Linux compatibility

DOTS installs via package-manager families, not one package list per distro.

Distribution	Family	Package manager	Map	CI
Ubuntu 24.04	Debian	apt	configs/packages/apt.toml	required (Distro smoke (Ubuntu 24.04))
Debian 13	Debian	apt	same	required (Distro smoke (Debian 13))
Raspberry Pi OS	Debian	apt	same	ARM64 proxy + detection tests
Arch	Arch	pacman	configs/packages/pacman.toml	required
Manjaro	Arch	pacman	same	required
Fedora	Fedora	dnf	configs/packages/dnf.toml	required
Void	Void	xbps	configs/packages/xbps.toml	required

Model

apt    → Debian, Ubuntu, Raspberry Pi OS
pacman → Arch, Manjaro
dnf    → Fedora (and RHEL-ish when present)
xbps   → Void

Shared maps are authoritative. Distro-specific overrides are added only when a real package-name difference is confirmed — not as speculative duplicate maps.

Homebrew is not required on Linux servers; native package managers are preferred for the server profile smoke path.

Detection

helpers/linux_distro.sh reads /etc/os-release for ID / ID_LIKE / pretty name. Package installation still uses dots_detect_linux_pkg_mgr (command probes).

./dots status   # Platform: section on Linux

ARM64

PR CI includes ARM64 smoke (Debian 13) on a native ubuntu-24.04-arm runner. That proves architecture detection and the shared apt map on aarch64.

It is not identical to booting Raspberry Pi OS on Pi hardware. See Raspberry Pi.

Server profile

./bootstrap.sh --profile server (groups core modern server) is the headless smoke target across all Linux families. Distro smoke validates required package mappings against live repositories without installing the full workstation.

Manjaro / Arch notes

Use the shared pacman.toml map. Prefer base or server on headless boxes; home on desktop if you want GUI groups (many GUI tokens are macOS-oriented — review --show output).

Future (out of scope here)

• file-tank profile extending server (ZFS / SMART / nvme tooling)
• Raspberry Pi OS armhf scheduled coverage
• Debian 12 LTS lane if still needed on older hosts