DistroWatch Weekly |
DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 101, 23 May 2005 |
Welcome to this year's 21st issue of DistroWatch Weekly! Gentoo Linux continues to maintain its presence on these pages - we have a quick tip describing how to save time and prevent downtime while installing this popular source-based distribution. We'll continue with an update on the release of Debian Sarge and point you to a couple of fantastic Linux learning resources made available recently by Novell. The featured distribution of the week is the PHLAK live CD with its amazing array of security tools and extensive documentation, while Robert Storey reveals a great utility to really erase data from your hard disks. Happy reading!
Content:
Installing Gentoo Linux in chroot
Following our recent mini-review of Gentoo Linux, it has become clear from the forum discussions that Gentoo's most significant disadvantage is the amount of time it takes to install it. Some users went as far as claiming that they would never use the popular source-based distribution simply because they cannot afford to tie their computer down for several days, waiting for all the applications to compile.
Fortunately, things needn't be this way. While several posters suggested the use of Vidalinux as an easy way to install Gentoo Linux, there is another method to avoid being unproductive during Gentoo's installation - by using the power of chroot. This way, all you need to do is to install the base Gentoo system, then reboot into your everyday operating system, chroot into the Gentoo partition and continue compiling applications in the background. Even if you start with the "Stage 1" tarballs, you won't be "without your computer" for more than a few hours.
As an example, let's say you have installed a minimal Gentoo Linux on /dev/hda5. Boot into your usual distribution, create a new directory, then mount the Gentoo partition like this:
mkdir /mnt/gentoo
mount /dev/hda5 /mnt/gentoo
Now you can chroot into /mnt/gentoo:
chroot /mnt/gentoo
That's all there is to it. Now you are in Gentoo Linux and you can use all the power of Gentoo's usual utilities, including 'emerge sync', after which you can proceed with 'emerge kde', 'emerge gnome', etc. Once you are finished with emerging applications, you can get out of chroot by pressing Ctrl+D. Personally, I have been using this method of installing Gentoo Linux on several occasions without any problems. Sure, your main operating system will feel slightly less responsive than usual due to intensive compile activity in the background, but it certainly won't become unusable (and your computer won't be tied down) just because you are busy installing Gentoo.
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Free study guides from Novell, Sarge release update
A reader has sent us a link to a couple of useful educational resources made available recently by Novell. One of them is a self-study guide called "Make the Switch to Novell Linux Desktop 9". This is a 247-page manual in PDF format with tutorials and explanatory guides (with screenshots) not only for system installation and administration, but also for many of the included graphical applications. Although the guide is primarily aimed at Novell and SUSE users, anybody can take advantage of the application-specific tutorials in the guide.
The second resource is called "Novell Linux Desktop 9 Learning Center". This is an online tutorial focusing on Novell/SUSE Linux system administration, Novell Evolution and OpenOffice.org. A nice thing about this resource is that it includes a number of tests where you can evaluate your newly gained knowledge and review the study material again, if necessary. The Novell Learning Center requires a browser with a pre-configured Flash plugin, but otherwise it is a very well-designed study guide. Access to both of the above resources requires registration. For more information and links to the above-mentioned resources please visit Training for Novell Linux Desktop 9.
Steve Langasek has published an update about the upcoming release of Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 "Sarge". Although the target date is still 30th May, a very big "but" can now be sensed from the message: "Unfortunately, due to a number of RC bugs that were found after the freeze announcement, even though we've closed out about 50 RC bugs with your help during these past two weeks, the net count is only down by about 30." The message concludes that "if everything goes well, we'll be ready to release at the end of the month. If everything *doesn't* go well, then we're hopefully looking at the first weekend in June instead." Read the full mailing list post here.
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Featured distribution of the week: PHLAK |
PHLAK
PHLAK, which is an acronym for Professional Hacker's Linux Assault Kit, is a Morphix-derived live CD with a twist - it includes a large number of specialist tools for conducting security analysis, penetration testing, forensics, and security auditing of hard disks. As such, this is a very useful CD to carry around if you administer computer systems, irrespective of the operating system used. But even if you don't, PHLAK is a well-designed and fun distribution, with one of the best and most comprehensive collection of security-related documentation around.
By default PHLAK boots into a full graphical desktop with XFce, while Fluxbox and XPde (a Windows-like desktop called "Sneaky" in PHLAK) desktops are also available. Once the CD is fully booted, you can start investigating the amazing range of security tools on offer. There are just too many to mention them all individually, but you can find a categorised list on this page. The project's web site also maintains an alphabetical listing of Linux tools and Windows Tools. PHLAK also comes with two graphical system administration utilities - the "PHLAK Control Panel" makes it easy to modify some of the common system settings, while the "PHLAK Security Panel" provides links for starting and stopping network, firewall, web and SSH servers, as well as several other services.
PHLAK is a brainchild of James Hartman. The live CD, which can also be installed on a hard disk, is available either as a free download or as an inexpensive official CD image. The project's web site saw an explosion of traffic after it had been mentioned on TechTV's Screensavers (video presentations are available for viewing). As a result, it has become a very popular project with a highly active and friendly user forum where help is never far away. For more information, screenshots, and educational security discussions, please visit PHLAK.org.
PHLAK - a live CD with a large collection of security-related tools and excellent documentation (full image size: 475kB)
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Released Last Week |
Zen Linux 1.2
Zen Linux 1.2 has been released: "We have something really special for you this time around. A lot of work has been put into creating a highly stable release. New frameworks have been added and we have the beginning of our GUI tools! We have a very intelligent GUI framework as well as a full Debian menu system integration! Also included are the very latest GNOME, KDE, XFce, and even Enlightenment DR17! This release adds a few new flavors to the official ISO set for your enjoyment." Read the rest of the release announcement for more information.
knopILS 0.8
The knopILS live CD is an Italian edition of KNOPPIX, complete with support for the Italian language. Version 0.8 has been released. The most important improvements include the following: the software package list on the live CD has been synchronised with that on KNOPPIX 3.8; the original hard disk installation program by Fabian Franz has been replaced with a new installer developed by the KANOTIX project; several new applications have been added to the CD, including KStars and ClamAV. See the complete changelog on the project's home page (in Italian) for more details.
Puppy Linux 1.0.2
Puppy Linux has been updated to version 1.0.2. From the release notes: "The main news for this release is the migration from the 2.4 kernel to the 2.6 series, specifically 2.6.11.7. A lot of under-the-hood work went into achieving this. I have upgraded AbiWord to 2.2.7. There are significant improvements, including improved stability, better MS Word import, and text flow around images. I have also included more plugins: import/export AbiWord documents compressed with bzip2, xsl-fo files, XHTML/HTML, WMF image support, and embedded editing of images (using mtPaint). The install-to-hard-drive script previously only created a boot floppy, but now GRUB installation on the hard drive is an option....
PaiPix 3.8
PaiPix is a multi-lingual KNOPPIX-based live DVD. Version 3.8 has been released with the following major changes: "Based on Knoppix 3.8, including kernel 2.6.11. It uses the Unionfs file system that mounts the DVD image in read-write mode. Using this feature, PAIPIX can run your 3D-enabled drivers for ATI or NVIDIA cards. Just use 'knoppix install=ati' or 'knoppix install=nvidia' as boot option and run the FlightGear simulator (fgfs) to see the new fantastic 3D support in Linux." Full details can be read in the release page.
StartCom Enterprise Linux 4.0.0
StartCom Enterprise Linux 4.0.0 has been released: "After the successful distribution of the StartCom Linux 3.0.x series last year, StartCom Ltd. continues its efforts to provide free and open source operating systems based on Red Hat's Enterprise source code. Version 4.0.0 features the new 2.6 kernel infrastructure with better and more drivers supported, multi-core and hyperthreaded CPUs support to mention only a few. The improved storage and file system capabilities now use Logical Volume Management (LVM) as the default installation option. Also the desktop environment offers new enhancements providing a feature-rich, easy-to-use application pool, such as Firefox, Evolution and OpenOffice.org." Read the rest of the release announcement.
OpenBSD 3.7
OpenBSD 3.7 has been released: "We are pleased to announce the official release of OpenBSD 3.7. This is our 17th release on CD-ROM (and 18th via FTP). We remain proud of OpenBSD's record of eight years with only a single remote hole in the default install. As in our previous releases, 3.7 provides significant improvements, including new features, in nearly all areas of the system. New platforms: OpenBSD/zaurus - expanding the arm porting effort by supporting the Sharp Zaurus SL-C3000, bringing a secure ssh-capable machine to your pocket; OpenBSD/sgi - starting out support with the SGI O2 machines." Full details can be found in the release announcement, OpenBSD 3.7 page, and changelog.
Kate OS 2.01
The developers of Kate OS have released an updated version of their distribution: "Kate 2.01 contains many fixes and updates in comparison to Kate 2.0. The installation on SATA hard drives does not make a problem any more. A possibility to choose localization in Polish and German languages has been added. Kate OS contains updated versions of the XFce environment and ppp package, which now includes ATM support created to simplify the installation of 'Neostrada' on some modems. New version of system has been supplied with kpmtool (Kate OS Package Manager) which enables package management in graphical environment. From version 2.01, Kate OS supports remote system actualization." Read more in the release announcement on the project's home page.
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Development and unannounced releases
PC-BSD 0.7 - installing and uninstalling applications has never been easier on any BSD operating system (full image size: 182kB)
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Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
KNOPPIX 3.9 and 4.0
Klaus Knopper has announced that work is now progressing towards KNOPPIX 4.0, a new series of the popular Linux live CD. This will be split into two editions - "Light CD" and "Maxi DVD". The "Light CD" edition will effectively be a continuation of the current 3.x series with a collection of commonly used desktop applications, but without development software. On the other hand, the "Maxi DVD" edition will come with "everything that's useful and exciting in GNU/Linux (including more supported languages)". Here are the upcoming plans: "For the first regular DVD edition of Knoppix 4.0, I'm planning to press a limited amount of manufactured DVDs again soon, hopefully in time for LinuxTag 2005 (23 - 25 June 2005), which should contain the upcoming Knoppix 3.9 stuff plus a lot of more GNU/Linux software. A few weeks later (giving the CD distributors some time to get hold of a few copies), the DVD image will also be available on selected mirrors." Read this mailing list post for more information.
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Summary of expected upcoming releases
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Web Site News |
New distribution additions
- Muriqui Linux. Muriqui Linux is a Brazilian Debian-based Linux distribution incorporating the easy-to-use Anaconda graphical installer from Progeny. A special feature of this distribution is the option to install a Diskless Remote Boot Server (DRBS) automatically during the installation procedure. The principal aim of this effort is to provide a distribution specially adapted to educational environments in Brazil where the use of diskless stations for digital inclusion is growing fast and becoming a standard. The distribution has been tested in a group of "telecentres" in the State of Minas Gerais in Brazil, with excellent results.
- Ufficio Zero. Ufficio Zero is a live Linux distribution based on Arch Linux. It is completely translated into Italian and customised for users new to Linux. The included software set targets office environments.
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New on the waiting list
- SLYNUX. SLYNUX is a user friendly GNU/Linux operating system for beginners. It can be run completely from CD without installation, but there is also an option to install it to hard disk. The main feature of this operating system is that any person who is familiar with Microsoft Windows can handle this operating system very easily. SLYNUX is based on Debian GNU/Linux and KNOPPIX.
- Xenophilia. Xenophilia is a Linux distribution that is based around Xen, a high performance virtualization system for x86 machines. Xenophilia is a derivative of Debian GNU/Linux and uses the new Debian installer to install its packages. The goal of the project is to make Xen virtualization technologies easy to setup and use, and to allow even inexperienced users to gain access to a configured Xen system.
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DistroWatch database summary
- Number of Linux distributions in the database: 408
- Number of BSD distributions in the database: 11
- Number of discontinued distributions: 52
- Number of distributions on the waiting list: 116
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Open Source Applications (by Robert Storey) |
Darik's Boot and Nuke
Nuclear war would really set back cable.
-- Ted Turner
Despite the attention-grabbing name, Darik's Boot and Nuke (also known by its acronym DBAN) has nothing to do with nuclear Armageddon. Rather, this Linux-based utility is all about "nuking" (more commonly called "wiping") old unneeded data from your hard drive.
Why, you may ask, does anybody need to "wipe" data? Isn't it enough to "delete" data? And what, in fact, is the difference between "wipe" and "delete"?
To answer these pertinent questions, let's look at an example. Everyday, my mailbox fills up with numerous offers to purchase mail-order Viagra, opportunities to "make money fast", "lose weight now" and help some poor deposed dictator's son move US$10 million of ill-gotten wealth into a Swiss bank account (for which I will receive a 20% commission). Like most people with an IQ over 40, whenever I receive one of these messages, I immediately click on the Delete button (which in fact doesn't delete anything - it's really a GUI front-end for the Unix "mv" command) which moves the unwanted message file into the Trash folder. Sooner or later, I will click on the Empty Trash menu (a front-end for "rm"), and send those odious bits and bites into digital oblivion.
Not! As it turns out, the rm command doesn't really obliterate the data, but simply declares it "unallocated" space. The file name of that email message appears to be gone - you won't find it with the ls command, but the actual data still exists and can even be recovered with specialized software. Of course, now that the space has been declared unallocated, it's possible (indeed, probable) that it will soon be overwritten by new data. And when it's overwritten, it's irrevocably gone for good, right?
If only. One of the more amazing facts I've recently learned is that permanently deleting (that is, nuking) data is far more difficult than it seems. True, once you've deleted a file, getting it back won't be trivial but it's doable with specialized software. And even after the data gets overwritten several times, it usually can still be recovered with a technique called Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM) which employs a customized electron microscope. This equipment, which was once ridiculously expensive, has fallen so far in price that nowadays almost any enthusiastic nerd can afford it.
You can go to this web site for an explicitly detailed explanation of how this all works. In a nutshell, overwriting your discarded data once will make it very difficult to recover with standard software tools, but it takes at least seven overwrites to be sure that an electron microscope won't be able to recover the forbidden files.
This raises another question - why should you be concerned about making delete unrecoverable? Aside from melodramatic situations (you work for the CIA or you've had contact with Martians), there are two realistic scenarios that you should consider:
1) You've got personal data that someone could use for nefarious ends.
2) Somebody else has put data on your hard drive, which could get you into trouble.
In scenario No. 1 consider the case where you've decided to donate your old aging computer to the local high school. You're cautious, so you delete all of your personal files and reformat the hard drive. Then, to your chagrin, some whiz kid in the school lab figures out how to recover your love letters, credit card numbers, and naughty digital photos from last year's summer vacation, and turns it all into a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation. Things could be even worse if the donated computer was used in a commercial environment, and thus has customers' private and confidential data as well (does the word "lawsuit" get your attention?).
Scenario No. 2 could be even more wicked. Consider the real-life story of Jack, a Mitsubishi computer engineer falsely accused and convicted of being a net paedophile because of files that were put on his second-hand machine by someone else. Anyone who runs a server must be particularly concerned about security compromises that result in script kiddies storing warez, spyware, p0rn and other execrable data on your hard drive without your knowledge or consent.
Which is where Darik's Boot and Nuke comes in. DBAN does just one thing but does it well - it completely scrubs your hard drive clean, overwriting the platters with random data until not even the best secret agent's tools can retrieve it. DBAN works on both IDE and SCSI hard drives, but not on USB or Firewire devices, nor any kind of removable media like Zip disks (remember those?). At present, it's only compiled for 32-bit x86 computers.
There is nothing to install. DBAN is available as a bootable floppy disk image or CD ISO file from here. Just boot your machine with the disk and you'll be greeted by self-explanatory ncurses-style menus. You can choose to wipe individual partitions or the entire hard drive. You also have control over wiping methods - the default is DoD Short (three passes), but the more paranoid should go for DoD 5220-22.M (seven passes). If you really do work for the CIA or the Martians, then perhaps you should use the Gutman Wipe (35 passes).
As for how long this all takes, that depends on the size and speed of your hard drive, as well as how many passes you command DBAN to execute. On my 40GB hard drive, DoD Short (three passes) took 1.5 hours. Your mileage may vary.
You might think that DBAN is overkill - and perhaps for your needs, it is. If all you want to do is simply nuke the occasional nasty file, your requirements might be better served by the wipe utility. Also well worth exploring are Thomas Greene's Linux Wipe Tools. Be aware that journaling filesystems such as ext3, ReiserFS and XFS make it much less certain that these wipe tools will fully eradicate the data. The only way to completely avoid this issue on Linux is to use ext2, which is a sacrifice that few will choose to make. However, DBAN is immune to this problem since it scrubs the entire hard disk, journal and all.
Once you have successfully purged all of your unloved data with DBAN, consider the merits of using some sort of data encryption system such as Loop-AES. Remember, it's not paranoia if they really are out to get you.
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That's all for today. We hope that you enjoyed this week's DistroWatch Weekly!
Ladislav Bodnar
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Archives |
• 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 |
• Issue 1044 (2023-11-06): Porteus 5.01, disabling IPv6, applications unique to a Linux distro, Linux merges bcachefs, OpenELA makes source packages available |
• Issue 1043 (2023-10-30): Murena Two with privacy switches, where old files go when packages are updated, UBports on Volla phones, Mint testing Cinnamon on Wayland, Peppermint releases ARM build |
• Issue 1042 (2023-10-23): Ubuntu Cinnamon compared with Linux Mint, extending battery life on Linux, Debian resumes /usr merge, Canonical publishes fixed install media |
• 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.
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Random Distribution |
Freeduc-Sup
Freeduc-Sup was a French distribution based on Morphix. It was specially designed for use in schools and educational institutions. It also includes a book in French derived from an Linux administration training course.
Status: Discontinued
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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.
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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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