 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 376, 18 October 2010 |
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Welcome to this year's 42nd issue of DistroWatch Weekly! Every Ubuntu release is followed with great attention in the media, often accompanied by reviews, first look stories and other impressions. DistroWatch is no exception; this week's feature story, written by Susan Linton, presents Kubuntu 10.10, a distribution that always features the latest version of the popular KDE desktop. Does it deliver on the promise to be a one-stop distro for KDE fans? Read on to find out. In the news section, Ubuntu developer Dave Walker looks back at the development cycle leading to the "Maverick Meerkat" release, the MeeGo project objects to openSUSE's new netbook release called Smeegol, and Arch Linux delivers an updated 2nd edition of their excellent handbook - in both electronic and hard-copy forms. Also in this issue, an interview with Elizabeth Naramore, a newly-appointed community development manager at SourceForge, and Fusion Linux, a new addition to the DistroWatch database, whose developers try to provide a more user-friendly Fedora variant for beginning Linux users. Happy reading!
Content:
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| Feature Story (by Susan Linton) |
First look at Kubuntu 10.10
 Lot of people were looking forward to October 10, 2010 for quite some time. Many since April! This date, of course, was the release of the Ubuntu 10.10 family of Linux operating systems. While Ubuntu has been getting most of the press, some folks require or prefer KDE. For those, Kubuntu might fill the bill.
Kubuntu 10.10 arrived with Linux 2.6.35, X.Org Server 1.9.0, GCC 4.4.5, and KDE 4.5.1. Many of the new features and improvements from Ubuntu have made it into Kubuntu as well. One of these is the revamped installer, which one can run before fully booting the live CD or from within the desktop environment. It seems more streamlined and faster. Perhaps some of that is because a portion of the process is conducted while files are being copied to your hard drive in the background. Additionally, your time zone and keyboard are auto-detected (possibly from hwclock) but require your confirmation. Perhaps the best new feature of the installer is the offer to install third-party typically closed-sourced code such as Flash or MP3 codecs. The hard drive boot seems a bit peppier, but the GRUB screen could use lots of attention.
Kubuntu 10.10 - the default desktop on the live CD
(full image size: 468kB, resolution 1024x768 pixels)
Any hopes for some customization of the GUI like Ubuntu faded rather quickly. In fact, it's practically default KDE - at least in appearance. For NVIDIA users, the KDE 4.5.x desktop might present further issues if the proprietary NVIDIA graphic drivers are used. KDE 4.5.x has known issues with NVIDIA drivers especially when using Oxygen decorative components. The live CD used the Nouveau drivers by default and displayed no negative issues. In addition, Nouveau allowed the configuration of resolution and even of dual displays through the KDE System Settings. On top of that, (K)Ubuntu is having issues with NVIDIA as well this release, but these are fixed with manually editing the xorg.conf file. However, even after fixing any graphics issues, KDE 4.5.x and X.Org on Kubuntu exhibit performance degradation that can be alleviated somewhat by restarting KDE/X every few days.
The major disappointment with KDE and Kubuntu was not being able to use Akregator with my admittedly long RSS feed list. Akregator did function very well with the few feeds found in the default Kubuntu install, but trying to import my list (exported from another Linux/KDE install) always resulted in crashing and escaping of the import process. Trying to copy the Akregator directory from another system didn't work either (which usually works in other distros). Exporting and importing my feed list is a standard procedure after a fresh install and this result was a bit surprising. Akregator is known to crash from time to time in every distro since KDE 4 became the standard, but I can usually count on importing my feeds and using it - even if putting up with periodic crashes. As a result, I employed and quickly adapted to Liferea, with all its pluses and minuses.
Those were really the only issues I had worth mentioning with Kubuntu 10.10. Minor annoyances include HTML default of KMail, the OSD notification (or new Message indicators) of every email message arrival, and no additional backgrounds, themes, icons, and stuff. While the graphics might present a major obstacle to some, none of these issues were a deal breaker for me. However, they do prevent me from saying Kubuntu is the best KDE distro I've ever tried. Conversely, they don't make me say Kubuntu 10.10 is the worst either. This is precisely the position I didn't really want to find myself. It makes for such boring reviews.
Some other updated features include KPackageKit. Ubuntu developers have been spending a lot of effort trying to update the Ubuntu Software Center and the new KPackageKit resembles their efforts a bit. When opened, the user is presented with icons and categories to explore such as Office or Themes and Tweaks. When the category icon is click, a list of available software is presented. Contrary to conventional experience, available software titles are listed in light italic font while applications already installed are normal font. Selecting applications to install is a bit awkward at first as well. A moving arrow indicates the application that is in focus and clicking upon this arrow sets the application for install. The background seems to change behind the arrow as a visual clue, but all in all it just feels a bit awkward. It does seem to function well though.
Kubuntu 10.10 - managing software with KPackageKit
(full image size: 355kB, resolution 1058x680 pixels)
Included software is primarily for the KDE desktop. You'll find applications like KMail, Dragon Player, Kopete, Gwenview, and OpenOffice.org. Fortunately, Kubuntu software repositories seem fairly well stocked. Which is good because you'll have to break out KPackageKit and install the GIMP yourself.
Rekonq is the new default web browser for Kubuntu. It features a simplified interface and is built on the much touted Qt WebKit. It also includes a Favorites screen of your favorite web sites much like Opera's Speed Dial or Firefox's Panorama. It also has a lot of modern amenities such as Java and Java script support, built-in ad block, cache and offline caching. Rekonq is YouTube ready (if you chose to include third-party software during the install). I'm a Konqueror user usually, but Rekonq is fairly slick too. Firefox can be installed with the included installer scripts with little more than a mouse-click.
PulseAudio as the default sound server for Kubuntu. There have been lot of complaints about PulseAudio since its introduction, but the only issue I experienced was a lack of volume control with an added TV application. In this one case, I had to use Alsamixer to control it. Everything else would show up in the mixer when executed. This is to allow individual application control rather than having them all lumped into one.
Another handy feature in Kubuntu is the offer to install codecs the first time the user tries to enjoy certain video or audio files (if needed). While some distros include them by default and some others leave it entirely up to the user, Kubuntu has found the happy medium by offering to easily install them. That way purists can decline if they so choose.
Finally, a word about the new Ubuntu font that Kubuntu included. Marvelous. The new font that has been in the works this development cycle turned out really well. It just looks great.
In conclusion, Kubuntu 10.10 might not bowl you over, but it seems to function fairly well if you're a bit forgiving. I would have liked to have seen a prettier desktop and I'd really like someone to look into the NVIDIA and Akregator issues, but overall it wasn't an unpleasant experience. This is the first time I've used Kubuntu for any real length of time, and at the end of my excursion, I am moving on (but I'm taking that font with me). Kubuntu won't be leaving my desktop with a lot of bad memories, it just didn't win me over. Like I said before, it wasn't the best desktop I've ever used, nor was it the worst. It's just stuck right there in the middle of the road. And sometimes, that's good enough.
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| Miscellaneous News (by Ladislav Bodnar) |
Looking back at Ubuntu "Maverick" release cycle, Smeegol versus Meego, Arch Linux Handbook and security guide
 Ubuntu 10.10 arrived eight days ago so last week was the time of first impressions. In between the usual horror stories of failed upgrades and complete amazement at an excellent release, the general perception of the distribution hasn't changed much over the last few years. It still rules the Linux desktop, but it hasn't succeeded in converting the masses. Nevertheless, sometimes small, incremental success stories are more important in the long term than dramatic landslide victories. So what makes "Maverick Meerkat" better than its predecessor? Ubuntu developer Dave Walker takes us through the major milestones of the development process in an article entitled "Ubuntu 10.10 - the release cycle in review": "As is increasingly common, with better quality assurance (QA) / testing than ever before – and wider adoption of the milestone and daily snapshots pre-releases – we are able to identify more bugs, earlier. It used to be the case that many of the rare or edge bugs were only discovered post-release, and were then either fixed as an SRU (Stable Release Update) or if minor, left until the next release to implement the fix. This generally means that with each subsequent release there is increased stability."
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 In last week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly we mentioned the release of Smeegol, an official openSUSE distribution combining the openSUSE base with the MeeGo user interface, to create a powerful and usable distribution for deployments on netbooks. Unfortunately, the MeeGo project wasn't impressed by a name that might be infringing on the project's trademark and has asked openSUSE to rename the release. Linux Weekly News reports in "Smeegol encounters a ring of power": "Smeegol is an implementation of the MeeGo user experience on top of an openSUSE base; the 1.0 release was announced on October 6. On the 14th, the project was told that it cannot use the 'Smeegol' name: 'It is not in the benefit of MeeGo project to use 'Smeegol'. We therefore can not approve such usage of MeeGo mark in 'Smeegol'. We understand that you've already announced it and we will be happy to work with you to come up with a different name (for the good of the MeeGo project).' Some Smeegol developers are not pleased by this development and have announced their intent to 'push back'; meanwhile, openSUSE community manager Jos Poortvliet has proposed renaming the distribution to 'DarkRider'. What the final resolution will be is unclear."
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  Arch Linux has experienced a tremendous growth in popularity over the last few years. But with the fairly technical nature of the distro, together with the developers' insistence that their users do RTFM, good documentation has become a must. Now it its second edition, the Arch Linux Handbook is a superb way to find your way around this excellent and powerful operating system. Dusty Phillips, the books editor, writes on his blog: "Over a year ago, I released the Arch Linux Handbook, a print copy of the Arch Linux Beginners' Guide. It proved to be far more popular than I expected, with nearly 400 copies in print. Of course, the Beginner's guide is a community edited document for a rolling release Linux distribution, and after a year, the Arch Linux Handbook became somewhat dated. So I've created a second edition. It is currently available directly from the eStore and will be available on Amazon within a couple weeks. The International Amazon sites, other booksellers, and brick and mortar stores should have the book available for order after about six weeks."
Speaking of great Arch Linux documentation, here is another excellent guide, written by Rene Rasmussen. It's called Securing Arch Linux and while it is written specifically for one popular distro, many of the concepts discussed in the article can easily be applied to other distributions: "The first question you have to ask yourself is: How paranoid are you? It is possible to tighten the security so much as to make your system unusable. The trick is to secure it without overdoing it. ... The first step actually already starts before you install the system. You should take a minute to consider your partition layout. There are many other things that can be done to heighten the security, but the biggest threat is, and will always be, the user himself. When you think security, you have to think layers. When one layer is breached, another should stop the attack. But you can never make the system 100% secure unless you unplug the machine from all networks, lock it in a safe and never use it! Be a little paranoid. It helps. And be suspicious. If anything sounds too good to be true, it probably is!"
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| Questions and Answers (by Jesse Smith) |
Interview with Elizabeth Naramore, Community Development Manager at SourceForge
Last month the open source hosting web site SourceForge announced they had appointed Elizabeth Naramore as their Community Development Manager. We got in contact with Ms Naramore and she brought us up to speed on who she is, what she does and what's happening behind the scenes at SourceForge.
DW: Could you start off by giving us a little background on yourself. Where you're from and how you got involved with SourceForge?
EN: I started as a PHP developer back in 2002 and this was my introduction to the open source world. Over the years, besides coding, I have been an author, speaker, and an active PHP community member, through organizing local and national PHP events and through our local user group (OINK-PUG). I am also President and co-founder of PHPWomen.org, a non-profit organization designed to bring women out of the woodwork and give them a place to connect with each other and the PHP community at large. I am a huge advocate of open source, and I also help evangelize projects like Spaz and Habari. I have always had a huge amount of respect for SourceForge and so when the pieces fell into place for me to work here, I was thrilled.
DW: What does a Community Development Manager do exactly?
EN: My job here is two-fold; first, I interact with our project leaders to make sure we're doing what we can to keep them successful and help them grow. Secondly, I help SourceForge help the broader open source community by interacting through outlets like Twitter and the blog. We want to help spread the word about community driven projects and events, and we want to help anyone running an open source project by giving them helpful information. Basically, we want to do what we can to help keep open source vibrant and growing.
DW: SourceForge has been going through a lot of changes in the past few years. There was the data centre move, the new look, new file release interface. What new things will we see next?
EN: Our engineering team has been hard at work on the new beta version of SourceForge.net. We've listened to our users and have implemented many changes, which they have been rolling out incrementally. Recent changes include changing to a permission-based file system, reworking the algorithm of our search engine, improving the stats for our projects, and as you mentioned, numerous UI improvements. We're also improving version control support, including Git, Hg, and SVN. You will soon see a streamlined version of the SourceForge.net beta, with even more improvements in UI and performance.
DW: Earlier there was some concern (and hurt feelings) over SourceForge blocking access to developers and users in countries due to USA law. Could you tell us how SourceForge is trying to balance staying open to the community with legal restrictions?
EN: Of course, this was an unfortunate situation for everybody. We are all bound by the laws of the country where we reside. Thankfully, we were able to come up with a compromise that still allows us to abide by US laws, but also satisfies the needs of our users. We now give each project the ability to decide if their projects are subject to export restrictions based on where they are. This export control has proven to be an acceptable method of keeping everybody happy.
DW: There are some other big names in the open source project hosting field, Google Code being a good example. What does SourceForge offer that other hosts don't? Is there anything the other hosts have you'd like to adopt?
EN: I'm personally a huge fan of the other open source repositories, and anything that helps open source gets bonus points in my book. I also think project leaders don't realize they can capitalize on the strengths of the different sites to fill their needs. For instance, it's possible to use Github and SourceForge.net together; if you wanted to use Github for collaborative development, and SourceForge to host downloads, that's entirely possible. SourceForge has a lot of great perks, such as the searchable directory, the extensive mirror network, and the fact that you aren't limited to one version control system. We are also going to start rolling out efforts to help promote our projects. That being said, I strongly feel that at the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference -- using whatever tool fits the job.
DW: What do you think is the biggest barrier to getting end-users to adopt open source solutions?
EN: I think there are two main barriers, actually. The first is just getting the word out to the average consumer. I think that people are finally starting to embrace products like OpenOffice.org and VLC, but we still have a long way to go in promoting open source in general. I think if people knew just how many cool pieces of software were out there, that were free and readily available for them to use, we would see a huge growth spurt. Secondly, I think a lot of open source projects struggle with UI and documentation. Despite the fact that the software is free, if a non tech-savvy person is looking at a piece of software that doesn't look polished and professional, or if they have no documentation but a Wiki to go by, they are much less likely to use it.
DW: How does SourceForge decide which projects to approve or which to deny? Are there restrictions in size, licenses, legal concerns, do any developers get told "we don't need 1001 text editors"?
EN: We no longer "approve" projects per se; all projects are automatically approved, and then we remove any spam projects after the fact. Anyone is free to upload a project at any time, and in any category.
DW: Is there a project that isn't in place yet you'd like to see created? A void you think should be filled in?
EN: I would love to see more tools for educators in there. We have a nice selection available already, but many times teachers are limited by budget constraints, and it would be great to give them even more options. Free software helps them be better teachers, which in turn, helps us all.
DW: Is there anything you'd like to add regarding SourceForge or open source?
EN: The only other thing I want to add is that I am completely open to ideas, suggestions, and general comments from anyone (regardless if you host a project on SourceForge.net or not) on ways we can improve, or how we can help the open source community in general. That is our ultimate goal, after all, to help promote open source, and keep it a viable industry.
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| Released Last Week |
Super OS 10.10
Miguel Costa has announced the release of Super OS 10.10, an Ubuntu-based distribution with pre-installed multimedia codecs, extra applications, and other user-friendly features: "Here is Super OS 10.10, 32-bits edition. Changes: based on Ubuntu 10.10; easy installation of NVIDIA, ATI and Broadcom drivers, even without an Internet connection; USB Creator - live USB creator right from the DVD menu (replacing cd2usb); Java re-added, replacing OpenJDK (only Java works with some banking websites); all software in the Super OS repository updated to their latest versions; additional Multimedia support: VLC, DVD playback, MP3 and support and for other formats, including QuickTime, Real video, Windows Media video, Flash, DivX, Xvid; Internet software - aMSN, Skype, Opera, Google Chrome and Firefox (all browsers include Flash); other software: Ubuntu Tweak and GParted...." See the release announcement and release notes for a full changelog and a few screenshots.
Parted Magic 5.6
Patrick Verner has announced the release of Parted Magic 5.6, a specialist live CD with a collection of utilities designed for disk partitioning, disk cloning and data rescue tasks, with support for a large number of common file systems: "Parted Magic 5.6 includes some new features as well as bug fixes. The Nouveau X.Org driver was added and can be activated from the Fail Safe Menu at the first boot screen. Systester was also added. A default root password (partedmagic) has been added to make using SSH easier. The following programs have been updated: Linux kernel 2.6.35.7, GParted 0.6.4, gDisk 0.6.11, hdparm 9.33, stress 1.0.4, UNetbootin 490, NTFS-3G 2010.10.2, BusyBox-1.17.3 and udev 163." Visit the project's home page to read the complete release announcement.
Sabayon Linux 5.4 "SpinBase", "CoreCDX"
Fabio Erculiani has announced the release of Sabayon Linux 5.4 "SpinBase" and "CoreCDX" editions: "Directly from our server department, two new Sabayon editions officially thrown to the crowd. They are called SpinBase and CoreCDX. SpinBase can be used as a base to make new Sabayon spins, or customized Sabayon ISO images. CoreCDX is built on top of the SpinBase module and features X.Org and Fluxbox, our favourite tiny geeky environment. Shipping with X.Org, also means shipping with our new Anaconda full-blown graphical installer. Features: bootable image suitable for a CD or USB thumb drive; basic default networking; based on new GCC 4.4 and glibc 2.11; completely customizable system after install; desktop-optimized Linux kernel 2.6.35...." Here is the full release announcement.
Ubuntu Privacy Remix 10.04r1
Andreas Heinlein has announced the release of Ubuntu Privacy Remix 10.04r1, an Ubuntu-based live DVD with a goal of providing a completely isolated working environment where private data can be dealt with safely and to protect data against unsolicited access: "After a long period of work and testing, the UPR team has released the final version of Ubuntu Privacy Remix 10.04. We have extended and improved the following features: TrueCrypt has been updated to version 6.3a; we have written our own front-end to GnuPG, which replaces Seahorse, with it you can use GPG features like key groups or restoring original file names; the scripts for extended TrueCrypt volumes have been improved and the backup feature during close can backup other open containers as well; new applications: VYM Mindmapper, GIMP, Xterm (for enabling the 'repair file system' feature of TrueCrypt); simple creation and use of LUKS-encrypted volumes." Read the full release announcement for further information.
Tiny Core Linux 3.2
Robert Shingledecker has released Tiny Core Linux 3.2, a minimalist distribution with a graphical user interface in just 10 MB: "Team Tiny Core is pleased to announce that Tiny Core Linux 3.2 is now available. Change log: updated BusyBox to 1.17.2 + patches; improved language translation support in Appsaudit, Wallpaper, and Swapfile; updated AppBrowser, all tabs now allow mouse 'select for copy'; updated System Stats, all tabs now allows mouse 'select for copy'; updated Appsaudit and Appbrowser to eliminate trailing null item in FLTK browser widget; updated tce-load which now handles case of missing dependency file; updated filetool.sh: -d for dry run option, comparerestore boot code, and improved encrypted backup; updated filetool GUI to support options of None, Backup and Safe; updated tc-config: moved 'protect' and 'secure' after extension loading to support alternate layout keyboards...." For further details please read the release announcement.
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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
- antiX. antiX is a fast, lightweight and easy-to-install linux live CD distribution based on MEPIS and Debian's testing branch for Intel/AMD x86-compatible systems. antiX offers users the "Magic of MEPIS" in an environment suitable for old computers. The goal of antiX is to provide a light, but fully functional and flexible free operating system for both newcomers and experienced users of Linux. It should run on most computers, ranging from 64 MB PII systems with a pre-configured 128 MB swap partition to the latest powerful boxes. 128 MB RAM is the recommended minimum for antiX while the installer needs a minimum of 1.2 GB hard disk space. antiX can also be used as a fast-booting rescue CD.
antiX 8.5 - a lightweight MEPIS-based distribution with IceWM
(full image size: 619kB, resolution 1280x1024 pixels)
- Fusion Linux. Fusion Linux is a Fedora remix that adds all the best software that is available for Linux (free, non-free and even some non-open source firmware and applications for better user experience). It is an installable live DVD image that includes multimedia functionality out of the box, with added desktop tweaks for better usability, and additional software. Fusion Linux is 100% compatible with Fedora, including packages from Fedora and RPM Fusion software repositories.
Fusion Linux 14 Beta 8.5 - a Fedora remix with many user-friendly touches.
(full image size: 1,356kB, resolution 1280x1024 pixels)
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New distributions added to waiting list
- Linux MintPPC. Linux MintPPC is a Linux distribution for 32-bits PowerPC computers which is based on Linux Mint "LXDE" edition, ported to Debian/PPC. The idea behind MintPPC is to have a fast, good-looking and lightweight desktop manager, which runs well on older G3 and G4 machines. MintPPC is directed at desktop users who want a very fast system without the need to install the software themselves. It is easy to use and it is complete.
- 3MX. 3MX is an alternative, Debian-based distribution designed for the 400 MHz MIPS netbooks.
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DistroWatch database summary
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This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 25 October 2010.
Susan Linton, Ladislav Bodnar and Jesse Smith
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| Archives |
| • Issue 1038 (2023-09-25): Mageia 9, trouble-shooting launchers, running desktop Linux in the cloud, New documentation for Nix, Linux phasing out ReiserFS, GNU celebrates 40 years |
| • Issue 1037 (2023-09-18): Bodhi Linux 7.0.0, finding specific distros and unified package managemnt, Zevenet replaced by two new forks, openSUSE introduces Slowroll branch, Fedora considering dropping Plasma X11 session |
| • Issue 1036 (2023-09-11): SDesk 2023.08.12, hiding command line passwords, openSUSE shares contributor survery results, Ubuntu plans seamless disk encryption, GNOME 45 to break extension compatibility |
| • Issue 1035 (2023-09-04): Debian GNU/Hurd 2023, PCLinuxOS 2023.07, do home users need a firewall, AlmaLinux introduces new repositories, Rocky Linux commits to RHEL compatibility, NetBSD machine runs unattended for nine years, Armbian runs wallpaper contest |
| • Issue 1034 (2023-08-28): Void 20230628, types of memory usage, FreeBSD receives port of Linux NVIDIA driver, Fedora plans improved theme handling for Qt applications, Canonical's plans for Ubuntu |
| • Issue 1033 (2023-08-21): MiniOS 20230606, system user accounts, how Red Hat clones are moving forward, Haiku improves WINE performance, Debian turns 30 |
| • Issue 1032 (2023-08-14): MX Linux 23, positioning new windows on the desktop, Linux Containers adopts LXD fork, Oracle, SUSE, and CIQ form OpenELA |
| • Issue 1031 (2023-08-07): Peppermint OS 2023-07-01, preventing a file from being changed, Asahi Linux partners with Fedora, Linux Mint plans new releases |
| • Issue 1030 (2023-07-31): Solus 4.4, Linux Mint 21.2, Debian introduces RISC-V support, Ubuntu patches custom kernel bugs, FreeBSD imports OpenSSL 3 |
| • Issue 1029 (2023-07-24): Running Murena on the Fairphone 4, Flatpak vs Snap sandboxing technologies, Redox OS plans to borrow Linux drivers to expand hardware support, Debian updates Bookworm media |
| • Issue 1028 (2023-07-17): KDE Connect; Oracle, SUSE, and AlmaLinux repsond to Red Hat's source code policy change, KaOS issues media fix, Slackware turns 30; security and immutable distributions |
| • Issue 1027 (2023-07-10): Crystal Linux 2023-03-16, StartOS (embassyOS 0.3.4.2), changing options on a mounted filesystem, Murena launches Fairphone 4 in North America, Fedora debates telemetry for desktop team |
| • Issue 1026 (2023-07-03): Kumander Linux 1.0, Red Hat changing its approach to sharing source code, TrueNAS offers SMB Multichannel, Zorin OS introduces upgrade utility |
| • Issue 1025 (2023-06-26): KaOS with Plasma 6, information which can leak from desktop environments, Red Hat closes door on sharing RHEL source code, SUSE introduces new security features |
| • Issue 1024 (2023-06-19): Debian 12, a safer way to use dd, Debian releases GNU/Hurd 2023, Ubuntu 22.10 nears its end of life, FreeBSD turns 30 |
| • Issue 1023 (2023-06-12): openSUSE 15.5 Leap, the differences between independent distributions, openSUSE lengthens Leap life, Murena offers new phone for North America |
| • Issue 1022 (2023-06-05): GetFreeOS 2023.05.01, Slint 15.0-3, Liya N4Si, cleaning up crowded directories, Ubuntu plans Snap-based variant, Red Hat dropping LireOffice RPM packages |
| • 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 |
| • Full list of all issues |
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kademar Linux
The kademar distribution was a complete desktop Linux operating system based on Arch Linux (starting from version 5, previously it was based on Debian GNU/Linux). It comes in two editions - "Escritorio" was a full-featured variant with the latest KDE Plasma desktop, while "Khronos" was a lightweight flavour featuring the Xfce desktop environment.
Status: Discontinued
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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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