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# openSUSE Wants to Replace Leap With a New Offering
- URL: https://itsfoss.com/news/opensuse-leap-replacement/
- Published: 2023-09-11T12:14:00.000Z
- Updated: 2023-09-12T04:24:15.000Z
- Description: openSUSE Leap is set to be replaced with a new option. Learn more about it here.
- Author: Ankush Das
- Tags: Development Updates, News, #Import 2025-11-08 21:15

Richard Brown, a long-time contributor to the openSUSE project, shared some results from a recent contributor survey. 

It was about the interest and feasibility of replacing openSUSE Leap with a new community-built offering. Yes? A replacement to openSUSE Leap?

Interesting news, right? 😳

It's not shocking. The openSUSE team [hinted](https://lists.opensuse.org/archives/list/factory@lists.opensuse.org/thread/N6TTE7ZBY7GFJ27XSDTXRF3MVLF6HW4W/?ref=itsfoss.com) at Leap being discontinued in **2022** with the introduction of the **Adaptable Linux Platform** (ALP). So, it was expected.

But, what are the options to replace openSUSE Leap with?

## A Derivative of Tumbleweed Likely to Replace Leap

As per the replacement proposal, we have two options:

- **Linarite**: *A regular old-fashioned release desktop distribution, likely with a narrower package selection than we're used to with Leap unless we find significantly more contributors to be able to support everything*
- **Slowroll**: *A derivative of Tumbleweed, built automatically as much as possible, using automation and metrics to copy packages from Tumbleweed only after certain conditions (max age, X weeks without change, etc). Basically an attempt to provide something less scary than full speed Tumbleweed.*

📋

As an update to this story, OpenSUSE now has a [webpage for Slowroll](https://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:Slowroll?ref=itsfoss.com) for you to test.

However, the survey results show a mixed bag of opinions.

Most **users** choose "**Slowroll**" as a viable replacement going forward, which they would like to contribute to.

In contrast, **contributors** voted not to replace openSUSE Leap or use Tumbleweed instead.

But, when choosing one option, the contributors chose "**Linarite**".

So, the users and existing contributors have different choices.

OpenSUSE decides to go with the users' preference as Slowroll, a rolling release distro. It would need more contributors than what the survey highlights as interested.

Richard also revealed that either of the **two replacements will need more effort than Leap**, and as of now, the **contributors interested in both options are fewer in number when compared to Leap**. 

> Leap has struggled even with 61 folk contributing directly to the codebase and backports/PackageHub. And this is when we've had the SLE codebase to borrow from, which dramatically reduced the work required.  
>  
> Either Slowroll or Linarite would require considerably more packaging and maintenance work than Leap.

He also emphasized that **any Leap replacement should focus on desktop use cases** rather than trying to cater to both server and desktop.

## To Replace or Not?

The [announcement of survey results](https://lists.opensuse.org/archives/list/factory@lists.opensuse.org/thread/KJMMAZFTP2MPKWKFZCYUROZFJ44BNVB5/?ref=itsfoss.com) challenges the community to answer if openSUSE should proceed with replacing Leap or not.

And, if they go ahead, can the community help them support it?

*💬* *What do you think should be the final decision for openSUSE? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.*