 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 33, 26 January 2004 |
Content:
Welcome to this year's fourth edition of DistroWatch Weekly. If you are wondering why it comes out later than usual, the reason is simple: since many people have been complaining about the web site's pages loading very slowly recently, I decided to spend some time to look through the PHP code and identify the bottlenecks. It turned out that main reason for the site loading slowly was a function translating common phrases into various languages based on visitor's IP address or language preference. This function was fine back in early days when we only offered a handful of linguas, but it became inadequate now that we support some 34 languages. The code rewrite required quite a bit of effort and you should find it worthwile, since the script's execution speed seems to have increased considerably. If, however, you find any bugs due to the new code, please let us know.
Now that this is out of the way, let's get on with the regular program.
Are you happy with your current distribution?
DistroWatch tends to attract two types of visitors. One of them comes here to look for a particular distribution to satisfy a particular requirement, while the other is simply interested in the latest news, development and in keeping up-to-date with ideas and innovation comming from the Open Source community. But do we have a third type? Users looking to replace their existing distribution with a new, "better" one?
In other words, how satisfied are you with your present distribution? This would be an interesting idea for a poll to see how happy the users of the main Linux distributions are with their current products. Unfortunately, polls like that tend to be limiting in choices, so perhaps a forum discussion is a better option. First, let's venture out and do a bit of guesswork, based on discussions on various public mailing lists and user forums. It is probably not too far from the truth to say that users of Slackware, Debian, and probably also Gentoo, are the ones least likely to consider a switch. On the other end of the spectrum, the level of dissatisfaction, as well as uncertainty with the state of the Fedora Project, quality of the recent releases of Mandrake Linux seem to indicate that users of those two distributions are more likely to consider a new one.
As an example, news about last week's beta releases of Mandrake 10.0 PCLinuxOS 2K4 were posted on the main page at about the same time, but during the hours following the announcements, more people checked out the PCLinuxOS page than the Mandrake page. Given the worrying signals that have been coming out of MandrakeSoft (see Is Mandrake pulling a Red Hat?), would you consider switching to a completely free, community-developed "clone" of Mandrake Linux from a well-established, but commercial Mandrake proper? Or do you intend to support Mandrake no matter what? Please discuss bellow.
Cooperative Linux
As reported by Linux Weekly News, Slashdot and other publications, Cooperative Linux (or coLinux for short) is a new product that makes it possible to run Linux from within Windows 2000/XP. According to the information on the coLinux's web site, "coLinux is a port of the Linux kernel that allows it to run cooperatively alongside another operating system on a single machine. For instance, it allows one to freely run Linux on Windows 2000/XP, without using a commercial PC virtualisation software such as VMware." As such, coLinux is a modified Linux kernel, not a complete Linux distribution; you will still need a third-party distribution (Knoppix and Debian have been tested to work with coLinux) to take advantage of this new tool. Still, it sounds like a very interesting product, so if you'd like to try it, here is the link to the coLinux's download page at SourceForge.
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| Released Last Week |
Feather Linux 0.3.3
Feather Linux 0.3.3 has been released: "Changelog from 0.3.2 to 0.3.3: fixed SciTE; added Firebird and OpenOffice.org install scripts; added mount.app, portmap and nfs-common, and chntpw; changed default Fluxbox theme; updated Sylpheed to 0.9.8a; added proxy configuration option to setup; added script to save configuration to a floppy." The full changelog.
Gibraltar Firewall 1.2
This is a new version of Gibraltar Firewall. From the changelog: "Version 1.2, published 2004-01-20. This is a usability release, targeting many small enhancements for the web interface. The base system has not changed, users of the free version thus do not need to update. Added the possibility to delete multiple entries in element groups. Added the possibility to move rules from one line to a dedicated line number in the Firewall and NAT modules. Added the information of the current track in the form for creating a new rule (Firewall and NAT module)...."
STUX GNU/Linux 0.6.2
A new version of STUX GNU/Linux is out. From the changelog: "Version 0.6.2 released. Changes: corrected a permission problem on scanner device file; syslog daemon is configurable; it is now possible to install STUX on hard disk without a missing STUX configuration; g++ added." To download the new release, please visit the distribution's download page to accept the STUX download agreement (the ISO file size is 618MB). STUX is a Linux live CD based on Slackware Linux.
Burapha Linux 5.3.1
Burapha Linux 5.3.1, a Slackware-based Linux distribution from Thailand, has been released: "Welcome to Burapha Linux 5.3.1. This is a derivative of the Slackware 9.1 distribution. It has been modified with a new easy installation process, and contains some slackware-current (and other) updates. It also has some GPL software written by students at Burapha University. Changes: This release does not include OfficeTLE since we could not build it. We hope to include OfficeTLE in the next release. Upgrade to alsa 1.0.1..." The home page of Burapha Linux provides a complete list of changes.
Flonix Build39
A new version of Flonix is available: "This version is a big step in the usability by everyone. The graphic interface has been completely changed in order to be very easy and pleasant to use. New plugins are also available in menus and Flonix is now smaller than 60MB, but is complete and functional." See the changelog for further information.
Knoppix STD 0.1
The first stable version of Knoppix STD has been released: "I'm pleased to announce Knoppix-STD 0.1. Boot the CD and hit Alt-F7 for an introduction to the new features." Knoppix-STD is a Knoppix-based live CD with a customised Linux kernel (2.4.21 with NTFS read & write, OpenMosix, and SuperFreeSwan patches), Fluxbox window manager, incredible hardware detection and hundreds of applications. With the focus on information security and network management, Knoppix STD is meant to be used by both the novice looking to learn more about security and the security professional looking for another Swiss army knife.
Lunar Linux 1.3.3
Lunar Linux has been updated to version 1.3.3: "An updated Lunar install/rescue ISO is now available. Linux kernel 2.4.24 based. glibc recompiled with 2.4.24 kernel headers. No more /usr/include/linux symlinks to /usr/src/linux. SATA is supported in the kernel on the ISO. More kernel modules for ethernet, SCSI, IDE, fusion, firewire, USB, ppp now included on the ISO. BitchX is now included. For full details of all the changes please see ISO.Changelog. A xdelta patch is also available from 1.3.2 ISO to the 1.3.3 ISO." Read the rest of the official announcement.
Development releases
Unannounced releases
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| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
SME Server 6.1
The first community-driven release of SME Server (also known as e-smith) is under preparation, with a planned beta release within the next week or two: "Here is the work remaining and the approximate timeline for a release candidate. Much of the work that has been done has been largely cosmetic. The most obvious change has been posted in Screenshots as the Server-Manager interface. There have been some bug fixes worked on along the way. Many of those should have already been entered in to the Bug Tracker. All source will be available along with the release. This is a starting point for the project. In order to make *any* changes or even properly compile an ISO for release we had to put together a team of volunteers. We also had to develop infrastructure and process to coordinate these efforts. It's not all in place yet. There is plenty of opportunity to participate." Read the Status of SME Server Release for further information.
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| Web Site News |
Red Hat/Fedora split
In anticipation of the first test release of Fedora Core 2, scheduled for 2 February, we have separated the Fedora Project from Red Hat Linux and created a new Fedora Project page. The original Red Hat page will remain active and will track the less frequent Red Hat Enterprise Linux series, while the Fedora page will keep any eye on the Fedora Core releases, as well as Fedora's development tree.
DistroWatch T-shirts
Order your own official DistroWatch T-shirt from Hackerthreads.
New additions
- blackPanther-Linux. blackPanther-Linux is Hungarian Linux distribution based on Mandrake Linux.
- Biadix. Biadix is Knoppix-based Linux live CD with support for the Catalan language.
- LIIS Linux. LIIS Linux is a Latvian Linux distribution based on Debian and Skolelinux.
- Knoppix STD. Knoppix STD is a customised distribution of the Knoppix live Linux CD. STD focuses on information security and network management tools. It is meant to be used by both the novice looking to learn more about information security and the security professional looking for another swiss army knife for their tool kit. The tools are divided into the following categories: authentication, encryption utilities, firewalls, penetration tools, vulnerability assessment, forensic tools, honeypots, intrusion detection, packet sniffers and assemblers, network utilities, wireless tools, password auditing (crackers) and servers.
Screenshot: blackPanther-Linux - a new Hungarian live CD with Waimea as its desktop environment.
(full image size 147kB)
New on the waiting list
- LITRIX. LITRIX is a Brazilian live CD based on Slackware Linux (web site in Portuguese).
- LinuxDefender. LinuxDefender Live! CD is a Rescue CD based on Knoppix. It features full NTFS write support (using Captive). It also includes instant antivirus and antispam SMTP protection, which is managed via Webmin. Desktop antivirus protection is integrated into the KDE interface, using BitDefender for Linux technology.
- KnoppIT. As the name indicates, KnoppIT is an Italian variant of Knoppix. It is developed by the Asti Linux User Group (web site in Italian).
Discontinued distributions
No surprises here, the Caldera/SCO-inspired UnitedLinux is no more: "'The legal entity exists, but I shut the lights out,' former UnitedLinux general manager Paula Hunter said in an interview Thursday at the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo here. Hunter is now channelling her Linux collaboration energies into a new job: director of business development on the East Coast for the Open Source Development Labs. The shutdown marks the end of an ambitious effort to attract more hardware and software partners, standardise Linux, and boost research and development. Instead, it was OSDL--a more neutral coalition in the Linux industry and the employer of Linux leader Linus Torvalds--that succeeded where UnitedLinux failed." The full story at ZDNet.
DistroWatch database summary
- Number of distributions in the database: 244
- Number of discontinued distributions: 29
- Number of distributions on the waiting list: 59
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| Reader Feedback |
What happened to MEPIS?
- "Is it just me, or has the Mepis web site been down for about a week for everyone? As this is my favourite distro, I'm getting concerned."
- "I've been trying to get to mepis.org for three days now, and get the 'not found' message. I hope everything's OK with them. Have you heard any news?"
It is not often that I receive as many concerned emails about a distribution as during the recent "disappearance" of the MEPIS Linux web site. Is this project becoming everyone's darling? While I don't know why the site was off-line, I am pleased to report that mepis.org is back with a new logo, a slightly modified web site and the increasingly active user forums. In fact, MEPIS Linux 2003.10.02 was released recently; this is however a minor update and those with a working installation do not need to upgrade.
That's all for this week, see you next Monday :-)
Ladislav Bodnar
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| Archives |
| • Issue 1038 (2023-09-25): Mageia 9, trouble-shooting launchers, running desktop Linux in the cloud, New documentation for Nix, Linux phasing out ReiserFS, GNU celebrates 40 years |
| • Issue 1037 (2023-09-18): Bodhi Linux 7.0.0, finding specific distros and unified package managemnt, Zevenet replaced by two new forks, openSUSE introduces Slowroll branch, Fedora considering dropping Plasma X11 session |
| • Issue 1036 (2023-09-11): SDesk 2023.08.12, hiding command line passwords, openSUSE shares contributor survery results, Ubuntu plans seamless disk encryption, GNOME 45 to break extension compatibility |
| • Issue 1035 (2023-09-04): Debian GNU/Hurd 2023, PCLinuxOS 2023.07, do home users need a firewall, AlmaLinux introduces new repositories, Rocky Linux commits to RHEL compatibility, NetBSD machine runs unattended for nine years, Armbian runs wallpaper contest |
| • Issue 1034 (2023-08-28): Void 20230628, types of memory usage, FreeBSD receives port of Linux NVIDIA driver, Fedora plans improved theme handling for Qt applications, Canonical's plans for Ubuntu |
| • Issue 1033 (2023-08-21): MiniOS 20230606, system user accounts, how Red Hat clones are moving forward, Haiku improves WINE performance, Debian turns 30 |
| • Issue 1032 (2023-08-14): MX Linux 23, positioning new windows on the desktop, Linux Containers adopts LXD fork, Oracle, SUSE, and CIQ form OpenELA |
| • Issue 1031 (2023-08-07): Peppermint OS 2023-07-01, preventing a file from being changed, Asahi Linux partners with Fedora, Linux Mint plans new releases |
| • Issue 1030 (2023-07-31): Solus 4.4, Linux Mint 21.2, Debian introduces RISC-V support, Ubuntu patches custom kernel bugs, FreeBSD imports OpenSSL 3 |
| • Issue 1029 (2023-07-24): Running Murena on the Fairphone 4, Flatpak vs Snap sandboxing technologies, Redox OS plans to borrow Linux drivers to expand hardware support, Debian updates Bookworm media |
| • Issue 1028 (2023-07-17): KDE Connect; Oracle, SUSE, and AlmaLinux repsond to Red Hat's source code policy change, KaOS issues media fix, Slackware turns 30; security and immutable distributions |
| • Issue 1027 (2023-07-10): Crystal Linux 2023-03-16, StartOS (embassyOS 0.3.4.2), changing options on a mounted filesystem, Murena launches Fairphone 4 in North America, Fedora debates telemetry for desktop team |
| • Issue 1026 (2023-07-03): Kumander Linux 1.0, Red Hat changing its approach to sharing source code, TrueNAS offers SMB Multichannel, Zorin OS introduces upgrade utility |
| • Issue 1025 (2023-06-26): KaOS with Plasma 6, information which can leak from desktop environments, Red Hat closes door on sharing RHEL source code, SUSE introduces new security features |
| • Issue 1024 (2023-06-19): Debian 12, a safer way to use dd, Debian releases GNU/Hurd 2023, Ubuntu 22.10 nears its end of life, FreeBSD turns 30 |
| • Issue 1023 (2023-06-12): openSUSE 15.5 Leap, the differences between independent distributions, openSUSE lengthens Leap life, Murena offers new phone for North America |
| • Issue 1022 (2023-06-05): GetFreeOS 2023.05.01, Slint 15.0-3, Liya N4Si, cleaning up crowded directories, Ubuntu plans Snap-based variant, Red Hat dropping LireOffice RPM packages |
| • Issue 1021 (2023-05-29): rlxos GNU/Linux, colours in command line output, an overview of Void's unique features, how to use awk, Microsoft publishes a Linux distro |
| • Issue 1020 (2023-05-22): UBports 20.04, finding another machine's IP address, finding distros with a specific kernel, Debian prepares for Bookworm |
| • Issue 1019 (2023-05-15): Rhino Linux (Beta), checking which applications reply on a package, NethServer reborn, System76 improving application responsiveness |
| • Issue 1018 (2023-05-08): Fedora 38, finding relevant manual pages, merging audio files, Fedora plans new immutable edition, Mint works to fix Secure Boot issues |
| • Issue 1017 (2023-05-01): Xubuntu 23.04, Debian elects Project Leaders and updates media, systemd to speed up restarts, Guix System offering ground-up source builds, where package managers install files |
| • Issue 1016 (2023-04-24): Qubes OS 4.1.2, tracking bandwidth usage, Solus resuming development, FreeBSD publishes status report, KaOS offers preview of Plasma 6 |
| • Issue 1015 (2023-04-17): Manjaro Linux 22.0, Trisquel GNU/Linux 11.0, Arch Linux powering PINE64 tablets, Ubuntu offering live patching on HWE kernels, gaining compression on ex4 |
| • Issue 1014 (2023-04-10): Quick looks at carbonOS, LibreELEC, and Kodi, Mint polishes themes, Fedora rolls out more encryption plans, elementary OS improves sideloading experience |
| • Issue 1013 (2023-04-03): Alpine Linux 3.17.2, printing manual pages, Ubuntu Cinnamon becomes official flavour, Endeavour OS plans for new installer, HardenedBSD plans for outage |
| • Issue 1012 (2023-03-27): siduction 22.1.1, protecting privacy from proprietary applications, GNOME team shares new features, Canonical updates Ubuntu 20.04, politics and the Linux kernel |
| • Issue 1011 (2023-03-20): Serpent OS, Security Onion 2.3, Gentoo Live, replacing the scp utility, openSUSE sees surge in downloads, Debian runs elction with one candidate |
| • Issue 1010 (2023-03-13): blendOS 2023.01.26, keeping track of which files a package installs, improved network widget coming to elementary OS, Vanilla OS changes its base distro |
| • Issue 1009 (2023-03-06): Nemo Mobile and the PinePhone, matching the performance of one distro on another, Linux Mint adds performance boosts and security, custom Ubuntu and Debian builds through Cubic |
| • Issue 1008 (2023-02-27): elementary OS 7.0, the benefits of boot environments, Purism offers lapdock for Librem 5, Ubuntu community flavours directed to drop Flatpak support for Snap |
| • Issue 1007 (2023-02-20): helloSystem 0.8.0, underrated distributions, Solus team working to repair their website, SUSE testing Micro edition, Canonical publishes real-time edition of Ubuntu 22.04 |
| • Issue 1006 (2023-02-13): Playing music with UBports on a PinePhone, quick command line and shell scripting questions, Fedora expands third-party software support, Vanilla OS adds Nix package support |
| • Issue 1005 (2023-02-06): NuTyX 22.12.0 running CDE, user identification numbers, Pop!_OS shares COSMIC progress, Mint makes keyboard and mouse options more accessible |
| • Issue 1004 (2023-01-30): OpenMandriva ROME, checking the health of a disk, Debian adopting OpenSnitch, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1003 (2023-01-23): risiOS 37, mixing package types, Fedora seeks installer feedback, Sparky offers easier persistence with USB writer |
| • Issue 1002 (2023-01-16): Vanilla OS 22.10, Nobara Project 37, verifying torrent downloads, Haiku improvements, HAMMER2 being ports to NetBSD |
| • Issue 1001 (2023-01-09): Arch Linux, Ubuntu tests new system installer, porting KDE software to OpenBSD, verifying files copied properly |
| • Issue 1000 (2023-01-02): Our favourite projects of all time, Fedora trying out unified kernel images and trying to speed up shutdowns, Slackware tests new kernel, detecting what is taking up disk space |
| • Issue 999 (2022-12-19): Favourite distributions of 2022, Fedora plans Budgie spin, UBports releasing security patches for 16.04, Haiku working on new ports |
| • Issue 998 (2022-12-12): OpenBSD 7.2, Asahi Linux enages video hardware acceleration on Apple ARM computers, Manjaro drops proprietary codecs from Mesa package |
| • Issue 997 (2022-12-05): CachyOS 221023 and AgarimOS, working with filenames which contain special characters, elementary OS team fixes delta updates, new features coming to Xfce |
| • Issue 996 (2022-11-28): Void 20221001, remotely shutting down a machine, complex aliases, Fedora tests new web-based installer, Refox OS running on real hardware |
| • Issue 995 (2022-11-21): Fedora 37, swap files vs swap partitions, Unity running on Arch, UBports seeks testers, Murena adds support for more devices |
| • Issue 994 (2022-11-14): Redcore Linux 2201, changing the terminal font size, Fedora plans Phosh spin, openSUSE publishes on-line manual pages, disabling Snap auto-updates |
| • Issue 993 (2022-11-07): Static Linux, working with just a kernel, Mint streamlines Flatpak management, updates coming to elementary OS |
| • Issue 992 (2022-10-31): Lubuntu 22.10, setting permissions on home directories, Linux may drop i486, Fedora delays next version for OpenSSL bug |
| • Issue 991 (2022-10-24): XeroLinux 2022.09, learning who ran sudo, exploring firewall tools, Rolling Rhino Remix gets a fresh start, Fedora plans to revamp live media |
| • Issue 990 (2022-10-17): ravynOS 0.4.0, Lion Linux 3.0, accessing low numbered network ports, Pop!_OS makes progress on COSMIC, Murena launches new phone |
| • Issue 989 (2022-10-10): Ubuntu Unity, kernel bug causes issues with Intel cards, Canonical offers free Ubuntu Pro subscriptions, customizing the command line prompt |
| • Issue 988 (2022-10-03): SpiralLinux 11.220628, finding distros for older equipment and other purposes, SUSE begins releasing ALP prototypes, Debian votes on non-free firmware in installer |
| • Issue 987 (2022-09-26): openSUSE's MicroOS, converting people to using Linux, pfSense updates base system and PHP, Python 2 dropped from Arch |
| • Issue 986 (2022-09-19): Porteus 5.0, remotely wiping a hard drive, a new software centre for Ubuntu, Proxmox offers offline updates |
| • Full list of all issues |
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LinnexOS
LinnexOS was an intuitive and easy-to-use Polish Linux distribution designed for offices and schools. It was based on PCLinuxOS.
Status: Discontinued
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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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