The path from Beta 2 to Beta 3
UrsaOS started with Niri + Dank Material Shell as its own Wayland desktop. That was the right decision for Beta 2 — lean, modern, and with a clear product identity. But as the project matured, it became clear: a one-maintainer project needs a desktop platform with broad community support and long-term maintenance.
A one-maintainer project must prioritize
UrsaOS is developed by a single person. That means every component that goes into the system must work long-term — without a large team fixing things in the background. KDE Plasma offers exactly that: one of the most active open-source desktop platforms with regular releases, broad hardware support, and a stable API.
What changed
Calamares, Btrfs, Fish shell, Kitty, Starship — all of that stays the same. The installation process and core system are unchanged. What changed is the desktop itself. Instead of Niri + DMS, Plasma Wayland now runs with SDDM, UrsaOS Aurora look and Kara pager. This is not looking back — it is a step forward.
Niri remains as Beta 2
The last Niri+DMS version (v0.1.0-beta.2) remains available as a historical ISO. It will no longer be developed and the packages have been removed from the online repository. If you want to try Niri, you can still install Beta 2 from the ISO — UrsaOS is and remains an Arch-based system where you can always install your own desktop.
Open and honest
I could have kept the decision quiet. But transparency is part of UrsaOS. Everyone who tested Beta 2 or invested in Niri has a right to know why the direction changed. In short: Plasma is the better standard for a sustainable, growing project.