If you haven't heard of Clear Linux OS, it is Intel's performance-focused Linux distribution that was tailored for Intel hardware and optimized for speed, power efficiency, and security in cloud and desktop environments.
It is uncommon for semiconductor manufacturers to maintain their own Linux distro, but Intel did it to demonstrate the full potential of its processors through aggressive performance tuning and hardware-specific optimizations.
Sadly, it is being discontinued. 😓
So Long, Clear Linux OS
In a forum post, Arjan van de Ven from the Clear Linux Project confirmed that the distro is officially discontinued. He explained that support has ended, and while no further updates will be made, the existing repositories will remain available, with all of them being archived in a read-only state sometime in the future.
He also added that:
So, if you’re currently using Clear Linux OS, we strongly recommend planning your migration to another actively maintained Linux distribution as soon as possible to ensure ongoing security and stability.
Rest assured that Intel remains deeply invested in the Linux ecosystem, actively supporting and contributing to various open-source projects and Linux distributions to enable and optimize for Intel hardware.
Moreover, this checks out with Intel's ongoing restructuring, which plans to cut over 5,000 jobs across four U.S. states, with the largest cuts happening in Oregon and California.
And just recently, the Intel WMI Slim Bootloader "SBL" firmware update driver was orphaned after its maintainer, formerly employed by Intel, left the project.
In the end, it's always sad to see a Linux distro go away, especially one that was this unique. If you’re using Clear Linux OS, I’d suggest checking out our Best Linux Distributions list. There’s a good chance you’ll find something that works well for you. 👇
Ankush Das
