 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 141, 6 March 2006 |
Welcome to this year's 10th issue of DistroWatch Weekly. As more and more distributions provide bootable disks containing a complete operating system, it is clear that these "live CDs", as they are often referred to, are having a huge impact on our daily computing lives; today we report on Debian Live and Mandriva One, as well as on several efforts to accelerate the boot process of KNOPPIX. Having trouble with finding all the interesting software sources for your Ubuntu installation? Then worry not, the new Ubuntu source-o-matic makes it easy. Also in this issue: Click-N-Run for Ubuntu, a new Linux web site with podcasts for Linux beginners, a couple of entertaining links for Monday laughs, and a first look at the brand new Rubix Linux 1.0. Finally, we are pleased to inform that the February 2006 DistroWatch donation has gone to FreeBSD Foundation. Happy reading!
 Listen to the Podcast edition of this week's DistroWatch Weekly in ogg (6.63MB) or mp3 (8.18MB) format (courtesy of Shawn Milo).
 Join us at irc.freenode.net #distrowatch
Content:
Miscellaneous news: Debian Live, Mandriva One, KNOPPIX on steroids, Ubuntu source-o-matic
 With the current popularity of live CDs, i.e. complete Linux or BSD operating systems on a bootable CD, it is hardly surprising that many distributions are focusing more resources on creating these convenient solutions for their users. The latest project to join this initiative is Debian GNU/Linux. Although Debian Live is not yet an official sub-project of Debian, depending on the success of this undertaking, its status might be upgraded in the future. Debian Live is still in the planning stage and there is nothing to download just yet, but the project has already set up a mailing list and Wiki pages to enable cooperation between interested parties.
 Speaking about live CDs, it is interesting to watch the progress of Mandriva's "secret project" - Mandriva Linux One. Now in beta 3, this new live CD differs from Mandriva Move, the original live CD made by the Paris-based company, in that it can be installed on a hard disk. Once the final product is released, Mandriva users will no longer need to download the usual three (or more) installation CDs; instead, they can simply get the live CD, test the hardware compatibility and, if they find the distribution to their liking, follow a simple installation wizard to give it a permanent space on their hard disks. The first test reports were slightly discouraging, but since Mandriva One is still in beta, some problems can be expected. A word of warning: if you are going to download one of the non-English language CD images, be careful to choose the right one for your region and don't just trust the name of the ISO image. With Turkish on a CD labelled as "Central Europe" and "Czech" on one labelled as "Eastern Europe", it is clear that whoever suggested the Mandriva One CD image names doesn't have much clue about the European geography!
 Last week's release of Accelerated KNOPPIX, a live CD that boots in under a minute, has attracted considerable attention. Although some reviewers have found its speed disappointing, on our test system using a 48x CD-ROM drive, the CD took just under 60 seconds to boot into text mode and under 90 seconds to boot into full KDE. Yes, Accelerated KNOPPIX is still no speed demon, but it does represent a substantial improvement over the original work by Klaus Knopper. Additionally, there is more good news. Shortly after publishing the above-mentioned announcement, we received an email from Jun Okajima, President of Digital Infra in Japan. His company's web site claims that a KNOPPIX live CD that boots in -- wait for this -- under 10 seconds, is a reality! Don't believe it? While Digital Infra has not yet released a downloadable CD image of their "super accelerated" KNOPPIX (Mr Okajima promises one "soon"), you can view a video demonstrating the boot process on the company web site. Check it out - it's nothing short of astonishing!
 Having trouble setting up your sources.list in Ubuntu Linux? Then try Ubuntu source-o-matic. This web page is designed to generate the necessary sources.list entries based on the selection you make. The list also includes non-free and proprietary software (i.e. software that can't be shipped with Ubuntu itself), Ubuntu packages created by the many user communities, backports, and even various bleeding edge packages for both Ubuntu and Kubuntu. A nicely designed wizard that collects all Ubuntu package sources and presents them on one page, Ubuntu source-o-matic is a great idea that will not only extend your favourite distribution, it will contribute towards making that other operating system on your hard disk totally obsolete ;-)
 Speaking about Ubuntu, most of you have probably read about the idea to offer Click-N-Run services for the increasingly popular African distribution. For those of you not familiar with the concept, Click-N-Run, a web-based software download and installation mechanism designed for Linux novices, is a commercial service developed by Linspire. An excellent concept, somewhat marred by the commercial nature of the service and limited to users of the relatively low-profile commercial Linux distribution formerly known as Lindows. But the growing user base of Ubuntu Linux has created a new opportunity to increase Linspire's revenue from Click-N-Run. The service offers not only a simple, one-click installation method for thousands of Debian packages, it also provides commercial software, proprietary drivers and third-party games for immediate download. See Linspire may offer Ubuntu CNR service for more information.
 If you are interested in the new Intel-based Apple computers, here is some exciting news submitted by a DistroWatch reader: "I don't know if the following will be useful to most Linux users, but nonetheless it might be inspirational. Linux becomes the first operating system, beside the native Mac OS X, to operate on the new Intel Macintosh. The Intel Macs use 'EFT' instead of BIOS for handling calls to hardware and a group of hackers calling themselves MacTel Linux have made the cut. Another Linux team, called OSXBook, using their own custom variant of KNOPPIX, have become the second Linux [distribution] to break the EFT barrier. Using this Intel Mac custom KNOPPIX package, they then proceeded to do another 'first' - they loaded VMware, which in turn loaded Windows XP. This is the first time Windows XP has run on an Intel-based Macintosh. Both teams drew inspiration and ideas from one another."
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Web sites: LinuxReality.com
Wishing to find something interesting to listen to while stuck in the rush-hour traffic? Then visit LinuxReality.com. Providing regular podcasts that will appeal to beginning and intermediate Linux users, this new web site is dedicated to spreading news and information about our favourite operating system:
"Linux Reality is a podcast aimed at the new Linux user. Our intent is to start from the beginning, and to take it slowly. We will help Windows and Macintosh users learn about the history of Linux, the importance of the principles of free and open-source software, and the exciting Linux community. We will help users understand the differences between Linux distributions and help people with choosing the right distribution with which to experiment. We will demonstrate how users can try Linux without disturbing their Windows operating system at all, and will also walk people through a Linux distribution installation for those that choose to take a more permanent step. In short, we will explain how it works — in plain, simple, and non-geek terminology."
The first three episodes, each lasting under half an hour, are now available from the LinuxReality.com web site (episode 3 also includes a review of DistroWatch.com and several other web sites). This is an interesting new way to learn about the general concepts of Linux, to listen how distribution and software package names are pronounced, and to become fluent in the terminology of open source software - all while commuting to and from work. Find out more at LinuxReality.com.
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Humour: Infectious licences, Uncyclopedia.org
Finally, a couple of fun resources to brighten up your Monday. First, here is a quote from a New Zealand law firm, which coincidentally also happens to be a Microsoft partner, advising the New Zealand government against using software released under an "open source licence":
"A 'strongly infectious' open source licence will infect any redistributed piece of software that contains or is derived from software licensed under it. It is generally very difficult to modify or integrate software licensed under a strongly infectious open source licence without the resulting product, when redistributed, becoming 'open source' on the same terms as the original. The GPL is an example of a strongly infectious open source licence."
More hilarious quotes and the analysis of the advice given by Chapmann Tripp can be found at Groklaw.net.
If you find the above quote sad rather than funny, here is an alternative link that may be more successful in reducing you to tears of laughter: Uncyclopedia.org. Here are a few quotes describing some of the popular operating systems (warning: language used on Uncyclopedia.org is not always family friendly):
- Ubuntu solves all problems: no KDE, no problem.
- Grudgingly, Fedora had to admit that as big as the Core was, Dibley's Enterprise was still bigger.
- The Debian Project was founded for the purpose of collecting and serving as a clearing house for obsolete computer software.
- Gentoo (motto: you're on your own mate!) is a Linux distribution developed by a consortium founded by Imelda Marcos, Nvidia, IBM, Pol Pot and rice boys.
- pr0 l337 5cr1pt k1dd13 h4x0rz dislike Slackware for popularizing linux. They say that "5|_4C|<W/\r3 r\/1|\|Z0R t3h h0lE |_1n\/x-5C3|\|3"
- OpenBSD (or GNU/OpenBSD) is a computer operating system. It is notoriously insecure unlike its cousin ClosedBSD, which is an operating system for bank vaults.
- What do you want to do today? Nothing? Good.
- Mac OS X is the latest version of the Mac OS operating system for Macintosh computers. The operating system was released in 2001 after complaints from users that Mac OS W was inadequate.
For more "expert insight" on Linux, distributions and operating systems, please visit this page.
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| First looks: Rubix Linux 1.0 |
Rubix Linux 1.0
 Rubix Linux. Just another distribution or the beginning of an exciting new project that will soon find many followers? Although it might be too early to guess how far the developers and community will take the project, there are signs that Rubix might appeal to certain types of users. It is not for beginners, but if you have some Linux experience, enjoy the simplicity of Slackware, expect a reasonable hardware detection from your operating system, and have heard about the speed and power of 'pacman', the package manager from Arch Linux, then Rubix Linux might be a good choice.
But let's start from the beginning. Rubix, a brainchild of Joshua Rubin, doesn't have its own installer; instead, it uses the very Slackware-like Arch Linux installation program - with a few variations. Those who prefer an alternative file system will be pleased to learn that, besides ext3 and ReiserFS, Rubix also supports JFS, Reiser4 and XFS. As with Arch, the Rubix installation program will install a minimal system only and any extra packages, including the X window system and desktop-oriented software, will have to be installed manually, with 'pacman'. Read the 'afterboot' manpage for further instructions after booting into Rubix Linux for the first time.
A somewhat less pleasant aspect of the Rubix (and Arch) installer is having to fiddle with /etc/rc.conf to set up networking and other options, and with /boot/grub/menu.lst to set up the boot loader (the automatic boot loader configuration failed on my test system).
After rebooting into the newly installed Rubix 1.0 and making sure that networking was indeed operational, it was time to get to know 'pacman'. To begin, I executed 'pacman -Syu' to synchronise the package database with that on Rubix download servers, then started installing packages. As an example, installing the complete KDE is done with a simple 'pacman -S kde', which will download and install not only KDE, but also all the required dependencies. After downloading and installing some 400MB of extra software, I issued the 'kdm' command, which took me into the KDE login manager and soon afterwards I was looking at a default KDE 3.5.1 desktop.
And this is when I started wondering about the purpose of Rubix. Having browsed through the distribution's web site during the lengthy package download process, I got an impression that Rubix is a somewhat more user-friendly Arch, perhaps with a more intuitive installer and utilities. But once installed, Rubix turned out to be a rather bare system, without any branding or custom utilities. Yes, the hardware detection is decent (the system was even capable of configuring X on the fly with correct values) and the available package set is highly up-to-date. Also, Rubix offers three kernels, including a 2.4 kernel enhanced with Grsecurity patches. The distribution has a solid web site, inclusive of user interactive areas and documentation. But that's about it. There was little else that would genuinely make me want to keep Rubix around.
Based on my first impressions, Rubix will find it difficult to attract users from either Slackware or Arch, both of which are well-established distributions with much larger user communities. But if their developers continue providing security updates, maintaining packages and fixing existing bugs, certain users might find it an attractive addition to the list of clean, stable and simple distributions.
To find out more about the project please visit RubixLinux.org.
Rubix Linux uses a simple, text-based installation program.
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| Released Last Week |
Trinity Rescue Kit 3.1
Trinity Rescue Kit (TRK) is a Mandriva-based Linux live CD aimed specifically at offline operations for Windows and Linux systems such as rescue, repair, password resets and cloning. A new version of TRK was released earlier today: "Trinity Rescue Kit version 3.1 is a fact and ready for download. Be sure not to burn it on a normal CD/R but a CD/RW. Here 's why: one of the new features in TRK 3.1 is the ability to update itself with Captive NTFS drivers and the latest antivirus + definitions. After it has done this, it will recreate itself as a new ISO file that you can burn to CD." Read the rest of the release announcement for a detailed list of changes.
Accelerated KNOPPIX 1.0
Japan's Alpha Systems has released Accelerated KNOPPIX 1.0, a fast-booting variant of the popular KNOPPIX live CD. By re-arranging the Cloop file system block and optimising the hardware detection and configuration step, the developers have succeeded in reducing the CD boot time to under 60 seconds, while maintaining the full functionality of the distribution. More details with illustrations of the technology (which, incidentally, is released under the GPL) can be found on the project's home page.
SystemRescueCd 0.2.17
SystemRescueCd 0.2.17 has been released. What's new? "Updated the kernel to Linux-2.6.15.4; updated CaptiveNtfs to 1.1.7; fixed boot from a USB stick; added Framebuffer support for Intel video chipsets (i810fb and intelfb); added Oscar (Outil Complet d'Assistance Reseau); updated the manual." See the changelog for a complete list of changes.
tinysofa classic server 2.0 Update 4
An updated version of tinysofa classic server 2.0, code name "Ceara", has been released: "tinysofa classic server 2.0 Update 4 (Ceara) is now generally available. This release focuses on bug fixes, integrates all released security fixes, and updates various packages to the more recent upstream releases. 'Ceara' features: the Linux 2.6.13 kernel, grsecurity support, APT and SmartPM for advanced package management, the next generation PHP 5 environment (5.0.4), OpenSSH 4.3, high availability features such as DRBD (0.7.14) and UCARP (1.1), the latest development tools and languages (GCC 3.4.3, Python 2.4.2), and much more." Read the full release announcement on the project's home page.
Network Security Toolkit 1.4.0
Network Security Toolkit (NST) is a Fedora-based live CD with a collection of open source network security applications. A new version is out: "We are pleased to announce the latest NST release: v1.4.0. This release is based on Fedora Core 4 using the Linux Kernel 2.6.15. Many new NST features and capabilities have been included with this distribution: time management - NTP, hardware clock and system clock management; network packet capture - an enhanced NST web-based front-end to the Tethereal network protocol analyzer; network packet capture manager - provides a means to manage network packet capture files on a NST probe; an enhanced NST web-based file system mounting page...." Read the release announcement for a complete list of new features.
StartCom Enterprise Linux 4.0.1
The developers of StartCom Enterprise Linux, a distribution created by rebuilding the Red Hat Enterprise Linux source RPMs, have released an update version 4.0.1: "The second update of the latest StartCom Enterprise Linux version AS-4.0.1 is hitting the download mirrors today! With almost 500 updated packages, this release includes many security updates and bug fixes, but also a few additions, such as smart card support from the OpenSC project. Additional features are the inclusion of pcsc-lite, openct and opensc of the OpenSC and M.U.S.C.L.E project in order to provide better support of smart cards and secure tokens on our enterprise systems." The release announcement.
Elive 0.4.2
A bug-fix update of the recently released Elive 0.4 has been completed: "Elive 0.4.2, code name 'Serenity', has been released. Changelog: all the bugs listed in the 'bugs section' are fixed; ATI works again with the 'fglrx' driver; added support for SATA hard disks; a new feature in Elpanel to configure the terminal; Firefox 1.5; better auto-launch support for Windows type CDs and auto-detection of Cedega; many minor changes." Read the release announcement and changelog for more information.
Rubix Linux 1.0
The first stable version of Rubix Linux, a distribution combining Slackware with Arch's 'pacman' package management software, has been released: "This is the inaugural release of the Rubix Linux operating system. Rubix Linux is distributed with the Linux kernel versions 2.6.15.5, 2.4.32 and 2.4.32-grsec. Rubix Linux is well equipped to serve in both desktop and server roles. Rubix has exceptional hardware detection with udev replacing hotplug for 2.6 kernels and the latest KDE desktop version 3.5.1. Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.1 and Thunderbird 1.5 are now the default web browser and email client. Rubix Linux also supports the best modern file systems including ext2, ext3, JFS, XFS, ReiserFS and now Reiser4 (with 2.6 kernels) from installation." Read the full release announcement to find out more.
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Development and unannounced releases
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| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
Updated schedule for SUSE Linux 10.1 and 10.2
The openSUSE project has published an updated development and release roadmap for the upcoming SUSE Linux 10.1 and 10.2. Due to major changes in the development of version 10.1, the product will undergo further testing before the final release, now scheduled for April 13. This will have been preceded by beta 8 on March 17 and a release candidate on March 31. The development of SUSE Linux 10.2 will officially commence on June 16 with the release of the first alpha build and the final release is expected towards the end of 2006 or beginning of 2007. For more information please read the updated SUSE Linux schedule announcement.
KNOPPIX 5.0
According to this report (in German) by Heise.de, a new major version of the popular KNOPPIX live DVD will be unveiled during this year's CeBIT show, held in Hannover, Germany, from March 9 - 15. The new release will be based on kernel 2.6 15 and will include X.Org 6.9.0, KDE 3.5.1, OpenOffice.org 2.0, and Firefox 1.5, just to name the major components. Also on the DVD will be a collection of open source applications for Windows, Linux training courses, and several specialist applications for system rescue. The DVD will be available from the Heise stand (hall 5, stand E38) and also from the Fachhochschule Kaiserslautern stand (hall 9, stand C39). Although this will not be a public release, the KNOPPIX 5.0 "CeBIT edition" ISO images are expected to be available from unofficial sources via BitTorrent.
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Summary of expected upcoming releases
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| DistroWatch.com News |
February 2006 donation: FreeBSD (US$450)
 We are pleased to announce that the DistroWatch February 2006 donation of US$450 goes to FreeBSD Foundation. One of the most trustworthy and reliable operating system in existence, FreeBSD has been responsible for powering the server hosting DistroWatch.com for over 18 months. Although it wasn't an entirely smooth ride (we had serious problems with the 5.4 release), the overall experience of running the site on the most popular BSD system was overwhelmingly positive. As such, it is only fair to reward the developers who continue to painstakingly maintain the quality of the FreeBSD kernel and userland, together with over 14,000 ports.
As always, our monthly donations programme is a joint initiative between DistroWatch, which allocates 10% of its advertising revenue, and LinuxCD.org which contributes US$50 every month. Next time you need to order your favourite Linux or BSD disks, DistroWatch recommends getting them from LinuxCD.org, which has a great selection at very reasonable prices.
This is the PayPal receipt for the donations to FreeBSD Foundation:
Dear DistroWatch.com,
This email confirms that you have paid The FreeBSD Foundation $450.00 USD using PayPal.
------------------------------
Payment Details:
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Transaction ID: 8FB90232LU0386318
Total: $450.00 USD
Item/Product Name: The FreeBSD Foundation Inc.
Buyer: DistroWatch.com
Here is the list of projects that received a DistroWatch donation since the launch of the programme:
Since the launch of the DistroWatch Donations Programme in March 2004, we have donated a total of US$7,180 to various open source software projects.
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Linux Format Issue 77
 The March 2006 issue of Linux Format is now on the shelves. If you haven't had a chance to get your copy, here is a reminder that you shouldn't miss what we consider to be the best English language Linux magazine on the market. As usual, the Linux Format's DistroWatch section covers a variety of distributions, starting with a commentary on Mandriva's acquisition plans, then continuing with a discussion on three friendly Gentoo-based projects - VLOS, RR4 Linux and Kororaa, before concluding with a brief review of Fox Desktop, a new beginner-friendly distribution from Italy. The introductory comment argues for the importance of having fixed distribution release schedules and the spread also contains a version comparison chart of several major packages in stable distributions.
Elsewhere in the magazine, the 12-page feature article deals with setting up all kinds of servers. These include BitTorrent, Icecast streaming, Jabber Instant messaging and IRC servers, together with the more mundane web, Samba and database severs. The second featured article is a 4-page introduction to FreeBSD. It discusses the pros and cons of the alternative free operating system; this is followed by an installation walkthrough and several configuration tips. Complementing the middle section of the issue is a 4-page interview with Google's Chris DiBona who talks about the delicate job of opening up some of Google's applications.
The review section rates a variety of software, including X2 by Linux Game Publishing, KDevelop 3.3, Apache 2.2, Audacity 1.3, and NetBSD 3.0. This is followed by an interesting round-up of astronomy software, hot picks and a brief introduction to Boo, a new programming language combining the power of Python and C#. The tutorial section introduces Web 2.0, or more precisely the increasingly popular phenomenon of interactive blogging, social browsing and image sharing. Designing light effects in the GIMP, creating shapes in Inkscape, and drawing 3D objects with Realsoft 3D is a trio of step-by-step tutorials for aspiring graphics designers. For more advanced users, the section also discusses some of the complex editing features in Emacs and stored processes in PHP. A 4-page tutorial on creating an Autopackage, a universal binary package that can be installed on any distribution, concludes this section.
With the usual variety of topics for every Linux user, this is another great issue coming to you from LXF Towers. Don't miss it!
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New distributions added to the waiting list
- Niktarix PPC Live CD. Niktarix is a KNOPPIX-like live CD for the PPC platform. It was built from scratch using code from KNOPPIX and KANOTIX, and includes only Debian 'sarge' binaries.
- System-7 Linux. System-7 Linux is a new distribution with a goal of supporting the installation of most major package types, including DEB, RPM and TGZ. Currently in early development, it also promises to provide a graphical installer and optimised speed and security settings for various installation classes (e.g. gaming, servers, etc.).
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DistroWatch database summary
That's all for today. The next issue of DistroWatch Weekly will be published on Monday, 13 March 2006. See you then :-)
Ladislav Bodnar
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| Archives |
| • Issue 1122 (2025-05-19): GoboLinux 017.01, RHEL 10.0 and Debian 12 updates, openSUSE retires YaST, running X11 apps on Wayland |
| • Issue 1121 (2025-05-12): Bluefin 41, custom file manager actions, openSUSE joins End of 10 while dropping Deepin desktop, Fedora offers tips for building atomic distros, Ubuntu considers replacing sudo with sudo-rs |
| • Issue 1120 (2025-05-05): CachyOS 250330, what it means when a distro breaks, Kali updates repository key, Trinity receives an update, UBports tests directory encryption, Gentoo faces losing key infrastructure |
| • Issue 1119 (2025-04-28): Ubuntu MATE 25.04, what is missing from Linux, CachyOS ships OCCT, Debian enters soft freeze, Fedora discusses removing X11 session from GNOME, Murena plans business services, NetBSD on a Wii |
| • Issue 1118 (2025-04-21): Fedora 42, strange characters in Vim, Nitrux introduces new package tools, Fedora extends reproducibility efforts, PINE64 updates multiple devices running Debian |
| • Issue 1117 (2025-04-14): Shebang 25.0, EndeavourOS 2025.03.19, running applications from other distros on the desktop, Debian gets APT upgrade, Mint introduces OEM options for LMDE, postmarketOS packages GNOME 48 and COSMIC, Redox testing USB support |
| • Issue 1116 (2025-04-07): The Sense HAT, Android and mobile operating systems, FreeBSD improves on laptops, openSUSE publishes many new updates, Fedora appoints new Project Leader, UBports testing VoLTE |
| • Issue 1115 (2025-03-31): GrapheneOS 2025, the rise of portable package formats, MidnightBSD and openSUSE experiment with new package management features, Plank dock reborn, key infrastructure projects lose funding, postmarketOS to focus on reliability |
| • Issue 1114 (2025-03-24): Bazzite 41, checking which processes are writing to disk, Rocky unveils new Hardened branch, GNOME 48 released, generating images for the Raspberry Pi |
| • Issue 1113 (2025-03-17): MocaccinoOS 1.8.1, how to contribute to open source, Murena extends on-line installer, Garuda tests COSMIC edition, Ubuntu to replace coreutils with Rust alternatives, Chimera Linux drops RISC-V builds |
| • Issue 1112 (2025-03-10): Solus 4.7, distros which work with Secure Boot, UBports publishes bug fix, postmarketOS considers a new name, Debian running on Android |
| • Issue 1111 (2025-03-03): Orbitiny 0.01, the effect of Ubuntu Core Desktop, Gentoo offers disk images, elementary OS invites feature ideas, FreeBSD starts PinePhone Pro port, Mint warns of upcoming Firefox issue |
| • Issue 1110 (2025-02-24): iodeOS 6.0, learning to program, Arch retiring old repositories, openSUSE makes progress on reproducible builds, Fedora is getting more serious about open hardware, Tails changes its install instructions to offer better privacy, Murena's de-Googled tablet goes on sale |
| • Issue 1109 (2025-02-17): Rhino Linux 2025.1, MX Linux 23.5 with Xfce 4.20, replacing X.Org tools with Wayland tools, GhostBSD moving its base to FreeBSD -RELEASE, Redox stabilizes its ABI, UBports testing 24.04, Asahi changing its leadership, OBS in dispute with Fedora |
| • Issue 1108 (2025-02-10): Serpent OS 0.24.6, Aurora, sharing swap between distros, Peppermint tries Void base, GTK removinglegacy technologies, Red Hat plans more AI tools for Fedora, TrueNAS merges its editions |
| • Issue 1107 (2025-02-03): siduction 2024.1.0, timing tasks, Lomiri ported to postmarketOS, Alpine joins Open Collective, a new desktop for Linux called Orbitiny |
| • Issue 1106 (2025-01-27): Adelie Linux 1.0 Beta 6, Pop!_OS 24.04 Alpha 5, detecting whether a process is inside a virtual machine, drawing graphics to NetBSD terminal, Nix ported to FreeBSD, GhostBSD hosting desktop conference |
| • Issue 1105 (2025-01-20): CentOS 10 Stream, old Flatpak bundles in software centres, Haiku ports Iceweasel, Oracle shows off debugging tools, rsync vulnerability patched |
| • Issue 1104 (2025-01-13): DAT Linux 2.0, Silly things to do with a minimal computer, Budgie prepares Wayland only releases, SteamOS coming to third-party devices, Murena upgrades its base |
| • Issue 1103 (2025-01-06): elementary OS 8.0, filtering ads with Pi-hole, Debian testing its installer, Pop!_OS faces delays, Ubuntu Studio upgrades not working, Absolute discontinued |
| • Issue 1102 (2024-12-23): Best distros of 2024, changing a process name, Fedora to expand Btrfs support and releases Asahi Remix 41, openSUSE patches out security sandbox and donations from Bottles while ending support for Leap 15.5 |
| • Issue 1101 (2024-12-16): GhostBSD 24.10.1, sending attachments from the command line, openSUSE shows off GPU assignment tool, UBports publishes security update, Murena launches its first tablet, Xfce 4.20 released |
| • Issue 1100 (2024-12-09): Oreon 9.3, differences in speed, IPFire's new appliance, Fedora Asahi Remix gets new video drivers, openSUSE Leap Micro updated, Redox OS running Redox OS |
| • 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 |
| • Full list of all issues |
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| Random Distribution | 
Trustix Secure Linux
Trustix Secure Linux was a Linux distribution targeted at companies, of all sizes, in need of a low footprint and high security server operating system. Trustix Secure Linux includes the open standards based SoftWare UPdater, SWUP, which keeps all software packages up-to-date, resolves library dependancies and integrates public key cryptography to ensure safety and security.
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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