 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 20, 20 October 2003 |
"Free" versus "Commercial"
The release of Mandrake Linux 9.2 last week marked an important point on the MandrakeSoft's road. It happened for the first time in the distribution's 5-year history that the final product was withheld until retail boxes are ready for shipment. While most users can understand this policy of a company which has a duty to report to its stakeholders, from a purely user point of view, it did take some fun away. The usual rush to search for fast download mirrors, the excitement of installing from the freshly burnt CDs or the thrill of waiting for the first boot to complete - for many Mandrake users, last week was nothing but a nostalgic reminiscence of the good times when Mandrake Linux releases were available immediately, free for all.
This brings up the old debate of choosing a distribution, not just based on features, but also on its status in terms of "free" (beer). In the past, this distinction was often blurred - Mandrake was a prime example of being a commercial company, yet giving the product away for free - until they learnt the hard way that the two concepts are in severe conflict. Some companies, such as Xandros, Lindows.com and even SUSE knew this from the beginning and chose not to give their work away, at the expense of surrendering market share to those who did. As with the recent release of Lycoris Desktop/LX, an increasing number of Linux companies are trying to restrict or delay the availability of their new products. In fact, of the major and established Linux distributions, the only commercial company that makes the product freely available immediately after release is Slackware.
Will this trend lead to increased migration to non-commercial distributions? While many small distributions are indeed free in both senses of the word, of the major ones there isn't that much of a choice. Enough has been said about Debian and Gentoo - wonderful as they are, they are far from being the most user-friendly products on the market. Are there any truly free distributions for those who have little interest in tinkering with their operating system? One of the more promising ones is Ark Linux. Although still in heavy development, the product has attracted some highly skilled developers with great new ideas. Don't be surprised if Ark Linux becomes one of the top Linux distributions in the not-too-distant future.
Arabic Linux
Perhaps the greatest strength of the Linux operating system and free software is the world-wide developer community, working out of sheer interest. This has been demonstrated by a massive and ongoing volunteer effort at translating popular applications and documentation into many languages, including some obscure ones or some which have a complex writing system. Arabic and Farsi (Persian) are two languages that have attracted much volunteer effort in recent months. And the results are becoming more and more visible. The Arabic Linux community has a unifying umbrella under Arabeyes.org (web site in English), with one of the projects being the Arabbix distribution. Arabbix is a modified version of Morphix and the first public release, version 0.8, was announced last weekend. Still in the Middle East, the Iran Linux User Group is currently working on another live CD project called Shabdix (web site in Farsi). While the distribution is not yet available for public download, a first review (in Farsi) with a handful of screenshots has been published by Technotux.
Screenshot: Arabbix Desktop (full image size 837kB)
|
| Released Last Week |
Office optimized Linux 17.00o
antitachyon - Manalo & Willner OEG have announced a release of Office optimized Linux (OoL) 17.00o: "OoL - Office optimized Linux 17.00o, a new Linux distribution series based on Server optimized Linux was released today. OoL 17.00o is a distribution customized and optimized for office use, with the easy-to-use KDE desktop with lots of programs for document-, appointment-, e-mail-, and media-management. As a special highlight, OoL 17.00o is presented with Open Office 1.1.0. The distribution OoL - Office optimized Linux can be downloaded for free or bought at a low price in the SoL-shop." Visit the above links for the rest of the press release and further information.
Damn Small Linux 0.4.9
Damn Small Linux 0.4.9 has been released. From the changelog: "For simplifying the restoration of apt after a HD install, I wrote a small script that will do the work of restoring the dpkg database so people don't have to do it manually. To use it type 'sudo dpkg-restore'. I brought emeLFM more into the DSL system, now it should launch installed programs when items are clicked on; also, now it will open with $HOME on one side and '/ ' on the other. Also added is nfs-common (lockd, statd, showmount, and nfsstat) and protmap which should allow DSL to act as a thin client (thanks for the suggestion Robert S.)..." More in the changelog.
Mandrake Linux 9.2
The much awaited Mandrake Linux 9.2 has been released: "Mandrake 9.2 is now available (press release here)! Celebrate this five-star new release with us: discover all its features and all new Packs, including the very new "Discovery" office/multimedia desktop pack. Mandrake Club Members and all 9.2 contributors (developers, translators...) can download Mandrake 9.2 ISOs at MandrakeClub with the BitTorrent technology. Additionally, Mandrake Club Silver Members and above can even download the first three ISO images from the PowerPack! If you aren't a Club Member yet, either you can subscribe right now, or download Mandrake 9.2 from the raw tree, or wait the public release of Mandrake 9.2 ISO images, by the end of October, when all packs will be available in retail. Last but not least you can pre-order your pack or your DVD now at MandrakeStore.com to be among the first to receive it when it begins shipping." The announcement says it all.
GNU/LinEx 3.0r2
A new version of GNU/LinEx has been released. Version 3.0r2 marks an important transition in the development of GNU/LinEx - from now on only software released under GPL or GPL-compatible license will be included in the distribution. Some of the important changes in this release include: upgrade to OpenOffice 1.1; new OpenOffice QuickStart applet; new configuration tools for setting up network, users and printers; upgrade to MPlayer 1.0rc2; inclusion of some LinEx-edu files currently under development; removal of Java and NVIDIA drivers; bug fixes; updated Spanish translation. Existing installations can be upgraded via 'actualizar-linex'. See the full announcement (in Spanish) for further details.
SUSE LINUX 9.0
SUSE has updated the web page detailing features of the new SUSE LINUX 9.0: "We would like to invite you to get to know SUSE LINUX 9.0 before you decide to order it. The new SUSE LINUX 9 boasts a number of innovative technologies that greatly facilitate the system migration for Linux newcomers. Experienced Linux users benefit from additional system administration and system tuning features. Click here to read the interview with Chris Schläger, Director of Distribution Development, in which he explains the most important new features in detail. The time is ripe for SUSE LINUX on the home PC. SUSE LINUX is more than an efficient and stable operating system. SUSE LINUX comes with all applications you need for the Internet, office, images, audio, video, and network. Check out ten good reasons why you should migrate to SUSE LINUX as soon as possible." Visit the above links for all the glory details. If you are still hesitating, you can test drive the new SUSE 9.0 by downloading its new Live-Eval CD from one of the mirrors.
Arabbix 0.8
Arabbix is a new distribution in our database. Developed by Anmar Oueja and based on Morphix, Arabbix claims to be the world's first Arabic live CD. The release was announced on Arabeyes.org: "Arabeyes would like to announce the first full public release of Arabbix. Version 0.8 will be distributed (courtesy of the Saudi Computer Society) at Gitex in Dubai (Oct 19 - 23) and is, as always, available for download free of any charges. Arabbix includes most applications an Arab user might require or need. Arabbix is not only intended to attract new users and to cement the virtues of Open Source and Linux as a fully functional Arabic desktop medium, but is also hoped that it will engrave into people's hearts and minds Arabeyes' 'can be done' and 'results oriented' attitude and goals." See the Arabbix project page for more details and screenshots.
Local Area Security Linux 0.4 MAIN
A new stable version of Local Area Security Linux (L.A.S.), MAIN branch, version 0.4, has been released: "I am pleased to announce the release of Local Area Security Linux 0.4 MAIN! Many additions and bug fixes have been made since the beta version. Over 60 new packages have been added. As well as existing packages being updated to the current releases. Another addition of importance is Fabian Franz's 'toram' linuxrc routine to copy the CD image into RAM. This allows the utilization of CD burners etc. All that is required is enough physical RAM to load the image (185MB). Many additions to the website will go along with this release are slated to be added over the coming days as well. Please feel free to use our forums to report issues, make comments, or seek help." Read the complete announcement.
Development Releases
Unannounced Releases
|
| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
Oralux 1.00
Oralux has published a roadmap leading to its 1.00 release, with outlook towards version 2.00: "We wish to follow a humble and pragmatic approach. First with Oralux 1.00, targeting users who know GNU/Linux or who are able to learn it. Release 2.00 will more concern the persons who have no particular skill to use a computer, whereas the computer would be useful for them. The intuitive interface will help the newcomer to go towards the Emacspeak and Emacs world." See the rest of the roadmap for further details.
OpenNA Linux 1.0
After many months in development, the server oriented OpenNA Linux 1.0 is ready for release."The new Official OpenNA Linux 1.0 (VSLC) O/S is now in its stable and working stage and is listed as a new product on our e-commerce for USD $47.95 to be introduced officially on October 31, 2003. We count on our loyal customers to support OpenNA during this tough period by purchasing at a pre-official introduction price of USD $37.95 our new OpenNA Linux O/S. Remember that your participation will help us to continue to support and serve you continuously." ISO images will be available on 31 October.
Eagle Linux 3.0
Eagle Linux, a bootable CD toolkit based on Debian, will also be released on 31 October: "Eagle Linux version 3.0 will be released on October 31, 2003. As you may know, Eagle Linux is developed by a single individual (with the assistance of a handful of beta testers). A family issue has kept Eagle from furthering development until this time. My deepest apologies to those of you who have been awaiting this release, and my deepest gratitude to those who have. If you would like to subscribe to the Eagle Linux mailing list, please send an email with the word subscribe in the subject."
LinuxInstall.org now supports Fedora Core 0.95 on DVD
LinuxInstall.org has announced support for the Fedora Project: "The Fedora Project is a Red-Hat-sponsored and community-supported open source project. LinuxInstall.org now supports Fedora Project by offering Fedora Core 0.95 Test Release on DVD for only $10 including basic installation support. LinuxInstall.org still offers Fedora Core 0.95 in 3 CD-SET is for only $5."
|
| Web Site News |
Many thanks to Stanislaw for translating parts of the site into Polish.
New additions
- Burapha Linux. Burapha Linux is a free Linux distribution developed from Slackware. The Burapha Linux project is developed at the Burapha Linux lab, computer science department, Burapha University, Thailand. The primary purpose of development is for the computer science students to learn the infrastructure of a UNIX system, and apply the acquired knowledge in their research and projects. The installation program was first developed by Mr. Ham, and other custom packages were further developed by computer science students at the Burapha linux lab. While Burapha Linux is a derivative of Slackware Linux, it now contains a completely different installation system, a different feature set, and some additional custom packages. For example, Thai language features, database management system packages and different network feature sets have been added to meet user requirements.
- AbulÉdu. AbulÉdu is a French Linux distribution, specifically designed for data processing in educational establishments. Originally based on Mandrake Linux, the most recent release is based on Debian/Knoppix.
- Berry Linux. Berry Linux is a bootable CD Linux with automatic hardware detection and support for many graphics cards, sound cards, SCSI and USB devices and other peripherals. Berry Linux can be used as a Linux demo, educational CD or as a rescue system. It is not necessary to install anything on a hard disk, although this option is also available (it needs 1.2GB of hard disk space). Berry Linux is based on Red Hat Linux and Knoppix.
- ThePacketMaster Linux. ThePacketMaster (TPM) Linux Security Server gives you a full toolkit of open source security software to perform vulnerability assessments and penetration testing. Forensic analysis tools are also included. TPM Linux boots and runs from the CD-ROM - this allows any machine to instantly run TPM Linux, without having go through an installation. Just put the TPM Disc into the CD-ROM drive and boot from it. TPM Linux has a wide selection of open-source security auditing utilities and computer forensic toolkits. Since the programs can all be run from the CD, nothing needs to be installed on the system in order to collect evidence, helping to ensure the evidence isn't damaged in any way.
- BlackRhino GNU/Linux. BlackRhino GNU/Linux is a free Debian-based GNU/Linux software distribution for the Sony PlayStation 2. It contains over 1,200 software packages to aid in using and creating programs for the Sony PlayStation 2 Linux kit. The programs range in functionality from simple games, to text editors, compilers, web servers, windowing systems, database systems, graphics packages, mail servers and a variety of other tools and utilities. The software distribution was created by xRhino for a commercial Sony PlayStation 2 title. It is released in the hopes that the distribution will help hobbyists create their own games and applications that utilise the advanced programmable hardware of the PS2.
- Drinou Linux. Drinou Linux is an operating system of the Linux family, based on Slackware Linux distribution and on kernel 2.2.x. It can be installed both on an ext2 filesystem (on a dedicated partition) or on a DOS filesystem (as a loopback device). It can be installed from DOS, Linux, in umsdos mode or via FTP. Basic installation requires a 486 PC with 8 MB RAM and 105 MB minimum hard disk space. During the installation another 150 MB will be used.
- Arabbix. Arabbix is the world's first Arabic Live-CD (run-from-CD) distribution that showcases Arabeyes' and others' accomplishments and results - it includes most of the applications an Arab user might require or need. Arabbix is not only intended to attract new users and to cement the virtues of Open Source and Linux as a fully functional Arabic desktop medium, but is also hoped that it will engrave into people's hearts and minds Arabeyes' "can be done" and "results oriented" attitude and goals.
- Local Area Security (L.A.S.) Linux. Local Area Security Linux is a 'Live CD' distribution with a strong emphasis on security tools and small footprint. We currently have 2 different versions of L.A.S. to fit two specific needs - MAIN and SECSERV. This project is released under the terms of GPL.
New on the waiting list
- Ankur Bangla Live! CD is a Knoppix-based live CD with support for the Bangla (Bengali) language.
- BioBrew Linux is an open source Linux cluster distribution that is enhanced for life scientists. BioBrew automates cluster installation, includes all the HPC software a cluster enthusiast needs, and contains popular bioinformatics applications.
- Console Linux is a commercial Brazilian Linux distribution.
- MUMi-LinuX is a server-specific distribution made in Turkey.
- Gentooish Security Toolkit i386 LiveCD is Gentooish Linux LiveCD with many security tools, usable in any i386 and above.
Removed from the waiting list
- PlumpOS, which has not released any files during the past 6 months.
DistroWatch database summary
- Number of distributions in the database: 188
- Number of discontinued distributions: 24
- Number of distributions on the waiting list: 65
|
| Reader Feedback |
On Elx Linux 3.0
- "I contacted the people at ELX and they said that 3.0 will be released very soon. While not much has been going on, it seems to be alive as well as I got a very quick response."
On old Red Hat releases
- "I'm interesting not in the newest, but in the oldest ones. Since you should know a lot about Linux distributions, I decided to ask this question to you: Do you have an idea where to get old Red Hat Linux releases (Mother's Day or 2.0/3.0?). I've looked through ftp.redhat.com and mirrors and ftp.ibiblio.org/pub/historic-linux but things I've found there can be hardly seen as a complete distro. Any help will be greatly appreciated."
Red Hat removed their earliest releases from FTP servers a long time ago and they are very hard to find. If any of the readers know where to find one, or if any of you have some old CDs (or floppy disks) lying around, please let us know.
A note of absence
Please note that I will be taking a short break away from my computer for a few days this week, during which news updates will come slower than usual - sorry about that. All should be back to normal by the end of the week.
That's all for this week, keep well and see you next Monday :-)
Ladislav Bodnar
|
| Tip Jar |
If you've enjoyed this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly, please consider sending us a tip.
(Tips this week: 0, value: US$0.00) |
|
|
|
 bc1qxes3k2wq3uqzr074tkwwjmwfe63z70gwzfu4lx  lnurl1dp68gurn8ghj7ampd3kx2ar0veekzar0wd5xjtnrdakj7tnhv4kxctttdehhwm30d3h82unvwqhhxarpw3jkc7tzw4ex6cfexyfua2nr  86fA3qPTeQtNb2k1vLwEQaAp3XxkvvvXt69gSG5LGunXXikK9koPWZaRQgfFPBPWhMgXjPjccy9LA9xRFchPWQAnPvxh5Le paypal.me/distrowatchweekly • patreon.com/distrowatch |
|
| Extended Lifecycle Support by TuxCare |
|
|
| Reader Comments • Jump to last comment |
1 • old red had releases (by ray carter at 2003-10-20 12:42:53 GMT)
The 'Bookman's' chain of book stores frequently has old copies of RedHat.
2 • A productive week (by W T Zhu on 2003-10-20 12:50:46 GMT)
Eight new distributions were added to Distrowatch's database, and there comes the long waited Mandrake Linux 9.2. When I entered the laboratory on the morning of October 16, I found that BitTorrent had completed downloading "FiveStar". I re-installed two machines without hesitation, one is my workstation, and anther is my network firewall through which I and my labmates access the Internet. Do not be surprised to know that the firewall is such a "full-featured" PC -- no CD-ROM drive, no floppy drive, only a PII-350 CPU which is very popular in late 1990s -- and Mandrake Linux 9.2 do runs smoothly on such a firewall!
3 • Ancient distributions (by Richard at 2003-10-20 12:50:58 GMT)
You can buy copies of very old linux distros (e.g. Debian 0.93R5, Red Hat 1.1) from this website:
http://www.telug.it/pgmarket/shopping/?id=157
I don't know if they ship overseas, though...
4 • Old Distro's and Not so Free Linux (by Honaby at 2003-10-20 14:46:06 GMT)
Why bother finding the old ones? it's like using Turbo Pascal 5 when you can use Delphi... just curious!
Regarding the Commercial Linux Distros, "Money" is the thing that gives high quality to a certain product. I've seen a lot of free stuff but I haven't seen anything that matches the quality of their commercial equivalent.
5 • Free vs Commercial (by Honaby at 2003-10-20 14:55:58 GMT)
By the way, I just wanted to add something....
For me, there's only 2 kinds of linux distro... A commercial Distro that became free which uses the term "Community" because it cannot maintain its profitability. And the other is a free or "Community" distro which is being "SOLD" or "MASKED" using a different name (which is wise!) and uses the community to help it develop then sells the finish product back to the ones who helped built the distro which is the "Community".
I guess you all know what I'm trying to say here... hehe.
6 • Re: "Money" is the thing that gives high quality (by fdavid on 2003-10-20 16:13:52 GMT)
"Regarding the Commercial Linux Distros, "Money" is the thing that gives high quality to a certain product."
Wanted to say expertise?
"I've seen a lot of free stuff but I haven't seen anything that matches the quality of their commercial equivalent."
You should look further. You must have missed sg.
7 • re: "Money" is the thing that gives high quality (by Syntaxis at 2003-10-20 17:07:06 GMT)
I second fdavid's post. You haven't been looking closely enough. Here are some of the things that have apparently passed you by; I'm using Debian as an example because that's what I use and therefore what I know best.
Debian is still pretty much the leader the field in terms of packaging quality and integration throughout the distribution as a whole (see http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ and http://www.debian.org/doc/developers-reference), plus an enormous amount of software is provided in one central package repository so you don't have to scrabble around on freshrpms or other third party sources for everything, as you do with the RPM-based distributions. Additionally, debs support "suggests" and "recommends" fields whilst RPMs do not, which means less fine-grained package management. Debian also supports 11 architectures, far more than any commercial distribution is ever likely to.
Those are just a few examples off the top of my head. That's not to say it's the perfect distribution (far from it - heck, *nothing* is perfect) but there are most certainly areas where Debian matches or surpasses its commercial equivalents. I'm sure you could find plenty more examples in other community-developed distros too, were you to only open your eyes.
8 • Re: "Money" is the thing that gives high quality (by TheClient at 2003-10-20 17:14:21 GMT)
I am so glad that it was just your opinion. If the opensource developers all had the same opinion as yours, Linux and other opensource projects wouldn't be where they are today.
9 • Older releases (by n0dez at 2003-10-20 17:30:46 GMT)
Hello,
Here you can find older releases of Red Hat Linux, Slackware Linux, FreeBSD, etc.
http://www.n0dez.com/
Just click on the flavor/distro and scroll down (look for "Miscellaneous"). Please note that the same FTP mirror could be hosting older releases of other Linux distros/*BSD flavors.
I hope this helps you.
n0dez
10 • Old CDs (by n0dez at 2003-10-20 17:47:01 GMT)
Oops, I forgot.
I do have some old CDs lying around...
FreeBSD 1.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.5, 3.0
Slackware Linux 2.2, 2.3, 3.0, 96 (3.1), 3.9
Red Hat Linux 4.1, 6.2
This is what I've found so far. I might have other releases.
The main problem is that my Website is hosted for free and don't have enough space and bandwidth to host these ISOs.
n0dez
11 • SuSE (by Anonymous on 2003-10-20 18:52:29 GMT)
SuSE does give their work away (FTP version), just not the ISO installation form and without included licensed commercial applications.
12 • Money? (by wouter at 2003-10-20 22:31:25 GMT)
Honaby said: "Money" is the thing that gives high quality to a certain product.
You say that on a Linux site?...
In fact, the only guarantee that people want to have the best product, is if they do it with love and pride. Money has nothing, ever, to do with guaranteeing quality, especially not in this over-commercial shove-the-crap-down-your-throat times. It's just handy to pay ignorant marketing liars or pay off "alliances", "business friends" or to lobby it in big corporations or governments.
13 • "Money" (by Honaby at 2003-10-21 03:11:06 GMT)
Ladislav said: Debian and Gentoo - wonderful as they are, they are far from being the most user-friendly products on the market.
See, the problem with Debian and Gentoo is its just plain hard to install and configure. Its like saying "Install at your own risk!" or "This is free... so prepare to lose some money on damages it will incur if you miss configure it!"
Syntaxis said: plus an enormous amount of software is provided in one central package repository so you don't have to scrabble around on freshrpms or other third party sources for everything
Well, you are right about that, sites like Freshrpms only posts "Quality Stuff". Thats the reason why not all of the useless stuff are present. Same goes to other third party sources.
Anyway, this is just my opinion, no harm meant. By the way, even the Debian web site has a link for donations!
14 • Example of good free software (by Benjamin Vander Jagt at 2003-10-21 05:59:31 GMT)
Perhaps higher quality tangible products cost more, but as the great teachers from the Free Software Foundation have taught us, software is not a tangible product. Pay for servers, CDs, books, installation services, technical support, custom-built software, and other stuff, but if you pay for public software that might as well be developed by the free software community, you're probably wasting money.
J.A.M.D. Linux fits on one CD, provides all the tools you need, provides Synaptic for the easiest ever software installation, is nicely organized, and is based on Red Hat, the most widely supported Linux.
J.A.M.D. surpasses Red Hat in hardware compatibility, intuitive layout, upgradeability, speed, reliability, usability, and even warmth in the support forum.
It's so easy to use, I would prefer to set grandma's up with J.A.M.D. than any Windows. Adding software is a matter of selecting it and telling Synaptic to install it. It's so much more comfortable to use. It starts faster and uses less memory than Red Hat. I could go on and on. (I don't use J.A.M.D. myself, as I've switched to Slackware, but J.A.M.D. really is *very* good!)
I can't wait to see J.A.M.D. fix up the horrid, deformed blob that Fedora 0.95 will turn into.
(Sometimes, you can get an idea how messy a distro is based on the kind of bugs you get. Well, after installing the nVidia drivers, the kernel informed me that it can't load ELF binaries.....do what?! I killed Gnome. How? I added a user. After adding one new user, Gnome would not let any users other than root to log in. Oh, and for some reason, building the 2.6.0-test8 kernel gives me compiler errors, though it doesn't give me compiler errors in Slackware. I still really like Red Hat 8.0, but something really changed after Phoebe. Fedora *might* do better, considering that the reiserfs module is back by popular demand. We'll see...sorry for my ranting...)
15 • No subject (by fdavid on 2003-10-21 08:39:04 GMT)
<>
Yes, life is hazardous. You take too much risk, anyway. So I wouldn't suggest you to drive a car, because you have to do it at your own risk. What's worse, at other's risk, as well. But I must admit, installing a non-commercial distro doesn't mean so mauch risk. I've never seen a damaged hardware because of a misconfigured linux distro. I'm not even sure that a misconfigured stable kernel can damage any of your hardware. But if you have problems with kernel configuration, preconfigured kernels are usaully also available, even in Debian and Gentoo.
BTW, what has this whole thing to do wtih money and quality?
16 • Old RedHats (by Fritz on 2003-10-21 09:02:54 GMT)
http://ftp.rutgers.edu/pub/redhat/linux/
There are other oldies on the same server.
Cheers.
17 • Are ISOs the only criteria? (by Anonymous on 2003-10-21 09:48:27 GMT)
It's quite funny, since I see that the whole distro tree for Mandrake 9.2 is available on the public FTP mirrors. This seems pretty "free-beer" to me. It's just a realisation that paying customers don't like to see non-paying customers getting better service (ie those with bigger bandwidth having CDs before those who pre-ordered).
Anyway, over 5000 users have downloaded full ISO sets already.
It seems this site is quite biased against Mandrake, and the need for distributions to actually be able to pay developers salaries.
For the Debian folk, how many full-time developers (working on generic software, not Debian-only stuff or on packaging) does Debian fund? What would happen if all the paid developers working for the commercial linux distributions could no longer do so? Oh, we probably would have a Debian release cycle that is 3 times as long with half the features.
I thought Open-source was about free as in speech ... have I got it wrong, or has distrowatch.com got it wrong?
18 • RDF (by Juliano Barreto at 2003-10-21 12:14:29 GMT)
I wanna a link to receive the Distrowatch's weekly in my e-mail or to see that in RSS format. Anyone can help me?
19 • Looks Just Fine (by John Lowell on 2003-10-21 15:15:58 GMT)
Hi Ladislav,
Just noticed the fact that the problem of text spilling over into the area of the distro listings on the right side of the main page has been fixed. Things look just fine now, fonts and text.
Best regards.
John Lowell
20 • That's not fair to say, Anonymous (by Benjamin Vander Jagt at 2003-10-21 15:27:10 GMT)
"It seems this site is quite biased against Mandrake, and the need for distributions to actually be able to pay developers salaries." - Does it seem to you that this site is biased towards any distro? It seems to me like it's fair and balanced. This site's as cool as Fox News Channel!
"For the Debian folk, how many full-time developers (working on generic software, not Debian-only stuff or on packaging) does Debian fund? What would happen if all the paid developers working for the commercial linux distributions could no longer do so? Oh, we probably would have a Debian release cycle that is 3 times as long with half the features." - from Debian.com: "The Debian Project is an association of individuals who have made common cause to create a free operating system." But even so, you must be new to the free software community, as you don't seem to understand how it works.
"I thought Open-source was about free as in speech ... have I got it wrong, or has distrowatch.com got it wrong?" - Open-Source is not about free speech. GNU GPL, public domain, BSDL, and the other free licenses are about free speech. And DistroWatch sure has it right. When Ladislav removed SCO from the list of Linux's, I put up my fist and shouted, "Yesss!"
I am normally not so harsh, except that you are making accusations anonymously, so my reply is not to the person who left the post but to the post itself.
21 • Burapha linux (by L Gandolfo on 2003-10-21 22:09:27 GMT)
Is the only way of installing Burapha linux STILL giving it the whole hard drive? And does it still take an hour just to format the HD?
I didn't get any reply to my questions with the previous release, but instead I began to get loads of spam in some unknown Eastern language!
For this reason I am NOT publishing my Email address.
22 • Why the insult? (by DaveW on 2003-10-22 16:29:57 GMT)
"This site's as cool as Fox News Channel!"
Now THAT's insulting.
23 • PCLinuxOnline (by Leo on 2003-10-22 18:36:27 GMT)
Anyone know what's going on with PCLinuxOnline ? Texstar was taking a long vacation, but I thought that was it ! The site has been down for a while :-(
24 • Re: Are ISOs the only criteria? (by Anonymous on 2003-10-23 02:04:36 GMT)
You're right, except that I don't see anybody being unfair to Mandrake.
I think it's just a warning about how far a distro can go while still retaining community respect and the opensource 'attitude'. We can all understand how companies need to pay their employees, and I for one (usually screaming out loud when 'going commercial' is involved) can understand it's rather ridiculous that freeloaders (such as myself) would get the product, -for free and possibly with a higher cost (bandwidth) for mandrake-, earlier than those who paid for it.
I don't use Mandrake, really, but as long as I'm a student without a more or less steady income, I'm not going to spend the little I have on 'official' releases. By the way, I rather run beta's and bleeding edge software anyway, and I consider my bug reports and feedback to be support too.
25 • "Now THAT's insulting." (by Benjamin Vander Jagt at 2003-10-23 03:04:26 GMT)
DaveW, are you from the US? I've heard nothing but bad opinions of FNC outside the US...
26 • Rawhide closed on ftp.redhat.com (by W T Zhu on 2003-10-23 09:38:43 GMT)
Anybody knows why ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/linux/rawhide/ is closed to we anonymous ftp users?
27 • "Now THAT's insulting." (by Mantar on 2003-10-23 21:35:54 GMT)
>DaveW, are you from the US? I've heard nothing but bad opinions of FNC outside the US...
Well, you'll hear plenty of bad opinions from folks inside the U.S. if they're paying attention. Rupert Murdoch's channel has willingly made itself a propaganda arm for the U.S. government and has taken yellow journalism to heights not seen since the term was coined. Of course, the other cable news channels all more-or-less followed suit when they saw how well Fox's 'product' sold.
So yeah, comparing Distrowatch to Fox news is kinda insulting.
28 • "Now THAT's insulting." (by Benjamin Vander Jagt at 2003-10-24 13:04:29 GMT)
I must admit, I've never heard that before. Are we watching the same channel?? o_O FNC has got to be by a wide margin the most irreverent, rebellious news channel that ever existed. When awards were being given out, FNC wasn't dressing up, FNC was revealing the personal history of the judges to show that they were biased. Several of their hosts are against the DOE, ATF, IRS, etc. Before we got FNC, I always thought that news channels always supported Democrats and the UN and bashed the Republicans. I'm neither Rep nor Dem, so I was happy to find a channel that bashes all the hypocrites. Just recently, they were the only news organization to describe partial birth abortion as something other than "an abortion procedure" or "the procedure for abortion during the 6th thru 8th month."
It seems like I only ever hear three opinions of FNC:
1) FNC Rocks!
2) FNC, gag me with a spoon
3) I don't get that channel
There's nobody in the middle between #1 and #2, so one or the other must be right.
Regarding Rawhide, I get a "421: Too many users" message, like I always get.
29 • Rawhide and Longhorn (by Benjamin Vander Jagt at 2003-10-24 13:43:31 GMT)
I got into the Rawhide server! *throws party* Ah, now if I'd only logged in with Konqueror I'd download everything. :-þ
Ya know, this comes out of nowhere, but I took another look at the upcoming Windows Longhorn release. It sports a new GUI and is geared towards security. Well, there's no way Windows can beat the range of powerful GUIs made for Linux, and Windows has *never* had security under it's hat. *snicker* This new Windows release is scheduled to come out in 2005. They're gonna be toast by then! If it's taking so long for them to develop this new release, you can rest assured that it'll be expensive, incompatible with old software and hardware, and illogically arranged. If they had a more frequent release schedule, they might be able to keep a loyal following, but considering one of the most common services my customers ask me to perform is to downgrade the Windows Xtra Problems to Windows 98, they probably don't have much of a loyal following left.
30 • Now who is the Freeloader? (by Never Mind at 2003-10-24 16:41:16 GMT)
"We can all understand how companies need to pay their employees, and I for one (usually screaming out loud when 'going commercial' is involved) can understand it's rather ridiculous that freeloaders (such as myself) would get the product, -for free and possibly with a higher cost (bandwidth) for mandrake-, earlier than those who paid for it."
I am not sure who is the freeloader here, but I would
say in this case that it has to be Mandrake, who is
literally stealing the efforts of many, slapping it's brand
on it (with a useless so called friendly GUI), and
scamming users who have no idea what GPL is all
about (ie those migrating from winblows).
my $0.02
31 • freeloader (by Benjamin Vander Jagt at 2003-10-24 22:38:00 GMT)
"my $0.02" - Good point, but, why would I want to pay two cents for your point when I could have gotten the same point from someone else for free? ;-)
Cheers! Three of them, to be exact...
32 • Old Distro's (by Tree at 2003-10-26 09:01:02 GMT)
Older distro's may be needed for older PCs that are still usable. DeLi Linux ( http://delilinux.berlios.de/ ) is specifically designed for older PCs with limited memory and HD space. Some of the software in DeLi is based on older, leaner versions.
Within an intranet protected by a good firewall, there is no reason to change a server's OS. Any distro release that's stable and meets current needs is OK.
33 • No subject (by Mantar on 2003-10-30 01:20:27 GMT)
How fox news works:
http://poynter.org/forum/?id=letters#foxnews
Number of Comments: 33
Display mode: DWW Only • Comments Only • Both DWW and Comments
| |
| TUXEDO |
TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite
Choose from a wide range of laptops and PCs in various sizes and shapes at TUXEDOComputers.com. Every machine comes pre-installed and ready-to-run with Linux. Full 24 months of warranty and lifetime support included!
Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
|
| Archives |
| • Issue 1099 (2024-12-02): AnduinOS 1.0.1, measuring RAM usage, SUSE continues rebranding efforts, UBports prepares for next major version, Murena offering non-NFC phone |
| • Issue 1098 (2024-11-25): Linux Lite 7.2, backing up specific folders, Murena and Fairphone partner in fair trade deal, Arch installer gets new text interface, Ubuntu security tool patched |
| • Issue 1097 (2024-11-18): Chimera Linux vs Chimera OS, choosing between AlmaLinux and Debian, Fedora elevates KDE spin to an edition, Fedora previews new installer, KDE testing its own distro, Qubes-style isolation coming to FreeBSD |
| • Issue 1096 (2024-11-11): Bazzite 40, Playtron OS Alpha 1, Tucana Linux 3.1, detecting Screen sessions, Redox imports COSMIC software centre, FreeBSD booting on the PinePhone Pro, LXQt supports Wayland window managers |
| • Issue 1095 (2024-11-04): Fedora 41 Kinoite, transferring applications between computers, openSUSE Tumbleweed receives multiple upgrades, Ubuntu testing compiler optimizations, Mint partners with Framework |
| • Issue 1094 (2024-10-28): DebLight OS 1, backing up crontab, AlmaLinux introduces Litten branch, openSUSE unveils refreshed look, Ubuntu turns 20
| | • Issue 1093 (2024-10-21): Kubuntu 24.10, atomic vs immutable distributions, Debian upgrading Perl packages, UBports adding VoLTE support, Android to gain native GNU/Linux application support |
| • Issue 1092 (2024-10-14): FunOS 24.04.1, a home directory inside a file, work starts of openSUSE Leap 16.0, improvements in Haiku, KDE neon upgrades its base |
| • Issue 1091 (2024-10-07): Redox OS 0.9.0, Unified package management vs universal package formats, Redox begins RISC-V port, Mint polishes interface, Qubes certifies new laptop |
| • Issue 1090 (2024-09-30): Rhino Linux 2024.2, commercial distros with alternative desktops, Valve seeks to improve Wayland performance, HardenedBSD parterns with Protectli, Tails merges with Tor Project, Quantum Leap partners with the FreeBSD Foundation |
| • Issue 1089 (2024-09-23): Expirion 6.0, openKylin 2.0, managing configuration files, the future of Linux development, fixing bugs in Haiku, Slackware packages dracut |
| • Issue 1088 (2024-09-16): PorteuX 1.6, migrating from Windows 10 to which Linux distro, making NetBSD immutable, AlmaLinux offers hardware certification, Mint updates old APT tools |
| • Issue 1087 (2024-09-09): COSMIC desktop, running cron jobs at variable times, UBports highlights new apps, HardenedBSD offers work around for FreeBSD change, Debian considers how to cull old packages, systemd ported to musl |
| • Issue 1086 (2024-09-02): Vanilla OS 2, command line tips for simple tasks, FreeBSD receives investment from STF, openSUSE Tumbleweed update can break network connections, Debian refreshes media |
| • Issue 1085 (2024-08-26): Nobara 40, OpenMandriva 24.07 "ROME", distros which include source code, FreeBSD publishes quarterly report, Microsoft updates breaks Linux in dual-boot environments |
| • Issue 1084 (2024-08-19): Liya 2.0, dual boot with encryption, Haiku introduces performance improvements, Gentoo dropping IA-64, Redcore merges major upgrade |
| • Issue 1083 (2024-08-12): TrueNAS 24.04.2 "SCALE", Linux distros for smartphones, Redox OS introduces web server, PipeWire exposes battery drain on Linux, Canonical updates kernel version policy |
| • Issue 1082 (2024-08-05): Linux Mint 22, taking snapshots of UFS on FreeBSD, openSUSE updates Tumbleweed and Aeon, Debian creates Tiny QA Tasks, Manjaro testing immutable images |
| • Issue 1081 (2024-07-29): SysLinuxOS 12.4, OpenBSD gain hardware acceleration, Slackware changes kernel naming, Mint publishes upgrade instructions |
| • Issue 1080 (2024-07-22): Running GNU/Linux on Android with Andronix, protecting network services, Solus dropping AppArmor and Snap, openSUSE Aeon Desktop gaining full disk encryption, SUSE asks openSUSE to change its branding |
| • Issue 1079 (2024-07-15): Ubuntu Core 24, hiding files on Linux, Fedora dropping X11 packages on Workstation, Red Hat phasing out GRUB, new OpenSSH vulnerability, FreeBSD speeds up release cycle, UBports testing new first-run wizard |
| • Issue 1078 (2024-07-08): Changing init software, server machines running desktop environments, OpenSSH vulnerability patched, Peppermint launches new edition, HardenedBSD updates ports |
| • Issue 1077 (2024-07-01): The Unity and Lomiri interfaces, different distros for different tasks, Ubuntu plans to run Wayland on NVIDIA cards, openSUSE updates Leap Micro, Debian releases refreshed media, UBports gaining contact synchronisation, FreeDOS celebrates its 30th anniversary |
| • Issue 1076 (2024-06-24): openSUSE 15.6, what makes Linux unique, SUSE Liberty Linux to support CentOS Linux 7, SLE receives 19 years of support, openSUSE testing Leap Micro edition |
| • Issue 1075 (2024-06-17): Redox OS, X11 and Wayland on the BSDs, AlmaLinux releases Pi build, Canonical announces RISC-V laptop with Ubuntu, key changes in systemd |
| • Issue 1074 (2024-06-10): Endless OS 6.0.0, distros with init diversity, Mint to filter unverified Flatpaks, Debian adds systemd-boot options, Redox adopts COSMIC desktop, OpenSSH gains new security features |
| • Issue 1073 (2024-06-03): LXQt 2.0.0, an overview of Linux desktop environments, Canonical partners with Milk-V, openSUSE introduces new features in Aeon Desktop, Fedora mirrors see rise in traffic, Wayland adds OpenBSD support |
| • Issue 1072 (2024-05-27): Manjaro 24.0, comparing init software, OpenBSD ports Plasma 6, Arch community debates mirror requirements, ThinOS to upgrade its FreeBSD core |
| • Issue 1071 (2024-05-20): Archcraft 2024.04.06, common command line mistakes, ReactOS imports WINE improvements, Haiku makes adjusting themes easier, NetBSD takes a stand against code generated by chatbots |
| • Issue 1070 (2024-05-13): Damn Small Linux 2024, hiding kernel messages during boot, Red Hat offers AI edition, new web browser for UBports, Fedora Asahi Remix 40 released, Qubes extends support for version 4.1 |
| • Issue 1069 (2024-05-06): Ubuntu 24.04, installing packages in alternative locations, systemd creates sudo alternative, Mint encourages XApps collaboration, FreeBSD publishes quarterly update |
| • Issue 1068 (2024-04-29): Fedora 40, transforming one distro into another, Debian elects new Project Leader, Red Hat extends support cycle, Emmabuntus adds accessibility features, Canonical's new security features |
| • Issue 1067 (2024-04-22): LocalSend for transferring files, detecting supported CPU architecure levels, new visual design for APT, Fedora and openSUSE working on reproducible builds, LXQt released, AlmaLinux re-adds hardware support |
| • Issue 1066 (2024-04-15): Fun projects to do with the Raspberry Pi and PinePhone, installing new software on fixed-release distributions, improving GNOME Terminal performance, Mint testing new repository mirrors, Gentoo becomes a Software In the Public Interest project |
| • Issue 1065 (2024-04-08): Dr.Parted Live 24.03, answering questions about the xz exploit, Linux Mint to ship HWE kernel, AlmaLinux patches flaw ahead of upstream Red Hat, Calculate changes release model |
| • Issue 1064 (2024-04-01): NixOS 23.11, the status of Hurd, liblzma compromised upstream, FreeBSD Foundation focuses on improving wireless networking, Ubuntu Pro offers 12 years of support |
| • Issue 1063 (2024-03-25): Redcore Linux 2401, how slowly can a rolling release update, Debian starts new Project Leader election, Red Hat creating new NVIDIA driver, Snap store hit with more malware |
| • Issue 1062 (2024-03-18): KDE neon 20240304, changing file permissions, Canonical turns 20, Pop!_OS creates new software centre, openSUSE packages Plasma 6 |
| • Issue 1061 (2024-03-11): Using a PinePhone as a workstation, restarting background services on a schedule, NixBSD ports Nix to FreeBSD, Fedora packaging COSMIC, postmarketOS to adopt systemd, Linux Mint replacing HexChat |
| • Issue 1060 (2024-03-04): AV Linux MX-23.1, bootstrapping a network connection, key OpenBSD features, Qubes certifies new hardware, LXQt and Plasma migrate to Qt 6 |
| • Issue 1059 (2024-02-26): Warp Terminal, navigating manual pages, malware found in the Snap store, Red Hat considering CPU requirement update, UBports organizes ongoing work |
| • Issue 1058 (2024-02-19): Drauger OS 7.6, how much disk space to allocate, System76 prepares to launch COSMIC desktop, UBports changes its version scheme, TrueNAS to offer faster deduplication |
| • Issue 1057 (2024-02-12): Adelie Linux 1.0 Beta, rolling release vs fixed for a smoother experience, Debian working on 2038 bug, elementary OS to split applications from base system updates, Fedora announces Atomic Desktops |
| • Issue 1056 (2024-02-05): wattOS R13, the various write speeds of ISO writing tools, DSL returns, Mint faces Wayland challenges, HardenedBSD blocks foreign USB devices, Gentoo publishes new repository, Linux distros patch glibc flaw |
| • Issue 1055 (2024-01-29): CNIX OS 231204, distributions patching packages the most, Gentoo team presents ongoing work, UBports introduces connectivity and battery improvements, interview with Haiku developer |
| • Issue 1054 (2024-01-22): Solus 4.5, comparing dd and cp when writing ISO files, openSUSE plans new major Leap version, XeroLinux shutting down, HardenedBSD changes its build schedule |
| • Issue 1053 (2024-01-15): Linux AI voice assistants, some distributions running hotter than others, UBports talks about coming changes, Qubes certifies StarBook laptops, Asahi Linux improves energy savings |
| • Issue 1052 (2024-01-08): OpenMandriva Lx 5.0, keeping shell commands running when theterminal closes, Mint upgrades Edge kernel, Vanilla OS plans big changes, Canonical working to make Snap more cross-platform |
| • Issue 1051 (2024-01-01): Favourite distros of 2023, reloading shell settings, Asahi Linux releases Fedora remix, Gentoo offers binary packages, openSUSE provides full disk encryption |
| • Issue 1050 (2023-12-18): rlxos 2023.11, renaming files and opening terminal windows in specific directories, TrueNAS publishes ZFS fixes, Debian publishes delayed install media, Haiku polishes desktop experience |
| • Issue 1049 (2023-12-11): Lernstick 12, alternatives to WINE, openSUSE updates its branding, Mint unveils new features, Lubuntu team plans for 24.04 |
| • Issue 1048 (2023-12-04): openSUSE MicroOS, the transition from X11 to Wayland, Red Hat phasing out X11 packages, UBports making mobile development easier |
| • Issue 1047 (2023-11-27): GhostBSD 23.10.1, Why Linux uses swap when memory is free, Ubuntu Budgie may benefit from Wayland work in Xfce, early issues with FreeBSD 14.0 |
| • Issue 1046 (2023-11-20): Slackel 7.7 "Openbox", restricting CPU usage, Haiku improves font handling and software centre performance, Canonical launches MicroCloud |
| • Issue 1045 (2023-11-13): Fedora 39, how to trust software packages, ReactOS booting with UEFI, elementary OS plans to default to Wayland, Mir gaining ability to split work across video cards |
| • Full list of all issues |
| Star Labs |
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.
|
| Random Distribution | 
Mutagenix
Mutagenix was a Linux live CD based on Slackware Linux and Linux-Live live CD build scripts.
Status: Discontinued
|
| TUXEDO |
TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite
Choose from a wide range of laptops and PCs in various sizes and shapes at TUXEDOComputers.com. Every machine comes pre-installed and ready-to-run with Linux. Full 24 months of warranty and lifetime support included!
Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
|
| Star Labs |
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.
|
|
Copyright © 2001 - 2024 Atea Ataroa Limited. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Privacy policy. Change privacy settings.
DistroWatch.com is hosted at Copenhagen.
Contact, corrections and suggestions: Jesse Smith
Tips: bc1qxes3k2wq3uqzr074tkwwjmwfe63z70gwzfu4lx
lnurl1dp68gurn8ghj7ampd3kx2ar0veekzar0wd5xjtnrdakj7tnhv4kxctttdehhwm30d3h82unvwqhhxarpw3jkc7tzw4ex6cfexyfua2nr
86fA3qPTeQtNb2k1vLwEQaAp3XxkvvvXt69gSG5LGunXXikK9koPWZaRQgfFPBPWhMgXjPjccy9LA9xRFchPWQAnPvxh5Le
PayPal.me/distrow • Patreon.com/distrowatch |
| |
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
