 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 698, 6 February 2017 |
Welcome to this year's 6th issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
A large part of what defines an operating system and its usefulness is the software it can run. This means the methods by which we find, install and maintain software on our systems are significant and we spend time this week talking about different approaches to bundling and deploying software. In our News section we discuss Snap packages being backported to Ubuntu 14.04 and our Questions and Answers column explores the differences between containers and modern packaging formats such as Flatpak and Snap. We invite our readers to weigh in on the subject of packages, containers and virtual machines as ways to distribute software in our Opinion Poll. Also this week we talk about delays in getting Ubuntu 16.04.2 released to the public and Debian preparing to launch Debian 9 "Stretch". Plus we discuss running Steam on TrueOS and the Tails distribution migrating from 32-bit to 64-bit builds. First though, we share a review of Solus by guest author Alwan Rosyidi. We are also pleased to bring you a list of last week's distribution releases and we share the torrents we are currently seeding. Plus we welcome the Arch-based OBRevenge OS distribution to our database. We wish you all a wonderful week and happy reading!
Content:
Listen to the Podcast edition of this week's DistroWatch Weekly in OGG (32MB) and MP3 (20MB) formats.
|
| Feature Story (by Alwan Rosyidi) |
Solus 2017.01.01.0: Impressive newcomer
Solus is an independent Linux distribution where the rising Budgie desktop was born. Despite the fact it is relatively a new Linux distribution, Solus brings many stunning features. The most interesting feature is, of course, the superstar Budgie desktop that has catalyzed another important project called Ubuntu Budgie. The newest version of Solus, Solus 2017.01.01.0, was released on January 2017 and offers us plenty of new and interesting things to look around.
1. Technical overview
Solus 2017.01.01.0 is built on top of the Linux kernel version 4.8.15. It only supports 64-bit architecture, which has been a new trend among other Linux distributions today. It's said that 64-bit operating systems consume more memory and run poorly on slow computers. Is this true or not, and happening in Solus? This is another interesting thing we have to find out.
Solus 2017.01.01.0 -- The Budgie desktop
(full image size: 1.9MB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
2. Budgie desktop
Budgie desktop is a new desktop which has been created by the Solus developers. It is a built on top of GNOME libraries. Solus 2017.01.01.0 uses Budgie desktop version 10.2.9 built on top of GNOME stack version 3.20.3.
Budgie desktop consists of five parts:
Main menu - Placed at the left top corner panel, there is a main traditional menu similar to the main menu of elementary OS.
Pinned shortcut - Beside the main menu, there are pinned application shortcuts. You could pin your most used applications here. To pin the applications shortcut, you have to open the application, then right click on the taskbar, and then select Pin to panel.
Solus 2017.01.01.0 -- Pin to panel
(full image size: 187kB, resolution: 543x369 pixels)
Taskbar - Right after Pinned shortcuts, there is a taskbar of running applications.
Applets/Indicators - At the right of the panel, there is an applets bar offering important functions such as: Network Manager indicator, notification indicator, battery/power indicator, sound indicator, shutdown indicator, date indicator, and at the right corner of panel there is a shortcut to access Budgie desktop settings.
Budgie desktop settings - Budgie's desktop settings panel is hidden in the right corner panel. It's a complete settings panel with options to move the desktop panel position, arrange the panel's items, applets, and change desktop themes. At the bottom, there are shortcuts to shutdown the computer, lock the computer, and a shortcut to GNOME's system settings.
Solus 2017.01.01.0 -- A collection of snapshots of the settings panel
(full image size: 262kB, resolution: 848x768 pixels)
3. Built-in apps - Solus 2017.01.01.0 comes with a minimal number of built-in apps. There is no LibreOffice office suite or GIMP image editor. The good news is, there is the VLC media player and Rhythmbox music player to enjoy your multimedia collection.
4. Package management and software repository - Solus has its own package manager called eopkg. It is very similar to Debian's dpkg with apt and quite easy to use. We can install an application easily by executing the command: sudo eopkg install app_name. We could find popular Linux apps in default Solus 2017.01.01.0 such as GIMP, Inkscape, SMPlayer, and more. Unfortunately, the very popular Chromium browser isn't included yet in this Solus version. Alternatively, you could use the AppImage version of the Chromium browser.
There is also a graphical Software Center very similar to Ubuntu Software Center or GNOME Software. There is also very nice documentation about using eopkg package management in Solus's wiki.
Solus 2017.01.01.0 -- The software manager
(full image size: 191kB, resolution: 952x695 pixels)
5. Installation - Solus comes with a modern, easy to use graphical installer very similar to Ubuntu's Ubiquity which comes with guided installation, replacing all existing Linux installations, and advanced partitioning. However, the advanced partitioning isn't as complete as Ubuntu's Ubiquity. There is no option to mount NTFS/FAT32 partitions so, if you have one, you have to mount these partitions manually after installation. However, the installer is still relatively easy to use.
Solus 2017.01.01.0 -- Partitioning with the system installer
(full image size: 48kB, resolution: 768x553 pixels)
6. Memory Utilization - RAM is now cheaper and is not a big issue among today's users. But in case you are curious about the distribution's resource utilization, it consumes about 700MB to 800MB of RAM in an idle mode.
Solus 2017.01.01.0 -- Checking memory usage
(full image size: 46kB, resolution: 702x545 pixels)
7. Desktop theming - Solus uses the Arc GTK theme and Arc icon theme. It is good looking and modern. The desktop wallpapers can be changed by right-clicking on the desktop. There are plenty beautiful wallpapers available in Solus-2017.01.01.0.
Solus 2017.01.01.0 -- Selecting new wallpaper
(full image size: 452kB, resolution: 843x466 pixels)
8. Solus 2017.01.01.0 MATE - Solus 2017.01.01.0 also comes with a MATE edition that uses MATE desktop version 1.16.1. Solus 2017.01.01.0 MATE brings a brand new application menu called Brisk Menu which looks very similar to the Cardapio menu. It is a simple, fast, traditional menu that resembles the look and functionality of Xfce's Whisker Menu.
Just like Linux Mint MATE, Solus 2017.01.01.0 MATE only provides a single panel at the bottom of the desktop, with the Brisk Menu at the left corner, and a system tray applet in the right corner.
Solus 2017.01.01.0 -- Running the MATE desktop
(full image size: 1.2MB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
9. Overall performance and conclusion - Installed on an old, dual core Intel Pentium with 4GB of RAM, Solus 2017.01.01.0 runs quite well, without lags or crash issues. If you are starting to feel bored with your current distro, Solus 2017.01.01.0 is an impressive alternative you can try. It's fresh, fast, good looking, and easy to use. The lack of some of the most popular Linux apps like the Chromium browser is an issue and I hope Solus developers will put it in Solus's official repository in the future releases. Overall, I could simply say Solus 2017.01.01.0 is impressive. It could be, in the future, a fair rival to the good looking elementary OS.
As the conclusion, here is my personal scoring for Solus 2017.01.01.0:
- Build quality : 8/10
- Performance : 8/10
- Ease of use : 8/10
- Artwork : 8/10
- Installation : 7/10
- Software Management : 9/10
- Software Repository : 6/10
- Overall score : 8/10
|
| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
Tails migrating to 64-bit, Debian Stretch freezes, Ubuntu backports Snap, Ubuntu 16.04.2 delayed again, running Steam games on TrueOS
The Tails distribution is a Debian-based project which is used to anonymously browse the web, scrub meta-data from files and securely transfer files. The Tails project has announced their distribution will soon shift from providing 32-bit builds to 64-bit builds exclusively. "Tails 3.0 will require a 64-bit x86-64 compatible processor. As opposed to older versions of Tails, it will not work on 32-bit processors. We have waited for years until we felt it was the right time to do this switch. Still, this was a hard decision for us to make. Today, we want to explain why we eventually made this decision, how it will affect users, and when..." Tails 3.0 will drop support for 32-bit computers on June 13, 2017, according to the project's roadmap. The change is being made to take advantage of 64-bit security features and improve package compatibility. Details on this change can be found in the Tails announcement.
* * * * *
The Debian project is well known for releasing new stable versions of the distribution when they are considered ready rather than on a set schedule. Though Debian does not have a specific schedule, the distribution does appear to be nearing the release of Debian 9 "Stretch". Jonathan Wiltshire reported Debian has entered its final freeze leading into the release of the next version: "The Release Team is pleased to announce that Debian 9.0 "stretch" has entered the final phase of development and is now frozen."
* * * * *
Snap packages have been supported by the past couple of Ubuntu releases. Snap packages handle their own dependencies and offer a number of security features which make them appealing, particularly for distributing software not available in Ubuntu's official repositories. The Snap technology has recently been backported to Ubuntu's previous long term support release, Ubuntu 14.04 "Trusty Tahr". This allows people running older copies of Ubuntu to experiment with Snap packages. The OMG Ubuntu website offers further details: "While most people reading this post will be doing so from a more recent version of Ubuntu than Trusty, the arrival of Snapd in the Trusty archives means even more folks can fool around with the new software deployment and package management system." Instructions for installing the Snap software can be found in the announcement.
The Ubuntu team pushes out updates to the distribution's long term support (LTS) releases on a regular basis to provide fresh installation media for users. These updated builds are not brand new versions of the operating system, but include additional drivers and packages with security fixes. The most recent update, Ubuntu 16.04.2, has been delayed twice now and the team plans to hold it back until February 9th to allow for further quality assurance testing. Leann Ogasawara explained the reason for the delay: "We would like to formally request an extension for 16.04.2's release. We have just identified a serious boot regression on arm64. The resolution looks to require landing changes to the kernel, flash-kernel, and possibly d-i. While we can likely physically get those changes into the archive in time for the release, there would be next to no time to test this nor provide appropriate regression testing on other platforms. We would be much more comfortable giving that some proper testing before releasing and therefore would like to request an additional extension for the point release date."
* * * * *
Josh Smith has published a tutorial which explores how gamers can get some of their favourite gaming titles running on TrueOS and, by extension, related operating systems such as FreeBSD. The tutorial walks readers through setting up the Windows version of Steam on TrueOS using WINE and an application called PlayOnBSD. "If you're a PC gamer, you should definitely give PlayOnBSD a try! You may be surprised at how well it works. If you want to know ahead of time if your games are well supported or not, head on over to WineHQ and do a search. Many people have tested and provided feedback and even solutions for potential problems with a large variety of video games. This is a great resource if you run into a glitch or other problem." The tutorial includes detailed installation instructions and screen shots of Steam games running on TrueOS.
* * * * *
These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
|
| Questions and Answers (by Jesse Smith) |
Comparing containers with portable applications
They-are-all-portable asks: I recently read your piece in DistroWatch Weekly 668 comparing Snap, Flatpak, and AppImage. I found it very interesting, but one question came to mind as I was reading it: What functionally differentiates these newer packaging formats from container formats such as Docker?
I don't know much about any of these except that containers are marketed more as an alternative to virtualization rather than alternative packaging, but from my perspective they all seem to do the same thing. Install a framework (except AppImage), download a bundle containing the application and relevant libraries, and run it. Are they just marketed differently, or perhaps accomplishing the same end goal, but going about it in completely different ways under the hood? Or is there something big and important that differentiates these technologies that I just don't know?
DistroWatch answers: Let's talk about AppImage first. I would like to point out that AppImage is relatively old, compared to Docker, Snap and Flatpak. AppImage was first launched back around 2004 while Docker arrived on the scene in 2013. (Flatpak and Snap are about the same age, or just a little younger than Docker, respectively.) AppImage provides a way for developers to bundle up an application and its dependencies into one package file. The end user downloads the package and runs it and, from the end user's point of view, the application and its dependencies are one big file.
AppImage, from the end user's perspective, is very convenient. The user does not need to have administrator/sudo access to download and run AppImage packages. No package manager is required either. While AppImage does not provide any sandboxing security on its own, tools like Firejail can be used to isolate AppImage programs with little to no configuration or effort on the part of the user.
Flatpak and Snap, while they have their differences, both provide a framework that either comes pre-installed on the operating system or is set up by the administrator. Then the administrator can install applications and services on the system. Flatpak and Snap programs are somewhat isolated from the system and provide some potentially nice security features. Dependencies are handled by the framework and/or the developer so the administrator does not need to worry about them.
What each of these three (AppImage, Snap and Flatpak) have in common is they are designed with a single application or service in mind. I might download the Krita AppImage, Apache Snap or a Firefox Flatpak, but chances are I am after just one specific application when I use these technologies. When I download a program bundled with one of these technologies, I get just the program and its immediate dependencies.
Docker is quite a bit different. As the original question pointed out, Docker is a lightweight alternative to virtualization, not to packaging. Docker provides a container which people tend to use to make little, portable operating systems with a small number of applications or services. While an AppImage might include a single desktop application and its immediate dependencies, a Docker container is likely to include (for example) a copy of the Debian operating system, a network service and maybe development tools.
Docker shines when it is being used to build layers. The Docker website has a helpful diagram which shows how Docker containers can be used to stack independent pieces. The host system really just provides the Linux kernel and Docker framework. The containers then can hold an operating system and any specific tools we want. A Docker container might hold an entire development environment which can be shared among coders in an organization, or it might hold an Apache, database and PHP stack for web hosting.
It might be easiest to think of it this way: AppImage provides portable applications, with no framework required, that can be installed by end users. Flatpak and Snap provide a framework administrators use to deploy a program or service. Docker offers a way to deploy and share operating systems and complete development or production environments. They all bundle dependencies to make software portable, but their use cases and approaches vary quite a bit behind the scenes.
* * * * *
For more questions and answers, visit our Questions and Answers archive.
|
| Released Last Week |
OPNsense 17.1
The OPNsense operating system is a FreeBSD-based specialist operating system (and a fork of pfSense) designed for firewalls and routers. The project has released a new stable version of the OPNsense operating system, version 17.1. "The OPNsense team is proud to announce the final availability of version 17.1, nicknamed Eclectic Eagle. This major release features FreeBSD 11.0, the SSH remote installer, new languages Italian / Czech / Portuguese, state-of-the-art HardenedBSD security features, PHP 7.0, new plugins for FTP Proxy / Tinc VPN / Let's Encrypt, native PAM authentication against e.g. 2FA (TOTP), as well a rewritten Nano-style card images that adapt to media size to name only a few. We would like to encourage everyone to supervise this major upgrade physically. As such, it cannot be performed from the GUI. Instead, go to the root console menu, choose option 12 and type '17.1' at the prompt. The process will download a full set of updates and reboot multiple. All operating system files and packages will be re-installed as a consequence." Additional information can be found in the project's release announcement.
* * * * *
Development, unannounced and minor bug-fix releases
|
| Torrent Corner |
Weekly Torrents
The table below provides a list of torrents DistroWatch is currently seeding. If you do not have a bittorrent client capable of handling the linked files, we suggest installing either the Transmission or KTorrent bittorrent clients.
Archives of our previously seeded torrents may be found here. All torrents we make available here are also listed on the very useful Linux Tracker website. Thanks to Linux Tracker we are able to share the following torrent statistics.
Torrent Corner statistics:
- Total torrents seeded: 291
- Total data uploaded: 55.6TB
|
| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
|
Summary of expected upcoming releases
|
| Opinion Poll |
Virtual machines, packages and containers
This week we talked about virtual machines, containers and packages. As a follow-up we would like to find out if you use any of the technologies we talked about to run applications or services. Do you use packages that bundle dependencies such as AppImage, FlatPak and Snap? Or do you run services in a Docker container or a virtual machine? Feel free to share your preferences in a comment.
You can see the results of our previous poll on running alternative phone operating systems here. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
|
Virtual machines, packages and containers
| I use virtual machines: | 947 (54%) |
| I use bundled packages: | 54 (3%) |
| I use containers/Docker: | 41 (2%) |
| I use a combination of the above: | 174 (10%) |
| I use none of the above: | 534 (31%) |
|
|
| DistroWatch.com News |
New distributions added to database
OBRevenge OS
OBRevenge OS is a desktop operating system that is based on the Arch Linux distribution. OBRevenge features a live DVD and offers users the Xfce desktop environment with the Whisker menu as the default login session. The distribution includes a welcome window and the Pamac graphical software manager to help users get set up with the software and drivers they need. The distribution can be installed using the Calamares system installer.
OBRevenge OS 2017.01 -- Displaying the welcome screen and application menu
(full image size: 130kB, resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
* * * * *
DistroWatch database summary
* * * * *
This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 13 February 2017. Past articles and reviews can be found through our Article Search page. To contact the authors please send e-mail to:
- Jesse Smith (feedback, questions and suggestions: distribution reviews/submissions, questions and answers, tips and tricks)
- Ladislav Bodnar (feedback, questions, donations, comments)
- Bruce Patterson (podcast)
|
|
| Tip Jar |
If you've enjoyed this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly, please consider sending us a tip.
(Tips this week: 0, value: US$0.00) |
|
|
|
 bc1qtede6f7adcce4kjpgx0e5j68wwgtdxrek2qvc4  lnurl1dp68gurn8ghj7ampd3kx2ar0veekzar0wd5xjtnrdakj7tnhv4kxctttdehhwm30d3h82unvwqhhxarpw3jkc7tzw4ex6cfexyfua2nr  86fA3qPTeQtNb2k1vLwEQaAp3XxkvvvXt69gSG5LGunXXikK9koPWZaRQgfFPBPWhMgXjPjccy9LA9xRFchPWQAnPvxh5Le paypal.me/distrowatchweekly • patreon.com/distrowatch |
|
| Linux Foundation Training |
|
|
| TUXEDO |
TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite
Choose from a wide range of laptops and PCs in various sizes and shapes at TUXEDOComputers.com. Every machine comes pre-installed and ready-to-run with Linux. Full 24 months of warranty and lifetime support included!
Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
|
| Archives |
| • Issue 1048 (2023-12-04): openSUSE MicroOS, the transition from X11 to Wayland, Red Hat phasing out X11 packages, UBports making mobile development easier |
| • Issue 1047 (2023-11-27): GhostBSD 23.10.1, Why Linux uses swap when memory is free, Ubuntu Budgie may benefit from Wayland work in Xfce, early issues with FreeBSD 14.0 |
| • Issue 1046 (2023-11-20): Slackel 7.7 "Openbox", restricting CPU usage, Haiku improves font handling and software centre performance, Canonical launches MicroCloud |
| • Issue 1045 (2023-11-13): Fedora 39, how to trust software packages, ReactOS booting with UEFI, elementary OS plans to default to Wayland, Mir gaining ability to split work across video cards |
| • Issue 1044 (2023-11-06): Porteus 5.01, disabling IPv6, applications unique to a Linux distro, Linux merges bcachefs, OpenELA makes source packages available |
| • Issue 1043 (2023-10-30): Murena Two with privacy switches, where old files go when packages are updated, UBports on Volla phones, Mint testing Cinnamon on Wayland, Peppermint releases ARM build |
| • Issue 1042 (2023-10-23): Ubuntu Cinnamon compared with Linux Mint, extending battery life on Linux, Debian resumes /usr merge, Canonical publishes fixed install media |
| • Issue 1041 (2023-10-16): FydeOS 17.0, Dr.Parted 23.09, changing UIDs, Fedora partners with Slimbook, GNOME phasing out X11 sessions, Ubuntu revokes 23.10 install media |
| • Issue 1040 (2023-10-09): CROWZ 5.0, changing the location of default directories, Linux Mint updates its Edge edition, Murena crowdfunding new privacy phone, Debian publishes new install media |
| • Issue 1039 (2023-10-02): Zenwalk Current, finding the duration of media files, Peppermint OS tries out new edition, COSMIC gains new features, Canonical reports on security incident in Snap store |
| • 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 |
| • Full list of all issues |
| 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.
|
| Shells.com |
Your own personal Linux computer in the cloud, available on any device. Supported operating systems include Android, Debian, Fedora, KDE neon, Kubuntu, Linux Mint, Manjaro and Ubuntu, ready in minutes.
Starting at US$4.95 per month, 7-day money-back guarantee
|
| Random Distribution | 
Inquisitor
Inquisitor was an open-source hardware diagnostics, stress testing, certification and monitoring system, suitable for both enterprise and home use. Based on Debian/GNU Linux, it was customizable, modular and available in both serverless live CD/DVD format and server-controlled network boot production system.
Status: Discontinued
|
| TUXEDO |
TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite
Choose from a wide range of laptops and PCs in various sizes and shapes at TUXEDOComputers.com. Every machine comes pre-installed and ready-to-run with Linux. Full 24 months of warranty and lifetime support included!
Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
|
| 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.
|
|
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
