SparkyLinux 8.4, the latest release of the Debian 13-based distribution codenamed "the Seven Sisters," has reintroduced 32-bit installation images a year after they were dropped in version 8.0. The move is aimed at owners of older hardware, such as Atom-powered netbooks, since 32-bit code generally has a smaller memory footprint than 64-bit equivalents, and the release could also suit small virtual machines.

The distro offers rolling-release and stable variants with a choice of desktops including LXQt, MATE, Xfce and KDE, alongside minimal command-line and Openbox editions, all managed via Sparky's own Aptus package manager. The Register tested both the 64-bit LXQt edition, installed easily via the Calamares graphical installer, and the 32-bit "minimal GUI" edition, which requires a command-line installer and now needs a 686-class CPU with PAE support. Both use Linux kernel 6.12, and the 32-bit build ran the classic CDE desktop comfortably in a 1GB RAM, 8GB disk virtual machine, using just 259MB of memory and 6.9GB of storage; it ships its own 32-bit build of Firefox 140 ESR, as Mozilla has ended mainstream 32-bit Linux support after Firefox 144.