# Good explanation on why we should use “Atomic” instead of “Immutable”

**URL:** <https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/good-explanation-on-why-we-should-use-atomic-instead-of-immutable/1833>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [May 22, 2024, 3:15pm UTC](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/good-explanation-on-why-we-should-use-atomic-instead-of-immutable/1833 "2024-05-22T15:15:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![f0nzie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/97f17d/32.png) [@f0nzie](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/u/f0nzie)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2024, 3:15pm UTC](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/good-explanation-on-why-we-should-use-atomic-instead-of-immutable/1833/1 "2024-05-22T15:15:11Z")

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![IMG_4218](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/univeral_blue/original/2X/3/3511cdd9604dd2891f12be67ff79a7561f1a97f7.jpeg)

Found here: [Introducing Fedora Atomic Desktops - Fedora Magazine](https://fedoramagazine.org/introducing-fedora-atomic-desktops/)

This post is pretty good as well. Watch the video.

> **[I am ok with Fedora Atomic brand now](https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/i-am-ok-with-fedora-atomic-brand-now/86235/57)**
>
> (I’m going to soapbox for a minute, apologies ahead of time). The issue with perpetuating this naming is things like this: (Not bad vibes towards the author, this is just an example). People think that “immutable” a top level feature, a thing...

[https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/AtomicDesktops](https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/AtomicDesktops)

> **[“Immutable” → reprovisionable, anti-hysteresis](https://blog.verbum.org/2020/08/22/immutable-%E2%86%92-reprovisionable-anti-hysteresis/)**
>
> This is going to be a longer blog entry, but here’s a TL;DR: I propose that instead of "immutable" or "read-only" when talking about operating systems (such as Fedora Core…

 ![IMG_4219](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/univeral_blue/original/2X/2/27e5716f2ebab8ab7d77eb55c48e78d9ff22e289.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![fenglengshun](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/universal-blue.discourse.group/fenglengshun/32/367_2.png) [@fenglengshun](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/u/fenglengshun)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 1:01pm UTC](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/good-explanation-on-why-we-should-use-atomic-instead-of-immutable/1833/2 "2024-05-24T13:01:30Z")

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I agree that Immutable isn’t correct. However, it has taken its own meaning in Linux Desktop community and become its own ‘genre’ of distro (which itself is a very broad term - see the whole “Is Universal Blue a distro?” conversation).

I don’t know if Atomic will take over as a name, given that Atomic is now associated with Fedora and meanwhile you have other OS doing its own version of ‘Immutable’ (VanillaOS, Nitrux, SteamOS) and then there’s the whole Declarative/Composable descriptor which doesn’t necessarily mean ‘Immutable’ but Immutability is often part of the discussion.

The way I see it? Immutable is a genre. Much like how ‘Rock’ is a genre, that has since evolved to have hybrids like ‘Pop Rock’, ‘Heavy Rock’, ‘Prog Rock’, etc. I think it falls upon the time and place you’re discussing the subject - I would just say ‘upbeat electric music’ as the type of music I like if the topic comes up in real life, but I’d specifically say ‘Future Core’ if I’m talking online or with people who’d know about less popular music genre so that they can easily find examples of what I’m talking about.

_Yes_, I think we should talk about Immutability and Atomicity like it’s Rock and Roll. Embrace that Punk mentality.