There are already plenty of Ubuntu variants out there, so what makes Rhino Linux stand out? The clue is in its former name, T Rolling Rhino Remix. Unlike Ubuntu and virtually all its derivatives, Rhino Linux follows a rolling release model, which means that rather than freeze its core repositories at point of release, as each major version of Ubuntu does, the packages within can be updated with the latest versions at any point to ensure you’re always working with the latest available release. The concept isn’t new to Linux, of course – Arch Linux is the most obvious proponent of this approach, a single version that is continuously updated as opposed to the separate point release approach of Ubuntu. The secret to Rhino’s successful adoption of this approach – like so much else in its code – is the clever integration and cannibalisation of existing tools and technologies, as we’ll see in this feature.
The project first saw the light of day under the title Rolling Rhino Remix in late March 2022. At first it was little more than a series of script-based tools that handled the updates, but it soon started to investigate alternative methods.
In October 2022, Rolling Rhino Remix was shelved in favour of a more ambitious successor (see https:// for details). Rhino Linux 2023.1 rolled out in August 2023 as a fully functional Ubuntu variant, with its own custom desktop and wrapper that brings together multiple package managers under one roof. Version 2023.3 rolled out in October, offering builds for both ARM64 and x86/x64 PCs
