SparkyLinux 2025.12 Brings Kernel 6.17 and Updated Desktop ISOs

The Sparky team has rolled out the latest ISO images, 2025.12, its third semi-rolling update of the year—for all enthusiasts of this lightweight Linux distro, based on Debian’s upcoming “Forky” testing branch.

The release pulls in packages from the Debian and Sparky testing repositories as of December 14, 2025. It ships with the Linux kernel 6.17 by default, while long-term-supported kernels, 6.18 LTS, 6.12 LTS, and 6.6 LTS, are available through the Sparky repositories.

Core system components have also been updated, including Firefox 140.5 ESR, Thunderbird 140.5 ESR, and GRUB 2.14 from a recent development snapshot.