 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 182, 18 December 2006 |
Welcome to this year's final issue of DistroWatch Weekly! With the year 2006 closing down on us rapidly, this seems like a good time to take a look at the world of Linux distributions and their evolution during the past year. Who has done the best job of bringing Linux to the desktops of new users? And which distributions are the losers of the increased competition among the different projects, all vying for our attention? As always, opinions are likely to vary, but some trends aren't difficult to spot. In the news section: Fedora looks to regain control over the RPM Package Manager, KNOPPIX promises a new version of its live CD, Debian publishes a release update, and Arch Linux announces an easy-to-install CD for desktop users. Finally, warm wishes of a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year to all DistroWatch readers! See you again in 2007!
Content:
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| Feature |
Distributions in 2006
With this being the final issue of DistroWatch Weekly in 2006, let's take a quick tour of the ever so exciting Linux distribution world as seen by your DistroWatch.com founder and web master.
 Ubuntu maintained its position as the world's most popular desktop Linux distribution. The sheer number of new community web sites, the numerous HOWTOs, the excellent weekly newsletter, and the growing number of Ubuntu-derived distributions for all tastes and purposes are a testament of the acceptance this project has achieved in just two short years. Ubuntu's dramatic rise is unmatched by any other project in the history of Linux distributions and is a well deserved one.
Despite that, looking beyond all the shine and glitter, there are indications that Ubuntu's popularity has perhaps peaked. Whether this is due to conceptual reason (satisfied curiosity, sometimes annoying ubiquity of the "U" name, unsavoury way of poaching other project's developers, the proprietary kernel modules controversy, suspicion over Canonical's insistence to keep some of its other software products proprietary) or technical ones (buggy initial release of Dapper Drake, major mishap with an package update, questionable quality control), it's hard to say. Nevertheless, the project's penchant for making radical decisions and develop innovative solutions will probably keep Ubuntu on the top of the Linux distro market for another year, albeit with a less obvious lead.
 Novell's openSUSE project has continued what it started in the mid-2005 when it opened the development of SUSE Linux to outside participation. This process didn't go as smoothly in 2006 as one would have expected; when the long delayed second release from openSUSE finally hit the download mirrors, many users were surprised to find that it came with a number of major bugs affecting its newly re-designed package management system. Like Ubuntu, openSUSE too was forced to release an updated version a couple of months after the initial release. This was in sharp contrast with a rather smooth, on-time and better managed development process of openSUSE 10.2 which was released earlier this month and was extremely well-received.
Unluckily, when it appeared that openSUSE was about to become the new darling of the desktop Linux world, Novell concluded a surprising and controversial patent protection agreement with Microsoft, effectively legitimising Microsoft’s intellectual property claims over Linux. The incredulity over this move was soon followed by an almost universal denunciation of the pact by the leading members of the Linux community, as well as web sites specialising in dissecting "lawyer-speak" usually found in such agreements. Despite the outcry and even calls for boycotting Novell's products, most Linux users ignored the controversy and went on to download the new product - to find in openSUSE 10.2 a highly polished, innovative and laptop-friendly Linux distribution.
 Like Ubuntu and openSUSE, Red Hat's Fedora project also produced two releases during 2006. Both received good reviews and the interest in downloading Fedora Core 6 succeeded in bringing the project's web site to its knees. The growing Fedora community has also come alive with many interesting initiatives - a new set of Fedora live CDs and DVDs was published for the first time, while a large number of good, third-party repositories carrying RPM packages ranging from proprietary kernel drivers to obscure applications sprang out to satisfy even the most demanding Fedora user. Why, then, Fedora keeps lagging behind both Ubuntu and openSUSE in desktop usage?
One answer might be in that the Fedora developers have yet to come up with a way to entice new Linux users who would probably choose Ubuntu or openSUSE over Fedora for their first entry into the Linux world. The project still presents itself as a mostly technical distribution and a base for its high-end Red Hat Enterprise Linux, rather than a desktop solution that can stand on its own and compete with the best. Luckily, the developers seem to be aware of the problem and have discussed possible solutions during the recent Fedora Summit. Although the project's direction is yet to be determined, expect some major changes in the way Fedora develops its products and interacts with the user and developer communities in 2007.
 Mandriva Linux has fallen hard from its position as the most popular desktop Linux distribution from a few years ago to find itself in an unenviable position of having to compete against much more aggressive, if not always better, distributions. The good news is that some of the disastrous decisions the company took in recent years have been revoked; unlike its previous two releases, the "Free" edition of Mandriva Linux 2007 was made available for free download without any delay and there is talk about the project's return to a bi-annual release cycle. Additionally, Mandriva's only release of 2006 was very good - not completely without bugs, but with many nice touches and the ever so impressive Mandriva Linux Control Centre providing new features and configuration options.
But the company needs to do more. The Mandriva Club web site is a usability disaster, with many missing features and annoying bugs. The distribution itself needs some controls that would prevent undisciplined developers from including beta versions of certain software, especially while its beta testing community is clearly lacking in numbers and desire to report bugs. And although the latest Mandriva release is technically sound, a complete lack of online documentation is a serious problem that will discourage new users, especially while Novell gives its excellent openSUSE user guides away and Ubuntu keeps populating its Wiki pages with every topic imaginable.
 Debian GNU/Linux, an institution rather than a distribution, had an eventful year - despite the lack of a new stable release. "Etch" is around the corner, however, and although it might still take a few weeks before the shiny new DVD sets are available for download, there is no doubt that Debian's upcoming release will be its best ever. The association with Ubuntu, while difficult at times, has brought more benefits to the world's largest distribution than many Debian developers would like to admit - not only are the project and its excellent utilities better known and appreciated in the Linux user community, its software development also benefited directly from the more cutting-edge attitude of the Ubuntu project, as well as the numerous Ubuntu enhancements and bug fixes.
Despite the discouragingly long release cycle, Debian continues to grow. Its unstable repository now contains more than 22,000 packages, while the testing one, which will soon become Debian GNU/Linux 4.0, has more than 20,000. And unlike Ubuntu, which only provides a tiny subset of these packages in their stable, supported branch, all 20,000+ of them will receive full security attention for the duration of Etch's lifetime - i.e. at least two years. This in itself, combined with curiosity about the technical merits of this remarkable project, will likely entice many Ubuntu users into trying Debian "proper" in early 2007. Especially those users who, after having cut their Linux teeth on Ubuntu, now feel confident in being able to install and manage Debian, and users in environments where stability is preferred over features, should give Etch serious consideration. Debian will have an excellent year.
 Next, Slackware Linux, the world's oldest surviving Linux distribution. It is very tempting to copy what I wrote about Slackware at the end of last year and paste it here - after all, it barely changes as the years go by. The age-old installer with limited hardware detection and no configuration options, the blinking cursor after the first reboot that gives away no secrets about what to do next, the ageing 2.4 kernel, only 544 supported packages, a web site designed in mid-nineties, the upgrade procedure that only the geekiest of geeks could possibly love.... Does anybody still use it?
And yet, Slackware is probably the most misunderstood distribution available today. Its clean and UNIX-like design is a big attraction among the more technical users, while its thorough testing process and the experience gained by its sole developer over the last 14 years of work are guarantees that any new version is rock-solid and in no need of embarrassing bug-fix updates. The 2.4 kernel makes Slackware one of the few distributions that will run on older computers while many server users will appreciate the fast security updates. And for those who like the clean concept of Slackware but find it far too user-unfriendly and hard to configure, remember that you can always run it in the form of Zenwalk Linux or VectorLinux, two excellent Slackware variants worth looking into.
 The source-based Gentoo Linux didn't have a particularly exciting year. The popularity of the once highly innovative distribution continues to drop as many people who install it eventually conclude that it's simply too much work. The Gentoo Planet pages are full of it's-not-as-much-fun-as-it-once-was types of posts by disillusioned (and often very young) Gentoo developers, while the Gentoo forums tend to be filled with complaints about bugs that never get fixed. The unusually high turnover of Gentoo developers adds further worries about the ability of Gentoo leaders to nurture the initial enthusiasm of those who join the project. In a way, Gentoo has become a community of developers where everybody works on whatever catches his or her fancy, rather than pulling together towards a common and clearly defined goal.
The good news is that the uniqueness of Gentoo, together with its excellent package management utilities and many advanced configuration options are a major attraction for independent developers who want to take the Gentoo base and re-build it into an easy-to-use binary distribution. We have seen much good work and amazing ideas by VLOS and Kororaa, but it was SabayonLinux that stole the thunder and produced what turned out to be the biggest star of 2006 on the Linux distribution scene - a complete live and installation CD/DVD (using the Anaconda installer, instead of the recently developed, but rather complex Gentoo installer) with the most bleeding edge features currently emerging in the open source software world. Excellent for demonstrating the rapid advancements of Linux on the desktop!
SimplyMEPIS and PCLinuxOS continue to get positive vibe in the Linux media for their user-friendly features and complete range of software, media codecs, drivers and plugins that are often missing from other distributions. On the negative side, both projects lack clear roadmaps, while the continued absence of the latest technologies, such as 3D desktop effects, make them less appealing for their original target market that might consider migrating to more innovative distributions. Whether they continue to thrive in 2007 will largely depend on their adaptability, but chances are that at least one of them won't be around this time next year.
Of course, there are many other projects that have striven to produce quality releases throughout the year. At the risk of unintentionally leaving out a few favourites, here is a brief list of distributions that your DistroWatch maintainer was most impressed by in 2006: SabayonLinux (due to its bleeding edge nature), Pardus Linux (thanks to unique package management ideas, innovative start-up sequence and general desktop polish), Parsix GNU/Linux (because of the project developer's undying enthusiasm for all things Linux and open source), PC-BSD and Nexenta (for attempting to deliver FreeBSD and Solaris to the desktop), and AUSTRUMI (for squeezing so much quality software into a 50MB live CD). In short, innovation, enthusiasm, and courage to try something that had not been done before were, in my books, the winning traits of 2006.
Now for the topic of this week's discussion: have you found your ideal distribution? Or do you intend to continue distro-hopping in the quest to unearth that perfect one? Do you intend to continue trying out new releases as they come or have you settled into a routine and no amount of excitement about a new version will make you give it a partition? Any interesting predictions for 2007? Who do you think will be on the top of our Page Hit Ranking statistics in 12 months from now? Please comment below.
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| Miscellaneous News |
Fedora revamps RPM, KNOPPIX 5.1, Debian release update, Arch Linux Office Install CD, Dreamlinux interview
The Fedora Project has announced a major initiative to restart the development of the RPM Package Manager, a utility used not only by Red Hat and Fedora, but also SUSE Linux/openSUSE, Mandriva Linux and a number of other distributions: "The Fedora Project is leading the creation of a new community around RPM. One in which the leaders can come from Fedora, from Red Hat, from Novell, from Mandriva, or from anywhere. Job #1 is to take the current RPM code base and clean it up, and in doing so work with all the other people and groups who rely on RPM to build a first-rate upstream project." For more information please read this announcement at FedoraNews.org.
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 Although the days of twice-per-week KNOPPIX live CD releases seem to be a thing of the past, it doesn't mean that the project has been abandoned. In fact, we might be in for Christmas surprise soon. Klaus Knopper in Knoppix 5.1 Mini-Announcement: "To give you a brief overview about what we have done recently, and what's still pending, here is a short list." The founder of the popular live CD then explains that KNOPPIX 5.1 will likely come with a little-known new file system called Aufs (instead of the reportedly buggy Unionfs), kernel 2.6.19, KDE 3.5.5, OpenOffice.org 2.1.0 and most other software synchronised with Debian Etch, ntfs-3g, and a number of new or improved scripts. When will it be out, you ask? "I'm not giving a release date, but hopefully (no promises) we'll get it ready before the year is over."
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Andreas Barth has published a release update regarding the upcoming release of Debian GNU/Linux 4.0. Although it does not provide any information about the probable release date of the much awaited Etch, it does hint at what many suspected was one of the reasons for the current delay - the go slow strike of some of those Debian developers who strongly objected to the Dunc-Tank experiment to fund the work of two release managers with generous salaries: "There was a large disadvantage of the whole experiment: Some people who used to do good work reduced their involvement drastically. There was nothing I could do about it, and that happened way before I started full-time on release, but on the global picture that still counts. So, as a first summary, I am happy with my own involvement, but that doesn't necessarily apply to the full experiment." Read all about it in Release update and more.
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 If you've ever wanted to try Arch Linux, but were discouraged by its awkward installation program and the complex task to convert the base system into a usable desktop, here is a new option for you - Arch Linux Office Install CD (ALOI-CD): "This CD installs a complete setup of Arch Linux distribution. No 'configure' is needed except to prepare hard disk, set mount points, and install the LILO boot loader. Also no post configure. Once installed, you can start working with popular Linux programs for office, Internet, and web development. If you are new to Linux, this installer is a good starting place to begin." The latest version of ALOI-CD was released over the weekend; it comes with Linux kernel 2.6.18.3, X.Org 7.0, KDE 3.5.5, Firefox 2.0, OpenOffice.org 2.0.4 and the usual open source software applications. Download the CD image from here: arch-office-install-0.7.2.6.iso (695MB, MD5).
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 Dreamlinux, an excellent graphics- and multimedia-oriented distribution with a Mac OS X theme has been gaining popularity among the DistroWatch readers in recent months. But who is behind this Brazilian beauty? LinuxSoft has all the answers in this interesting interview with João Batista Esteves, the project leader of Dreamlinux. The author talks about the ideas that led to the creation of the project, touches on various aspects of the development of Dreamlinux, gives his opinion on the current state of desktop Linux, weighs on some of the topics affecting the Linux community, and comments on the state of Linux deployment in Brazil. Not quite in fluent English, but nevertheless worth a read if you are interested in this promising project.
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| Released Last Week |
EnGarde Secure Linux 3.0.11
EnGarde Secure Linux has been updated to version 3.0.11: "Guardian Digital is happy to announce the release of EnGarde Secure Community 3.0.11. This release includes several bug fixes and feature enhancements to the SELinux policy and several updated packages. The following reported bugs from bugs.engardelinux.org are fixed in this release: SELinux stops ntpd from creating drift file; SELinux stops ntpq and ntpdc from access to NTP; ntpd cannot find time servers; aide log filter wrong again. Other bugs are fixed in this release as well. New features include: the latest stable versions of BIND, OpenSSH, PHP, Postfix, Samba, Snort, Squid." Read the full release announcement for more information.
SabayonLinux 3.2 "miniEdition"
A new version of the single-CD edition of SabayonLinux has been released. From the changelog: "Linux kernel 2.6.18.4 with Intel Pro wireless 3945 out-of-the-box support; improved and production-ready GPU automatic detection; OpenGL sub-system wrong auto-detection and user error detector (will greatly improve the number of NVIDIA and ATI supported cards); new HAL 0.5.8.1, supports full NTFS read and write out-of-the-box through FUSE and in general much more powerful; NVIDIA drivers 1.0-9631 (fixes bug on GeForce3/4 video cards); ATI drivers 8.31.5; KOffice 1.6.1; fixed nohdparm boot option; improved NetworkManager; fixed installation from USB CD/DVD media." The release announcement.
Linux-EduCD 0.7
Linux-EduCD is a Polish live DVD based on KANOTIX, with focus on education, graphics, office, multimedia and software development. Version 0.7 was released yesterday; some of the more important new features include: addition of the Compiz desktop; integration of GParted into the hard disk installer; new boot options; Linux kernel 2.6.18 with extra drivers and modules; KDE 3.5.5; OpenOffice.org 2.0.4; a range of educational software (Celestia, OpenDX, PyMOL, Rasmol, DrGeo, Yacas); multimedia applications (GIMP 2.2.13, Blender 2.42, Amarok, Audacity, Xine); network and system administration software (Wireshark, Nessus, Iptraf, EtherApe, Cheops); new development packages (DrScheme, Ruby, VisualPython, GPS, GNAT, Glade). Read the release announcement (in Polish) for further details and download links.
NetSecL 2.0
Iuri Stanchev has announced the release of NetSecl 2.0, a security-focused distribution based on Slackware Linux: "NetSecL 2.0 is out! This release has packages for i486 machines up to 64 bit, it includes the NetSecL firewall that has the ability to work with Snort Inline, more than 200 updates! The security was improved thanks to the new Binutils supporting PT_PAX_FLAGS - all i486_64 packages are compiled with it. Also I have included Tork and with it you can use tor to anonymize yourself on the web. Most hardened distros still go with the X.Org 6.8.2, well guess what - we have Xorg 6.9.0. I have finally fixed most problems with the PAX permissions and we now use a generic 2.6.x kernel which is also a paranoia kernel. The hardware recognition was also improved with the new version of Discover and some additional modules." Here is the brief release announcement.
VectorLinux 5.8
VectorLinux 5.8 has been released: "The VectorLinux development team is proud to announce the release of VectorLinux 5.8 Standard, code named 'Santa' (Merry Christmas!). This is the fruit that has resulted from several months of coding, debugging and testing by the core development team and the VectorLinux community. This release follows our legendary tradition of stability (inherited from Slackware 11.0), blazing speed on even modest hardware, and simplicity of design and function. The release features fully-working browser plugins, including Flash 9, Java, mp3, Real and Windows media, and DVD playback. Additional features include: Linux kernel 2.6.18.5, fully customized Xfce 4.3.99.2, SeaMonkey 1.0.6, Firefox 2.0 and Opera 9.10, the GIMP and Xara LX for your graphic needs, AbiWord and Gnumeric for your office tasks...." More details in the release announcement.
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Development and unannounced releases
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| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
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Summary of expected upcoming releases
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| DistroWatch.com News |
New distributions added to waiting list
- Kuliax. Kuliax is an Indonesian distribution based on Debian GNU/Linux. It is promoted among the Information Technology students in Indonesia as a possible replacement for proprietary operating systems and software.
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DistroWatch database summary
And this concludes our latest issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 1 January 2007. Until then,
Ladislav Bodnar
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| Archives |
| • 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 |
| • 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 |
| • Full list of all issues |
| Star Labs |
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
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| Random Distribution | 
NuxOne Linux
NuxOne was a Korean Linux distribution based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It was developed by Linux One, Inc.
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!
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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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