 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 282, 15 December 2008 |
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Welcome to this year's 49th issue of DistroWatch Weekly! This week's feature article shows keen Linux users how to make the most of their computer by performing a custom install for a leaner and faster system - in this case we build a custom Ubuntu 8.10. In the news section, openSUSE prepares for the imminent release of version 11.1, Debian announces the upcoming second and final release candidate of the Debian installer, the Unofficial Fedora FAQ updates its HOWTOs for the recently released Fedora 10, the University of Glasgow settles on Slackware Linux for its log-in server, Spain's Trisquel is added to GNU's free distribution list, and Chile's Educalibre gets Tuquito Linux running on Intel Classmate netbooks. We also have links to two interesting interviews - one with Timothy Cramer from OpenSolaris and the other with Warren Woodford of MEPIS Linux. Finally, if you are still searching for that elusive minimalist Linux system that would run smoothly on any old computer, take a look at Tiny Core Linux - a desktop distro in 11 MB. Happy reading!
Content:
- HowTo: Getting a lean system with a custom Ubuntu install
- News: openSUSE prepares 11.1, Debian "Lenny" installer in deep freeze, Fedora FAQ updates, Glasgow University switches to Slackware, interviews with MEPIS and OpenSolaris developers, The Economist recommends Linux
- Released last week: Slackware Linux 12.2, PC-BSD 7.0.2, Slax 6.0.9
- Upcoming releases: openSUSE 11.1, Linux Mint 6
- New additions: Jibbed
- New distribution: Jaris, Tiny Core Linux, Ubuntu Privacy Remix
- Reader comments
 Listen to the Podcast edition of this week's DistroWatch Weekly in ogg (11MB) and mp3 (11MB) formats (many thanks to Russ Wenner)
 Join us at irc.freenode.net #distrowatch
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| Feature Story |
How To: Getting a lean system with a custom Ubuntu install
So you've been using Linux for a while now and you've gotten a handle on how it works and you're feeling confident. Great! Most likely you have installed your favourite desktop environment from your favourite distribution and this includes most applications you'll ever need. This is good, but as a result your machine might not be running as lean as it could be. Do you have Bluetooth or a Wacom tablet? If not then why waste time and resources loading them? There are many such tweaks that can be performed after an install, but why not start from the very beginning with a nice clean, lean install? You'll only have what you want to have and you'll be more in charge of your system. If you're keen to get your hands a little dirty, then come along. It's fun!
Today we're going to look at performing a custom install using Ubuntu 8.10 "Intrepid Ibex". By default Ubuntu installs the GNOME desktop environment with lots of extra services and packages which help make it a very friendly distro, but which also help to use up your precious resources. We're going to start from scratch by installing a very basic Ubuntu system and build it up with the desktop and applications we want. Another benefit of this method is that you will get the latest versions of all applications at install time, rather than installing and then performing an update at a later stage.
On my test machine, a full Ubuntu install takes up 3.1 GB of hard drive space, uses 430 MB of RAM and takes 25 seconds to boot. Logging into GNOME takes a further 12 seconds. By comparison, the same machine with a custom install takes only 2.2 GB of hard drive space, uses 210 MB of RAM and takes 20 seconds to boot. Logging into GNOME takes 5 seconds.
To perform this custom install we need the Ubuntu Alternate install CD, not the Desktop CD. It is worth noting that this method uses the ncurses-based terminal installer, not a graphical one. First, burn the Alternate CD and boot to it. When prompted at the install CD menu, select a language. Press the F4 key to change the installation mode. Choose "Install a command-line system" and hit the Enter key. Now back at the main menu, ensure "Install Ubuntu" is selected and hit the Enter key. The installer will now load and we can begin our minimal install.
Boot screen for the Ubuntu Alternate installer
(full image size: 18kB, screen resolution: 642x481 pixels)
Installer
Select your language, location and then configure your keyboard. If you are using DHCP to automatically assign network addresses then you should receive an address, else you will need to configure your network manually. Enter a hostname and configure the clock. Partitioning your hard drive should be the same as other installs, just take extra care if you're not using a blank new hard drive. Create a new user, enabling an encrypted private directory if you wish. Set the clock and reboot the computer.
Installing Ubuntu via the Alternate install method
(full image size: 2.8kB, screen resolution: 642x481 pixels)
Base system
The fresh base install you have created should now be ready to boot. Log in with the user you created during the install process. Now that you have a basic system installed, we can use the Internet to download the latest packages. Any packages that have been updated since the initial Intrepid release will be installed from the Internet, while anything else will be installed from the local CD. By default the Ubuntu installer will have configured your sources.list for you. If you want to use a custom mirror, you can do so now by editing your /etc/apt/sources.list or you can continue below.
If you want Ubuntu to install any current packages from the CD rather than via the Internet, then make sure your Alternate CD is in the drive and run:
$ sudo apt-cdrom add
Now we'll update the system:
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
Great, now we have an up-to-date base install that's ready to get some more grunt. Next, we will install various packages, but note that these are optional. You can install whichever packages you want to make your system just right for you.
Base Environment
Does your CPU support speed stepping? If so, install the powernow daemon:
$ sudo apt-get install powernowd
You may wish to install a SSH server, so that you can remotely connect to the machine; if so, install it too:
$ sudo apt-get install ssh
Let's get a basic X environment going. We are going to install a basic GNOME, but you can choose a different environment if you want:
$ sudo apt-get install xorg gdm acpi-support gnome-session gnome-menus gnome-panel gnome-applets gnome-volume-manager gnome-power-manager metacity nautilus
If you want fancy 3D effects, install Compiz:
$ sudo apt-get install compiz
Now we can get some extra packages for GNOME:
$ sudo apt-get install gnome-screensaver xscreensaver menu gnome-utils gnome-system-tools libgnomevfs2-extra smbfs
Want to be able to switch users and use the guest account in Intrepid?
$ sudo apt-get install fast-user-switch-applet gdm-guest-session
Graphical Tools
If you want to use some of the graphical package management tools that Intrepid includes, then install the following:
$ sudo apt-get install gnome-app-install app-install-data-commercial update-manager update-notifier
If you need either the NVIDIA or ATI drivers for your video card, you can either install Ubuntu's graphical tool:
$ sudo apt-get install jockey-gtk
Or install the required packages directly, depending on your card (newer NVIDIA cards will use version 177, while older ones will use 96):
$ sudo apt-get install linux-headers-generic dkms nvidia-glx-177 && sudo nvidia-xconfig
$ sudo apt-get install linux-headers-generic dkms xorg-driver-fglrx && sudo aticonfig --initial
Networking
If you need wireless or other fancy network configurations then install Network Manager (note that this will pull in Bluetooth support):
$ sudo apt-get install network-manager-gnome
Because we installed using the Alternate CD, Ubuntu has been configured using the default network settings, rather than those with Network Manager. You will need to edit the network interfaces file and remove the lines for your network card:
$ sudo nano -w /etc/network/interfaces
Remove the lines for your primary interface, it should look similar to this:
auto eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp
After this, Network Manager will start working.
Applications
Now we need some basic applications. These are of course optional! You can install whatever packages you want to have:
$ sudo apt-get install gnome-terminal gedit firefox firefox-3.0-gnome-support
Other basic applications you may want to include:
$ sudo apt-get install eog evince file-roller pidgin gcalctool gimp gthumb gucharmap openoffice.org openoffice.org-gnome rhythmbox
Some plugins for Nautilus are available too:
$ sudo apt-get install nautilus-sendto nautilus-share nautilus-cd-burner
Multimedia support
Ubuntu has great support for proprietary and closed-source data formats. You can install these individually, or everything at once:
$ sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras
Printing
When it comes to printing, you may not need the full blown CUPS system and every possible printer driver. If you're connecting to another server, just install the CUPS client. By default, Ubuntu installs lots of drivers, including the HP daemon (even if you don't have any HP equipment!). If you want GNOME's graphical printer tool, it will pull in many printer drivers for you automatically:
$ sudo apt-get install system-config-printer-gnome
Or you can install specific printer related support by picking and choosing the ones that suit your needs from the following:
$ sudo apt-get install cupsys cupsys-bsd cupsys-client cupsys-common cupsys-driver-gutenprint foo2zjs foomatic-db foomatic-db-engine foomatic-db-hpijs foomatic-filters hpijs-ppds hplip-ppds openprinting-ppds openprinting-ppds-extra
Spelling and languages
Ubuntu comes with support for many languages, simply install the language you desire (I'm using Australian/British English):
$ sudo apt-get install gnome-spell aspell-en myspell-en-au
And if you're using OpenOffice.org, here are the language packages you need:
$ sudo apt-get install openoffice.org-l10n-en-gb openoffice.org-thesaurus-en-au
Artwork
If you want Ubuntu's artwork, you can easily install it with the following commands:
$ sudo apt-get install ubuntu-artwork
$ sudo apt-get install usplash usplash-theme-ubuntu
Or you can install the default GNOME artwork:
$ sudo apt-get install gnome-themes
Services
There are some services which we do not need to have running, if you do not need them. Don't have a Wacom tablet? You can stop it from starting up! This is how I remove the Wacom driver from boot-up:
$ sudo update-rc.d -f xserver-xorg-input-wacom remove
You could do the same for any other services you do not use, such as Bluetooth (if you don't have a Bluetooth device), CUPS (if you're not running a local print server), linux-restricted-modules-common (if you're not using any proprietary drivers).
Boot into your new system
So, by now you should have a nicely customised Ubuntu install and it's time to try it! As we have most likely installed a new kernel, it's best to restart the system:
$ sudo reboot
If all went as planned, you should be greeted with the standard GNOME logon screen. Log in and take a look around! Is something missing? Install it :)
Full Install
So this was a nice little experiment, but it's not for you? It's easy to get the full install of Ubuntu on your machine, just run:
$ sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop
Conclusion
By performing a minimal install you have the ability to create a leaner custom system that suits you and the programs you want to use. Ubuntu has a reputation of being a very user-friendly distribution and it is indeed great for users who are new to Linux. But it is also good for experienced users by remaining flexible enough to allow you to install your own custom version of Ubuntu and benefit from the pieces of technology that you want to take advantage of. A similar method can be used for other distributions too!
Enjoy your leaner, meaner Ubuntu system :)
GNOME desktop after a custom Ubuntu install
(full image size: 826kB, screen resolution: 1680x1050 pixels)
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| Miscellaneous News |
openSUSE prepares 11.1, Debian "Lenny" installer in deep freeze, Fedora FAQ updates, Glasgow University switches to Slackware, interviews with MEPIS and OpenSolaris developers, The Economist recommends Linux
For fans of Novell's openSUSE distribution this coming week will be an exciting one! The popular distribution is set to release its long awaited dot release, version 11.1, on the 18th December. In preparation for this new release, a sneak peek at the new improvements and an installation walkthrough have been made available online. While the openSUSE installer has long been one of the most popular and polished of any distribution, it has received numerous improvements not the least of which includes a re-worked partitioner and a sleek new look. Those looking to install the new version can expect other improvements, such as those made to the software manager which now "recommends or suggests software for your computer depending on what is already installed. These packages aren't required by other applications, but instead extend their functionality or compliment them. It's a fun way to discover new things you can do with your computer!" It looks like 11.1 will be a solid improvement to the already excellent 11.0 release.
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Hot off the press comes a post to the Debian development list about a new RC2 release of the Debian installer for the upcoming "Lenny" release. "Currently, the only extra piece we need to declare the Lenny puzzle ready is a final version of the installer," writes Luk Claes. He apologises for the lack of releases over the last several months and confirms that when RC2 appears, it will enter deep freeze. "At the moment of deep freeze, there will still be a good number of release critical (RC) bugs affecting Lenny. The release team will go over that list, and try to apply a sensible solution that allows us to target a release, if at all possible, two weeks after declaring the Debian installer final". It appears that the long awaited Lenny release will be just around the corner, once these final bugs are squashed. In the meantime, a general resolution (a democratic way of resolving disputes among the developers as stipulated by the Debian Constitution) regarding the release of "Lenny" was also announced over the weekend.
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 Since the release of Fedora 10 on 25th November, the ever-so-useful Unofficial Fedora FAQ has updated their excellent resources to support this latest version. If you are looking to try Fedora, or want to know how to configure your existing system, it is well worth a look. The Unofficial Fedora FAQ answers general questions about the distribution and covers topics such as how to install support for Java, Flash, multimedia codecs and DVD playback.
If you are looking to create your own custom version of Fedora 10 and re-spin a DVD for your own purposes, then this screencast HOWTO may be of interest to you. "The first video has some slides at the beginning that explains the process and then walks through it with a live demo. The second video boots the live DVD that was created, shows an "Install to Hard Drive" and then shows some of the features of the remix." This is a great way to ensure your installation media always includes the latest security updates.
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The Faculty of Physical Sciences at the University of Glasgow recently migrated their main logon server across to Slackware Linux. Shane Kelly writes: "A little while ago, the requirements for data transfer from some overseas research sites jumped tremendously, meaning I needed to assess the impact on our aging 'log in' server that was used as a portal to the Physics network." Their original server running SUSE Linux 9.3 had been working well, handling numerous login sessions, but its P3 CPU, 100 Mb network card and 96 MB of RAM were no longer enough to handle the increasing load. A new AMD Opteron-based server was selected and when it came time to choose a distribution, he headed here to DistroWatch.com to help decide. "I have never liked Red Hat (too many 'extras' between you and the operating system), ditto SUSE, and looking at the top twenty Linux distributions on DistroWatch, I could see that many were more suited to desktops, while many more had no 'pedigree' and were simply re-vamped editions of something else. Then my eye hit upon an old-timer that was said to be a bit difficult, devoid of GUI management tools, and rock solid. Yep, I'm talking about Slackware, the oldest surviving Linux distribution, now at version 12.1". The author is happy to be re-acquainted with his old friend Slackware and is recommending it to others for use on their servers.
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In an interview with How Software is Built, MEPIS Linux founder Warren Woodford discusses his background and how he got into Linux, as well as his initial impressions: "The bottom line is that, when I first found Linux, it was too rough around the edges for me. That represented the possibility of opportunity, not that I was really looking for work. This will piss off a few people, but there was a certain amateur quality about it." Warren decided to build his own Linux distribution, MEPIS Linux, which quickly rose in popularity. "It got picked up by DistroWatch and went to #10 in one month, and that told me something. I started spending almost all of my time on it, but then in 2004 I had an injury that laid me up for a long, long time. During that time, MEPIS made it to #1 at DistroWatch, but I couldn't really do much to maintain it." He goes on to discuss the world of Ubuntu, developing on the Linux platform and free versus fee in the corporate world. His thoughts on when the year of the Linux desktop will be? "It's never going to happen. Sorry."
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Dr Dobb's Portal has published an interview with Timothy Cramer, the senior director of OpenSolaris engineering at Sun Microsystems. Timothy discusses various aspects of OpenSolaris, including how it compares to Linux, citing Sun technologies such as ZFS and DTrace. Timothy also touches on the relationship between Solaris and OpenSolaris, explaining that "in the future, the latest enhancements to Solaris features, including ZFS, DTrace, Solaris Containers, and Predictive Self Healing, will be found in OpenSolaris first." This points to Sun using a similar development model to Red Hat, where new technologies are first developed for and released in the open source community editions before being officially supported in their mainstream products.
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Trisquel, a Debian-based Spanish Linux distribution, has been added to GNU's list of Free GNU/Linux distributions, taking the total to seven. These distributions meet the Free Software Foundation's definition of free software and "only include and only propose free software". They also meet GNU's Guidelines for Free System Distributions. Trisquel was added to the list "following the verification process taken to ensure the commitment of the Trisquel development team and community to promote and distribute only 100% free-as-in-speech software," writes Rubén Rodríguez Pérez. This new status comes just in time for the upcoming 2.1 release, scheduled for 16th December, which "will include the first officially supported version of 'Trisquel edu', an edition designed for educational centres, with thin client and classroom supervision integration, along with educational software packages. The domestic and enterprise oriented editions will be upgraded as well."
Trisquel 2.0 featuring the GNOME desktop
(full image size: 757kB, screen resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
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Still on the subject of Spanish-language distributions, Chile's Educalibre, which promotes the use of free software within the education sector in the country, reports that it has been working together with Tuquito (a Debian-based distribution from Argentina) to replace Windows with Linux on the Intel Classmate 2 netbooks the organisation had acquired for testing. So far the project has been a great success and they are impressed with the speed of the system, even with OpenOffice.org. They note that the hardware all works well, including the trackpad, function keys and integrated camera. (Note: this site is in Spanish, so here is an English translation via Google.)
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According to ComputerWorld, computer giant Hewlett Packard (HP) will soon begin shipping Linux on at least one desktop model. The desktop model is reported to be a Compaq dc5850 and will ship with Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop. This means that HP is the last major computer manufacturer to offer a Linux solution: "Today, for the first time ever, all the major PC vendors are shipping at least one system with pre-loaded desktop Linux. It's a big day for desktop Linux users, maybe the biggest day ever," writes Steven Vaughan-Nichols. But as with the offerings from other vendors, will sales of the Linux model be restricted to particular locations, or will the new desktop be available worldwide? It remains to be seen. One thing is certain, it's great to see Linux continuing to forge ahead in this consumer market space.
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It appears that netbooks are here to stay and The Economist suggests that for a majority of users, a netbook is a perfect fit. Netbooks are not designed for power hungry tasks like being able to run the latest games or edit video, indeed "a lot of things that people do with computers, such as e-mail, writing and web browsing, do not require fancy graphics or lots of processing power, [and so] netbooks can still be extremely useful." When it comes to choosing an operating system, the choice is clearly Linux. And when it comes to purchasing a netbook, "avoid the temptation to get the slickest, most powerful machine available. Much advice on offer online suggests souping up the specification of a netbook so it can run Microsoft's Windows XP operating system, rather than the free, open-source Linux system that is offered as standard on many netbooks." Sticking with Linux as the operating system means you can purchase a cheaper netbook and still have all the functionality you need. The Economist writes, "As for the software, OpenOffice.org was surprisingly easy to use - a doddle for anyone who has used Microsoft Office. Moreover, the ability to save work in different formats presented no compatibility problems when sending files to a Windows-based machine. Photo software and other applications were simple to use too."
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| Released Last Week |
Frenzy 1.1
Sergei Mozhaisky has announced the release of Frenzy 1.1, a FreeBSD-based toolkit for system and network administrators. This, according to the developer, will be the project's last release: "At last, Frenzy 1.1 is released. This is a final release of Frenzy, I decided to discontinue the development of this project." What's new? "Added Unionfs support; introduced FEM (Frenzy Extension Modules) system, which allows to plug-in additional software without rebuilding ISO image; Frenzy can now be booted from ISO image on hard drive; added options to boot with DMA disabled on ATAPI or ATA devices; added parameters to loader menu - 'mode' to choose resolution in console mode, 'sound' for sound card auto-detection, 'nofem' to disable FEM modules search and loading; added feature to use FAT partition as boot partition; bug fixes." Read the detailed release notes for a complete list of changes and new features.
Frenzy 1.1 - the project's last release.
(full image size: 1,113kB, screen resolution 1280x1024 pixels)
BSDanywhere 4.4
Stephan Rickauer has announced the release of BSDanywhere 4.4, a live CD based on the latest stable version of OpenBSD: "We are pleased to announce the immediate availability of BSDanywhere 4.4 - Enlightenment at your fingertips. As always, we release our OpenBSD based images in two flavours: i386 (32bit) and amd64 (64bit). Here's a quick summary of the not-to-intense changes since 4.3: removed packages: GIMP, AbiWord, Audacious, Mutt, rsnapshot, Darkstat - we are really limited in space that's why we decided to concentrate on the primary focus of BSDanywhere, which is hardware testing and system rescue; added packages: Dnstop, dnstracer; we now enabled 'machdep.kbdreset' which permits console CTRL-ALT-DEL to do a nice halt; new artwork." Read the rest of the release announcement for further information.
Clonezilla Live 1.2.1-23
Steven Shiau has announced the availability of an updated release of Clonezilla Live, a free Debian-based live CD containing Clonezilla, a partition and disk cloning software similar to Norton Ghost: "Clonezilla live 1.2.1-23 (stable) released. This is a bug-fix version with some minor updates: based on Debian 'Lenny' repository on 2008-12-08; kernel 2.6.26-11; some typographic errors in en_US were fixed; added HexEdit and cryptsetup; serial number of disk is shown when saving partitions; Clonezilla now will honor the boot parameter ocs_pre_run, and it will be run during boot-up; '-b' option was added to restore mode; new gPXE 0.9.6; bug fixed - list of locales in ocs-live-hook.conf without comma; bug fixed - when creating recovery ISO/ZIP file with 'ocs-sr -x', the 'reboot, shutdown, none' option was asked twice." Here is the full release announcement.
Musix GNU+Linux 1.0R6
Marcos Guglielmetti has announced the availability of an updated release of Musix GNU+Linux, a Debian-based distribution featuring a large collection of free audio software: "After three months of testing, the stable release of Musix GNU+Linux live DVD 1.0R6 is out. It's a 100% free operating system for artists focused on music production, graphics design and video editing, based on Debian 'Etch' and KNOPPIX. Some packages were upgraded since Musix live DVD 1.0R4, the knoppix-installer fonts now look good, an old kernel 2.6.16 from Musix 0.99 was added to support old hardware. Also, there are many backports made by the Musix team; we highlight LMMS, Jackd, Mscore, Rosegarden and Ardour. This DVD is used daily in music schools, so we know what teachers and students need." Here is the brief release announcement.
EnGarde Secure Linux 3.0.22
Guardian Digital has announced the release of EnGarde Secure Linux 3.0.22, a server distribution featuring a comprehensive web-based administration tool: "Guardian Digital is happy to announce the release of EnGarde Secure Community 3.0.22. This release includes many updated packages and bug fixes and some feature enhancements to the EnGarde Secure Linux installer and the SELinux policy. New features include: several improvements to the backup and restore module in WebTool - we've added a help page, made several improvements to the layout of the module to make it easier to use, and enhanced the 'Perform Backup Now' functionality by running it in the background and sending an email upon completion; support for USB serial devices, such as Keyspan USB serial adapters; the latest stable versions of BIND (9.4.3), Dovecot (1.1.6), Linux kernel (2.6.27), OpenLDAP (2.4.12), Squid (3.0.STABLE10)." Read the release announcement and release notes for more details.
TinyMe 2008.1
TinyMe 2008.1, a minimal, but expandable desktop Linux distribution based on PCLinuxOS, has been released: "KDulcimer is proud to announce the birth of TinyMe 2008.1 'Droplet'. Weighing in at a small 150 MB, this slimmed-down offshoot of PCLinuxOS gives you a very minimal, very fast and lightweight, yet powerful and easily expandable Linux desktop. If you want a system where you choose your own programs, yet customization is easy, 'Droplet' is perfect for you. Features: SLiM to log you in; PCLinuxOS control center to configure your system; Synaptic to install programs and keep your system up to date; PCManFM, file and desktop manager; TinyCC to configure the desktop; Openbox, a window manager; LXPanel to keep track of the windows you have open; Nano, a command-line text editor." The full release announcement is available at the project's latest release page.
TinyMe 2008.1 - a minimalist distribution based on PCLinuxOS
(full image size: 657kB, screen resolution 1280x1024 pixels)
Slackware Linux 12.2
Patrick Volkerding has announced the release of Slackware Linux 12.2: "Well folks, it's that time to announce a new stable Slackware release again. Since we've moved to supporting the 2.6 kernel series exclusively (and fine-tuned the system to get the most out of it), we feel that Slackware 12.2 has many improvements over our last release (Slackware 12.1) and is a must-have upgrade for any Slackware user. Among the many program updates and distribution enhancements, you'll find two of the most advanced desktop environments available today: Xfce 4.4.3 and KDE 3.5.10. Slackware 12.2 uses the 2.6.27.7 kernel bringing you advanced performance features such as journaling file systems, SCSI and ATA RAID volume support, SATA support, Software RAID, LVM (the Logical Volume Manager), and encrypted file systems." Read the rest of the release announcement for more details.
PC-BSD 7.0.2
Kris Moore has announced the release of PC-BSD 7.0.2, the second bug-fix update of the user-friendly desktop operating system based on FreeBSD 7: "The PC-BSD Team is pleased to announce the availability of PC-BSD 7.0.2, with an updated FreeBSD 7.1-PRERELEASE under the hood and the latest KDE 4.1.3. Version 7.0.2 contains a number of bug fixes and improvements. Some of the changes are: KDE 4.1.3; improved desktop performance with NVIDIA cards; improved NTFS write support; HAL fixes and improvements; installation bug fixes. This version of PC-BSD can be downloaded and installed as a fresh install or, alternatively, can be updated to from PC-BSD 7.0.1 via the System Update tool or via a stand-alone PBI." See the release announcement and changelog for further details.
ASPLinux 14
ASPLinux, a Russian company developing Linux solution and providing a variety of Linux services, has announced the release of ASPLinux 14, code name "Cobalt". The latest version of this Fedora-based distribution promises to expand the functionality of Linux as an operating system with new services, such as Linux telephony, support for webcams, full support for sleep and stand-by modes on laptops, automatic network setup, and easy configuration of GPRS, CDMA and VPN services. The product uses Linux kernel 2.6.26 and glibc 2.8, and ships with X.Org server 1.5, GNOME 2.22, KDE 4.1, OpenOffice.org 3.0, Firefox 3.0 and other popular open source applications. It also includes several non-free device drivers, including ATI and NVIDIA graphics drivers, and non-free software, such as Adobe Flash player and Opera. For further information please see the ASPLinux product page (in Russian).
ASPLinux 14 - a brand new release of the Fedora-based Russian distribution
(full image size: 1,097kB, screen resolution 1280x1024 pixels)
Slax 6.0.9
Tomáš Matějíček has announced the release of Slax 6.0.9, a live CD based on Slackware Linux: "The newest Slax, version 6.0.9, has been released. It fixes the problems with Unsquashfs, which appeared in the previous version. Moreover, it updates Slax to the latest Slackware 12.2, with kernel 2.6.27.8." From the changelog: "Upgraded Samba; added libcap; fixed a bug in Unsquashfs (lzm2dir) which happened on SMP machines; removed bluez* packages; upgraded to KDE 3.5.10; upgraded to Squashfs 3.4, including the tools; added support to start Slax as a PXE server; loadlin didn't work any more due to big file size of vmlinuz and initrd, it has been replaced by linLd, which allows to boot Slax from DOS again; auto-detect and auto-mount LVM partitions...." See the release announcement and changelog for more information.
K-DEMar 4.7
Adonay Sanz Alsina has announced the release of K-DEMar 4.7, a Debian-based distribution and live CD designed primarily for Catalan and Spanish speakers. The biggest change is the switch to Linux-Live scripts for building the CD image, with the "copy to RAM" support and improved speed of loading applications. Other improvements: update to KDE 3.5.9; new desktop artwork and theme; improved installer with documentation; new desktop icons for launching the hard disk or USB media installer; inclusion of CSS-Miami, a WYSIWYG web site creator and editor for KDE; a new one-click GRUB bootloader restore function; updated kernel 2.6.27.6 optimised for the i686 architecture and with better support for wireless networks and webcams; many updated applications, including WINE 1.1.10, various bug fixes. Read the rest of the release announcement (in Spanish) for more details.
K-DEMar 4.7 - a Debian-based distribution with KDE, designed for Catalan and Spanish-speaking users
(full image size: 437kB, screen resolution 1280x1024 pixels)
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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 |
New distributions added to database
- Jibbed. Jibbed is a (non-installable) live CD based on NetBSD. It is built from the latest NetBSD sources from the HEAD branch. The third-party applications provided on the CD are the latest versions, including experimental packages from wip-pkgsrc.
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New distributions added to waiting list
- Jaris. Jaris is an OpenSolaris-based distribution with full support for Japanese.
- Tiny Core Linux. Tiny Core Linux is a very small (10 MB) minimal Linux desktop. It is based on Linux kernel 2.6 kernel, BusyBox, Tiny X, FLTK, and JWM. The core runs entirely in RAM and boots very quickly. It is not a complete desktop nor is all hardware supported. It represents only the core needed to boot into a very minimal X desktop typically with wired Internet access. The user has complete control over which applications and/or additional hardware to have supported, be it for a desktop, an appliance, or server, selectable from an online repository.
- Ubuntu Privacy Remix. Ubuntu Privacy Remix (UPR) is a modified live CD based on Ubuntu. It is not intended for permanent installation on hard disk. The goal of Ubuntu Privacy Remix is to provide an isolated, working environment where private data can be dealt with safely. The system installed on the computer running UPR remains untouched.
* * * * *
DistroWatch database summary
* * * * *
And this concludes the latest issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 22 December 2008.
Chris Smart
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| Archives |
| • 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 |
| • 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 |
| • Full list of all issues |
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| Random Distribution | 
Phinx Desktop
Phinx Desktop was a PCLinuxOS-based live CD. It uses a pure Xfce desktop environment with recommended or default Xfce applications, settings and configurations only.
Status: Discontinued
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| Tips, Tricks, Q&As | | Tips and tricks: Find common words in text, find high memory processes, cd short-cuts, pushd & popd, record desktop |
| Tips and tricks: Malware warnings about Linux ISO files |
| Tips and tricks: Creating, removing, modifying, and ignoring aliases |
| Questions and answers: Keeping a specific application window on top |
| Questions and answers: Exciting things coming in 2017 |
| Myths and misunderstandings: Unity, Mir and Ubuntu Touch |
| Tips and tricks: OpenSSH, pipes and file transfers |
| Tips and tricks: Compiling the Linux kernel |
| Questions and answers: Wiping web browser changes from the system |
| More Tips & Tricks and Questions & Answers |
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Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
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| Star Labs |
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
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