ROSA Linux
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Headquarters | Russia |
| Products | ROSA Linux (ROSA Desktop Fresh, ROSA Enterprise Desktop, ROSA Enterprise Linux Server) |
| Website | www |
ROSA Linux is a Linux operating system distribution created by the Russian firm AO NTC IT ROSA (). It comes in three variants: ROSA Desktop Fresh, ROSA Enterprise Desktop, and ROSA Enterprise Linux Server, with the latter two editions aimed at business customers. The desktop versions incorporate proprietary components such as Adobe Flash Player, multimedia codecs, NVIDIA drivers, and Steam.
The most recent desktop version, ROSA Desktop Fresh 13.0, released on 28 February 2025, supports four desktop environments: KDE Plasma 6, GNOME, LXQt, and Xfce. It also includes proprietary open source utilities developed internally like ROSA Image Writer and ROSA Media Player. ROSA Linux is officially certified by the Ministry of Defence of Russia.
Although it is predominantly favored within Russian-speaking regions, ROSA Desktop has received positive feedback globally. The German technology website Golem.de praised its reliability and extensive hardware compatibility, while LinuxInsider.com referred to it as "a genuine Powerhouse."
History
ROSA began as a derivative of the discontinued French distribution Mandriva Linux and has evolved independently since then. The company behind ROSA was established in early 2010, with its inaugural operating system version debuting in December 2010. Initially targeting enterprise clients, ROSA introduced its consumer-focused distribution, Desktop Fresh, in late 2012. Before Mandriva's insolvency, it partnered with ROSA on its final releases. Notably, Mandriva 2011 was based on ROSA’s platform. Furthermore, MagOS Linux derives from ROSA.
ROSA
| Version | Desktop environment | Release date | Linux kernel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 "Hydrogen" | KDE | 29 August 2011 | — |
| 2012 LTS "Marathon" | 13 May 2012 | — | |
| Desktop.Fresh 2012 | 19 December 2012 | — | |
| Desktop Fresh R1 | 17 July 2013 | — | |
| Desktop Fresh R2 | 4 December 2013 | — | |
| Desktop Fresh R3 | KDE, GNOME | 29 April 2014 | 3.10.34 |
| Desktop Fresh R4 | KDE, LXDE | 8 October 2014 | 3.14.15 |
| Desktop Fresh R5 | KDE, LXDE, GNOME | 25 December 2014 | 3.14.25 |
| Desktop Fresh R6 | KDE | 15 July 2015 | 3.14.44 |
| Desktop Fresh R7 | KDE 4, KDE 5, LXQt | 5 January 2016 | 4.1.15 |
| Desktop Fresh R8 | KDE 4, KDE 5, GNOME 3, MATE | 2 August 2016 | 4.1.25 |
| Desktop Fresh R8.1 | KDE 4 | 22 February 2017 | 4.9 LTS |
| Desktop Fresh R9 | KDE 4, KDE 5, GNOME 3, LXQt | First half of 2017 | 4.9.20 LTS |
| Desktop Fresh R10 | KDE Plasma 5, KDE Plasma 4, LXQt | 4 December 2017 | 4.9 |
| Desktop Fresh R11 | KDE Plasma 5, KDE Plasma 4, Xfce, LXQt | 15 March 2019 | 4.15 |
| Desktop Fresh R11.1 | KDE Plasma 5,KDE Plasma 4,Xfce,LXQt | 23 April 2020 | 5.4.32 |
| Fresh 12 | KDE Plasma 5 | 12 October 2021 | 5.10.71 |
| Fresh 12.1 | KDE Plasma 5,GNOME41 | 12 November2021 | 5.10.74 |
| Fresh12.2 | KDE Plasma5,GNOME41,LXQt | 14 February2022 | |
| Fresh12.3 | KDE Plasma5,GNOME42,LXQt,Xfce | 31 October2022 | 5.15.75 |
| Fresh12.4 | KDE Plasma5,GNOME,LXQt,Xfce | 4 April2023 | 6.1.20 LTS |
| Fresh12.5 | KDE Plasma5,GNOME,LXQt,Xfce | 2 April2024 | 6.6.47 |
| Fresh13 | KDE Plasma6,GNOME | 28 February2024 | 6.12.13 |
ROSA Chrome
| Version | Desktop environment | Release date | Linux kernel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12.4 | KDE Plasma 5 | 26 April 2023 | 6.1 |
| 12.5 | KDE Plasma 5 | 30 May 2024 | 6.6 |
| 12.6 | 6 November 2024 |
ROSA Mobile
| Version | Supported models | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | R-FON | 11 September 2023 |
| 2.0 | R-FON | 14 March 2025 |
Reception
LinuxBSDos.com evaluated ROSA Desktop Fresh R2 featuring GNOME, observing that although the Fresh series aims to provide the most recent software versions, this edition utilized GNOME 3.8.4 instead of the later GNOME 3.10 release. The website also assessed this version with KDE as well as earlier editions such as Fresh and Marathon 2012.
In October 2012, Dedoimedo commended ROSA Marathon 2012 for its sophisticated design, streamlined interface, and a tailored KDE environment that integrated elements reminiscent of Gnome. The reviewer also examined ROSA Desktop Fresh R7, emphasizing its overall user experience.
Jesse Smith contributed a review of ROSA Desktop Fresh 2012 R1 for DistroWatch Weekly, highlighting the carefully designed boot menu which defaults to booting from the local drive to avoid installation conflicts. He characterized the KDE desktop as vibrant with a pale blue wallpaper and mentioned an installer bug that necessitated a reboot to fix. Smith additionally covered the Fresh R9 release, providing continuous insights into ROSA’s progress.