 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 5, 7 July 2003 |
The Year of Linux
The year 2003 is turning to be something that many people predicted before - The Year of Linux. While our favourite operating system has been taking over the server rooms for some time, it is only now that it is beginning to make huge inroads into personal computing. Europe seems to be leading the way with several regional and local governments in various countries moving their public administration infrastructure to desktop Linux and many schools are replacing proprietary software with free one. It is ironic that all this is happening despite (or perhaps because of) SCO's current onslaught against Linux. The Economist has put things nicely in a recent issue of their magazine - if an obscure company in Utah decides to sue IBM for 3 billion dollars over Linux, it only shows one thing: how big an important Linux has become.
Will Debian survive the rise of Linux? Such was the title of a lengthy article in linmagau.org, Australia's online Linux magazine. The author expressed a worry that one day, when Linux is a lot more ubiquitous, Debian GNU/Linux will no longer be around. Unlikely as this scenario sounds now, none of us knows how the rise of Linux will impact on the volunteer and non-commercial Linux projects. Debian is a base that supplies the code and infrastructure to many other projects and even commercial companies. Can you imagine that one day there is no Knoppix, Xandros, Lindows.com, Libranet and a dozen of other Debian-based distributions?
Speaking about Lindows, the story of the last weekly edition regarding LindowsOS 4.0 did not go down well with many LindowsOS fans. While I don't believe that the story covering the release of LindowsOS 4.0 was overly negative, a few critical remarks in it were taken as a sure sign that the author is nothing but a massively biased anti-Lindows zealot. Admittedly, that was the case during the times when Lindows.com was long on promises and short on delivery, but as I've argued elsewhere, the times have changed. LindowsOS is a real product and, if the Lindows.com user forums are anything to go by, there are many happy and satisfied users who have successfully made the switch. If Lindows.com has finally delivered on those promises and has built a distribution that brings the power of Linux to non-geeks, then they deserve our respect.
That was another way of saying that you are going to see a LindowsOS 4.0 review on this site. Yes, I know - it will be reviewed to death by many other publications in the next month or two and most of you are probably not interested in it anyway. That's fine, just don't read it. But I want to make it clear that this site is not only for geeks and operating system junkies, but also for those who use their computers to accomplish tasks. If LindowsOS 4.0 is a good product, you deserve to hear it from a site that monitors the development of Linux distributions. If it isn't, then don't accuse us from being anti-Lindows, but try to see how the product can be improved. All distributions are striving to be perfect, but that's an elusive goal that cannot possibly be reached.
As for the Arch Linux review, you'll get that too. There is still no word on when Arch 0.5 will be out, but if things go right, it will hopefully coincide with the completion of the LindowsOS review. Why Arch Linux? Because it's the year 2003 and if you are still using an operating system where upgrades are done by inserting a CD and rebooting your system, then you are using a wrong OS. Even if the upgrade succeeds (which is by no means certain), you still have to go through the upgrade anxiety and take your computer off-line for the upgrade. With source-based distribution, you only ever install once. With binary distributions, the picture is grim and unless you are a Debian user and want to keep your OS up-to-date, you have little choice besides going through the scary upgrade procedure every time your distributor releases a new version. This can't be right. If Debian can do it -- and as will be revealed in the upcoming review, Arch Linux can do it as well -- why not the rest? If you know the answer, please share it in the forums below.
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| Released Last Week |
Trustix Secure Linux
It was a quiet week as far as new distribution releases are concerned and the only big news was the release of Trustix Secure Linux 2.0. Trustix is one of the more mature distributions around; the first release of the Norway-based company was announced in March 2000. However, it has been nearly 2 years since the company's last stable release, version 1.5. Trustix 2.0 is fairly cutting edge for a distribution with a security focus and the release was quickly followed by a long list of bug and security fixes. Be sure to apply them if you have Trustix 2.0 installed in a production environment.
Development Releases
SmoothWall 2.0-beta5 and Ark Linux 1.0-alpha8.1 (followed by a 1.0-alpha8.2 bug fix release two days later) were released last week. A word of warning for those who are interested in trying out the latest Ark - users report that the installation program does not allow for custom partition selection and the only two options for installing Ark Linux are "System Install" (takes over the entire hard drive) and "Express Install" (installs in available free space). This is a known issue with the installer, which is still under heavy development.
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| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
Yoper
What's up with Yoper? Andreas Girardet, the Yoper developer, has posted some information about future plans for Yoper and its transformation from a commercial distribution into a community project: "I have been offered a position in the Linux Project Team for IBM in New Zealand last week and have started to work on various Yoper unrelated projects. Yoper is as such second priority. To continue this project I need users like yourself and people with technical skills to make it grow further. Since Yoper as a commercial entity is put on hold for the moment I have to ask you all how you want Your Operating System to continue from here." Version 2 of Yoper is planned to be released within the next 6 - 9 months, it will be purely community-based and available for free download immediately after release. Find more information here.
Momonga Linux
Momonga Linux celebrated its first anniversary last week. The project was created by former developers of Kondara Linux, a popular Japanese distribution, which was discontinued in July 2002. The announcement contains a development roadmap with a beta release planned for September and final release one month later. See Momonga's press release for further information.
Definity Linux
Definity Linux has announced an imminent release of version 2.0, which has been in beta testing for the last two months. Definity Linux is a Brazilian commercial distribution based on Slackware; Definity's web site and its changelog (both in Portuguese) provide more information about the product.
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| Web Site News |
New additions
Three new distributions have been added to the database last week.
- Adamantix (formerly known as "Trusted Debian") is a Debian-based extension of the stable Debian branch, providing security-conscious users with tools such as PaX for preventing buffer overflow exploits and RSBAC for creating access control rules, among other features.
- Happy MacLinux is a Japanese distribution for PPC and m68k processors. It is based on another Japanese distribution called Holon Linux.
- TrX Live Firewall is a Turkish project created by Gürkan Sengün. TrX produces a Debian GNU/Linux-based desktop router and firewall package. This package is bootable directly from CD-ROM, so hard disk installation is not necessary. TrX is designed to work completely off the CD-ROM, with configuration data stored on a floppy disk, hard disk partition or, in future versions, on a USB storage device.
New on the waiting List
If you've ever worried that you'll run out of new distributions to play with, never fear - this week has brought in a flood of new ones, all of which have been added to the waiting list. Here they come, in alphabetical order:
- Aurora SPARC Linux. The SPARC devotees have so far been neglected by DistroWatch, but this is about to change.
- Burapha Linux. A free Linux distribution based on Slackware. The Burapha Linux project is developed at the Burapha Linux Lab at Burapha University in Thailand. It isn't a new distribution, but has not been submitted before.
- Knoppix STD. This is a customised distribution of the Knoppix Live Linux CD with security tools.
- LGIS GNU/Linux. A new Mexican distribution by LG Internet Solutions, based on Red Hat 9 with Ximian desktop as its default desktop environment.
- Momonga Linux. This is a Japanese RPM distribution started by former developers of Kondara Linux; see also the note in the "Upcoming Releases" section above.
- NBROK ZIP-drive-Linux. If you have an unused 100 or 250 MB ZIP-drive around, here is your chance to do something with it! Give your ZIP-drive a new goal, use it to run Linux! No hard disk required!
- Oralux. An audio GNU/Linux distribution for visually impaired persons, based on Knoppix.
- Panthera GNU/Linux is a new Linux distribution and that's all we know about it.
- Zeus Linux. A new Slackware-based distribution from Greece; version 1.0 is due for release shortly.
DistroWatch database summary
Number of distributions in the database: 154
Number of discontinued distributions: 19
Number of distributions on the waiting list: 41
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| Reader Feedback |
On Timesavers
- "Mostly because of DWW I decided it was time to sign up for timesavers and support a worthwhile resource. But I see you haven't had anything new to say about it since April. Is it still a going concern?"
Yes, the Timesavers are being worked on. The Timesavers programme was introduced to get the fans and frequent visitors of DistroWatch support this site in exchange for extra benefits. These include custom comparisons, searches, up-to-date mirror lists and other features, which are still being developed. However, in its unfinished state, the idea has yet to prove itself - only 140 people have signed up for it since its launch in January this year.
As a result, I have been forced to concentrate some of my efforts on other income generating activities, such as building up an advertising clientele and writing for third-party publications. I am pleased to report that this effort has paid off and several satisfied advertisers now provide much of the financial support for running DistroWatch.
This means that I can turn my attention to Timesavers. The most often requested feature is a custom comparison table listing up to 10 distributions side-by-side for easy comparison. The highest priority at the moment is to update the package list and include all the new packages (this will kill a few days), but as soon as that is done, I will get to creating the custom comparison page -- and that's a promise. The price of admission to Timesavers is US$17.50, which is a one-off payment for unlimited access to all areas of DistroWatch, including all new features. The information on this site will of course remain free for all, but those of you who are willing to support it, will get a few extra features, which hopefully save you time and money in the long run. Read about the Timesavers in more detail here.
On DistroWatch icons
- "It seems the new icon is not as beautiful as the previous one." "Hate the new Watch logo, tho. Keep trying."
Anybody out there with logo design talent? As you can see, my "creativity" last week came under some criticism and I need your help. If you can design an original logo, banner or any artwork for DistroWatch, please send them in; I'd really appreciate your work. Authors of the best efforts will be rewarded with free access to Timesavers.
On font sizes
- "My version of Mozilla (1.3) set at the default Text Zoom size [100% (Original Size)] renders DistroWatch main body text at an unusually small font size (I would venture 8-pt). I
rarely come across sites that display text so small, whatever the organiation's intention."
A possible explanation is that unlike most other web sites, DistroWatch uses Unicode (UTF-8) encoding for all text on the site. This is to make it more accessible to audience using non-Latin alphabets by providing navigation menus in their native languages. In your Mozilla preferences dialog, navigate to Appearance/Fonts, then select "Unicode" from the "Fonts for" drop-down box. This is where you
should set a minimum font size and adjust other font properties. Most other browsers provide similar options for adjusting font sizes.
That's all for this week, see you next Monday,
Ladislav Bodnar
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| Reader Comments • Jump to last comment |
1 • upgrading Linux (by warpengi on 2003-07-07 07:54:14 GMT)
I have been running Mandrake since 8.0. I have never been able to upgrade successfully. Thankfully Mandrake installs /home as a separate partition so all I have to do is format the other partitions and do a new install.
I was playing with some other distros recently and was shocked to discover that was not standard practice. Guess that means I am using a wrong OS:-0 but it works for me.
2 • upgrading Linux, Yoper, Logo (by Benjamin Vander Jagt at 2003-07-07 09:14:13 GMT)
This is very intriguing. I've never thought of upgrading that way. In their defense, though, Red Hat has made updating very easy and reliable without need for reboot. Of course, that's updating as opposed to upgrading. Upgrading still requires rebooting with CD #1 in the drive. However, that works very well, too, as I've even told it to "upgrade" from a Red Hat 8.0.94 beta to 8.0 (8.0.94 became 9), and it worked perfectly. Those who need to upgrade without taking the system down may still be able to after a laborous task of inserting, say, Rawhide RPMs. I've had very good luck with this.
I forgot to mention that J.A.M.D. 0.0.6 comes with Synaptic, and I've installed large items, including GNOME with it. Synaptic can probably accomplish the task for J.A.M.D. users. I'd like to take this moment to plug my project, DLIP (dlip.sourceforge.net), which upon completion will, among many other things, make automated updates very easy to implement into Linux distributions.
As for Yoper, which I've written so many bad reviews of, I'm glad and quite proud of them. Many thanks and congratulations to Mr. Girardet. I wish the best for him and the Yoper team. Yoper has a few things to its advantage, including a very fast boot. I am not quite sure, but I don't *think* I've tried the most recent version (the actual release version) of Yoper. (Too bad this means slighty reduced advertising revenue, eh? hehe)
For the logo, I personally recommend the person who did the logo for Vector. It just *feels* like Slackware, and Slackware *feels* like geek. It's some sort of cutting edge feeling, slick, elegant and mysterious, noble, simple, high-tech logo. There are more words to describe it, but I think I've gone overdescriptive already. I'm pretty sure the designer is easy to find, too. I'll check on the Vector boards.
By the way, and I regret not having said this earlier, I really like DistroWatch Weekly. It brings to me the joy that a newspaper brings to normal people...and you can quote me on that.
3 • running as root (by Benjamin Vander Jagt at 2003-07-07 09:20:16 GMT)
Also, thanks for defending the position that some people do want to run as root (as you did in the "Lindows.com - Friend or Foe?" review you linked to in this week's DWW). I did myself for a while, even though my computer is a server and client holding some precious data. Of course, the vast majority of users should run as users. The only reason I switched back to running as a user was that Wine kept complaining that it wouldn't create certain files unless I had a user to run as.
4 • Thank you! (by Nisse Jouni on 2003-07-07 09:38:28 GMT)
Hello!
I'd like to thank the staff of Distrowatch.com. The site has been very important to me. I'm a "OS freak" I've tried dozens of linuxdistros, and finally I've have find the perfect distro for me, Debian. Thank you wery much...
P.S. Can I help your project somehow?
5 • RE: running as root (by ladislav at 2003-07-07 11:39:32 GMT)
No, I wasn't defending the run-as-root concept - I was merely looking at it from the point of view of those who market Lindows and who want to reduce the complexity of an operating system for non-technical users. Using the OS for general tasks while logged in as root is wrong, period.
6 • Updgrading distros (by Leo on 2003-07-07 14:32:20 GMT)
I have had very good luck upgrading RedHat (6.0 up to 7.3), and then Mandrake (9.0->9.1). In almost all cases I upgraded from the CDs, no big deal. You choose the "upgrade" mode, and this is it. Mandrake is in general easier, at least to me. I even upgraded a box just using URPMI, a la debian. No problems whatsoever. All packages got upgraded with no conflicts.
Lots of people suggest "clean installs", which is not appropriate nor convenient in most cases. The other thing to consider is bandwidth. Not everyone have fast internet connections to upgrade from the net.
All in all, Mandrake (with urpmi and its software management from the control center) has made my life so easy in this regard. Mandrake made my computing easier in many aspects but this is off-topic :-) My 2 cts.
7 • Waiting list (by Leo on 2003-07-07 14:37:55 GMT)
Ladislav, the waiting list is growing and growing. Distros are blooming, some of them very small and specific. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised to see more distros in the waiting list than being tracked some time soon. Do you have any ideas on this respect ? (like installing a voting booth or something similar so that you only track, say, 100 o 150 distros).
Cheers !
8 • RE: Waiting list (by ladislav at 2003-07-07 15:23:00 GMT)
Well, based on my experience, about half of them won't survive the 3-months waiting period. As an example, take the PlumpOS project at http://plumpos.sourceforge.net/ - the author emailed me with a request to list his distro, but 3 months later, the project page has a blurb about some other interesting projects taking priority over PlumpOS. This is usually the first sign of the project being on life support, so don't be surprised if the current release candidate never matures into a final release. Other projects appear to be in a similar situation. I'll keep them on the waiting list for another 3 months and if I don't see any new activity, I'll drop them from the list.
All new distributions will added as they come. Many projects seem nothing but clones of existing distributions, but there are still plenty of interesting ideas worth a look. It's tough though - you really have to do something right to break into the top league (like Knoppix).
What can I do besides sorting out the big distribution mess and present it here in a more logical and organised fashion? It has been fun so far, so I'll just keep going :-)
9 • Logo (by DaveW on 2003-07-07 17:45:54 GMT)
I'm no designer, but suggest you shorten the name to DistroWeek (as in Newsweek, Business Week, etc) and just put it in a nice serif font.
10 • *sigh* oh well. :-p (by Benjamin Vander Jagt at 2003-07-07 18:40:31 GMT)
"I was merely looking at it from the point of view of those who market Lindows and who want to reduce the complexity of an operating system for non-technical users. Using the OS for general tasks while logged in as root is wrong, period."
Of course, that's the reason I was running as root. The way I use my computer, running as a user gave me no extra security. I was always su-ing to root to do everything, like tweaking GATOS, installing software, messing with settings, accessing customer's hotswapped hard drives, etc. It's true that I could just keep su-ing as I needed, but in a few computers here, it just made more sense to log in, even to X, as root, such as for my little bro, little sis, and mom, who know what they want to do but not always how.
I'm back to running as a user now and often find myself having to startx -- :1 as root to get things done more quickly and easily. For the record, I've never lost any data or had any systemwide problems running as root. Also for the record, I don't recommend running as root except under certain circumstances. (If you don't mind having the security of a Windows box but want the power of a Linux box, running as root *might* be for you.)
I don't use illegal drugs, but I don't think it's "wrong, period" (other than being illegal, of course). I think that there are more legitimate uses than people admit to, for both drugs and root.
Let's keep in mind that wonderful security and a true userspace is not what separates Linux from Windows, where any user can access any files. Linux was the best operating system back in 1991, because it's GPL. What makes Linux special is the shedding of counterproductive and immoral copyright and patent laws.
FreeDOS runs as the administrator. Does that make it "wrong"?
I like DaveW's idea for the name change. I think it could still use a more graphical logo, though. As it is now, it definitely stands out from the rest of the headlines. It's easy to spot. Of course, that's a good thing, and a logo ought to take that into consideration. Serif text might do that, or perhaps the headline's text could be in a different color.
11 • Arch live CD (by Penguin Domesticus on 2003-07-07 20:55:03 GMT)
I just noticed that Arch Linux now has a live CD too: http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?t=768. When you review Arch on DW, maybe you should at least mention that (unofficial?) live CD there too?
I read that the live CD can be used to install Arch on HD too. As you've to manually edit various config files etc. when installing Arch, maybe this CD project makes the installation a bit more straightforward for us non-gurus too?
It's nice also that there's now a bit more Arch documentation than before. (Yea, maybe also I'll try installing and configuring Arch again with more success this time...;-/)
12 • Upgrading Mandrake (by LB06 at 2003-07-08 15:09:58 GMT)
Starting from 8.1 upgrading can be done flawlessly through URPMI. Just add ftp.mirror.com/.../current/.../RPMS (I'd pick main, contrib and plf) to your sources and whenever the new release hits your mirror, it can easily be upgraded. Cooker is also an option (à la Debian Unstable).
13 • Mandrake Linux 9.1 User Guide available (by W T Zhu on 2003-07-09 09:18:27 GMT)
Documents available online at http://doc.mandrakelinux.com/MandrakeLinux/91/
and the first beta version of Mandrake 9.2 will come into being soon, hopefully nextweek!
14 • Distro Watch Logo (by darkproximity at 2003-07-09 12:07:07 GMT)
I have created a logo, not sure where i should send it in to, i'll give you a link, tell me what you think. I can make any changes necessary, just tell me what it needs (if anything) http://darkprox.brokli.org/DistroWatchlogo.png
15 • Distro Watch Logo (by darkproximity at 2003-07-09 12:08:37 GMT)
Heh, i should probably leave some contact info, you can email me at darkproximity@brokli.org
16 • updated logo (by darkproximity at 2003-07-09 16:09:33 GMT)
after being contacted about my original logo design, i made a new one, this time to ladislav's specifications, check it out (feedback appreciated)
http://darkprox.brokli.org/DistroWatchlogo2.png
17 • to make money (by sfernald at 2003-07-09 23:07:49 GMT)
Ladislav, now that your site is popular to make enough money, have you thought about charging "distros" to be listed on your site? Maybe a nice $50 per month fee. Or you could make it a pay-per-click site. "Distros" have to pay $.03 per click sent to your site.
If that makes you uncomfortable, perhaps you could charge a $100 "rush" fee which will promote distros on the waiting list to main page immediately.
Just some ideas. Hope things go well for you.
18 • No subject (by W T Zhu at 2003-07-10 01:20:26 GMT)
What's more, what we exactly need is the DistroWatch Weekly logo, so the concept of Weekly would be somehow represented.
19 • Re: to make money (by Leo on 2003-07-10 01:48:07 GMT)
Regarding the "rush fee", this is implemented in Distro watch, it is implemented and explained here:
http://www.distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=about
The fee is $30
20 • About: will Debian survive the rise of Linux? (by L Gandolfo at 2003-07-10 02:17:11 GMT)
My answer to that question is: yes, definitely.
But the following is needed:
A modern installer, easy and with good hardware detection. The following Debian based distros have managed to do it: Lindows (absolutely magic). Libranet. Xandros. Knoppix: this last one is 100percent Debian, and although the HD installer is far from perfect, it could make a very good starting point.
2) Its own kernel, regularly updated, so that Debian users can update it through apt-get
3) Easier access to popular commercial application, like RealPlayer, Flash..I am not sure how this could be achieved, but if you can very easily find RPM versions, why not Debs?
21 • DistroWatch Weekly logo (by darkproximity at 2003-07-10 03:02:00 GMT)
heres a logo for the main page, for the distrowatch weekly link, the background is transparent, notify me if any color changes are needed.
http://darkprox.brokli.org/distrowatchweekly.png
22 • Debian... (by Spiritraveller at 2003-07-10 14:01:34 GMT)
1) Debian could definitely use a better installer... at least one that works on Intel machines. Morphix is another cd-based Debian distro that you can install to harddrive. It's installer works very well and it's graphical too!
2) Actually, you can already update your kernel through apt-get. Just run "dpkg -l kernel-image*" and you will get a list of available precompiled kernels.
3) You can also get a lot of commercial applications through apt-get. But you have to use unofficial repositories because it is against Debian policy to include any "non-free" software in the official distribution. Just go to www.apt-get.org and do a search for the application you want. Cut and paste one of the repositories into your sources.list file. Both realplayer and flashplayer are available.
23 • About the DW Weekly logos... (by Penguin Domesticus on 2003-07-10 14:19:35 GMT)
I don't really mind what sort of logos you use, and those things are always a matter of taste. But as this subject has been taken under discussion now, I'd like to say that the newest DW Weekly logo - though basically ok (like the one Ladislaw had made was too...) - may look a bit too decorative (is it a bus ticket, or a serif's badge?).
Usually most pro designers like plain stylish simple logos that emphasize the subject and not themselves, consistent with the general style guidelines of the project. Non relevant decoration in logos (and for example in window manager styles too) that only hide the message/function are usually only a sign of unprofessionalism (the reason why I hate most Enlightenment window manager themes, btw).
Why not first make the Weekly logo text short enough? I liked the previous suggestion of the title "Distro Week". No more text is necessarily needed in the logo. And then remove any non-relevant elements from the logo? Just my 2 cents worth though. It is anyway good to see people contributing their grahics to help the site.
24 • RE: About the DW Weekly logos... (by ladislav at 2003-07-11 14:13:06 GMT)
I was hoping for more logo submissions, but so far only darkproximity has made any effort. I would like to see several logos and get some comparisons/voting going... It looks like I'll have to repeat the call again next week. Many people are quick to criticise, but scurry away when asked to contribute some ideas. Oh, well...
25 • dw logos (by darkproximity at 2003-07-12 12:49:24 GMT)
Were you just looking for the distrowatch weekly logos, or other ones too? because i can make more :)
26 • Distrowatch Weekly (by Coolcmsc at 2003-07-12 20:15:19 GMT)
Here is some feedback on ELX.
A couple of weeks ago an editorial here attracted a bit of debate http://www.distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=20030623.
This realted to DistroWatch's measure of 'Activity'. This is apparently partly being measured in terms of support, mainly on their forums.
I purchased vs 2.0 the day Disrtowatch came out and posted a reply to the above address. Here is what happened next:
1. ELX replied to an e-mail I sent expressing concern having read Distro' Weekly. They replied within 24 hours with a request: Would I like to wait until the Friday (4/7/2003) for dispatch of my distro, in hwich case I would ger vs 3.0 - about to be released they said. I was amazed at the speed and supportive reply! I note there is nothing on DistroWatch about upcoming distros nor is there on their site about vs 3.0.
2. That was 1/7/2003. Today is 12/7/2003, I am in the UK and they are in Asia. I am now starting to drum my fingers, so to speak.
By the way, they have 2 sets of forums:
http://www.hdox.com/phpBB2/index.php and http://elxlinux.org/elx/innercircle/Forum/
Did you survey both for your editorial? I will be back with info as to when (if) my distro arrives and the support I got during install.
Coolcmsc.
Number of Comments: 26
Display mode: DWW Only • Comments Only • Both DWW and Comments
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| • Issue 1167 (2026-04-06): Origami Linux 2026.03, answering questions for Linux newcomers, Ubuntu MATE seeking new contributors, Ubuntu software centre is expanding Deb support, FreeBSD fixes forum exploit, openSUSE 15 Leap nears its end of life |
| • Issue 1166 (2026-03-30): NetBSD jails, publishing software for Linux, Ubuntu joins Rust Foundation, Canonical plans to trim GRUB features, Peppermint works on new utilities, PINE64 shows off open hardware capabilities |
| • Issue 1165 (2026-03-23): Argent Linux 1.5.3, disk space required by Linux, Manjaro team goes on strike, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA driver support and builds RISC-V packages, systemd introduces age tracking |
| • Issue 1164 (2026-03-16): d77void, age verification laws and Linux, SUSE may be for sale, TrueNAS takes its build system private, Debian publishes updated Trixie media, MidnightBSD and System76 respond to age verification laws |
| • Issue 1163 (2026-03-09): KaOS 2026.02, TinyCore 17.0, NuTyX 26.02.2, Would one big collection of packages help?, Guix offers 64-bit Hurd options, Linux communities discuss age delcaration laws, Mint unveils new screensaver for Cinnamon, Redox ports new COSMIC features |
| • Issue 1162 (2026-03-02): AerynOS 2026.01, anti-virus and firewall tools, Manjaro fixes website certificate, Ubuntu splits firmware package, jails for NetBSD, extended support for some Linux kernel releases, Murena creating a map app |
| • Issue 1161 (2026-02-23): The Guix package manager, quick Q&As, Gentoo migrating its mirrors, Fedora considers more informative kernel panic screens, GhostBSD testing alternative X11 implementation, Asahi makes progress with Apple M3, NetBSD userland ported, FreeBSD improves web-based system management |
| • Issue 1160 (2026-02-16): Noid and AgarimOS, command line tips, KDE Linux introduces delta updates, Redox OS hits development milestone, Linux Mint develops a desktop-neutral account manager, sudo developer seeks sponsorship |
| • Issue 1159 (2026-02-09): Sharing files on a network, isolating processes on Linux, LFS to focus on systemd, openSUSE polishes atomic updates, NetBSD not likely to adopt Rust code, COSMIC roadmap |
| • Issue 1158 (2026-02-02): Manjaro 26.0, fastest filesystem, postmarketOS progress report, Xfce begins developing its own Wayland window manager, Bazzite founder interviewed |
| • Issue 1157 (2026-01-26): Setting up a home server, what happened to convergence, malicious software entering the Snap store, postmarketOS automates hardware tests, KDE's login manager works with systemd only |
| • Issue 1156 (2026-01-19): Chimera Linux's new installer, using the DistroWatch Torrent Corner, new package tools for Arch, Haiku improves EFI support, Redcore streamlines branches, Synex introduces install-time ZFS options |
| • Issue 1155 (2026-01-12): MenuetOS, CDE on Sparky, iDeal OS 2025.12.07, recommended flavour of BSD, Debian seeks new Data Protection Team, Ubuntu 25.04 nears its end of life, Google limits Android source code releases, Fedora plans to replace SDDM, Budgie migrates to Wayland |
| • Issue 1154 (2026-01-05): postmarketOS 25.06/25.12, switching to Linux and educational resources, FreeBSD improving laptop support, Unix v4 available for download, new X11 server in development, CachyOS team plans server edtion |
| • Issue 1153 (2025-12-22): Best projects of 2025, is software ever truly finished?, Firefox to adopt AI components, Asahi works on improving the install experience, Mageia presents plans for version 10 |
| • Issue 1152 (2025-12-15): OpenBSD 7.8, filtering websites, Jolla working on a Linux phone, Germany saves money with Linux, Ubuntu to package AMD tools, Fedora demonstrates AI troubleshooting, Haiku packages Go language |
| • Issue 1151 (2025-12-08): FreeBSD 15.0, fun command line tricks, Canonical presents plans for Ubutnu 26.04, SparkyLinux updates CDE packages, Redox OS gets modesetting driver |
| • Issue 1150 (2025-12-01): Gnoppix 25_10, exploring if distributions matter, openSUSE updates tumbleweed's boot loader, Fedora plans better handling of broken packages, Plasma to become Wayland-only, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1149 (2025-11-24): MX Linux 25, why are video drivers special, systemd experiments with musl, Debian Libre Live publishes new media, Xubuntu reviews website hack |
| • Issue 1148 (2025-11-17): Zorin OS 18, deleting a file with an unusual name, NetBSD experiments with sandboxing, postmarketOS unifies its documentation, OpenBSD refines upgrades, Canonical offers 15 years of support for Ubuntu |
| • Issue 1147 (2025-11-10): Fedora 43, the size and stability of the Linux kernel, Debian introducing Rust to APT, Redox ports web engine, Kubuntu website off-line, Mint creates new troubleshooting tools, FreeBSD improves reproducible builds, Flatpak development resumes |
| • Issue 1146 (2025-11-03): StartOS 0.4.0, testing piped commands, Ubuntu Unity seeks help, Canonical offers Ubuntu credentials, Red Hat partners with NVIDIA, SUSE to bundle AI agent with SLE 16 |
| • Issue 1145 (2025-10-27): Linux Mint 7 "LMDE", advice for new Linux users, AlmaLinux to offer Btrfs, KDE launches Plasma 6.5, Fedora accepts contributions written by AI, Ubuntu 25.10 fails to install automatic updates |
| • Issue 1144 (2025-10-20): Kubuntu 25.10, creating and restoring encrypted backups, Fedora team debates AI, FSF plans free software for phones, ReactOS addresses newer drivers, Xubuntu reacts to website attack |
| • Issue 1143 (2025-10-13): openSUSE 16.0 Leap, safest source for new applications, Redox introduces performance improvements, TrueNAS Connect available for testing, Flatpaks do not work on Ubuntu 25.10, Kamarada plans to switch its base, Solus enters new epoch, Frugalware discontinued |
| • Issue 1142 (2025-10-06): Linux Kamarada 15.6, managing ZIP files with SQLite, F-Droid warns of impact of Android lockdown, Alpine moves ahead with merged /usr, Cinnamon gets a redesigned application menu |
| • Issue 1141 (2025-09-29): KDE Linux and GNOME OS, finding mobile flavours of Linux, Murena to offer phones with kill switches, Redox OS running on a smartphone, Artix drops GNOME |
| • Issue 1140 (2025-09-22): NetBSD 10.1, avoiding AI services, AlmaLinux enables CRB repository, Haiku improves disk access performance, Mageia addresses service outage, GNOME 49 released, Linux introduces multikernel support |
| • Issue 1139 (2025-09-15): EasyOS 7.0, Linux and central authority, FreeBSD running Plasma 6 on Wayland, GNOME restores X11 support temporarily, openSUSE dropping BCacheFS in new kernels |
| • Issue 1138 (2025-09-08): Shebang 25.8, LibreELEC 12.2.0, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, the importance of software updates, AerynOS introduces package sets, postmarketOS encourages patching upstream, openSUSE extends Leap support, Debian refreshes Trixie media |
| • Issue 1137 (2025-09-01): Tribblix 0m37, malware scanners flagging Linux ISO files, KDE introduces first-run setup wizard, CalyxOS plans update prior to infrastructure overhaul, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1136 (2025-08-25): CalyxOS 6.8.20, distros for running containers, Arch Linux website under attack,illumos Cafe launched, CachyOS creates web dashboard for repositories |
| • Issue 1135 (2025-08-18): Debian 13, Proton, WINE, Wayland, and Wayback, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, KDE gets advanced Liquid Glass, Haiku improves authentication tools |
| • Issue 1134 (2025-08-11): Rhino Linux 2025.3, thoughts on malware in the AUR, Fedora brings hammered websites back on-line, NetBSD reveals features for version 11, Ubuntu swaps some command line tools for 25.10, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA support |
| • Issue 1133 (2025-08-04): Expirion Linux 6.0, running Plasma on Linux Mint, finding distros which support X11, Debian addresses 22 year old bug, FreeBSD discusses potential issues with pkgbase, CDE ported to OpenBSD, Btrfs corruption bug hitting Fedora users, more malware found in Arch User Repository |
| • Issue 1132 (2025-07-28): deepin 25, wars in the open source community, proposal to have Fedora enable Flathub repository, FreeBSD plans desktop install option, Wayback gets its first release |
| • Issue 1131 (2025-07-21): HeliumOS 10.0, settling on one distro, Mint plans new releases, Arch discovers malware in AUR, Plasma Bigscreen returns, Clear Linux discontinued |
| • Issue 1130 (2025-07-14): openSUSE MicroOS and RefreshOS, sharing aliases between computers, Bazzite makes Bazaar its default Flatpak store, Alpine plans Wayback release, Wayland and X11 benchmarked, Red Hat offers additional developer licenses, openSUSE seeks feedback from ARM users, Ubuntu 24.10 reaches the end of its life |
| • Issue 1129 (2025-07-07): GLF OS Omnislash, the worst Linux distro, Alpine introduces Wayback, Fedora drops plans to stop i686 support, AlmaLinux builds EPEL repository for older CPUs, Ubuntu dropping existing RISC-V device support, Rhino partners with UBports, PCLinuxOS recovering from website outage |
| • Issue 1128 (2025-06-30): AxOS 25.06, AlmaLinux OS 10.0, transferring Flaptak bundles to off-line computers, Ubuntu to boost Intel graphics performance, Fedora considers dropping i686 packages, SDesk switches from SELinux to AppArmor |
| • Issue 1127 (2025-06-23): LastOSLinux 2025-05-25, most unique Linux distro, Haiku stabilises, KDE publishes Plasma 6.4, Arch splits Plasma packages, Slackware infrastructure migrating |
| • Issue 1126 (2025-06-16): SDesk 2025.05.06, renewed interest in Ubuntu Touch, a BASIC device running NetBSD, Ubuntu dropping X11 GNOME session, GNOME increases dependency on systemd, Google holding back Pixel source code, Nitrux changing its desktop, EFF turns 35 |
| • Issue 1125 (2025-06-09): RHEL 10, distributions likely to survive a decade, Murena partners with more hardware makers, GNOME tests its own distro on real hardware, Redox ports GTK and X11, Mint provides fingerprint authentication |
| • Issue 1124 (2025-06-02): Picking up a Pico, tips for protecting privacy, Rhino tests Plasma desktop, Arch installer supports snapshots, new features from UBports, Ubuntu tests monthly snapshots |
| • Issue 1123 (2025-05-26): CRUX 3.8, preventing a laptop from sleeping, FreeBSD improves laptop support, Fedora confirms GNOME X11 session being dropped, HardenedBSD introduces Rust in userland build, KDE developing a virtual machine manager |
| • Issue 1122 (2025-05-19): GoboLinux 017.01, RHEL 10.0 and Debian 12 updates, openSUSE retires YaST, running X11 apps on Wayland |
| • Issue 1121 (2025-05-12): Bluefin 41, custom file manager actions, openSUSE joins End of 10 while dropping Deepin desktop, Fedora offers tips for building atomic distros, Ubuntu considers replacing sudo with sudo-rs |
| • Issue 1120 (2025-05-05): CachyOS 250330, what it means when a distro breaks, Kali updates repository key, Trinity receives an update, UBports tests directory encryption, Gentoo faces losing key infrastructure |
| • Issue 1119 (2025-04-28): Ubuntu MATE 25.04, what is missing from Linux, CachyOS ships OCCT, Debian enters soft freeze, Fedora discusses removing X11 session from GNOME, Murena plans business services, NetBSD on a Wii |
| • Issue 1118 (2025-04-21): Fedora 42, strange characters in Vim, Nitrux introduces new package tools, Fedora extends reproducibility efforts, PINE64 updates multiple devices running Debian |
| • Issue 1117 (2025-04-14): Shebang 25.0, EndeavourOS 2025.03.19, running applications from other distros on the desktop, Debian gets APT upgrade, Mint introduces OEM options for LMDE, postmarketOS packages GNOME 48 and COSMIC, Redox testing USB support |
| • Issue 1116 (2025-04-07): The Sense HAT, Android and mobile operating systems, FreeBSD improves on laptops, openSUSE publishes many new updates, Fedora appoints new Project Leader, UBports testing VoLTE |
| • Full list of all issues |
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Archcraft
Archcraft is a minimal Linux distribution based on Arch Linux. The project provides a graphical user interface using minimal window managers rather than full featured desktop environments. Archcraft is installed using the Calamares system installer and includes the yay package manager to facilitate fetching software from the Arch User Repository.
Status: Active
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Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
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