The Mageia project has unveiled the initial alpha ISO for its upcoming Mageia 10 Linux distribution, powered by the Linux kernel 6.18 LTS. This early build invites developers, testers, and enthusiasts to evaluate forthcoming features ahead of the planned April 2026 release. Notably, it maintains support for 32-bit architectures despite industry shifts away from them.
In mid-December 2025, the Mageia community announced plans for its tenth major release. Now, on January 10, 2026, the project has progressed with the approval and public availability of the first alpha ISO for Mageia 10. This development snapshot runs on the long-term support Linux kernel 6.18, providing a platform for early feedback from users.
The software stack in this alpha includes several updates. PHP development centers on version 8.5, while continuing support for 8.4. Python remains at the versions currently in the Cauldron development repository, with no immediate shift to 3.14. For Java, version 21 serves as the LTS option for general use, and Java 25 is available as an optional package for 64-bit systems. Compilers and toolchains utilize GCC 15.2 and LLVM 20.1.8, which the team intends to stabilize for the final release. Meanwhile, efforts are advancing to migrate Golang packages toward Go 1.25.x.
Desktop environments receive attention as well, with live and install images featuring Plasma 6.5, GNOME 49, and Xfce 4.20. Application updates are in motion, such as LibreOffice advancing from 25.8.3 to 26.2 by early 2026.
A key highlight is the persistence of 32-bit (i686) support in the classical installer ISOs, alongside 64-bit options, even as upstream projects phase out 32-bit maintenance. This alpha marks an important testing phase, allowing the community to identify issues before the stable April 2026 rollout. ISOs are available for download from the official Mageia site.
