 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.
* * * * *
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.
* * * * *
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.
* * * * *
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.
* * * * *
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.
* * * * *
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.
* * * * *
That's all for today. We hope that you enjoyed this week's DistroWatch Weekly!
Ladislav Bodnar
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| Archives |
| • 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 |
| • Issue 1041 (2023-10-16): FydeOS 17.0, Dr.Parted 23.09, changing UIDs, Fedora partners with Slimbook, GNOME phasing out X11 sessions, Ubuntu revokes 23.10 install media |
| • Issue 1040 (2023-10-09): CROWZ 5.0, changing the location of default directories, Linux Mint updates its Edge edition, Murena crowdfunding new privacy phone, Debian publishes new install media |
| • Issue 1039 (2023-10-02): Zenwalk Current, finding the duration of media files, Peppermint OS tries out new edition, COSMIC gains new features, Canonical reports on security incident in Snap store |
| • 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 |
| • Full list of all issues |
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Your own personal Linux computer in the cloud, available on any device. Supported operating systems include Android, Debian, Fedora, KDE neon, Kubuntu, Linux Mint, Manjaro and Ubuntu, ready in minutes.
Starting at US$4.95 per month, 7-day money-back guarantee
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| Random Distribution | 
Finnix
Finnix is a small, self-contained, bootable Linux CD distribution for system administrators, based on Debian. It can be used to mount and manipulate hard drives and partitions, monitor networks, rebuild boot records, install other operating systems, and much more.
Status: Active
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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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