 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 293, 9 March 2009 |
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Welcome to the 10th issue of DistroWatch Weekly for 2009! Have you ever run out of space on your hard drive or had to fiddle with shifting data around? Well, Logical Volume Management (LVM) could be the answer for you! It is supported in most Linux distributions and this week we take a look at what it can offer. In the news section, openSUSE publishes new trademark guidelines, Ubuntu releases mainline kernel updates, the Debian project goes to the polls to elect a new project leader, and ULTILEX delivers a brilliant live CD that offers a collection of minimalist Linux distributions and several useful utilities. Finally, while the week has brought precious little in terms of interesting new releases, we took the time to add four new distributions to the DistroWatch database; that includes the purposely insecure Damn Vulnerable Linux, the Slackware-based Parslinux with KDE 4, the ultra minimalist Tiny Core Linux, and the energy-saving wattOS. Happy reading!
Content:
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| Feature Story |
An introduction to Logical Volume Management
For users new to Linux, the task of switching operating systems can be quite daunting. While it is quite similar to other UNIX-based operating systems, such as BSD, Solaris and OS X, it is very different to Windows. These days most distributions are very easy to use and (for better or worse) abstract away the complex and powerful system underneath. This makes it easier to use but as a result, users often know little about the underlying system. Today we are going to take a look at Logical Volume Management (LVM), which gives users the ability to re-size partitions on the fly.
First, a little background on hard drives and partitions. Your hard drive is where all your data is stored permanently and is not to be confused with your system's memory, which is used to store information temporarily like when you run applications or create files. Those from a Windows background will be aware of the drive letter system they use, such as C:\ and D:\ (C drive and D drive). Most users know that this is where they store their files, but not all are aware what their C:\ actually is. In order to store information on a hard drive, your computer needs to know how to read and write to it. You need to tell the computer which area(s) of the hard drive it is allowed to write to, which we call a partition. This could be the whole drive as one large partition, or multiple smaller partitions. The computer also needs to know how to store the data on each partition, which is done by creating a file system on it. Linux has a great number of file systems you can choose from, including but not limited to, ReiserFS, XFS, JFS, Btrfs, ext2, ext3 and now ext4. Windows mostly uses the NTFS and FAT32 file systems, while OS X uses HFS+. Most consumer devices, such as memory cards, are pre-formatted with FAT32.
The information for the partitions is stored on the hard drive itself, in what is called a partition table. Most personal computers use the MSDOS partition table, although Apple uses GPT which Linux fully supports. A blank hard drive has no partition table by default, but one is created when it is first partitioned. There are many tools you can use to partition your drives under Linux, including fdisk, parted and its graphical front-end, gparted. Under Linux, all devices are addressable through a file under the /dev directory. For example, your first terminal is /dev/tty0. Names of conventional hard drive are related to their position on the computer subsystem. For example, /dev/hda refers to the master drive on the primary IDE port of the mainboard. These days most computers use SATA controllers, so the first drive is often /dev/sda. Each partition on the drive is then given a number. Your first primary partition is number one, your second is number two, and so on. The MSDOS partition table only supports a maximum of 4 partitions (which we call primary), but does support a partition type called 'extended'. Extended partitions allow users to create an unlimited number of extra partitions (called logical partitions) and under Linux this always starts at the fifth partition. Based on the partition number, you should be able to tell where the partition sits in relation to other partitions on the disk.
In terms of the file system, Linux uses a hierarchy where everything exists underneath / (slash - the root). When installing a distribution, you must create at least one partition, which will then be used as the root file system. If you are a Windows convert then you could loosely (very loosely) relate this to your C drive. Many Linux distributions will create just one such partition for all your data. Below is an example of the partition information for a hard drive. It is an 8 GB drive (/dev/sde) with a single partition (/dev/sde1) which is of the type "Linux".
GParted - single partition
(full image size: 53kB, screen resolution: 700x564 pixels)
In order to access the data on this device it must be assigned a mount point. A mount point is a directory on the computer which Linux then associates the partition with. Anything that is written to this mount point is physically written to the partition it corresponds to. The /dev/sde1 device is mounted to the location /media/Linux, as seen in this screenshot.
Partition mounted under /media/Linux
(full image size: 53kB, screen resolution: 700x564 pixels)
We are all reasonably familiar with this concept when using removable media, such as memory sticks, but this can also be applied to your whole system. One of the great advantages of using a hierarchical system like this is that you can assign extra partitions to lower directories in order to preserve your data. Linux needs at least one partition for root (/) but you can also create a second partition for other locations such as /home, the location where all user data is stored. Why would you want to create a separate partition for this? Well, if you need to re-install your Linux distribution for any particular reason, you do not need to backup your data - all you need to do is wipe the first partition and mount the second as /home without formatting it. Upon completion, all your data and settings will be exactly as they were! Here is an example of a partitioned hard drive with one partition for / and another for /home.
GParted - dual partitions
(full image size: 53kB, screen resolution: 700x564 pixels)
This great feature is very handy, but how do you know how much space to assign? And what if you do this and then later run out of room? Well you could delete data or move it off to other partitions, but there is a much more powerful and flexible way. It's called Logical Volume Management. LVM is a way to dynamically create, delete, re-size and expand partitions on your computer. It's not just for servers, it's great for desktops too! How does it work? Instead of your partition information residing on your partition table, LVM writes its own information separately and keeps track of where partitions are, what devices are a part of them and how big they are. It enables you to have a partition for root, as well as another partition for home, but should you run out of space we can simply tell it to extend either partition and presto, we have more space available. Not only this, but you can add extra hard drives to your system and tell LVM to include them too! In short, you'll never run out of space again :-)
Most modern Linux distributions support LVM devices during the installer phase so most of this is managed for you automatically. In the examples above you can see a partition with type Linux, which is then formatted with a file system and mounted to a directory on the system. Pretty standard stuff. When using LVM, you need to set this partition type to Linux LVM and then use userspace tools to create and manage these devices. Importantly, GParted does not support LVM partitions, so you will need to use other tools. If you're using openSUSE, it has an excellent LVM management tool as a part of YaST. There is a kernel module you will require, as well as userspace tools. Install these via your system's package management took. Below is an example under Debian.
# modprobe dm-mod ; apt-get install lvm2
Creating LVM devices
LVM consists of a few things. Firstly, you need a physical partition of type Linux LVM which will be the LVM Physical Volume. Next, we create a Logical Group to which we assign the physical partition. Next, we can create our individual partitions, called Logical Volumes. Let's walk through this now as the root user.
Step 1
Create a partition on a new blank drive and set it to type LVM Linux (8e).
Note: My device is /dev/sde but yours will most likely be different!
# fdisk /dev/sde
n
p
1
[Enter]
[Enter]
t
8e
w
The device should look something like this.
# fdisk -l /dev/sde
Disk /dev/sde: 8040 MB, 8040480256 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 977 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000bf9ae
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sde1 1 977 7847721 8e Linux LVM
Here you can see a single partition, of type LVM Linux (8e).
Step 2
Now we need to tell LVM to use this partition as a Physical Volume.
# pvcreate /dev/sde1
No physical volume label read from /dev/sde1
Physical volume "/dev/sde1" successfully created
This device has now been added to the LVM pool.
Step 3
Create a Volume Group on the Physical Volume, which we will call 'system'.
# vgcreate system /dev/sde1
Volume group "system" successfully created
Step 4
Now that we have created a Physical Volume and a Volume Group, it's time to create a Logical Volume. We will create one for root, called linux and another for home.
# lvcreate -n linux -L 2G system
Logical volume "linux" created
# lvcreate -n home -L 3G system
Logical volume "home" created
That's it! Now we have two new partitions which can be formatted just like regular partitions. If we look under /dev we should be able to see our new devices.
# ls -l /dev/system/
total 0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 23 Mar 9 17:18 home -> /dev/mapper/system-home
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 24 Mar 9 17:17 linux -> /dev/mapper/system-linux
openSUSE YaST partitioner - LVM
(full image size: 53kB, screen resolution: 700x564 pixels)
Display tools
Before we move on, let's take a look at some other LVM tools for displaying the status of our devices. Remember we have three different components that make up a complete LVM partition, Physical Volume (PV), Volume Group (VG) and Logical Volume (LV).
Let's take a look at PV.
# pvdisplay
--- Physical volume ---
PV Name /dev/sde1
VG Name system
PV Size 7.48 GB / not usable 3.79 MB
Allocatable yes
PE Size (KByte) 4096
Total PE 1915
Free PE 1915
Allocated PE 0
PV UUID 7vkgGI-e402-K3hE-XGJz-kl4C-nI7o-oFqwA8
Here you can see the Physical Volume name (which is the physical partition we created), the Volume Group that the partition has been assigned to (we called it system), as well as other information related to the size of the volume.
Let's take a look at VG.
# vgdisplay
--- Volume group ---
VG Name system
System ID
Format lvm2
Metadata Areas 1
Metadata Sequence No 3
VG Access read/write
VG Status resizable
MAX LV 0
Cur LV 2
Open LV 0
Max PV 0
Cur PV 1
Act PV 1
VG Size 7.48 GB
PE Size 4.00 MB
Total PE 1915
Alloc PE / Size 1280 / 5.00 GB
Free PE / Size 635 / 2.48 GB
VG UUID Z6TSXO-0DQ3-7Jiz-67k2-dEkY-dYR2-RNJE85
Here you can see the name of the Volume Group (we called it system), the type it is (lvm2), how much total space there is and how much of it has already been assigned (remember we created two Logical volumes, root and home).
Finally, let's look at LV.
# lvdisplay
--- Logical volume ---
LV Name /dev/system/linux
VG Name system
LV UUID L0qrZu-bwCp-rnEu-uJry-4j3n-XBLB-OWsXVx
LV Write Access read/write
LV Status available
# open 0
LV Size 2.00 GB
Current LE 512
Segments 1
Allocation inherit
Read ahead sectors auto
- currently set to 256
Block device 253:0
--- Logical volume ---
LV Name /dev/system/home
VG Name system
LV UUID AScHe0-q5sJ-F8eH-bYRy-3URL-Nt7m-0UFduW
LV Write Access read/write
LV Status available
# open 0
LV Size 3.00 GB
Current LE 768
Segments 1
Allocation inherit
Read ahead sectors auto
- currently set to 256
Block device 253:1
Here you can see the two partitions we have created, home and linux. Notice that like PV and VG they also have a unique identifier and this is what Linux uses to detect and control the devices.
Formatting
Now that we have our two partitions, we can format them just like any other physical device.
# mke2fs /dev/system/linux -L linux
mke2fs 1.41.1 (01-Sep-2008)
Filesystem label=linux
OS type: Linux
Block size=4096 (log=2)
Fragment size=4096 (log=2)
131072 inodes, 524288 blocks
26214 blocks (5.00%) reserved for the super user
First data block=0
Maximum filesystem blocks=536870912
16 block groups
32768 blocks per group, 32768 fragments per group
8192 inodes per group
Superblock backups stored on blocks:
32768, 98304, 163840, 229376, 294912
Writing inode tables: done
Writing superblocks and filesystem accounting information: done
This filesystem will be automatically checked every 36 mounts or
180 days, whichever comes first. Use tune2fs -c or -i to override.
They can also be mounted just like any other device.
Expanding partitions
Now that you're using LVM, if you run out of space on a partition, all we need to do is tell LVM to assign more space to that particular device and re-size the file system. While you can shrink partitions, it is much safer to grow them. For this reason I recommend never assigning the full size of your physical volume to your Logical Volumes, but to start small and increase as you need. If you are using an ext file system, this can be performed while your partitions are still mounted (some others can too).
This is what it looks like currently, where you can see full 100% usage.
# df -h
/dev/mapper/system-linux 2.0G 2.0G 0 100% /media/linux
First, extend the Logical Volume by 1GB.
# lvresize -L +1G /dev/system/linux
Extending logical volume linux to 3.00 GB
Logical volume linux successfully resized
Now that the device has been extended, we need to re-size the file system
# resize2fs /dev/system/linux
Filesystem at /dev/system/linux is mounted on /media/linux; on-line resizing required
Resizing the filesystem on /dev/system/linux to 786432 (4k) blocks.
The filesystem on /dev/system/linux is now 786432 blocks long.
After extending and resizing the file system, this is what it now looks like.
# df -h
/dev/mapper/system-linux 3.0G 2.0G 855M 71% /media/linux
If you want to add another hard drive to your machine, simply install it into your computer and repeat steps 1 and 2. As the Volume Group already exists, you do not need to create it as in step 3. Instead, add it to the existing group.
# vgextend system /dev/sdf1
Volume group "system" successfully extended
Now you will have the entire new disk available as additional LVM space, ready to assign to any Logical Volume you want.
And that's how you can use LVM to expand and re-assign more space on the fly, without having to shift any data or shut down your computer!
Booting from LVM
If you want to use LVM for your entire system, you can. The only issue is that you will require an additional partition for /boot and you need to use an initial RAM disk (initrd). Your boot partition only needs to be about 100MB and will store the Linux kernel and initrd. The initrd will contain the LVM userspace tools required to detect and activate your LVM devices on boot-up, in order to load the rest of the system. The distribution installers will take care of this for you automatically.
Conclusion
Well that's a behind-the-scenes look at LVM, which is a great way to gain extra control over your hard drives on a computer. It allows users to infinitely expand their individual partitions to make optimal use of all the space they have. There are lots of other features of LVM, such as snapshots and striping, but we haven't covered any of those. While the examples given here are mostly command-line driven, your distribution may have a graphical manager to make life easier. Either way, a good way to test it out is under a virtual machine where you won't damage any of your precious data.
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| Miscellaneous News |
openSUSE releases trademark guidelines, Ubuntu delivers mainline kernel, Debian elects new project leader, ULTILEX live CD
 openSUSE has announced the release of a document outlining the use of their trademarks. The announcement reads: "Since it's easier than ever to create customized versions of openSUSE, we've seen a lot of interest in the branding of derivative distros. When is it OK to call a distro "openSUSE," or "powered by openSUSE," and when does the branding need to be removed entirely? The guidelines are an attempt to answer as many of those questions as possible in one concise document." We have seen this occur with a number of other commercially-backed distributions, such as those from Canonical and Red Hat. Community manager Joe Brockmeier has posted regarding the document: "One thing I want to stress: We're putting these guidelines out because we want to encourage and simplify the use of openSUSE as a base for other projects." He continues: "If you want to create your own openSUSE distro or use an openSUSE logo for something, the guidelines exist to make it simple to do that without having to get a separate agreement from our legal department to make it possible. They also explain when use of the marks is not permitted." Do such guidelines actually exist to "protect the end user" as claimed, or is it really to protect the company?
Continuing openSUSE-related news, DaniWeb, an online technical community, has posted an interview with Joe Brockmeier regarding free and open source licenses. The interview centres on the perceived complexities of open source licenses and whether this is justified or not. Ron Miller begins: "Seems every time I write a piece suggesting open source as an option, I get a couple of comments warning readers about the scary complexities of open source licenses. So I decided to ask a guy who knows free and open source software (FOSS) exactly what the deal was regarding FOSS licensing and whether they were really any more or less complex than their commercial counterparts." Before delving into the specifics, Brockmeier provides this general statement: "The only difference is that open source licenses allow redistribution and modification -- and since there are a lot of different licenses with different conditions, companies should pay attention when they engage in those activities. As a general rule, though, use of open source is no more complex - and is typically less complex - than use of proprietary software." If you're not sure about FOSS licenses or are interested in them, the short article is well worth a read.
* * * * *
 Ubuntu has long held the number one spot on the distribution's Page Hit Ranking table. Not only is it popular for users new to Linux, but even experienced users have been switching to it. Being one of the most popular distributions, they have a large user base which can help with testing and bug fixing. The project mostly focuses on the desktop environment, rather than the kernel; however, there are signs this might start to change as Ubuntu expands into the cloud and embedded spaces. Recently, mainline kernels have been added to the Personal Package Archives for users to install on their systems. According to the Wiki entry, "generally Ubuntu systems run with the stock Ubuntu kernels. However it is handy to be able to test with unmodified mainline kernels to help locate problems in the Ubuntu kernel patches, or to confirm that upstream has fixed the issue. To this end we now offer mainline kernel builds. These mainline kernels are made from unmodified kernel source but using the Ubuntu kernel configuration files. These are then packaged as Ubuntu .deb files for simple installation." This will most likely be taken advantage of by more advanced users, but the ability to easily upgrade and test the latest mainline kernel is a huge step in the right direction. For everyday users however, the unsupported kernels will not include restricted or Ubuntu-specific drivers, so systems relying on these will most likely fail.
* * * * *
 The Debian project has been visiting the polls a lot of late and now it's time to elect a new Debian Project Leader (DPL). Recently appointed Debian secretary Kurt Roeckx announced the final call for nominations, which then closed on the 7th March: "The nomination period for the DPL election is almost over. If you want to nominate yourself as candidate, you need to send a signed mail to the debian-vote at lists.debian.org list." Roeckx later posted that two candidates have emerged as a result of the nominations - developer Stefano Zacchiroli and current Debian Project Leader Steve McIntyre. He writes: "The Debian Project Leader Elections 2009 has been updated. The platforms for these candidates shall be published as soon as they are available. I'm currently still waiting for them." Campaigning will now begin, with voting commencing on the 29th March. By mid-April we should know who the newly elected Debian Project Leader will be.
* * * * *
What is your preferred minimalist rescue system that you carry around in case a disaster strikes? The 50 MB Damn Small Linux? The administrator-friendly Finnix? The super-fast Puppy Linux? The KDE-based Slax? Or the Swiss army knife for your hard disks in SystemRescueCd? If you can't make up your mind, there is an excellent alternative for carrying five different live CDs: ULTILEX - the ULTImate Linux EXperience. ULTILEX isn't a distribution, but rather a single live CD that can boot any of the above-mentioned systems, and do much more. In fact, its GRUB boot menu caries a staggering 39 boot entries, including such useful gems as booting FreeDOS, running Smart Boot Manager or Ranish Partition Manager, executing a system or a hard disk diagnostic utility, cracking Windows NT passwords, wiping the hard disk, booting from a floppy disk or a selected hard disk, and of course running the popular Memtest86+ memory diagnostic tool. All the alternative options for booting the live distributions are also preserved. The tool is provided as a live CD image, but this can be easily transferred to a bootable USB device with an included script. This is a must-have CD for any system administrator or intermediate Linux user. ULTILEX, version 2.1.0, was released last week and is available from here: ultilex-2.1.0.iso (693MB).
ULTILEX 2.1.0 - its GRUB boot menu contains 39(!) boot options
(full image size: 32kB, screen resolution 640x480 pixels)
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| Released Last Week |
Zenwalk Linux 6.0
Jean-Philippe Guillemin has announced the release of Zenwalk Linux 6.0, a Slackware-based distribution for the desktop: "We are proud to announce the 6th major version of Zenwalk Linux. This release comes with the biggest changelog in the history of the project to offer many new features and optimizations. We spent the 2 last month polishing the desktop around the new Xfce 4.6, making sure that this brand new version is well integrated into Zenwalk 6.0. We also replaced GNOME Office with our lightweight and optimized version of OpenOffice.org 3.0.1, split in two packages. The Totem movie player is also part of the adventure, replacing MPlayer, which is still available from our growing package repository." Read the rest of the release announcement for a more detailed list of changes.
Zenwalk Linux 6.0 - the first stable distribution featuring the new Xfce 4.6.0
(full image size: 496kB, screen resolution 1280x1024 pixels)
* * * * *
Development, unannounced and minor bug-fix releases
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| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
openSUSE 11.2 (and beyond)
Joe Brockmeier has announced that, starting with the upcoming 11.2 release, openSUSE will follow a fixed release cycle. However, unlike Ubuntu, Fedora and Mandriva, who follow a 6-month release process, openSUSE has opted for an 8-month cycle. This, combined with the upcoming ability to upgrade between releases, should help to bring it in line with other major distros. But will the 8 month cycle work? In the announcement, Stephen Kulow admits that "eight months makes it slightly more complicated, as you have a rotating schedule, and lose a month in the summer and winter for holidays... This gives us a single release in 2009 and 2010, and two releases in 2011." While the KDE team are releasing as soon as possible with the current 4.x series, GNOME sticks to a rigid 6-month cycle. This enables other distros to always release with the latest version of the desktop. For openSUSE however, it means they will lag behind from time to time.
Ubuntu 9.10
Although the upcoming Ubuntu 9.04 is still in the alpha stage of the development process, the project leaders have already announced a detailed roadmap for the distributions following release. Code-named "Karmic Koala", Ubuntu 9.10 will launch with the first alpha build on 14 May; this will be followed by five more alphas, one beta, and a release candidate before the final release on 29 October 2009. For more information please see the Karmic Release Schedule page on Ubuntu Wiki.
* * * * *
Summary of expected upcoming releases
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| DistroWatch.com News |
New distributions added to database
- Damn Vulnerable Linux. Damn Vulnerable Linux (DVL) is a Slackware and Slax-based live DVD. The distribution, purposefully stuffed with broken, ill-configured, outdated and exploitable software, began life as a training system used during the author's university lectures. Its primary goal is to design a Linux system that is as vulnerable as possible -- in order to teach and demonstrate a variety of security topics, including reverse code engineering, buffer overflows, shell code development, web exploitation, and SQL injection.
Damn Vulnerable Linux 1.5 - the world's most insecure distribution
(full image size: 166kB, screen resolution 1280x1024 pixels)
- Parslinux. Parslinux is a Slackware and Slax-based distribution and live DVD with partial support for Persian (Farsi), as well as the default English language.
Parslinux 1.0 - a Slackware-based distribution with KDE 4
(full image size: 485kB, screen resolution 1280x1024 pixels)
- Tiny Core Linux. Tiny Core Linux is a very small (10 MB) minimal Linux desktop. It is based on Linux 2.6 kernel, BusyBox, Tiny X, FLTK graphical user interface and JWM window manager, running entirely in memory. It is not a complete desktop, nor is all hardware completely supported; it represents only the core needed to boot into a very minimal X Window desktop, typically with wired Internet access. This minimal desktop can be extended by installing additional applications from online repositories.
Tiny Core 1.2 - the world's smallest desktop Linux distribution
(full image size: 32kB, screen resolution 1024x768 pixels)
- wattOS. wattOS is a fast desktop Linux distribution based on Ubuntu. Using the lightweight Openbox window manager as its default user interface, the distribution strives to be as energy-efficient as possible so that it can be used on low-specification and recycled computers.
wattOS Beta 2 - an Ubuntu-based distribution with Openbox for energy-efficient computing
(full image size: 1,526kB, screen resolution 1280x1024 pixels)
* * * * *
New distributions added to waiting list
- ArchPwn. ArchPwn is an Arch-based live DVD with a collection of application for security analysis and penetration testing.
- Ultra X Linux. Ultra X Linux is a new distribution based on Ubuntu. (Not available for download at the time of writing.)
- VoIP on CD. VoIP on CD is a Debian-based distribution with Asterisk, an open-source PBX and telephony package.
* * * * *
DistroWatch database summary
* * * * *
And this concludes the latest issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 16 March 2009.
Chris Smart
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| Archives |
| • Issue 1021 (2023-05-29): rlxos GNU/Linux, colours in command line output, an overview of Void's unique features, how to use awk, Microsoft publishes a Linux distro |
| • Issue 1020 (2023-05-22): UBports 20.04, finding another machine's IP address, finding distros with a specific kernel, Debian prepares for Bookworm |
| • Issue 1019 (2023-05-15): Rhino Linux (Beta), checking which applications reply on a package, NethServer reborn, System76 improving application responsiveness |
| • Issue 1018 (2023-05-08): Fedora 38, finding relevant manual pages, merging audio files, Fedora plans new immutable edition, Mint works to fix Secure Boot issues |
| • Issue 1017 (2023-05-01): Xubuntu 23.04, Debian elects Project Leaders and updates media, systemd to speed up restarts, Guix System offering ground-up source builds, where package managers install files |
| • Issue 1016 (2023-04-24): Qubes OS 4.1.2, tracking bandwidth usage, Solus resuming development, FreeBSD publishes status report, KaOS offers preview of Plasma 6 |
| • Issue 1015 (2023-04-17): Manjaro Linux 22.0, Trisquel GNU/Linux 11.0, Arch Linux powering PINE64 tablets, Ubuntu offering live patching on HWE kernels, gaining compression on ex4 |
| • Issue 1014 (2023-04-10): Quick looks at carbonOS, LibreELEC, and Kodi, Mint polishes themes, Fedora rolls out more encryption plans, elementary OS improves sideloading experience |
| • Issue 1013 (2023-04-03): Alpine Linux 3.17.2, printing manual pages, Ubuntu Cinnamon becomes official flavour, Endeavour OS plans for new installer, HardenedBSD plans for outage |
| • Issue 1012 (2023-03-27): siduction 22.1.1, protecting privacy from proprietary applications, GNOME team shares new features, Canonical updates Ubuntu 20.04, politics and the Linux kernel |
| • Issue 1011 (2023-03-20): Serpent OS, Security Onion 2.3, Gentoo Live, replacing the scp utility, openSUSE sees surge in downloads, Debian runs elction with one candidate |
| • Issue 1010 (2023-03-13): blendOS 2023.01.26, keeping track of which files a package installs, improved network widget coming to elementary OS, Vanilla OS changes its base distro |
| • Issue 1009 (2023-03-06): Nemo Mobile and the PinePhone, matching the performance of one distro on another, Linux Mint adds performance boosts and security, custom Ubuntu and Debian builds through Cubic |
| • Issue 1008 (2023-02-27): elementary OS 7.0, the benefits of boot environments, Purism offers lapdock for Librem 5, Ubuntu community flavours directed to drop Flatpak support for Snap |
| • Issue 1007 (2023-02-20): helloSystem 0.8.0, underrated distributions, Solus team working to repair their website, SUSE testing Micro edition, Canonical publishes real-time edition of Ubuntu 22.04 |
| • Issue 1006 (2023-02-13): Playing music with UBports on a PinePhone, quick command line and shell scripting questions, Fedora expands third-party software support, Vanilla OS adds Nix package support |
| • Issue 1005 (2023-02-06): NuTyX 22.12.0 running CDE, user identification numbers, Pop!_OS shares COSMIC progress, Mint makes keyboard and mouse options more accessible |
| • Issue 1004 (2023-01-30): OpenMandriva ROME, checking the health of a disk, Debian adopting OpenSnitch, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1003 (2023-01-23): risiOS 37, mixing package types, Fedora seeks installer feedback, Sparky offers easier persistence with USB writer |
| • Issue 1002 (2023-01-16): Vanilla OS 22.10, Nobara Project 37, verifying torrent downloads, Haiku improvements, HAMMER2 being ports to NetBSD |
| • Issue 1001 (2023-01-09): Arch Linux, Ubuntu tests new system installer, porting KDE software to OpenBSD, verifying files copied properly |
| • Issue 1000 (2023-01-02): Our favourite projects of all time, Fedora trying out unified kernel images and trying to speed up shutdowns, Slackware tests new kernel, detecting what is taking up disk space |
| • Issue 999 (2022-12-19): Favourite distributions of 2022, Fedora plans Budgie spin, UBports releasing security patches for 16.04, Haiku working on new ports |
| • Issue 998 (2022-12-12): OpenBSD 7.2, Asahi Linux enages video hardware acceleration on Apple ARM computers, Manjaro drops proprietary codecs from Mesa package |
| • Issue 997 (2022-12-05): CachyOS 221023 and AgarimOS, working with filenames which contain special characters, elementary OS team fixes delta updates, new features coming to Xfce |
| • Issue 996 (2022-11-28): Void 20221001, remotely shutting down a machine, complex aliases, Fedora tests new web-based installer, Refox OS running on real hardware |
| • Issue 995 (2022-11-21): Fedora 37, swap files vs swap partitions, Unity running on Arch, UBports seeks testers, Murena adds support for more devices |
| • Issue 994 (2022-11-14): Redcore Linux 2201, changing the terminal font size, Fedora plans Phosh spin, openSUSE publishes on-line manual pages, disabling Snap auto-updates |
| • Issue 993 (2022-11-07): Static Linux, working with just a kernel, Mint streamlines Flatpak management, updates coming to elementary OS |
| • Issue 992 (2022-10-31): Lubuntu 22.10, setting permissions on home directories, Linux may drop i486, Fedora delays next version for OpenSSL bug |
| • Issue 991 (2022-10-24): XeroLinux 2022.09, learning who ran sudo, exploring firewall tools, Rolling Rhino Remix gets a fresh start, Fedora plans to revamp live media |
| • Issue 990 (2022-10-17): ravynOS 0.4.0, Lion Linux 3.0, accessing low numbered network ports, Pop!_OS makes progress on COSMIC, Murena launches new phone |
| • Issue 989 (2022-10-10): Ubuntu Unity, kernel bug causes issues with Intel cards, Canonical offers free Ubuntu Pro subscriptions, customizing the command line prompt |
| • Issue 988 (2022-10-03): SpiralLinux 11.220628, finding distros for older equipment and other purposes, SUSE begins releasing ALP prototypes, Debian votes on non-free firmware in installer |
| • Issue 987 (2022-09-26): openSUSE's MicroOS, converting people to using Linux, pfSense updates base system and PHP, Python 2 dropped from Arch |
| • Issue 986 (2022-09-19): Porteus 5.0, remotely wiping a hard drive, a new software centre for Ubuntu, Proxmox offers offline updates |
| • Issue 985 (2022-09-12): Garuda Linux, using root versus sudo, UBports on the Fairphone 4, Slackware reverses change to grep |
| • Issue 984 (2022-09-05): deepin 23 Preview, watching for changing to directories, Mint team tests Steam Deck, Devuan posts fix for repository key expiry |
| • Issue 983 (2022-08-29): Qubes OS 4.1.1, Alchg Linux, immutable operating systems, Debian considers stance on non-free firmware, Arch-based projects suffer boot issue |
| • Issue 982 (2022-08-22): Peropesis 1.6.2, KaOS strips out Python 2 and PulseAudio, deepin becomes independent, getting security update notifications |
| • Issue 981 (2022-08-15): Linux Lite 6.0, defining desktop environments and window managers, Mint releases upgrade tool, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 980 (2022-08-08): Linux Mint 21, Pledge on Linux, SparkyLinux updates classic desktop packages, Peppermint OS experiments with Devuan base |
| • Issue 979 (2022-08-01): KaOS 2022.06 and KDE Plasma 5.25, terminating processes after a set time, GNOME plans Secure Boot check |
| • Issue 978 (2022-07-25): EndeavourOS 22.6, Slax explores a return to Slackware, Ubuntu certified with Dell's XPS 13, Linux running on Apple's M2 |
| • Issue 977 (2022-07-18): EasyOS 4.2, transferring desktop themes between distros, Tails publishes list of updates, Zevenet automates Let's Encrypt renewals |
| • Issue 976 (2022-07-11): NixOS 22.05, making a fake webcam, exploring the Linux scheduler, Debian publishes updated media |
| • Issue 975 (2022-07-04): Murena One running /e/OS, where are all the openSUSE distributions, Fedora to offer unfiltered Flathub access |
| • Issue 974 (2022-06-27): AlmaLinux 9.0, the changing data of DistroWatch's database, UBports on the Pixel 3a, Tails and GhostBSD publish hot fixes |
| • Issue 973 (2022-06-20): openSUSE 15.4, collecting distro media, FreeBSD status report, Ubuntu Core with optional real-time kernel |
| • Issue 972 (2022-06-13): Rolling Rhino Remix, SambaBox 4.1, SUSE team considers future of SUSE and openSUSE Leap, Tails improves Tor Connection Assistant |
| • Issue 971 (2022-06-06): ChimeraOS 2022.01.03, Lilidog 22.04, NixOS gains graphical installer, Mint replaces Bluetooth stack and adopts Timeshift, how to change a MAC address |
| • Issue 970 (2022-05-30): Tails 5.0, taking apart a Linux distro, Ubuntu users seeing processes terminated, Budgie team plans future of their desktop |
| • Issue 969 (2022-05-23): Fedora 36, a return to Unity, Canonical seeks to improve gaming on Ubuntu, HP plans to ship laptops with Pop!_OS |
| • Full list of all issues |
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