A curious developer took it upon himself to revive this *iconic* gem.

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Hannah Montana Linux (HML), the iconic 2009 Linux meme distro built on Kubuntu with hot pink Disney branding, has been revived in 2026 by developer Noah Cagle. The new version is based on Debian 13 with non-free repositories enabled, uses Debian's live-build tooling, and features a heavily customized KDE Plasma desktop with a recreated pink theme. The wallpaper was rebuilt from the original 2009 PNG, the color scheme is a modified Breeze copy, and the installer uses Calamares. A lighter LXQt-based variant (HML26 Lite) is available for older hardware, and a standalone KDE theme is offered for existing Plasma users. The project is available on GitLab and is primarily a passion project.

Return of The Meme! Hannah Montana Linux Lives Again in 2026

HML in the big 26?! still better than winslop 11

There’s something genuinely delightful about reviving a meme distro with modern, maintainable tooling. Rebuilding it on Debian 13, offering a lighter LXQt edition, and separating the KDE theme turns nostalgia into a surprisingly usable community project.