Compatibility¶

Inhereted compatibility¶

PureOS is derived from the Debian releases listed below. All Debian hardware requirements apply to PureOS.

PureOS version	PureOS suite	Debian version	Debian suite
11.*	`crimson`	12	`bookworm`
10.*	`byzantium`	11	`bullseye`
9.*	`amber`	10	`buster`

Hardware¶

All Purism devices are compatible with any version of PureOS. PureOS will likely work on most x86-based non-Purism computers.

Minimum system requirements¶

Component	Minimum Specification
CPU	AMD x86-64 (K8) or better
CPU	Intel 64 – Core or better
RAM	4 GB
Storage	15 GB for system
Graphics	Intel based
Wireless	Atheros chipset

Android/Windows phones¶

PureOS is not compatible with Android or Windows smartphones. There are several reasons for this:

These devices cannot work without proprietary parts that PureOS does not ship;
These devices will not work with the latest mainline kernel (system’s core) found in PureOS; they need older versions with proprietary parts;
Even if you have a device that does not fall under the previous issues, there is still a decent amount of work needed to make it possible to install and start on those devices.

Printers¶

Supported printers are plug-and-play within PureOS without requiring driver installation. The following resources can help you determine a printer featuring optimal compatibility:

Firmware¶

All devices sold by Purism include any necessary drivers within the PureOS kernel.

PureOS only provides free- and open-source software (FOSS), and excludes proprietary and non-free drivers and firmware. If your device does not have any FOSS drivers available for certain hardware components e.g. wireless network card, these components will be unavailable for use unless proporietary drivers are manually installed. Devices that require proprietary/non-free drivers or firmware MAY NOT function properly or at all.

If you intend to purchase new hardware specifically to run free software operating systems such as PureOS, we recommend that you avoid proprietary or closed hardware.

Software¶

Quite a lot of applications are available on PureOS. Every software package available in Debian repositories should run on PureOS.

For the list of applications available with the default install, please review the default applications. You are welcome to browse all the PureOS software for more detail.

Windows applications¶

Many Windows applications may be run on PureOS, but not all of them may be compatible.

We recommend Wine emulator to run Windows applications on PureOS. Please check the listings on the Wine website for specific details regarding application compatibility. For more advanced users, you can use included virtual machine application, GNOME Boxes (gnome-boxes), to run a full Windows operating system inside PureOS and run any and all Windows application that you like. As with all virtual machines, there will be a performance impact.

Tip

PureOS developers cannot recommend these methods for privacy or security concerns. Running an .exe or .msi installer can open one’s computer to security vulnerabilities, malware and other privacy issues. However, this can be done if you are interested or need to run a certain Windows application.

It is easy to locate alternative programs to common Windows or Mac software.

Many users are unaware of what alternative programs are available for certain proprietary Windows or Mac software they would like to use. The easiest way to determine what alternative programs there are is to open up Software Center, where you can type the software you are familiar with by name to see a list of alternatives. If there is no match for the exact name you’re looking for, you can browse by category, or generalize your search. If you prefer a web search, you can use https://osalt.com.