 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 257, 16 June 2008 |
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Welcome to this year's 24th issue of DistroWatch Weekly! This is openSUSE's week as one of the oldest and most popular Linux distributions prepares for its highly ambitious release. Will the project's switch to Qt 4.x toolkit be a success? And how will the integration of the shaky KDE 4.0.x code into the distribution be received? These are some of the questions many readers are asking before the Thursday release of openSUSE 11.0. In the news section, Mandriva releases Flash 2008.1, a portable distribution on an 8 GB USB key, Debian clarifies the beta status of "Lenny", Linux Mint publishes an important security advisory for one of its utilities, and Sabayon Linux announces the imminent arrival of the final beta for its upcoming version 3.5. Also in this issue, a reader-contributed review of PC/OS 8.04, an Ubuntu based distribution with a BeOS-like user interface, links to two excellent interviews with Mark Shuttleworth, a hands-on guide on turning FreeBSD into a desktop system, and a report on how Microsoft intends to prevent Linux from becoming the operating system of choice on low-cost laptops. Happy reading!
Content:
- Reviews: PC/OS - the BeOS of the Linux world
- News: openSUSE 11.0 Gold Master, Mandriva Flash 2008.1, Debian Installer beta, Linux Mint security advisory, two interviews with Mark Shuttleworth, gNewSense - past and future, desktop FreeBSD, Sabayon 3.5
- Released last week: ArtistX 0.5, linuX-gamers Live DVD 0.9.3
- Upcoming releases: openSUSE 11.0, Parsix GNU/Linux 1.5r0
- New additions: MilaX
- New distributions: LilleLinux, Red Star GNU/Linux
- Reader comments
 Join us at irc.freenode.net #distrowatch
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| Feature Story |
PC/OS - the BeOS of the Linux world (by Seth Corven)
PC/OS is a recent new entry into the Linux distribution world. Based on Ubuntu, it uses Xfce as its default desktop and offers a variety of user-friendly enhancements, such as out-of-the-box support for popular multimedia codecs. It also includes a collection of software development tools. Although PC/OS has yet to be added to the DistroWatch.com's distribution database, we offer this reader-contributed review for the benefit of those visitors who enjoy evaluating emerging distributions. (And as a lucky coincidence, we've just learnt that the final release of PC/OS 8.04, now renamed to PC/OS 2008, was released just as we went to press and is available for free download from the project's web site.)
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Introduction
I recently downloaded the new PC/OS 8.04 release candidate 1. This distribution was one I learned about from Linux.com and have been seeing it pop up more in Internet discussions and on "newbie" channels. I used to be a long-time BeOS user so when I saw a screenshot of the distribution, I was expecting to find just a skinned Xfce, but I found much more.
PC/OS is a very young distribution, only about 60 days old since a public release. But after conversation with the creator, Roberto Dohnert, I found out that it had started life as a private distribution. The PC/OS web site claims that "this operating system concentrates on bringing ease of use and unsurpassed desktop performance to the client desktop and server arena" and that "it provides all multimedia codecs out of the box, and an easy to use and simplified interface." Also from the project's web site: "Great compatibility with older hardware to help you extend your hardware and software investments. Being based on Ubuntu, all software and hardware that is compatible with Ubuntu is compatible with PC/OS." While more and more Linux distributions promise the same thing, what sets PC/OS apart?
The desktop
The desktop has many caveats. It has a layout that is very similar to the BeOS desktop. It's a generally good-looking desktop based on Xfce and it's very simple. It doesn't have the same 3D effects that Ubuntu uses and composition is turned off by default. It has a BeOS XFWM theme that's offered in different colors: Mint, which is a green theme, Metal which is metallic in nature, Be yellow which is the default, and a metallic pink theme that, as the developer blog states, "is something for the ladies". PC/OS 7.10 used the Echo icon theme which looked very unprofessional and cartoonish, but in PC/OS 8.04 the author changed the icon set to the openSUSE "industrial" icon theme which is a Tango-based icon theme and which brings a fresh and professional look to the desktop. It also helps the desktop retain some of its cutting-edge look.
PC/OS 8.04 also showcases the Fedora Nodoka style for its scrollbars, the illuminating blue gradients and user interface. It has a subtle green wallpaper which is based on a GNOME wallpaper. It has a two-panel layout. The top panel contains the "Places" applet, renamed to "Tracker", which lists the home directory, file system, and all removable media, as well as the Catfish search utility. It has a note-taking application which I like a lot. The clipboard applet, a time and date applet, a system monitor applet, and a window list applet, which lists the open applications on each desktop, are also featured. The bottom panel, which is longer than the top panel, has a hide desktop applet, a task list applet, a desktop pager applet, as well as application icons, such as the terminal, Thunderbird, Firefox, a system tray, a volume control and a trash can.
PC/OS 8.04 offers an Xfce desktop with an innovative layout
(full image size: 421kB, screen resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
The menu has all the applications, as well as two sections that I don't see in other distributions. A "Mobile" sub-menu which has links to different online services ranging from e-mail to map services, and an extra applications menu which contains Lightscribe, Zenmap (a graphical front-end to nmap), a document viewer that is Evince, a calendar which is Sunbird 0.8, and a scheduler application which acts as a front-end to cron.
The applications
PC/OS has a wonderful and vast set of applications. Being a developer and IT technician, I attach great importance to developers tools. For development, it has Glade which is crucial for any GTK+ programming and OpenLDEV, which is a clone of Geany and probably the most useful tool. PC/OS also ships with RealBasic Standard which is a RAD tool that will be a winner for Visual Basic developers. Aside from developer tools, the distribution also provides OpenOffice.org 2.4 and Scribus, both of which are great tools for desktop publishing and productivity work. For entertainment, it has MPlayer, Rhythmbox, VLC and some tools for editing multimedia, such as SoundConverter, Audacity, Kino and OpenMovie editor, as well as the old favorite - the GIMP. Cheese, which is a clone of Photobooth, is also included. All of these tools worked great and I was able to watch videos in different file formats, including OGG, QuickTime and Windows Media. Rhythmbox played all my MP3s and other audio files without me having to go to the Internet and download codecs and spend time setting things up.
Java and Flash are included and worked flawlessly with YouTube and all browser-based Java programs I needed to run. At work, we develop primarily in Java and PC/OS handled all the applications we have created. Firefox 2.0.0.14 is the default browser with PC/OS 8.04 (unlike Ubuntu 8.04 which provides Firefox 3 beta) and Thunderbird is included as the default email client. Likewise Open, a configuration utility that simplifies the authentication of a Linux machine on an Active Directory domain, ships with PC/OS 8.04. I also like the fact that Wine is included for those applications from the Windows world that I need to run.
On the network side of things, Skype 2.0 is included and so is gFTP which lets you connect to a remove server using SSH, FTP and a few other protocols. Transmission is there for BitTorrent downloads and Remote Desktop Viewer is also provided in this release.
Hardware support
PC/OS supported all of my hardware, including the printer, scanner and camera. Many of my networking devices that didn't work with Ubuntu 7.10 worked with PC/OS 8.04. I installed the distribution on two laptops, one Gateway, about 3-years old, and a newer Dell Inspiron, and also on my new Sony VAIO desktop and an old Compaq Deskpro that has a 600 MHz processor and 256 MB of RAM. It ran quite well on that system. Using Xsane I was able to scan content into the system and edit it. I was also able to edit still photos and movies from my camcorder. Tape drives and all removable media worked very well with PC/OS. I am planning to install it on my wife's Toshiba with the promise that I'll set up XFWM using the Pink theme, she likes the pink. PC/OS had some issues with the Gateways NVIDIA chipset but I was able to get it fixed. On the VAIO the Xfce mixer application didn't pick up the sound card, although sound worked.
Releases
PC/OS ships as a DVD ISO image, as well as a "Minimal" install CD which I imagine is cut down to fit on a CD. I plan to write a review of the server release which I am downloading right now and I ordered a copy of PC/OS "Appliance" which is advertised as a cut-down version for kiosks and Internet appliances, as well as ultra portable laptops, such as the Eee PC.
Downsides
The very few downsides PC/OS has are inherited from Ubuntu. The restricted drivers feature works poorly but PC/OS compensates for this by including Envy, which allowed me to set up my NVIDIA card correctly. Rhythmbox launches with errors regarding Magnatune and another music store which also occurs in Ubuntu 8.04. On one of my laptops PC/OS black-screened on the NVIDIA chipset, which also occurs on Ubuntu 8.04 but is fixed with a trip to the command line. The one downside not inherited from Ubuntu is 64-bit support. PC/OS is x86-only and I don't intend to test it on my 64-bit system.
Conclusions
PC/OS has become my distribution of choice. Not only for its nostalgic journey to the BeOS era, but because, as it advertises, everything worked out of box. I have installed it on four systems, two laptops and two desktop systems, and it works great. If you are a new Linux user, I highly recommend it. If you are a seasoned Linux user, give it a try. If you are a refugee from BeOS, it's definitely worth a look. PC/OS has a bright future. If it makes it past a year we may see it as a DistroWatch #1 pick. The developer is a nice guy, very technical and very eager to help if you have problems, and he understands the desktop user's needs. My experiences with PC/OS have been very positive and, as always, I encourage you to participate not only in this distribution but in Linux and open source in general. Overall, PC/OS is the best $1.00 I have ever spent.
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Seth Corven is a database programmer and maintainer with a strong background in Linux, UNIX and IT technologies.
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| Miscellaneous News |
openSUSE 11.0 Gold Master, Mandriva Flash 2008.1, Debian Installer beta, Linux Mint security advisory, two interviews with Mark Shuttleworth, gNewSense - past and future, desktop FreeBSD, Sabayon 3.5
 One of the most innovative and ambitious Linux distribution releases ever to hit the download servers is about to become reality. Yes, it's the long-awaited openSUSE 11.0, which will be formally released on Thursday, 19 June. According to a few hints given by the project's developers, all work has been completed and the CD/DVD images, together with the full directory trees, are already being distributed to the FTP and HTTP mirrors across the world. However, before we'll have a chance to evaluate the technical qualities of the new openSUSE, let's take a look at the distribution's public relations status, as presented last week by Joe "Zonker" Brockmeier at Linux.com: "Of all the community distributions, probably the least known is openSUSE. After two and a half years, the distro is not only still working out details about how its community operates -- including how its governing board is elected -- but also struggling to come out of the shadow of its corporate parent Novell, much as Fedora has emerged from its initial dominance by Red Hat. With the pending release of openSUSE 11.0, community manager Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier suggests that the distribution is finally starting to get the recognition it deserves." Also not to be missed: an excellent first-impressions review by Martin Schlander and a sneak peak by Stephan Binner.
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  Mandriva has announced the release of Mandriva Flash 2008.1, a complete, portable operating system on an 8 GB USB key: "Mandriva today announces the launch of the Mandriva Flash 2008 Spring, the new product in the popular Mandriva Flash family. Take your entire desktop with you wherever you go! Mandriva Flash is a USB key containing a complete, bootable version of the Mandriva Linux distribution, letting you boot straight into your own Linux desktop on almost any computer, with no installation or alteration of the host system required. Mandriva Flash 2008 Spring offers 8 GB of space which you can organise as you like, prioritizing space for more system files or for your personal data and documents. Mandriva Flash 2008 Spring is based on the new release of Mandriva Linux. It doubles the capacity of the key from 4 GB for the previous version to 8 GB, and comes in an attractive white casing. Flash 2008 Spring's new installation feature lets you install Mandriva Linux 2008 Spring permanently onto any system with just a few clicks." Mandriva Flash 2008.1 is available for purchase from Mandriva Store for €59.00, including shipping.
* * * * *
 Has the Debian project released a beta of Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 or not? According to developer Gunnar Wolf, the recently announced second beta of the Debian Installer for "Lenny" is not the equivalent of the second beta of Debian GNU/Linux 5.0: "Do not take this as a preview of the new Debian release - it is not. If you install a system using this version of Debian Installer, you will be tracking the Testing branch of Debian, and your system will be in a continuous state of flux." This, however, is exactly how most modern distributions manage their beta testing; as an example, the update tool of any Fedora beta release will automatically point to the development directory and will periodically upgrade the installed system to the latest "Rawhide". So while it's true that the Debian installer announcement does not constitute a beta release of the entire Debian "Lenny" (as a matter of fact, Debian does not provide any formal beta releases), it's still the easiest way to check out the current "Lenny" and to join in the testing of the distribution before its expected release in September 2008.
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 The developers of Linux Mint, one of the fastest-growing distributions, especially suitable for new Linux users, have published an important security advisory regarding one of their in-house tools, mintAssistant: "A very important bug has been found in mintAssistant 2.4 which was released as part of Linux Mint 5 'Elyssa'. When the root password is not set, the root account is still active, and rather than this consequently preventing any root login, it actually means you can login as root without any password at all. This regression is due to a change in behavior in 'passwd' from Ubuntu 'Gutsy' to 'Hardy' and a request from the community after RC1 was released not to lock the root account. A fix has been released in mintAssistant 2.5. When you select not to use the root password, the root account is now given a randomly generated password." All existing Linux Mint 5 users are urged to update their distribution to fix the security issue, while new users should make sure that they download the ISO image labelled as "LinuxMint-5-r1".
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 Ubuntu's Mark Shuttleworth continues to be the most interviewed person in the Linux world. Two new interviews were made available online last week; the first one with Linux-Magazine Italia: "I do believe that free software will come to be widely recognised, trusted and used by everyday computer users, as opposed to being limited to specialists as it is today. Hopefully Ubuntu will play a part in that, but I don't think one platform will dominate that free software era like Windows dominated the proprietary software era. Ubuntu is focused on specific needs, and there are other versions of Linux or BSD that meet others." The second interview comes courtesy of Linux Weekly News: "We are willing to put in drivers that are not yet open source, because we figure it's more important to give everybody's grandma the opportunity to actually run free software applications on a free software environment, even if they need some proprietary drivers to get their hardware going. That puts us squarely in the pragmatist camp rather than the purist camp."
* * * * *
 For those who disagree with the above-mentioned "pragmatism", there is always gNewSense, an Ubuntu-based distribution that meticulously strips any non-free components from its parent before providing the result for free download. Bruce Byfield investigates this FSF-endorsed distribution in a 2-page article entitled gNewSense, the Present and the Future: "gNewSense began at a conference in Tunis in 2005 when Paul O'Malley heard Mark Shuttleworth and Richard Stallman talking about the possibility of a politically free version of Ubuntu, whose various incarnations include proprietary wireless drivers and access to non-free video drivers. O'Malley raised the idea on chat channels, and the project began in June 2006 when Brian Brazil joined the project. The first release in November 2006 was immediately endorsed by the Free Software Foundation, making it one of only half a dozen distributions with that distinction. In fact, the Free Software Foundation donated a build machine and server space for gNewSense during initial development."
* * * * *
 FreeBSD is often considered a server operating system and we won't be far from the truth if we state that its server installations outnumber its desktops by a considerable margin. But that doesn't mean that the most popular of the BSD operating systems cannot be used effectively on a developer's workstation or a general desktop system. In fact, just a few simple commands is all that's needed to turn a basic FreeBSD 7.0 installation into a full-featured desktop with GNOME: "Saying that FreeBSD is an excellent choice to build a server upon would be stating the blatantly obvious. Sadly though, FreeBSD as a desktop OS is a much less common sight. This is a shame, particularly for developers who could have a desktop that closely mimics the configuration of FreeBSD servers in a remote data center. Very useful if you need to test things locally! ... This article assumes that we're building a system completely based on ports, even if installing them takes more time. For a desktop system having the very latest software can be a major improvement."
* * * * *
 Almost a year has passed since the initial release of Sabayon Linux 3.4, a Gentoo-based distribution featuring the absolute bleeding edge in Linux and open source technologies. But while the release frequency of this distribution has slowed down considerably since its early days, work on the upcoming version 3.5 continues as normal. In fact, Sabayon Linux 3.5 is now getting very close to release time: "After months and months and months of hard work, I am happy to say that Sabayon Linux 3.5 final will enter the final beta testing stage within 48 hours and will stay there for a couple of weeks. All I can say is that the difference between 3.4 and 3.5 is really really huge. During this period we've worked out all the concerns we collected about 3.4, like binary packages (Entropy), security updates, ease of use, speed, hardware support, and we are now ready to steadily enter the top 5 distro arena. After 3.5, expect our exciting and impressive release cycle to be back, 4.0, 4.1, 4.2 and so on!"
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 Finally, something for those who have expressed negative sentiment towards last week's feature story (see Computex 2008 - Linux ultra-portables galore) that criticised Microsoft's attempt to hijack the successful ASUS Eee PC for its own anti-Linux propaganda. According to an article entitled Microsoft to limit capabilities of cheap laptops, the software giant is trying to stifle the growth of low-cost Linux laptops by not only offering deep discounts on Windows XP, but also by forcing the manufacturers to reduce Linux compatibility on their hardware: "Microsoft plans to offer PC makers steep discounts on Windows XP Home Edition to encourage them to use that OS instead of Linux on ultra low-cost PCs (ULPCs). To be eligible, however, the PC vendors that make ULPCs must limit screen sizes to 10.2 inches and hard drives to 80 GB, and they cannot offer touch-screen PCs." These requirements were part of a confidential document that Microsoft had recently sent out to hardware manufacturers: "The program is outlined in confidential documents that Microsoft sent to PC makers last month, and which were obtained by IDG News Service. The goal apparently is to limit the hardware capabilities of ULPCs so that they don't eat into the market for mainstream PCs running Windows Vista, something both Microsoft and the PC vendors would want to avoid."
Still want to argue that all is fair and square in the world of ultra-portable computers?
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| Released Last Week |
64 Studio 2.1
Daniel James has announced the release of 64 Studio 2.1, an updated version of the Debian-based distribution designed for musicians and digital artists: "64 Studio 2.1 'A Minha Menina' released! 64 Studio is a GNU/Linux distribution tailor-made for digital content creation, including audio, video, graphics and publishing tools. Version 2.1 is the first update to the second stable release of 64 Studio. It is named after a song by Jorge Ben, recorded by Os Mutantes and covered by The Bees. New versions of applications such as Ardour and Rosegarden are the main reason to upgrade, plus general bug fixes and updates from Etch. It's not meant to be a bleeding edge release; it only contains necessary changes. It's a recommended upgrade for all 64 Studio users, without fear of system breakage." Read the press release for information about upgrading from a previous release and other information.
Voltalinux 2.1
Matteo Garofano has announced the release of Voltalinux 2.1, a server-oriented distribution based on Slackware Linux and using NetBSD's pkgsrc package management system: "As expected, after the release of Slackware Linux 12.1, Voltalinux 2.1 (code name 'Livorno') is out. It benefits from the many new features in Slackware: HTTP and FTP install, new kernel, installation on LVM and RAID, etc. Also includes the benefits of the new features found in the NetBSD's pkgsrc port system, such as upgraded packages and a better management system. As usual, Voltalinux comes with more then 150 packages (compiled with the pkgsrc port system) intended for server use, including Postfix, Exim, Dovecot, ClamAV, Pure-FTPd, Bftpd, Squid, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Bind, MaraDNS, etc." Here is the brief release announcement.
MilaX 0.3.1
MilaX, formerly known as Damn Small Solaris, is a desktop and server mini-distribution based on OpenSolaris. Its creator, Alexander R. Eremin, released the latest version yesterday: "MilaX 0.3.1 released. Changes: Based on OpenSolaris Nevada 89; for systems with more than 512 MB of RAM the live image is mounted from the memory and it's possible eject the MilaX CD after booting; added IceWM, removed JWM; added Conky, removed Torsmo; added XChat, Xpad, IFTop, CDPR; restored Dillo; added screen resolution and X keyboard layout scripts; two editions: desktop and server (non-GUI), the server version includes Apache, PHP, Samba and NFS servers, GCC, GMake, Midnight Commander, Pine, Mutt, Elinks, Lynx and other utilities." Here is the short release announcement.
NexentaCore Platform 1.0.1
Erast Benson has announced the release of NexentaCore Platform 1.0.1, a base operating system combining the OpenSolaris kernel with Debian utilities and Ubuntu software packages: "This is to announce availability of NexentaCore 1.0.1 - Debian Native OpenSolaris environment and platform. Release highlights: based on OpenSolaris b85+ (x86 32-bit and 64-bit, non-debug), with critical patches from b87, b88 and b90; ZFS write-throttle fixes; now ZFS-root is the only default method for installation; significantly improved speed of boot_archive creation - up to 5 times faster; support for new SAS/SATA controllers: Areca, LSI Mega, IBM ServeRAID; many small improvements and bug fixes for APT repository. Related news: NexentaCore 2.x 'Hardy' is under active development right now." Here is the full release announcement.
StartCom Enterprise Linux 5.0.2
Eddy Nigg has announced the release of StartCom Enterprise Linux 5.0.2, an updated version of the distribution built from the source code for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.2: "StartCom is pleased to announce the availability of StartCom Enterprise Linux AS 5.0.2. This update release provides various enhancements for virtualization, encryption, cluster storage, but also desktop improvements. The Xen hypervisor makes the running of multiple virtualized server instances with its performance improvements and live-migration support for fully virtualized guests more efficient and reliable. Added kernel features include new asynchronous kernel crypto hardware driver APIs which were backported from the upstream kernel. Also new is the OpenSwan package which supports IKE 2 for IPv6. StartCom Enterprise Linux AS-5.0.2 is available for Intel i386 and AMD x86_64 architectures." Read the full press release for more details.
ArtistX 0.5
Marco Ghirlanda has announced the release of ArtistX 0.5, a Debian-based live DVD with a large collection of free audio, video and graphics software: "ArtistX is a free live GNU/Linux DVD which turns a common computer into a full multimedia production studio. It is based on Debian GNU/Linux and contains nearly all available free audio, 2D and 3D graphics, and video software for the GNU/Linux computing platform. ArtistX 0.5 is based on Debian Live software for creating live CDs and includes the 2.6.25 kernel, KDE 3.5, Compiz 0.7.7 and about 2,500 free multimedia software. Main features: based on Debian Sid; Debian multimedia packages; KDE menu customization (a first try)." Visit the distribution's home page to read the release announcement.
ArtistX 0.5 - a distribution for artists and musicians
(full image size: 628kB, screen resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
Myah OS 3.0 "Box"
Jeremiah Cheatham has announced the release of Myah OS 3.0 Box edition, a full-featured desktop Linux distribution built around the Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment (LXDE): "Myah OS 3.0 Box is now available. This is a complete Linux solution built around the Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment. The LXDE desktop is designed to be the smallest, fastest and yet fully functional desktop for UNIX/Linux systems. It's important to note that Box is not meant to be a light system. Instead it's meant to be a fully functional system built around a light desktop. There are many extremely light Linux systems out there already like Damn Small Linux and Slax. Myah OS 3.0 Box is for people who want a full blown system built around a light desktop. Box comes with much of the same software that was found in Mouse Pro." Read the rest of the release announcement for further information.
Myah OS 3.0 "Box" - a desktop distribution featuring the Openbox window manager
(full image size: 355kB, screen resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
linuX-gamers Live DVD 0.9.3
The linuX-gamers live DVD is a live "boot-and-play" distribution offering instant access to a variety of games, including Blobby2, BzFLag, Foobillard, gl-117, Glest, Neverball, Nexuiz, Sauerbraten, Torcs, Tremulous, Ufo:AI, Wesnoth, Warsow, Warzone 2100 and World of Padman. An updated version of the live DVD was released yesterday: "linuX-gamers.net Live 0.9.3 released. Recently our chief developers released a new version of linuX-gamers.net live-DVD. This version was used on the LinuxTag exhibition in Berlin. Changes: base and mastering environment rebuilt to support custom mastering; easy network configuration GUI; support for chipsets of recent boards; easy display setup GUI; video settings saved to USB sticks." Here is the brief release announcement.
Greenie Linux 3.0.2H
Stanislav Hoferek has announced the release of Greenie Linux 3.0.2, an enhanced, Ubuntu-based distribution designed primarily for Slovak and Czech-speaking users. Some of the most important changes since Greenie Linux 2.x series include: based on Ubuntu 8.04; new versions of included applications; improved Bash aliases for easier execution of certain commands; addition of VLC as the default movie player; addition of gThumb as the default photo viewer; reduction of the distribution size to fit on one CD; removal of Frets on Fire, Wesnoth and MPlayer; inclusion of a third desktop environment - in addition to GNOME and Openbox, LXDE is now also available; various minor improvements and bug fixes. Visit the distribution's home page (in Slovak) to read the full release announcement.
Greenie Linux 3.0.2H - an enhanced, Ubuntu-based distribution for the desktop
(full image size: 852kB, screen resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
VectorLinux 5.9 "SOHO"
Robert Lange has announced the release of VectorLinux 5.9 SOHO edition: "We have released VectorLinux 5.9 SOHO. It has been a year since our last SOHO release and from all reports this is our best yet. Starting from the ground up with our 5.9 standard release, we have taken VectorLinux to a new high. This is absolutely the fastest KDE 3.5.9 desktop you will find anywhere with a optional Fluxbox desktop for power users. The eye candy is amazing, with four special themes to select from at installation time. We have fixed most of the oddities and bugs found in the standard release and have made many improvements to our in-house utilities. Everything is updated and patched so no need to worry about homeland security. The amount of software available on this 2-disc set will simply amaze." See the release announcement and product page for further information.
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Development, unannounced and minor bug-fix 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 |
Annual package database update
The annual package database update on DistroWatch moves into the second week of soliciting suggestions. Among the popular votes last week were Git (a version control system) and mc (Midnight Commander), which will be added to the list, while gFTP will be retained due to popular demand. If there are any other applications that you want DistroWatch to track, you have one more week to cast your vote - either by commenting in the forum below or by emailing us directly (see the bottom of this page for contact details).
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New distributions added to database
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New distributions added to waiting list
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DistroWatch database summary
And this concludes the latest issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 23 June 2008.
Ladislav Bodnar
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| • Issue 848 (2020-01-13): elementary OS 5.1, accessing USB ports directly, NetBSD expanding Wayland support, Fedora phasing out old Python packages |
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| • Issue 834 (2019-09-30): FreedomBox "Buster", CentOS gains a rolling release, Librem 5 phones shipping, Redcore updates its package manager |
| • Issue 833 (2019-09-23): Redcore Linux 1908, why Linux distros are free, Ubuntu making list of 32-bit software to keep, Richard M Stallman steps down from FSF leadership |
| • Issue 832 (2019-09-16): BlackWeb 1.2, checking for Wayland session and applications, Fedora to use nftables in firewalld, OpenBSD disables DoH in Firefox |
| • Issue 831 (2019-09-09): Adélie Linux 1.0 beta, using ffmpeg, awk and renice, Mint and elementary improvements, PureOS and Manjaro updates |
| • Issue 930 (2019-09-02): deepin 15.11, working with AppArmor profiles, elementary OS gets new greeter, exFAT support coming to Linux kernel |
| • Issue 829 (2019-08-26): EndeavourOS 2019.07.15, Drauger OS 7.4.1, finding licenses of kernel modules, NetBSD gets Wayland application, GhostBSD changes base repo |
| • Issue 828 (2019-08-19): AcademiX 2.2, concerns with non-free firmware, UBports working on Unity8, Fedora unveils new EPEL channel, FreeBSD phasing out GCC |
| • Issue 827 (2019-08-12): Q4OS, finding files on disk, Ubuntu works on ZFS, Haiku improves performance, OSDisc shutting down |
| • Issue 826 (2019-08-05): Quick looks at Resilient, PrimeOS, and BlueLight, flagship distros for desktops,Manjaro introduces new package manager |
| • Issue 825 (2019-07-29): Endless OS 3.6, UBports 16.04, gNewSense maintainer stepping down, Fedora developrs discuss optimizations, Project Trident launches stable branch |
| • Issue 824 (2019-07-22): Hexagon OS 1.0, Mageia publishes updated media, Fedora unveils Fedora CoreOS, managing disk usage with quotas |
| • Issue 823 (2019-07-15): Debian 10, finding 32-bit packages on a 64-bit system, Will Cooke discusses Ubuntu's desktop, IBM finalizes purchase of Red Hat |
| • Issue 822 (2019-07-08): Mageia 7, running development branches of distros, Mint team considers Snap, UBports to address Google account access |
| • Issue 821 (2019-07-01): OpenMandriva 4.0, Ubuntu's plan for 32-bit packages, Fedora Workstation improvements, DragonFly BSD's smaller kernel memory |
| • Issue 820 (2019-06-24): Clear Linux and Guix System 1.0.1, running Android applications using Anbox, Zorin partners with Star Labs, Red Hat explains networking bug, Ubuntu considers no longer updating 32-bit packages |
| • Issue 819 (2019-06-17): OS108 and Venom, renaming multiple files, checking live USB integrity, working with Fedora's Modularity, Ubuntu replacing Chromium package with snap |
| • Issue 818 (2019-06-10): openSUSE 15.1, improving boot times, FreeBSD's status report, DragonFly BSD reduces install media size |
| • Issue 817 (2019-06-03): Manjaro 18.0.4, Ubuntu Security Podcast, new Linux laptops from Dell and System76, Entroware Apollo |
| • Issue 816 (2019-05-27): Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.0, creating firewall rules, Antergos shuts down, Matthew Miller answers questions about Fedora |
| • Issue 815 (2019-05-20): Sabayon 19.03, Clear Linux's developer features, Red Hat explains MDS flaws, an overview of mobile distro options |
| • Issue 814 (2019-05-13): Fedora 30, distributions publish Firefox fixes, CentOS publishes roadmap to 8.0, Debian plans to use Wayland by default |
| • Issue 813 (2019-05-06): ROSA R11, MX seeks help with systemd-shim, FreeBSD tests unified package management, interview with Gael Duval |
| • Issue 812 (2019-04-29): Ubuntu MATE 19.04, setting up a SOCKS web proxy, Scientific Linux discontinued, Red Hat takes over Java LTS support |
| • Issue 811 (2019-04-22): Alpine 3.9.2, rsync examples, Ubuntu working on ZFS support, Debian elects new Project Leader, Obarun releases S6 tools |
| • Issue 810 (2019-04-15): SolydXK 201902, Bedrock Linux 0.7.2, Fedora phasing out Python 2, NetBSD gets virtual machine monitor |
| • Issue 809 (2019-04-08): PCLinuxOS 2019.02, installing Falkon and problems with portable packages, Mint offers daily build previews, Ubuntu speeds up Snap packages |
| • Issue 808 (2019-04-01): Solus 4.0, security benefits and drawbacks to using a live distro, Gentoo gets GNOME ports working without systemd, Redox OS update |
| • Issue 807 (2019-03-25): Pardus 17.5, finding out which user changed a file, new Budgie features, a tool for browsing FreeBSD's sysctl values |
| • Issue 806 (2019-03-18): Kubuntu vs KDE neon, Nitrux's znx, notes on Debian's election, SUSE becomes an independent entity |
| • Issue 805 (2019-03-11): EasyOS 1.0, managing background services, Devuan team debates machine ID file, Ubuntu Studio works to remain an Ubuntu Community Edition |
| • Issue 804 (2019-03-04): Condres OS 19.02, securely erasing hard drives, new UBports devices coming in 2019, Devuan to host first conference |
| • Issue 803 (2019-02-25): Septor 2019, preventing windows from stealing focus, NetBSD and Nitrux experiment with virtual machines, pfSense upgrading to FreeBSD 12 base |
| • Issue 802 (2019-02-18): Slontoo 18.07.1, NetBSD tests newer compiler, Fedora packaging Deepin desktop, changes in Ubuntu Studio |
| • Issue 801 (2019-02-11): Project Trident 18.12, meaning of status symbols in top, FreeBSD Foundation lists ongoing projects, Plasma Mobile team answers questions |
| • Issue 800 (2019-02-04): FreeNAS 11.2, using Ubuntu Studio software as an add-on, Nitrux developing znx, matching operating systems to file systems |
| • Issue 799 (2019-01-28): KaOS 2018.12, Linux Basics For Hackers, Debian 10 enters freeze, Ubuntu publishes new version for IoT devices |
| • Issue 798 (2019-01-21): Sculpt OS 18.09, picking a location for swap space, Solus team plans ahead, Fedora trying to get a better user count |
| • Issue 797 (2019-01-14): Reborn OS 2018.11.28, TinyPaw-Linux 1.3, dealing with processes which make desktop unresponsive, Debian testing Secure Boot support |
| • Issue 796 (2019-01-07): FreeBSD 12.0, Peppermint releases ISO update, picking the best distro of 2018, roundtable interview with Debian, Fedora and elementary developers |
| • Issue 795 (2018-12-24): Running a Pinebook, interview with Bedrock founder, Alpine being ported to RISC-V, Librem 5 dev-kits shipped |
| • Issue 794 (2018-12-17): Void 20181111, avoiding software bloat, improvements to HAMMER2, getting application overview in GNOME Shell |
| • Full list of all issues |
| Star Labs |
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the Star Lite, Star LabTop and more. Available with a choice of Ubuntu, Linux Mint or Zorin OS pre-installed with many more distributions supported. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
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| Random Distribution | 
Whonix
Whonix is an operating system focused on anonymity, privacy and security. It is based on the Tor anonymity network, Debian GNU/Linux and security by isolation. Whonix consists of two parts: One solely runs Tor and acts as a gateway, which is called Whonix-Gateway. The other, which is called Whonix-Workstation, is on a completely isolated network. Only connections through Tor are possible. With Whonix, you can use applications and run servers anonymously over the Internet. DNS leaks are impossible, and even malware with root privileges cannot find out the user's real IP.
Status: Active
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