Check system resources with htop or System Monitor
2. Disable startup applications you don't need
3. Clear package cache: sudo apt autoclean
4. Remove unused packages: sudo apt autoremove
5. Check for malware or resource-heavy processes
6. Consider switching from Tyson/Boro to Tyron for better performance
7. Try performance kernels through Soplos Welcome → Kernels tab (Liquorix or XanMod)
8. Add more RAM or switch to an SSD if possible

You can reset your password using recovery mode:

1. Restart your computer
2. Hold Shift during boot to access GRUB menu
3. Select "Advanced options for Soplos Linux"
4. Choose recovery mode
5. Select "root - Drop to root shell prompt"
6. Type: passwd your-username
7. Enter new password twice
8. Reboot with: reboot

Common boot fixes:

• GRUB not showing: Boot from live USB and repair GRUB
• Black screen: Try safe graphics mode or nomodeset parameter
• Kernel panic: Boot with previous kernel version from GRUB
• File system errors: Boot from live USB and run fsck

If problems persist, use our installation troubleshooting guide.

A black screen after boot with an NVIDIA GPU usually means the proprietary driver is not installed. Follow these steps:

1. At the GRUB menu, press E to edit the boot entry
2. Find the line starting with linux and add nomodeset at the end
3. Press F10 to boot — you should reach the desktop
4. Open Soplos Welcome → Drivers → Graphics and install the NVIDIA driver that matches your GPU
5. Reboot — the system will now use the proprietary driver and the black screen will not return

If you are unsure which driver to install, the Drivers tab detects your GPU model automatically and highlights the recommended option.

If the system boots directly into Windows or the GRUB menu does not appear after a dual-boot installation, the GRUB bootloader may need to be repaired. The easiest way is using Soplos Welcome Live:

1. Boot from the Soplos Linux USB (live session)
2. Open Soplos Welcome Live from the desktop
3. Go to the Repair tab and select Repair GRUB
4. Select your installed Soplos partition and confirm
5. Reboot — GRUB should now appear with both Soplos and Windows entries

This also fixes cases where a Windows update overwrote the GRUB bootloader after dual-boot was already working.

There are several ways to get help:

• Community Forums: soplos.org/forums
• GitHub Issues: Report bugs and request features
• Social Media: Follow us on X (Twitter)
• Wiki Documentation: Browse our comprehensive wiki
• Installation Guide: Step-by-step installation instructions

We welcome contributions in many forms:

• Testing: Try new versions and report bugs
• Documentation: Help improve our wiki and guides
• Translation: Translate Soplos to your language
• Development: Contribute code on GitHub
• Community Support: Help other users in forums
• Donations: Support development costs
• Spreading the word: Share Soplos with others