Navigating the New Terrain: A Guide to Fedora Atomic Desktops 44 Updates

Overview

Fedora Linux 44 has landed, and with it comes a wave of refinements for the Atomic Desktop family—Silverblue, Kinoite, Sway Atomic, Budgie Atomic, and COSMIC Atomic. This guide walks you through the most impactful changes: the migration of the issue tracker to the new Fedora forge, the debut of unified documentation, the removal of FUSE2 libraries, and the deprecation of pkla Polkit rules. Whether you're a daily driver or a tinkerer, understanding these shifts will help you transition smoothly and avoid common pitfalls.

Navigating the New Terrain: A Guide to Fedora Atomic Desktops 44 Updates — Source: fedoramagazine.org

Prerequisites

A Fedora 44 Atomic Desktop installation (any variant).
Administrative (sudo) access.
A backup of important data, especially if you use Plasma Vaults.
Familiarity with the terminal for running rpm-ostree commands.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Checking and Handling AppImage Compatibility

The removal of FUSE2 libraries from Fedora 44 Atomic images means older AppImages that depend on that runtime may stop working. Before updating, verify your AppImages:

# Check the AppImage runtime version
readelf -a /path/to/your.AppImage | grep -i "rofs" || \
ls /tmp/.mount_* 2>/dev/null | head -1

If the output shows no reference to FUSE3 or modern runtimes, the AppImage likely relies on FUSE2. After updating, test each AppImage. If they fail:

Search for a Flatpak alternative: flatpak search <app-name>
Report the issue to the upstream project and request a newer AppImage runtime.
As a temporary workaround, layer the fuse2 package using rpm-ostree install fuse2 (not recommended long-term).

2. Migrating Plasma Vaults Before or After Update

KDE no longer recommends EncFS or CryFS backends for Plasma Vaults because they depend on FUSE2. You must migrate to gocryptfs—the only supported backend going forward.

Before upgrading to Fedora 44

Open Plasma Vault and unlock your existing EncFS/CryFS vault.
Create a new vault with the same mount point and choose gocryptfs as the backend.
Copy the contents from the old mount to the new mount.
Remove the old vault from Plasma Vault settings.

If you already upgraded and lost access

Layer the legacy packages temporarily:

sudo rpm-ostree install cryfs fuse-encfs
reboot

Then unlock the old vault, migrate data as above, and finally remove the layered packages:

sudo rpm-ostree reset
reboot

After migration, verify the new vault works without any layered packages.

3. Exploring the Unified Documentation

The single documentation site for all Atomic Desktop variants is now live at the new Fedora forge. It replaces the fragmented per-variant docs. Note that translations were not migrated, so content is English-only for now. To help, watch the tracking issue atomic-desktops#10 and contribute translations once the setup is ready.

4. Using the New Issue Tracker

Cross-variant issues are now tracked on the Fedora forge (GitLab). This is the place to report bugs that affect all Atomic Desktops or coordinate work. For desktop-specific issues, use the respective SIG trackers listed in the atomic-desktops README.

Common Mistakes

Postponing vault migration: Updating before migrating can lock you out of your data until you layer legacy packages. Always migrate first.
Ignoring AppImage warnings: If an AppImage fails silently, assume FUSE2 issues and seek Flatpaks or report upstream.
Using pkla Polkit rules: Legacy *.pkla files are no longer supported. Convert them to the modern JavaScript-based format (*.rules) or they will be ignored.
Forgetting to reset layered packages: After temporary package layering (e.g., for vault migration), run rpm-ostree reset to avoid accumulating unneeded overlays.

Summary

Fedora 44 Atomic Desktops bring essential cleanup: a unified forge for issues and docs, removal of deprecated FUSE2, and stricter Polkit. Prepare by migrating Plasma Vaults to gocryptfs, checking AppImage runtimes, and discarding pkla files. These steps ensure a seamless update and a future-proof system.

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