 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 61, 09 August 2004 |
Welcome to this year's 31st edition of DistroWatch Weekly. Although a somewhat slow week, there were several exciting stories, so without further ado...
Content:
Sun Mulls Buying Novell - Shop Till You Drop?
It's either too early or too late for April Fool's, so this has to be taken seriously - Sun Microsystems wants to buy Novell. At least, that's according to a story on ZDNet (and ZDNet doesn't usually kid around). Why is this so funny? Mainly because Sun can't afford it. There are a number of credible sources - like this one and this one - who seem to believe that Sun is setting fast. A quick look at Sun's share price is certainly not encouraging.
But first let's backtrack and take a look at Sun's survival scheme over the years. Certainly, most readers of DistroWatch are familiar with Sun, even if only a small percentage of you have actually used Sun's hardware and software. For those who need a refresher course, Sun came into existence in 1984, and went on to become king of the server business. Sun's main product lineup includes servers and workstations (traditionally based on SPARC processors, though Sun is now dabbling with the x86). Aside from rock solid hardware, Sun's other great claim to fame is the Solaris operating system.
Even today, a significant portion of the Internet runs on SPARC boxes, but Sun's market share has been eroding steadily mostly thanks to the increasing performance of low-cost x86 machines. On the software side, no one doubts that Solaris is a very powerful server-oriented OS, but Windows, Linux and *BSD have all become increasingly capable and feature-rich. Given that home hobbyists can now slap together a powerful server for US$500 or less, and run a free OS, where does that leave Sun?
Apparently, with a shrinking market. Which is a pity, because compared to many other big IT companies, Sun has been a decent corporate citizen. Sun offers a Linux-friendly license for Java (though it is not GPL), and the company generously donated large chunks of code from Sun StarOffice to create OpenOffice. And Sun just recently announced that Solaris 10 will comply with the Linux Standard Base (LSB), thus allowing Linux apps to run on Solaris. On the other hand, Linux users were miffed to learn that Sun was quietly paying a hefty licensing fee to SCO (though it pales in comparison to Microsoft's contribution to SCO's war-chest).
Evidently, it has dawned on Sun that the company needs to reinvent itself. With that in mind, the Sun Java Desktop System was launched in December 2003, and version 2 was released in May 2004. Despite the name, Sun JDS has little to do with Java - it's a reworked version of SUSE Linux. JDS costs US$100 and includes the StarOffice suite. When JDS was first announced, many had high initial expectations that Sun would become a formidable Linux competitor. However, JDS has been through two releases now and has received some scathing reviews. Even relatively friendly reviews have been lukewarm at best. One can only hope that Sun will get it right next time.
Growing your business by purchasing a competitor is a time-honored tradition in corporate America, but it's an expensive hobby. Novell bought SUSE last year for a mere US$210 million, but Novell itself is currently valued at a cool US$2.64 billion. Sun has estimated reserves of US$7.61 billion, a legacy from the dotcom bubble days. So Sun could come up with the cash, but the resulting Sun-Novell Microsystems had better be a highly profitable business, or there are going to be a lot of ticked off shareholders.
A more interesting question would be to ask why Sun is so keen to take over SUSE. I can think of several other excellent commercial distros on the market that Sun could probably acquire for a fraction of the price. The real motive behind the proposed Novell buy-out would appear to be to challenge IBM. There is no doubt that in the hardware business, IBM is Sun's chief competitor. Sun's COO (Chief Operating Officer), Jonathan Schwartz, always seems to have not-nice things to say about IBM - take a look at Jonathan's Blog if you need to be convinced. Schwartz speculates that IBM might very well try to buy up Novell first. IBM does have its own Unix-based operating system, AIX, but increasingly IBM is relying on SUSE Linux. Thus, if Sun took over SUSE, it would be seen as a major blow to IBM.
Or would it? How long would it take IBM to pick up another Linux partner? A lot of struggling Linux vendors out there would kill to get a contract with IBM. Of course, IBM needs more than just code - there is the support infrastructure which provides the bread and butter for both Red Hat and SUSE. Nevertheless, it seems hard to believe that IBM couldn't build the support services that are needed.
Until very recently, Sun seemed to believe that Microsoft was the enemy. After all, Sun fought Microsoft in the courts for seven years. However, those lawsuits were recently settled, and Sun got a cool US$1.6 billion out of the deal. Now Sun seems ready to use up its dwindling cash reserves in a fraticidal war with IBM. And IBM might well decide to launch an offensive itself and make a bid for SUSE. Two big companies fighting to take over a third business tends to drive up the share price, and thus the expense.
Is this any way to run a Linux business?
Novell Linux?
The annual Linuxworld Conference and Expo was held in San Francisco this week (Aug 3-5). This year's LWCE boasted 190 exhibitors and more than 90 educational sessions. One of the first talks was by Red Hat's CEO Matthew Szulik, which he ended with Mahatma Gandhi's famous quote: "First they ignore you, then laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." NewsForge has some good coverage of the show here and here.
One of the little surprises at the show came from Novell, which demonstrated a prototype of their upcoming new operating system, Novell Linux Desktop. This comes despite the fact that Novell already owns and markets SUSE Linux. Note that Novell has not finalized the name for their new OS, so it's possible that the finished product will bear a different official label (perhaps just Novell Linux). Whatever it's called, Novell expects to release the new OS sometime this autumn. Some details of the announcement can be found here.
How will Novell Linux differ from SUSE Linux? Probably the most obvious change will be that Novell Linux (like Red Hat) will focus on the Gnome GUI, as opposed KDE which is SUSE's default desktop. Unlike Red Hat, Novell will not be adopting the "Blue Curve" theme, but will instead concentrate on adopting Ximian's Gnome as the default interface. Novell acquired Ximian in August, 2003, and then acquired SUSE in January, 2004.
Novell Linux is being targeted at enterprises. One reason for adopting Gnome appears to be licensing, as it is licensed under the LGPL which some corporations prefer. Licensing is a contentious and complex issue - for RMS's take on the LGPL, you might want to take a look here. In any event, we will be looking forward to seeing just what Novell will come up with.
Coming Soon - The Xandros Server
Meanwhile, back at the Linuxworld Conference and Expo, one of the more highly-anticipated press conferences came from Xandros, which gave a sneak preview of the Xandros Desktop Management Server (xDMS) - Xandros' first attempt at building a server OS. It's still in the beta stage, but Xandros hopes to have the product ready for market by October. There are, of course, heaps of other Linux and BSD-based server operating systems around, but Xandros wants to distinguish itself from the field by offering good integration with the Xandros Desktop OS.
Entering the server business represents a big shift for Xandros, which until now has concentrated on creating a user-friendly desktop OS with built-in CodeWeavers CrossOver Office. At the conference, there was a demonstration of the newly released Xandros Desktop 2.5. There were few surprises with version 2.5 - it's basically an interim update release - but Xandros will soon be rolling out version 3.0. The release date has not been announced yet, but Xandros developers indicate it should be "later this year".
Sarge in September?
"Debian is released when it's ready." That's long been the mantra, repeated countless times on Debian mailing lists whenever anyone dares to ask, "When is the next release due out?"
Among major Linux distros, Debian has the slowest release cycle, often measured in years rather than months. The current stable distribution of Debian is Woody 3.0r2, released November 21, 2003. Even that release date is a little deceptive, because the minor point releases don't change much - Woody 3.0 was released on July 19, 2002. Everyone agrees that Woody is hopelessly out-of-date.
Those who like to live on the bleeding edge don't bother with Woody, but rather go for "Sid" - otherwise known as "Unstable" - which is the development release. Sid is in perpetual motion and it's exciting to run it - until a package breaks.
The next stable release is code-named Sarge, and Debian enthusiasts are straining at the bit to get their hands on it. But when? The developers finally broke their silent vigil and published the following schedule on Debianplanet:
- 2 August 2004 - Hard freeze of base+standard
- 3 August 2004 - Debian Installer RC1
- 8 August 2004 - Security support for Sarge begins
- 13 August 2004 - Last call for low urgency uploads to unstable
- 24 August - Freeze
... Bug squashing like crazy ...
- 15 September - Release
Debian fans are salivating at the prospect.
Munich - Disaster or Clever Strategy?
If you've been reading any of the tech-oriented web sites this week, you've no doubt already heard the news that the city of Munich, Germany, has suspended it's migration from Windows to Linux. The reason is because the city fears it could face legal liabilities due to software patents. If you did somehow miss the story, you can find all the relevant details here.
What's been missing from this story so far has been an analysis - it's a disaster for open source, right? Well, maybe not. Software patents are definitely a disaster for open source, but Europe does not yet have software patents. However, that will change unless EU members reverse the May 18 vote by the EU Council of Ministers to support a "Patent Directive". Such a vote reversal is still possible. The Netherlands has changed it's position, and only one more country needs to do the same in order to kill the Patent Directive.
On June 16, the municipal council of Munich voted to migrate 14,000 city computers to SUSE Linux despite intensive lobbying by Microsoft to stick with Windows. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer even flew to Munich for a personal visit with the mayor hoping to change the city council's mind - to no avail. So it seems ironic that the person who stopped the Linux steamroller was Green Party alderman Jens Muehlhaus, an opponent of software patents. Obviously, Muehlhaus is employing some clever strategy here - namely, to fire a loud warning shot which will, hopefully, wake up the German government which has so far supported software patents.
Few readers of this list get to vote in the EU parliament, but perhaps we should vote with our dollars? The companies most actively lobbying the EU to legalize software patents include Nokia, and members of the Business Software Alliance (see their membership list at the BSA web site. At least next time I'm in the market for a cell phone, I definitely know who I won't be buying it from.
Time to Lighten Up?
Like many readers of DistroWatch, I participate in a number of online forums, though not always under my real name. In general, I avoid political forums (unless they deal directly with technology), as people tend to get overly emotional, resulting in considerable unwarranted hostility and name-calling. Besides, technology is "my thing" - I really don't want to waste my time debating the world's many other problems. So I tend to stick to geek forums.
Unfortunately, I've seen plenty of rudeness and bickering in geek forums as well. It's amazing what some people will say online, even though they would never talk that way to your face. Protected by the anonymity of the Internet, they lose their inhibitions. One of the most common types of online abuse is directed at newbies, who wander onto geek mailing lists to ask basic questions. Almost invariably, some of the "mailing list police" strike back with a "RTFM" reply. Not surprisingly, some of the newbies decide to depart, and we never hear from them again. Which is a pity - did they deserve to be lynched? Weren't we all newbies once?
Of course, newbies aren't the only targets - I've occasionally found myself on the receiving end, though I always laugh it off. In one geek forum I expressed my views on package management (APT vs. RPM), and in return was called "a big, fat, ugly pervert." Of course, it's hardly true - I'm not big, fat or ugly (not sure how he found out about the "pervert" stuff, but let's not go there).
With the above in mind, it was with much pleasure that I stumbled upon this delightful article, Geek Battles: A Call for Perspective by Daniel R. Miessler. It's one of those articles that every online warrior ought to read. I must admit that after reading it over, I had to take a look in the mirror. If I could go back and re-read all the messages I've posted online over the years, I wonder if I wouldn't be appalled at some of the things that I've said.
So take a few moments to read the article. I found it to be good therapy.
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| Released Last Week |
Feather Linux 0.5.6
Feather Linux 0.5.6 has been released. From the changelog: "X
settings can now be autodetected - boot with "knoppix detect"; Updated
Firefox to 0.9.1, meaning that now only 6Mb is downloaded; Fixed
Firefox profile bug; Fixed Synaptic and nAIM icon bugs; Added support
for serial mice on all 4 ports; Fixed PPP root problems; Removed
e2undel (recover included already), and added stress + cpuburn; Added
link in Tools -> Scripts menu to stop the Getting Started document
appearing on boot; Fixed Midnight Commander bugs..." Download: feather-0.5.6.iso (61.7MB) and feather-0.5.6-usb.zip (60.8MB).
Hiweed-Debian Server 0.3beta1
Hiweed-Debian
GNU/Linux is a Chinese Linux distribution based on Debian GNU/Linux.
Currently it has two branches: Desktop and Server. The Server edition
is a pre-configured server with Apache, PHP, MySQL, mail, DNS, and FTP.
Server 0.3 beta1 now supports customised installaion (but without auto
configuration yet). For example, you can choose either MySQL Server or
PostgreSQL Server to serve you database. FTP server candidates are
ProFTPd, pureFTPd, vsFTPd, and wu-FTPd. Mail server candidates are
Exim4, Postfix, and Sendmail. Apache2 are provided with optional
support of PHP4, Perl, and Python. If you choose to install Webmin, the
following modules will be auto installed according to your
customisation: apache, bind, mysql, postfix, postgresql, proftpd,
samba, sendmail, and wu-ftpd. The announcement (in Simplified Chinese). Download: hiweed-server_0.3beta1_i386.iso (118MB).
Vine Linux 3.0
Vine Linux 3.0 (code name "Valandraud") has been released: "This
is Vine Linux version 3.0. Since this is not the commercial version
(Vine Linux CR), non-free applications and fonts are not included in
the CD. Instead of proprietary Wnn7/VJE Japanese inputs and Ricoh
fonts, this FTP version contains Canna and free TrueType fonts."
Vine Linux 3.0 contains the Linux kernel 2.4.26, XOrg 6.7.0, GNOME 2.4,
Mozilla 1.7.1 and other applications. For further details and upgrade
information please see the official announcement (in Japanese) and the release notes. Download: Vine30-i386.iso (648MB).
Aurox Linux 9.4.2
Aurox Linux 9.4.2 has been released: "On our mirrors
you can find Aurox 9.4.2 - Aurox with reduced number of packages. The
whole distribution is placed on one CD. Two versions are available:
German and Polish. However, it's still possible to install and use this
version also in English. Aurox 9.4.2 contains KDE 3.2.2 (no GNOME),
multimedia, office and most popular applications. You can also download
other Aurox 9.4 packages using apt-get or yum after the installation.
The full list of packages can be found here. Note: This is NOT an upgrade release." The full announcement. Download: aurox-9.4.2-1.iso (690MB).
Development and unannounced releases
DistroWatch database summary
- Number of Linux distributions in the database: 315
- Number of BSD distributions in the database: 7
- Number of discontinued distributions: 32
- Number of distributions on the waiting list: 84
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| Tips, Tricks and Hints |
Steganography
Paranoia runs in my family. It practically gallops. My grandparents (all four of them) never flew on an airplane. My father did fly, but first got himself a job developing bird-proof windshields for airplanes. One of my brothers sews velcro tabs on his pants pockets so he won't lose his wallet or keys. My other brother was the first person on his block to buy a paper shredder. And me? I'm the security nut who encrypts the swap partition of my hard disk so that the Thought Police won't be able to read it - you know, they really are out to get me.
Which brings me to the topic of this week's Tips, Tricks and Hints - steganography. As a devout paranoid, I've got things to hide. Nothing nasty, mind you, just things like credit card numbers, bank accounts, passwords, my address book, phone numbers, and those incriminating emails...well, enough said. Using the techniques of steganography, I can hide things in places where people simply don't expect to find them.
Consider this analogy - I have a big bar of gold that I want to keep hidden inside my house. Is there really any secure place where I could put it? The conventional wisdom would be to buy a safe, but burglars would surely look there first. Maybe I could hide the gold inside a wall, but I would have to wreck the wall to accomplish this. But what if I could hide the gold by placing it right out in the open, but obscure it to make it look like something not valuable? For example, I could melt the gold and cast it into door hinges or coat hangers, then spray paint them black. Any burglar entering my house would see the gold, but not recognize it as such, and thus it would be safe. (Hmmm..., now that I've said this, I suppose somebody will break into my house and steal all the door hinges. Oh well...)
Taking this analogy back to the computer world, steganography allows you to hide data by putting it into another file where nobody expects to find it. The data is hidden, but there is no need to hide that file. To be more specific, we can take an important ASCII text file and hide it inside a benign-looking graphic image file. If done properly, people viewing the graphic file would not even suspect that they were looking at top-secret data. Actually, we needn't limit ourselves to graphic files - the technique would work just as well with an audio or video file. The file which contains the hidden data is called a "stegofile".
In order to hide text in a stegofile, you need specialized software. And not surprisingly, there are some excellent open source steganographic tools that work equally well on Linux and BSD, which we'll now take a look at.
Outguess
Outguess supports the popular .jpeg file format, and the seldom seen .pnm and .ppm (the latter is not even supported by Gimp, so go figure). You can download the Outguess source tarball from the Outguess web site. Debian users can simply run "apt-get install outguess", and some distros offer RPM binaries. FreeBSD and OpenBSD users will find can install the port from /usr/ports/security/outguess. Documentation includes the Outguess man page, plus README files in /usr/share/doc/outguess/ (or for BSD users, /usr/local/share/doc/outguess/).
As a simple example of how to use Outguess, I'm going to hide an ASCII text file inside a picture. My original image file (the "coverfile" as its called) is named butter.jpg and the text file is quote.txt. In order to perform the hiding operation, I use the following syntax:
outguess -d quote.txt butter.jpg butterfly.jpg
The -d switch specifies the name of the datafile to be hidden, which in this case is quote.txt. The filename butter.jpg is my unaltered image file (coverfile), and butterfly.jpg is name of the stegofile.
Can You Find the Hidden Message?
In the above photo, you can see the resulting stegofile. The image looks pretty normal - in fact, compared side by side with the original coverfile, I can hardly tell the difference, but my hidden message is there. If you'd like to see it, you'll need to install Outguess. Once you've done that, copy the image to your hard disk (right-click the image, save it as file butterfly.jpg). You can now extract the text file with the following command:
outguess -r butterfly.jpg quote.txt
This photo was not passphrase-protected, but I could have done that as well with the -k switch. The passphrase can have spaces in it, so you are not limited to a single word. Had I chosen to use passphrase-protection, the syntax for creating the hidden image file would have been like this:
outguess -k "my passphrase" -d quote.txt butter.jpg butterfly.jpg
Extracting the text file, I would also have needed to include the pass phrase:
outguess -k "my passphrase" -r butterfly.jpg quote.txt
Steghide
Another open source steganography tool is Steghide. The most important difference it has compared to Outguess is that Steghide supports different file formats, specifically .bmp, .wav and .au files. The syntax for encryption/decryption is also different, and I personally find it more elegant than Outguess.
The Steghide source tarball can be found on the Steghide web page at SourceForge. Again, Debian users can simple "apt-get install steghide", and FreeBSD users will find a port at /usr/ports/security/steghide. Currently, there is no port for OpenBSD. Again, see the steghide man page, or look into /usr/share/doc/steghide/ (or /usr/local/share/doc/steghide/).
Steghide uses different switches from Outguess. The man page explains all the switches, but the three essential ones are as follows:
- -pf plainfile
- -cf coverfile
- -sf stegofile
We also have two essential commands, embed and extract. Using the same example as for Outguess (but this time with .bmp files), this is how we would go about hiding our ASCII text file:
steghide embed -pf quote.txt -cf butter.bmp -sf butterfly.bmp
Enter passphrase:
Re-Enter passphrase:
wrote stego file to "butterfly.bmp".
Notice that we get prompted for a passphrase. If you don't want a passphrase, just hit enter. The syntax for extracting our data is very simple:
steghide extract -sf butterfly.bmp
Enter passphrase:
wrote plain file to "quote.txt".
Some additional reading about steganography can be found here.
That's all for this week.
Robert Storey
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| 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 |
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| Random Distribution | 
Nanolinux
Nanolinux was an open-source, free and very lightweight Linux distribution that requires only 14 MB of disk space. It includes tiny versions of the most common desktop applications and several games. It was based on the "MicroCore" edition of the Tiny Core Linux distribution. Nanolinux uses BusyBox, Nano-X instead of X.Org, FLTK 1.3.x as the default GUI toolkit, and the super-lightweight SLWM window manager. The included applications are mainly based on FLTK.
Status: Discontinued
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| 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.
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