 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 273, 6 October 2008 |
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Welcome to this year's 40th issue of DistroWatch Weekly! After two weeks or refining the package management cheatsheet, DistroWatch takes a break from this project to update its rapidly ageing Major Distributions page. Linux Mint, which has become the third most-often used Linux-based operating system among the visitors of this web site gets a well-deserved place among the elite, while CentOS, an increasingly popular community distribution among users preferring stability and reliability over bleeding-edge features also enters the exclusive list for the first time. Read on for brief overviews of the two projects. In the news, Barry Kauler resigns from the position of a benevolent dictator at Puppy Linux, OpenSolaris 2008.11 gets a range of excellent new features, and DistroWatch is showcased on Voice of America's Website of the Week. Also in this week's issue, two new distributions for those users who like to preserve their privacy while surfing the Internet: the Gentoo-based Incognito and the Debian-based Privatix. Finally, we are pleased to announce that the recipient of the DistroWatch September 2008 donation is Miro, an Internet video player. Happy reading!
Content:
 Listen to the Podcast edition of this week's DistroWatch Weekly in ogg (12MB) and mp3 (12MB) formats (many thanks to Russ Wenner)
 Join us at irc.freenode.net #distrowatch
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| Feature Story |
Major distribution updates: Linux Mint and CentOS
The upcoming release of Mandriva Linux 2009 later this week signals the start of a new, intensive release season that will last until the end of this year. Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE and dozens of smaller projects will continue to showcase their latest innovations in semi-regular intervals, making the following two months a dream come true for every distro hopper and open source software enthusiast. Which distribution will you run this Christmas? And which will get a thumbs down from the users? The next several weeks will answer most of these types of questions.
While speaking about new releases, many DistroWatch readers have emailed us recently saying that our Major Distributions page no longer reflects the reality and needs an update. That's true. Compiled in April 2007, the page is a testament of just how fast the Linux distribution world can change in just a few short months. While some projects go from strength to strength, others, especially the smaller ones, can burn out and fade away. All these little evolutions give a sense of dynamism to the world of distributions that many people find so irresistibly exciting and which many enjoy discussing in forums around the Internet.
So the time has come to update the Major Distributions page - with two changes. The first one is the replacement of MEPIS Linux with Linux Mint in the category of user-friendly distributions. While MEPIS has long held the position of being one of the best distros for users new to Linux, Mint has become a very strong contender in recent months. In fact, anybody who compares the two today, can't but notice the enormous amount of activity, innovation and excitement at Linux Mint. In contrast, MEPIS, while still remaining a solid distribution, has lost much of its lustre, with release frequencies dropping considerably and with many MEPIS community sites having closed down. According to the Apache logs on DistroWatch, four times as many DistroWatch readers visit this site with a version of Linux Mint than those who come with MEPIS. In short, Linux Mint is clearly where much of the newbie-friendly action is taking place right now.
The second change is the replacement of KNOPPIX with CentOS. Like MEPIS, KNOPPIX too has lost much of its stardom that brought it to the attention of Linux users early this decade when it was the first hands-off live CD capable of booting just about any computer. But as most other distributions caught up and developed their own "live" products, KNOPPIX has slowly taken a backstage role. Nowadays, its releases are few and far between and the quality isn't what it used to be either. The KNOPPIX mailing list rarely receives more than a handful of messages in a month. As such, it will drop out of the major distributions page to be replaced by CentOS, a large (and still growing) community project that rebuilds Red Hat Enterprise Linux into a completely free distribution with long-term support. Although CentOS doesn't do any innovation of its own, it provides new CentOS versions and all security updates in a prompt and responsible manner. Many sizeable organisations and companies use CentOS, especially on their servers.
So without further ado, here are the descriptions of Linux Mint and CentOS for the Major Distributions page, pending corrections and suggestions from the readers:
* * * * *
 Linux Mint, a distribution based on Ubuntu, was first launched in 2006 by Clement Lefebvre, a French-born IT specialist living and working in Ireland. Originally maintaining a Linux web site dedicated to providing help, tips and documentation to new Linux users, the author saw the potential of developing a Linux distribution that would address the many usability drawbacks associated with the generally more technical, mainstream products. After soliciting feedback from the visitors on his web site, he proceeded with building what many refer to today as an "improved Ubuntu".
But Linux Mint is not just an Ubuntu with a new set of applications and an updated desktop theme. Since its beginnings, the developers have been adding a variety of graphical "mint" tools for enhanced usability; this includes mintDesktop - a utility for configuring the desktop environment, mintMenu - a new and elegant menu structure for easier navigation, mintInstall - an easy-to-use software installer, and mintUpdate - a software updater, just to mention a few more prominent ones among several other tools and hundreds of additional improvements. The project also designs its own artwork, while its reputation for ease of use has been further enhanced by the inclusion of proprietary and patent-encumbered multimedia codecs that are often absent from larger distributions due to potential legal threats. However, one of the best features of Linux Mint is the fact that the developers listen to the users and are always fast in implementing good suggestions.
While Linux Mint is available as a free download, the project generates revenue from donations, advertising and professional support services. It doesn't have a fixed release schedule or a list of planned features, but one can expect a new version of Linux Mint several weeks after each stable Ubuntu release. Besides the "main" edition which features the GNOME desktop, the project also builds a variety of semi-regular "community" editions with alternative desktops, such as KDE, Xfce and Fluxbox. However, these are often completed several months after the release of the "main" GNOME edition and may sometimes miss some of the "minty" tools and other features found in the project's flagship product. Linux Mint does not adhere to the principles of software freedom and it does not publish security advisories.
- Pros: Superb collection of "minty" tools developed in-house, hundreds of user-friendly enhancements, inclusion of multimedia codecs, open to users' suggestions
- Cons: The alternative "community" editions don't always include the latest features, the project does not issue security advisories and lacks a bug-tracking facility
- Software package management: APT with mintInstall using DEB packages (compatible with Ubuntu repositories)
- Available editions: A "main" edition (with GNOME) for 32-bit and 64-bit computers, a variety of "community" editions (with KDE, Xfce and Fluxbox) for 32-bit computers
- Possible alternative: SimplyMEPIS
Linux Mint 5.0
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* * * * *
 Launched in late 2003, CentOS is a community project with the goals of rebuilding the source code for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) into an installable Linux distribution and to provide timely security updates for all included software packages. To put in more bluntly, CentOS is nothing more than a clone of RHEL. The only technical difference between the two is branding - CentOS replaces all Red Hat trademarks and logos with its own. But the connection between RHEL and CentOS is not immediately visible on the CentOS web site; due to trademark laws, Red Hat is referred to as a "Prominent North American Enterprise Linux Vendor", rather than by its proper name. Nevertheless, the relations between Red Hat and CentOS remain amicable and many CentOS developers are in active contact with Red Hat engineers.
CentOS is often seen as a reliable server distribution. It comes with the same set of well-tested and stable Linux kernel and software packages that form the basis of its parent, Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Despite being a community project run by volunteers, it has gained a reputation of being a solid, free alternative to the more costly server products on the market, especially among the more experienced Linux system administrators. CentOS is also suitable as an enterprise desktop solution, specifically where stability, reliability and long-term support are preferred over latest software and features. Like RHEL, CentOS is supported with a minimum of 5 years of security updates.
Despite its advantages, CentOS might not be the best solution in all deployment scenarios. Those users who prefer a distribution with the latest Linux technologies and newest software packages should look elsewhere. Major CentOS versions, which follow RHEL versioning, are only released every 2 - 3 years, while "point" releases (e.g. 5.1) tend to arrive in 6 - 9 month intervals. The point releases do not usually contain any major features (although they do sometimes include support for more recent hardware) and only a handful of software packages may get updated to newer versions. The Linux kernel, the base system and most application versions remain unchanged, but occasionally a newer version of an important software package (e.g. OpenOffice.org or Firefox) may be provided on an experimental basis. Relative to RHEL, most CentOS point releases arrive within weeks of the upstream release, but major versions can take up to two months before they are made available. The CentOS project is supported by donations.
- Pros: Extremely well-tested, stable and reliable; free to download and use; comes with 5-years of free security updates; prompt releases and security updates
- Cons: Lacks latest Linux technologies; by the time of release, most software packages are outdated
- Software package management: YUM graphical and command line utility using RPM packages
- Available editions: Installation DVDs and installable live CDs (with GNOME) for i386 and x86_64 processors; older versions (3.x and 4.x) also available for Alpha, IA64 and IBM z-series (s390, s390x) processors.
- Other RHEL clones and CentOS-based distributions: Scientific Linux, SME Server, StartCom Enterprise Linux, Fermi Linux, Rocks Cluster Distribution, Oracle Enterprise Linux
CentOS 5.2
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* * * * *
Note: The package management cheatsheet will return next week, hopefully in its final version.
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| Miscellaneous News |
Barry Kauler retires from Puppy Linux, more OpenSolaris features
 Last week was a quiet one. Apart from a few beta releases of major distributions and a couple of stable releases of minor ones, there wasn't much to report. But the imminent release of Puppy Linux 4.1 was accompanied by a warning for the fans of the popular mini-distribution: Barry Kauler, the project's founder and lead developer, is about to retire as the project leader: "I have decided to bow out from my position as leader (also known as 'benevolent dictator') of the Puppy Linux project (held since I released version 0.1 in mid-2003), and take a back seat. Version 4.1 is my final release as leader. A small group of trusted developers will take over, although the details are still to be worked out -- there are a couple of threads on the forum discussing this. I won't be going away totally, and plan to focus on a 'puplet' (derivative of Puppy) based on my 'UniPup' concept and targeting specific hardware, probably one or more of the baby laptops. This will be a more part-time project than the hectic full-time pace that I have maintained over the last couple of years." This is not a new phenomenon in the world of Linux distributions - we have seen the leaders of other projects retire after achieving reasonable success (Arch's Judd Vinet or CRUX's Per Liden come to mind). But there are exceptions to this trend. Patrick Volkerding, who founded Slackware Linux in 1993, is still at the head of the project some 15 years later! Quite an achievement that!
* * * * *
 In recent issues we talked about some of the desktop features in the upcoming OpenSolaris 2008.11. Of course, there is a lot more to OpenSolaris that just GNOME, so here is a list of some of the other new stuff that has been added to the latest build: "SD card support; audio HD improvements - many more laptops will now have working audio; fast reboot; Brussels (NIC Administration) - a greatly improved manageability for network interfaces; suspend (S3) support." The author, Garrett D'Amore, can't hide his enthusiasm for the new version: "I think OpenSolaris 2008.11 is going to be great - I confess that I was skeptical about the earlier releases, but this release is shaping up to be really awesome." That's another interesting release that no open source software enthusiast should miss, so do keep an eye on DistroWatch for the announcement of the first beta.
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| Released Last Week |
Ultima Linux 8.4
Martin Ultima has announced the release of Ultima Linux 8.4, a Slackware-compatible desktop and server distribution built around the KDE desktop: "The Ultima Linux project is pleased to announce the immediate availability of Ultima Linux 8.4. This release includes over 850 packages, including the Linux kernel 2.6.24.7, X.Org 7.3 with ATI and NVIDIA proprietary drivers, KDE 3.5.10, OpenOffice.org 2.4.1. Highlights: all-new code base based on the ultima-scripts package and live CD build system; more optimized base system, including i686-optimized kernel and glibc on x86, and greater use of native code on AMD64; improved hardware support for wireless, ATI and NVIDIA drivers, and some 'netbooks' such as the ASUS Eee PC; cleaner, more refined desktop with numerous Ultima tweaks and enhancements...." Read the full release announcement for further information.
NetSecL 2.3
Iuri Stanchev has announced the release of NetSecL 2.3, a Slackware-based distribution with advanced security features: "As the NetSecL project developer, I am proud to announce the release of NetSecL 2.3. The main highlights: improved full setup using rsync - we were able to get a full install in 5 minutes, this is the fastest result for now; smaller size of the ISO image file - another 100 MB got melted; a source-based portage system CruxPorts4Slack - mainly suitable for upgrade of command-line utilities from source; a conversion system adding PT_PAX_FLAGS to ELF binaries; a more advanced kernel configuration and additional modules (NDISwrapper and Dazuko - fixed); X.Org update thanks to the excellent packages from Zenwalk, additionally, with small modifications to the X.Org ATI driver, we added support for the latest ATI 4850/4870 video cards." Read the complete release announcement for more details.
GParted LiveCD 0.3.9-4
A new stable version of GParted LiveCD, a specialist, Debian-based live medium featuring a popular hard disk partitioning tool, has been released. From the release notes: "Comes with GParted 0.3.9; based on Debian 'Lenny' as of 2008-10-01; Linux kernel 2.6.26; package hfsprogs was added; three boot parameters were added: gl_lang, gl_kbd, and gl_batch (example: 'gl_lang=en_US gl_kbd=NONE gl_batch' will use en_US.UTF-8 locale, will do nothing about keyboard mapping change and will not wait for entering key before starting X); VGA 1024x768 is used for framebuffer when booting; the icon of USB on desktop was removed since it does not fit the way USB Flash drive was made; updated with newer live-initramfs 1.139.1."
VectorLinux 5.9 "Live"
VectorLinux 5.9 "Live" has been released: "The VectorLinux Live team is proud to announce the release of VectorLinux 5.9 Standard Live CD (and the first 5.9 Light beta live CD). This is the final release for 5.9 Standard Live. We like to keep our live CDs as close to the installed versions as possible, except for the addition of GParted for easy GUI partitioning. The 5.9 Standard Live CD has been updated with all the latest packages from the 5.9 repository. Also installed in these live editions are vmklive, a live remastering tool that makes live CD remastering easy for everyone. These live CDs include browser plugins, SeaMonkey, Firefox and Opera, the newest Xfce desktop, The Gimp, AbiWord and Gnumeric, vasm and vl-hot, wireless drivers and configuration tools, support for read and write to NTFS, and lots of fun and games." Here is the full release announcement.
* * * * *
Development, unannounced and minor bug-fix releases
- SimplyMEPIS 8.0-beta2, the release announcement
- Fedora 10-beta, the release announcement
- FreeNAS 0.69-beta4, the release notes
- Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Ubuntu Studio and Mythbuntu, 8.10-beta, the release announcement
- Momonga Linux 5-rc, the release announcement (in Japanese)
- openSUSE 11.1-beta2, the release announcement
- Berry Linux 0.92
- Momonga Linux 5.0-beta2
- VectorLinux 5.9-beta "Lite Live"
- Scientific Linux 4.7 "Live CD/DVD"
- Clonezilla Live 1.2.0-27
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| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
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Summary of expected upcoming releases
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| DistroWatch.com News |
DistroWatch on Voice of America
 It is a great pleasure to announce that DistroWatch.com was featured on Voice of America's Website of the Week programme last Friday. Voice of America (VOA) is an international broadcasting service funded in 1942 by the U.S. Government, broadcasting more than 1,250 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of 134 million people. Its Website of the Week feature is generally geared towards popular political, environmental and cultural web sites, so it was somewhat surprising to see the programme's editor, Art Chimes, choosing a site dedicated to free and open source software for its latest edition. Besides the brief introduction to DistroWatch.com, the above page also links to a short (2:30 min) audio file in MP3 format.
* * * * *
September 2008 donation: Miro receives US$300.00
 We are pleased to announce that the recipient of the September 2008 DistroWatch.com donation is Miro, a free and open source Internet video player. It receives US$300 in cash.
If you've never heard of Miro, here is the description from its web site: "Miro is a free application for channels of Internet video (also known as video podcasts and video RSS). Miro is designed to be easy to use and to give you an elegant full-screen viewing experience. There are thousands of free Internet video channels that you can watch. You'll be able to download all the videos that each channel offers and when new ones are released, Miro will grab them automatically. Unlike tiny videos on web sites like YouTube, Miro videos are usually very of high quality and look great when watched in full screen. Since Miro downloads videos completely before you watch, your videos will never skip or stutter while they are playing." More and more distributions now include Miro in their repositories; the latest version (1.2.7) can be found in Fedora's and Mandriva's development repositories, but slightly older versions are also available for openSUSE, FreeBSD and Arch Linux, among many others.
Miro - an free and open source Internet video player
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As always, this monthly donations programme is a joint initiative between DistroWatch and two online shops selling low-cost CDs and DVDs with Linux, BSD and other open source software - LinuxCD.org and OSDisc.com. These vendors contributed US$50.00 each towards this month's donation to Miro
Here is the list of projects that received a DistroWatch donation since the launch of the programme (figures in US dollars):
- 2004: GnuCash ($250), Quanta Plus ($200), PCLinuxOS ($300), The GIMP ($300), Vidalinux ($200), Fluxbox ($200), K3b ($350), Arch Linux ($300), Kile KDE LaTeX Editor ($100) and UNICEF - Tsunami Relief Operation ($340)
- 2005: Vim ($250), AbiWord ($220), BitTorrent ($300), NdisWrapper ($250), Audacity ($250), Debian GNU/Linux ($420), GNOME ($425), Enlightenment ($250), MPlayer ($400), Amarok ($300), KANOTIX ($250) and Cacti ($375)
- 2006: Gambas ($250), Krusader ($250), FreeBSD Foundation ($450), GParted ($360), Doxygen ($260), LilyPond ($250), Lua ($250), Gentoo Linux ($500), Blender ($500), Puppy Linux ($350), Inkscape ($350), Cape Linux Users Group ($130), Mandriva Linux ($405, a Powerpack competition), Digikam ($408) and SabayonLinux ($450)
- 2007: GQview ($250), Kaffeine ($250), sidux ($350), CentOS ($400), LyX ($350), VectorLinux ($350), KTorrent ($400), FreeNAS ($350), lighttpd ($400), Damn Small Linux ($350), NimbleX ($450), MEPIS Linux ($300), Zenwalk Linux ($300)
- 2008: VLC ($350), Frugalware Linux ($340), cURL ($300), GSPCA ($400), FileZilla ($400), MythDora ($500), Linux Mint ($400), Parsix GNU/Linux ($300), Miro ($300).
Since the launch of the Donations Programme in March 2004, DistroWatch has donated a total of US$19,183 to various open source software projects.
* * * * *
New distributions added to database
* * * * *
New distributions added to waiting list
- Incogninto LiveCD. Incognito LiveCD is a Gentoo-based distribution with a goal of providing a secure and anonymous use of the Internet on the go. It can be used from either a CD or a USB drive and has several Internet applications (web browser, IRC client, mail client, instant messenger) pre-configured with security in mind. All Internet traffic is anonymised by routing it through the Tor network. Incognito is officially endorsed by -- but not part of -- the Tor project.
- Privatix Live-System. Privatix Live-System is a Debian-based live CD featuring enhanced encryption and privacy. It can be used either as an installer to set up a Debian GNU/Linux system with a persistent home on an encrypted USB storage device or as a live CD for rescue and administration work requiring encryption tools. The live CD also enables anonymous Internet surfing with Tor, Firefox and Torbutton.
* * * * *
DistroWatch database summary
* * * * *
And this concludes the latest issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 13 October 2008. Until next week,
Ladislav Bodnar
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| Archives |
| • Issue 1168 (2026-04-13): pearOS 2026.03, EndeavourOS 2026.03.06, which distros are adopting age verification, Arch adjusts its firewall packages, Linux dropping i486 support, Red Hat extends its release cycle, Debian's APT introduces rollbacks, Redox improves its scheduler |
| • Issue 1167 (2026-04-06): Origami Linux 2026.03, answering questions for Linux newcomers, Ubuntu MATE seeking new contributors, Ubuntu software centre is expanding Deb support, FreeBSD fixes forum exploit, openSUSE 15 Leap nears its end of life |
| • Issue 1166 (2026-03-30): NetBSD jails, publishing software for Linux, Ubuntu joins Rust Foundation, Canonical plans to trim GRUB features, Peppermint works on new utilities, PINE64 shows off open hardware capabilities |
| • Issue 1165 (2026-03-23): Argent Linux 1.5.3, disk space required by Linux, Manjaro team goes on strike, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA driver support and builds RISC-V packages, systemd introduces age tracking |
| • Issue 1164 (2026-03-16): d77void, age verification laws and Linux, SUSE may be for sale, TrueNAS takes its build system private, Debian publishes updated Trixie media, MidnightBSD and System76 respond to age verification laws |
| • Issue 1163 (2026-03-09): KaOS 2026.02, TinyCore 17.0, NuTyX 26.02.2, Would one big collection of packages help?, Guix offers 64-bit Hurd options, Linux communities discuss age delcaration laws, Mint unveils new screensaver for Cinnamon, Redox ports new COSMIC features |
| • Issue 1162 (2026-03-02): AerynOS 2026.01, anti-virus and firewall tools, Manjaro fixes website certificate, Ubuntu splits firmware package, jails for NetBSD, extended support for some Linux kernel releases, Murena creating a map app |
| • Issue 1161 (2026-02-23): The Guix package manager, quick Q&As, Gentoo migrating its mirrors, Fedora considers more informative kernel panic screens, GhostBSD testing alternative X11 implementation, Asahi makes progress with Apple M3, NetBSD userland ported, FreeBSD improves web-based system management |
| • Issue 1160 (2026-02-16): Noid and AgarimOS, command line tips, KDE Linux introduces delta updates, Redox OS hits development milestone, Linux Mint develops a desktop-neutral account manager, sudo developer seeks sponsorship |
| • Issue 1159 (2026-02-09): Sharing files on a network, isolating processes on Linux, LFS to focus on systemd, openSUSE polishes atomic updates, NetBSD not likely to adopt Rust code, COSMIC roadmap |
| • Issue 1158 (2026-02-02): Manjaro 26.0, fastest filesystem, postmarketOS progress report, Xfce begins developing its own Wayland window manager, Bazzite founder interviewed |
| • Issue 1157 (2026-01-26): Setting up a home server, what happened to convergence, malicious software entering the Snap store, postmarketOS automates hardware tests, KDE's login manager works with systemd only |
| • Issue 1156 (2026-01-19): Chimera Linux's new installer, using the DistroWatch Torrent Corner, new package tools for Arch, Haiku improves EFI support, Redcore streamlines branches, Synex introduces install-time ZFS options |
| • Issue 1155 (2026-01-12): MenuetOS, CDE on Sparky, iDeal OS 2025.12.07, recommended flavour of BSD, Debian seeks new Data Protection Team, Ubuntu 25.04 nears its end of life, Google limits Android source code releases, Fedora plans to replace SDDM, Budgie migrates to Wayland |
| • Issue 1154 (2026-01-05): postmarketOS 25.06/25.12, switching to Linux and educational resources, FreeBSD improving laptop support, Unix v4 available for download, new X11 server in development, CachyOS team plans server edtion |
| • Issue 1153 (2025-12-22): Best projects of 2025, is software ever truly finished?, Firefox to adopt AI components, Asahi works on improving the install experience, Mageia presents plans for version 10 |
| • Issue 1152 (2025-12-15): OpenBSD 7.8, filtering websites, Jolla working on a Linux phone, Germany saves money with Linux, Ubuntu to package AMD tools, Fedora demonstrates AI troubleshooting, Haiku packages Go language |
| • Issue 1151 (2025-12-08): FreeBSD 15.0, fun command line tricks, Canonical presents plans for Ubutnu 26.04, SparkyLinux updates CDE packages, Redox OS gets modesetting driver |
| • Issue 1150 (2025-12-01): Gnoppix 25_10, exploring if distributions matter, openSUSE updates tumbleweed's boot loader, Fedora plans better handling of broken packages, Plasma to become Wayland-only, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1149 (2025-11-24): MX Linux 25, why are video drivers special, systemd experiments with musl, Debian Libre Live publishes new media, Xubuntu reviews website hack |
| • Issue 1148 (2025-11-17): Zorin OS 18, deleting a file with an unusual name, NetBSD experiments with sandboxing, postmarketOS unifies its documentation, OpenBSD refines upgrades, Canonical offers 15 years of support for Ubuntu |
| • Issue 1147 (2025-11-10): Fedora 43, the size and stability of the Linux kernel, Debian introducing Rust to APT, Redox ports web engine, Kubuntu website off-line, Mint creates new troubleshooting tools, FreeBSD improves reproducible builds, Flatpak development resumes |
| • Issue 1146 (2025-11-03): StartOS 0.4.0, testing piped commands, Ubuntu Unity seeks help, Canonical offers Ubuntu credentials, Red Hat partners with NVIDIA, SUSE to bundle AI agent with SLE 16 |
| • Issue 1145 (2025-10-27): Linux Mint 7 "LMDE", advice for new Linux users, AlmaLinux to offer Btrfs, KDE launches Plasma 6.5, Fedora accepts contributions written by AI, Ubuntu 25.10 fails to install automatic updates |
| • Issue 1144 (2025-10-20): Kubuntu 25.10, creating and restoring encrypted backups, Fedora team debates AI, FSF plans free software for phones, ReactOS addresses newer drivers, Xubuntu reacts to website attack |
| • Issue 1143 (2025-10-13): openSUSE 16.0 Leap, safest source for new applications, Redox introduces performance improvements, TrueNAS Connect available for testing, Flatpaks do not work on Ubuntu 25.10, Kamarada plans to switch its base, Solus enters new epoch, Frugalware discontinued |
| • Issue 1142 (2025-10-06): Linux Kamarada 15.6, managing ZIP files with SQLite, F-Droid warns of impact of Android lockdown, Alpine moves ahead with merged /usr, Cinnamon gets a redesigned application menu |
| • Issue 1141 (2025-09-29): KDE Linux and GNOME OS, finding mobile flavours of Linux, Murena to offer phones with kill switches, Redox OS running on a smartphone, Artix drops GNOME |
| • Issue 1140 (2025-09-22): NetBSD 10.1, avoiding AI services, AlmaLinux enables CRB repository, Haiku improves disk access performance, Mageia addresses service outage, GNOME 49 released, Linux introduces multikernel support |
| • Issue 1139 (2025-09-15): EasyOS 7.0, Linux and central authority, FreeBSD running Plasma 6 on Wayland, GNOME restores X11 support temporarily, openSUSE dropping BCacheFS in new kernels |
| • Issue 1138 (2025-09-08): Shebang 25.8, LibreELEC 12.2.0, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, the importance of software updates, AerynOS introduces package sets, postmarketOS encourages patching upstream, openSUSE extends Leap support, Debian refreshes Trixie media |
| • Issue 1137 (2025-09-01): Tribblix 0m37, malware scanners flagging Linux ISO files, KDE introduces first-run setup wizard, CalyxOS plans update prior to infrastructure overhaul, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1136 (2025-08-25): CalyxOS 6.8.20, distros for running containers, Arch Linux website under attack,illumos Cafe launched, CachyOS creates web dashboard for repositories |
| • Issue 1135 (2025-08-18): Debian 13, Proton, WINE, Wayland, and Wayback, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, KDE gets advanced Liquid Glass, Haiku improves authentication tools |
| • Issue 1134 (2025-08-11): Rhino Linux 2025.3, thoughts on malware in the AUR, Fedora brings hammered websites back on-line, NetBSD reveals features for version 11, Ubuntu swaps some command line tools for 25.10, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA support |
| • Issue 1133 (2025-08-04): Expirion Linux 6.0, running Plasma on Linux Mint, finding distros which support X11, Debian addresses 22 year old bug, FreeBSD discusses potential issues with pkgbase, CDE ported to OpenBSD, Btrfs corruption bug hitting Fedora users, more malware found in Arch User Repository |
| • Issue 1132 (2025-07-28): deepin 25, wars in the open source community, proposal to have Fedora enable Flathub repository, FreeBSD plans desktop install option, Wayback gets its first release |
| • Issue 1131 (2025-07-21): HeliumOS 10.0, settling on one distro, Mint plans new releases, Arch discovers malware in AUR, Plasma Bigscreen returns, Clear Linux discontinued |
| • Issue 1130 (2025-07-14): openSUSE MicroOS and RefreshOS, sharing aliases between computers, Bazzite makes Bazaar its default Flatpak store, Alpine plans Wayback release, Wayland and X11 benchmarked, Red Hat offers additional developer licenses, openSUSE seeks feedback from ARM users, Ubuntu 24.10 reaches the end of its life |
| • Issue 1129 (2025-07-07): GLF OS Omnislash, the worst Linux distro, Alpine introduces Wayback, Fedora drops plans to stop i686 support, AlmaLinux builds EPEL repository for older CPUs, Ubuntu dropping existing RISC-V device support, Rhino partners with UBports, PCLinuxOS recovering from website outage |
| • Issue 1128 (2025-06-30): AxOS 25.06, AlmaLinux OS 10.0, transferring Flaptak bundles to off-line computers, Ubuntu to boost Intel graphics performance, Fedora considers dropping i686 packages, SDesk switches from SELinux to AppArmor |
| • Issue 1127 (2025-06-23): LastOSLinux 2025-05-25, most unique Linux distro, Haiku stabilises, KDE publishes Plasma 6.4, Arch splits Plasma packages, Slackware infrastructure migrating |
| • Issue 1126 (2025-06-16): SDesk 2025.05.06, renewed interest in Ubuntu Touch, a BASIC device running NetBSD, Ubuntu dropping X11 GNOME session, GNOME increases dependency on systemd, Google holding back Pixel source code, Nitrux changing its desktop, EFF turns 35 |
| • Issue 1125 (2025-06-09): RHEL 10, distributions likely to survive a decade, Murena partners with more hardware makers, GNOME tests its own distro on real hardware, Redox ports GTK and X11, Mint provides fingerprint authentication |
| • Issue 1124 (2025-06-02): Picking up a Pico, tips for protecting privacy, Rhino tests Plasma desktop, Arch installer supports snapshots, new features from UBports, Ubuntu tests monthly snapshots |
| • Issue 1123 (2025-05-26): CRUX 3.8, preventing a laptop from sleeping, FreeBSD improves laptop support, Fedora confirms GNOME X11 session being dropped, HardenedBSD introduces Rust in userland build, KDE developing a virtual machine manager |
| • 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 |
| • Full list of all issues |
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| Random Distribution | 
Resala Linux
Resala Linux Project was a single-CD distribution based on Fedora Core. The main objective was to: (a) create an Arabic-ready distribution to make it easy for computer users to use Linux in the Arabic-speaking countries, and (b) to open the door for all developers to contribute to a regional distribution. Resala Project was supported by Linux-Egypt.org where it will be maintained as a standalone project to allow contributions from everywhere and by everyone who can contribute.
Status: Discontinued
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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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