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1 • Small Linux (by John on 2017-03-27 00:48:09 GMT from United States)
VERY nice to see a really small linux. And from sources :).
I wonder if I can use it in place of Damn Small Linux which I still run on an old laptop from a live CD to text login to many other Linux boxes?
Damn small linux just runs. Amazing in this day of over bloat almost everywhere. And most of DSL I don't use! It could be much smaller!!
I can even have 4 terminal windows open with DSL to different machines :).
John
2 • Elevated Access (by cykodrone on 2017-03-27 01:24:52 GMT from Canada)
I use 'su', I used sudo for a while when it came on the scene, then I figured out it was a gimmick to make Ubuntu more n00b friendly (and a security risk), I do not leave root terminals open after I'm done with them. I do not allow gksu prompts to save passwords for sessions. I actually didn't find out about 'su' until I started dabbling with other distros that were NOT Debian based (that's kind of sad, actually). I create root terminal and root file manager launchers on the desktop for quicker access shortcuts. I do, however, have root accounts in both distros (and I do insist installers create them) but barely ever log in to them, no real reason to. One of the reasons I completely abandoned that proprietary OS was because it was security Swiss cheese, not making that mistake again. Nobody would ever guess my passwords anyway, they're just some bizarre alien language I made up. Here's a good one, "drowssap", lol. I take my computing privacy and security very seriously.
3 • sudo/su (by wally on 2017-03-27 02:28:43 GMT from United States)
Debian derivatives do tend to go the sudo route, but Debian does not. 'root' and 'su' are the defaults, 'sudo' is an option.
4 • Multiple (by Chris on 2017-03-27 03:40:45 GMT from United States)
Minimal Linux Live ("MLL"):
Recently, I was quite suprised to see little-ol' MLL added to DW. Today, I am absolutely shocked to see it as the featured review! I appreciate the attention such a limited project, which has come to be a major learning and experimenting tool for me, has received. Thank you DWW and Jesse Smith!
For years, I have intended to experiment with customizing the Linux kernel, and give Linux From Scratch ("LFS") a go, but I just have not had the necessary time for either project. Plus, I am a sucker for small, lean distros that work on old or underpowered hardware (long-live 32-bit distros).
About six months ago, I found MLL collecting electronic dust on the DW Waiting List and decided to play-around with it in my limited spare time (I think I even made a comment or two about it in this forum). From my first compile, it worked and ran great, with my results similar to Jesse's, but on a 32-bit Atom processor with 1GB RAM in around two hours. With my success, reviewing the scripts, reviewing the minimal contents of the ISO, and a little bit of quick online research, many previously vague to me aspects of Linux became crystal clear. Something about the hands-on and absolute minimalism helped me.
Immediately after my Eurika moment, various ideas/projects sprung into my head:
1. Can I make MLL with even newer sources, and will they be compatible? Yes, a quick check of three websites and a few changes to the provided scripts provided more success on both points in a new, functional build.
2. Can I make this smaller and still keep it relitively functional? Yes! To date, I have gotten my ISO down to near 6MB by removing the build scripts being included in the ISO, and going manual-config and eliminating (IMO unnecessary) kernel and Busybox components (Who needs Telnet, etc.?). And there is a lot more 'bloat' available for removal (e.g., more kernel components can be eliminated [as I learn], an alternate, smaller c-lib [i.e., musl] could be used, etc.)!
3. Can I built up from what is included (note: prior to the new MLL scripts' options, and seperate from my minimization project)? Yes! I will save the details, but I successfully added screen to my build. Maybe pointless for so few available utilities, but a great learning experience.
MLL has given me the most fun I have had with Linux in many years, helped me advance in my Linux understanding and usage, and, as my limited time permits, I plan to keep experimenting with it.
Poll:
I chose, "I use sudo." It works very well for me and my purposes, YMMV.
5 • Elevated Access (by Simon Wainscott-Plaistowe on 2017-03-27 04:48:28 GMT from New Zealand)
Most of the time, when I just need to run one or twp commands, I use sudo. If I want to run a bunch of commands or dig around a bit, I use su. And on the odd occasion when I really need to get into the guts of the system, I log in as root.
6 • Elevated Access (by edcoolio on 2017-03-27 05:16:56 GMT from United States)
Although I use sudo and su 99% of the time (probably like everyone else), but I feel as if it is sometimes a hassle depending on the device.
For example, I have laptops that are used for the most basic of web browsing. Nothing else. I would (personally) love for distros to have a simple option within the installer to have the root account set as a default, a bit like Puppy Linux I suppose. I'm willing to take the risk browsing to news from cnn and fox.
Security aside, I want the responsibility as an option during a quick install for certain devices.
While I'm on the thought, maybe Lubuntu can re-enable "open as root" on PCManFM, like the old days. In the end, I like security as much as the next person, but I also like ease of use with responsibility.
7 • MLL (by zork on 2017-03-27 07:17:39 GMT from Germany)
It is great to see tiny linux distros around like MLL. But frankly, I don't see the benefit of MLL over Tiny Core Linux e.g., which Core release is only 3 MB bigger than MLL (in its early time, you already had TCL with a kind of Core release at ~6 MB), and give you more usability. It's kind of reinventing the wheel for me, or I am missing some real advantages over TCL that I do not see at the moment -- in this respect, I find the review little helpful. On a more general note, it would be interesting to embed in DW-reviews some comparative perspective between similar project more systematically, it would help the community to better find its way through similar projects. I know it is not always possible, but it would certainly help. Thanks to the DW-team.
8 • Minimal Linux Live, also gaining root accss (by Thomas Mueller on 2017-03-27 07:52:13 GMT from United States)
One downside of Minimal Linux Live is not having the tools to rebuild itself from source code, but those tools would not fit such a small distro. Comp set of NetBSD or FreeBSD is far larger than the whole Minimal Linux Live.
Most of the time, to get root access, I login as root, but less frequently I use su or sudo, haven't yet tried doas. This complicated voting in the poll, but I voted login as root.
9 • "log into the root account:" = "su" to me (by LiuYan@China on 2017-03-27 08:19:11 GMT from United States)
Since most distributions nowadays forced me to create another user account besides of 'root' account, I will open two terminal emulator, one for the normal user account, one for 'su' command , and I keep the 'su' sesson alive untill next reboot.
My computers are not for multi-user login jobs, so I would like to have only one 'root' account, security is not my primary concern.
'sudo' is too boring, it's like you type 'www.' in URL each time (that's why I like distrowatch.com, you don't have to type 'www.' :D). to me it's just wasting of time to type keyboard.
10 • Elevated Access (by Hoos on 2017-03-27 08:55:06 GMT from Singapore)
I just use whichever mode is default for a particular distro. If it's su (e.g. MX Linux, PCLinuxOS) then that's what I use. Same for sudo (Manjaro, Ubuntu-derivatives).
Like @9 though, if I open a root terminal, I'll keep it alive until I reboot or log out.
11 • "privilege escalation" (by zykoda on 2017-03-27 09:22:57 GMT from United Kingdom)
1) sudo: for an isolated command.
2) su: in a shell I (if sudoers is set up for the account and command)
3) root: with root password (e.g in debian) for wider config.
4) sudo su: sometimes useful.
5) exploit vulnerability or use patch to gain root access.
6) doas: not used. No unix here because disk partitioning can be a PITA.
12 • @7 and @8 (by Chris on 2017-03-27 10:50:41 GMT from United States)
@7: In general, I do not think MLL is intended to directly compete with TCL or be any type of daily driver (unless someone wanted to take the time to manually build-up to such); instead, I think MLL is more meant to be a:
1. Can it be done and what can be done with it type project base.
2. Educational tool, an extremely small LFS competitor using a simple script build system.
@8: Most distros do not have default setups for self-reproducibility and require one to install 'build-essentials' or such to be able to accomplish it. But the code exists and there is no reason MLL could not be built with such as default through customized build scripts. You may have just given me another educational project with MLL. Thank you.
13 • Elevated Access (by luvr on 2017-03-27 11:05:04 GMT from Belgium)
While the answers given are all correct, they focus on command-line use. It is my impression, however, that the question was more oriented to graphical environments.
To avoid having to type your (or, depending on the system configuration, the root user's) password for a specific privileged action on the desktop, you can make use of policykit rules. For instance, under Debian, the administrative password will be requested when you attempt to mount an internal disk partition from the desktop, while under Ubuntu, such authentication will not be required. (USB file systems, on the other hand, will mount without asking for a password on either of these distributions.) To allow Debian to mount internal disk partitions without asking for a password, I set up an appropriate policykit rule for it.
Similarly, you could set up a rule to, for example, run the Debian Synaptic package manager without prompting for a password. In fact, any other privileged action that pops up a password prompt dialog, can be configured thusly.
14 • administrator tasks (by Kevin on 2017-03-27 12:47:38 GMT from United States)
I couldn't vote on the opinion pole. There was no way to select the first three options. I use all of the first three. What I use varies depending on the box I'm on and the task I'm performing.
15 • #9 (by Phillip Chandler on 2017-03-27 13:11:01 GMT from United Kingdom)
You dont have to type www all the time, so bad example. Just type google.co.uk and it works out the www bit for you.
16 • Can’t answer poll (by a on 2017-03-27 13:11:15 GMT from France)
I usually use sudo but sometimes su and occasionally log in as root, so couldn’t answer this poll.
17 • Re; the poll question... (by tom joad on 2017-03-27 13:56:37 GMT from Hungary)
I voted for 'su' but I use several ways to access admin rights depending. Of late I have gotten in the habit of setting a password for 'root' too. That can be at times helpful.
I think an all inclusive choice in the poll would be good. Some thing like 'all of the above or none of the above or some of the above' would be nice. There are times when the choice of responses just don't 'fit' as a preferred response. This weeks question is one of those times.
Just a thought for maybe some consideration.
Cheers.
18 • Elevated Privaleges (by Bill S on 2017-03-27 14:49:19 GMT from United States)
I too create root terminal and root file manager launchers on the desktop for quicker access shortcuts with this command in Cairo dock: echo "mypassword" | sudo -S /usr/bin/x-terminal-emulatof.
But I am the only one who can access my desktop computer. And once I turn it off, no one can get inside because of my bios password.
19 • @3 Jumping To Conclusions (by cykodrone on 2017-03-27 15:22:15 GMT from Canada)
In case you were referring to my comment, which coincidentally preceded yours, I said "Debain BASED", as in Mint, Kubuntu, etc. I'm quite familiar with what is default in systemDebian and what is not, I was a Wheezy user, and now Devuan.
20 • su vs sudo (by Vukota on 2017-03-27 17:49:12 GMT from Serbia)
I don't see why there is no poll choice "Both sudo and su". I use both. On some computers I use one of them, on others both. I don't like to use sudo, on computers where I share access on the same account with other family members.
In any case, I like to have properly configured root user, in case of "disaster". Either if I have to do some system maintenance, get regular user messed up, etc.
21 • su vs sudo (by Jordan on 2017-03-27 18:26:44 GMT from United States)
I see sudo as a (mild) vulnerability. And as pointed out in @2 no reason to leave the terminal open after doing the su things that need to be done. And sudo is a silly not needed little gimmick.
I'm a non-geek linux user, so I keep a list of su commands for Korora/Fedora bookmarked.
Also, I learned my lesson about logging in as root long since. ;)
22 • Permissions for user to do administrative tasks... (by Bobbie Sellers on 2017-03-27 18:55:00 GMT from United States)
Hi fellow users/administrators.
I started out with Mandriva which has or had a suite of tools
called MCC for Configuration of the Computer,
In a System/User Management it is possible to add your user
to a variety of tasks often requiring root permission.
Mandriva is gone but we find the MCC in several Mandriva forks.
I use PCLinux OS64 KDE Plasma 4 2016.03 (fully updated)
currently but the facility is available in Mageia and was in
Open Mandriva which I have not found yet in a verifiable
download, so I cannot speak to its present state.
It is in PCLinux OS64 KDE's Plasma 5 2017.03 but I don't
much care for KDE's Plasma 5 as it lacks useful tools
that are supplied with the Kate text editor and even with
the stripped-down KWrite. I use that tool frequently and
Plasma 5 lacks other useful facilities for this user.
If I have to I will run it in an emulator to keep using these
tools.
[Whoever can get the joke in my tagline is my contemporary
in computer investigation.]
bliss "running fast and light" on PCLinuxOS64-2016.03
GNU/Linux 4.10.6-pclos1 #1 SMP Sun Mar 26
23 • su - or fu - does not matter. (by Don Dobbermaan on 2017-03-27 20:09:10 GMT from Canada)
I am an absolute nOOb.
I learned the lesson very hard way from nerds and geeks that su - or fu - does not matter much except psychological self-assurance of smelling sense of security. Privilege escalation, permission elevations and leaky linux kernels will not help you much here. When you connect keep the doors wide open.
24 • Please do protect root! (by RO on 2017-03-28 02:09:53 GMT from United States)
I understand the occasional need to use root for recovery tasks, such as running fsck while in single-user mode for disk repair, or grub for corrupted boot loader situations (after a Windows installation being a common cause).
However, even if you are not worried about what an intruder over the I-net might do TO your machine, please do consider what he might do WITH your machine. This is how bot armies are created, and unprotected, or poorly protected Linux-based PC's, as well as IoT devices such as web cams, are a favorite target for such cracks.
FWIW
25 • Elevated privilege. No more politeness !! (by Greg Zeng on 2017-03-28 02:56:32 GMT from Australia)
Linux distributions need to PROTECT the users better.
When the demand for User-elevation to ROOT is asked, Linux must dramatically FLASH the screen into TOTAL-BOLD-MONO-COLOR.. Similar to the current Windows-10 Insider Preview. Older operating systems (including current Linux systems) still do not understand how dangerous ROOT access can be.
No more of this nearly invisible, tiny box. It would alert everyone that the ultimate sin is about to be done, imho.
26 • LOL Indeed, cykodrone (by Arch Watcher 402563 on 2017-03-28 05:49:08 GMT from United States)
@2 Actually you do not take security seriously. You only think so. That "good one" is hackable in a split second per passwordstrengthcalculator.org, or ~2 sec. per https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2015/03/02/why-you-cant-trust-password-strength-meters/ (Watch the vid to see.) Try diceware.com with real dice, not your PC or any web stuff, and change passwords regularly.
27 • has anybody ported doas to the other BSDs or linux yet? (by DaveT on 2017-03-28 10:15:29 GMT from United Kingdom)
I use sudo, I can setup up some nicely complex rules but it is a bit of a pain doing it and testing it.
I have used doas on OpenBSD and I like it and would use it elsewhere but I haven't seen it ported to any other OS yet. Did I miss it?
28 • ported doas (by voidude on 2017-03-28 11:28:44 GMT from Norway)
@27 yes https://github.com/Duncaen/OpenDoas
some functionality is missing tho, read the issues.
Been using it with void since september without issues.
29 • @26 (by cykodrone on 2017-03-28 15:34:38 GMT from Canada)
It was a joke, that's not my actual password. My password does not exist in any language on this planet, it's a totally random phrase generated by my brain, not written down anywhere. My root and user passwords are also completely different. Anything man-made is not perfect, and never will be. A.I. is not our 'friend', it's a tool of the rich to put more humans out of work.
30 • Gaining elevated access for administrator tasks (by SilverBear on 2017-03-28 19:03:32 GMT from United States)
Currently I've been using Mint KDE version, and it's true to Ubuntu in its sudo voodoo. ;) So I use that mostly, although on occasion find it simpler to su into the root account when I'm doing a number of chores.
But over the last dozen years or so that I've been using a Linux distro, mostly: Mepis, Debian-unflavoured, Arch, and a couple Slack-derivatives, I've found su-ing the root to be the way to shoot. (Yes, you can shoot yourself in the foot, but I try not to do it.)
31 • Root access (by lenn on 2017-03-28 21:15:57 GMT from Canada)
Have you guys noted that any Linux live iso is on root? If your home folder is encrypted, it might not be seen by the live iso. If you are dual booting with windows, and that windows is not in hibernation, you can see the inside of that OS too. Your computer is not safe from someone with a Linux live iso.
Btw, you can use su or sudo, depending on the Linux live iso.
@ Jessie about MLL; have you read the build_minimal_linux_live.sh to see how it creates the live iso from a a Debian or Ubuntu install?
32 • Administrative access (by slick on 2017-03-28 22:49:01 GMT from United States)
If it is just a quick update, then sudo would suffice, but if spending anytime at all in root then su is preferable.
33 • Live ISO and 'security' (by Kragle von Schnitzelbank on 2017-03-28 23:49:18 GMT from United States)
Reminds me of a TV's 'parental controls' bypassed by a kid in seconds.
Much 'security' is theater. Done correctly, that can be effective, but should not be the only defense.
34 • @31, I am notJesse, but... (by Chris on 2017-03-29 00:08:55 GMT from United States)
You can obtain the SRCs (and pre-compiled ISOs which contain the SRCs) for current and past MLL releases at: http://minimal.linux-bg.org/download/. You can also obtain the current development scripts at: https://github.com/ivandavidov/minimal.
The build scripts consist of a simple main script which calls nearly as simple sub-scripts for each stage of the build. You can edit the scripts if desired and run the main script, or you can run each sub-script individually.
For my experiments with MLL, I have been using my customized versions of the April 2016 scripts, sometimes using all scripts and sometimes just some of them with manual interventions. For any advanced novice or intermediate Linux user, the scripts are fairly easy to understand, or research via man pages or ddg-fu if not; for already advanced users, they probably seem like a cute toy.
35 • @27,28 doas (by Thomas Mueller on 2017-03-29 01:52:47 GMT from United States)
I found security/doas in FreeBSD ports tree, but no doas in (NetBSD) pkgsrc.
36 • It Sure Was a Joke (by Arch Watcher 402563 on 2017-03-29 04:59:01 GMT from United States)
@29 cykodrone Any 8-char password is a joke. Estimate entropy before satisfying yourself you have a good one. Diceware makes memorable passwords without a computer. Ten words gives 128 bits. I'm not clear what your weird off-the-wall AI comments mean. Whatever your brain concocts is not likely random enough. You don't need a computer to fix the problem, just dice.
37 • PClinuxOS Derivatives (by Winchester on 2017-03-29 12:58:11 GMT from United States)
Just some thoughts :
It's good to see a PClinuxOS derivative once again. There haven't been many since Granular Linux.
There should be enough OS based on Debian / Ubuntu by now , to the point where there is unnecessary redundancy.
I would like to see a systemd-free Slax / Porteus type of operating system which can be run from RAM based on PClinuxOS packages.
As far as PClinuxOS itself goes,the only real problems I have run into are (1) slow updates to some packages such as the PaleMoon Browser ; (2) some .Xauthority issue with the Synaptic package manager where it is necessary to log-in as the root user in order to use the program ; and (3) some difficulty getting Steam going.
Aside from that,absolutely no issues.
38 • liveboot and encrypted home (by tim on 2017-03-29 20:39:13 GMT from United States)
@31 FWIW, although I don't use the LUKS feature, I've noticed that customized LiveUSB pendrives created using the "refracta snapshot" tool (provided by refracta linux, exegnulinux, and a few other distros) do support LUKS during liveboot.
39 • sudo... (by Spaniard on 2017-03-29 21:01:37 GMT from Spain)
For just one command: sudo command. Anything else: sudo bash. This may get difficult for graphical apps on remote logins, but for commandline tasks it works flawless. And I close those ASAP.
40 • @ 34 about MLL script (by lenn on 2017-03-30 15:14:22 GMT from Canada)
I asked this (from Jessie) whether he checked the MLL script is that, if one does so, one might be able to understand how the live iso is created from installed Ubuntu or Debian. It would be nice toy as you mentioned.
41 • @40 (by Chris on 2017-03-30 19:07:32 GMT from United States)
Reading those scripts sure does help to learn the ISO generation process. Plus, the scripts are very well #commented.
MLL uses genisoimage. In the links I provided @34, check the sub-script named ##_generate_iso.sh for final ISO build details.
For learning purposes, I recommend one start with the April 2016 scripts. The most recent release and the github development version include a minimal persistance overlay, which are cool to learn too but complicate the general ISO creation learning process. One can always move forward after learning the basics.
42 • Ubuntu + Editiions???? (by Bob on 2017-04-01 03:48:32 GMT from United States)
I just lost a whole lot of respect for DW. "Ubuntu + Editions" on the Page Hit Ranking list.
That's a cheap move to get Ubuntu back to the top of the list. Nuff said.
43 • April 1st (by M.Z. on 2017-04-01 05:55:01 GMT from United States)
@42
I might find it a little odd, but something tells me that it will pass.
44 • Ubuntu & Editions (by Fuji943 on 2017-04-01 08:06:16 GMT from Czech Republic)
I was just wondering - which of the "editions" are now included in the Ubuntu + editions HPD? Are these just the "official" ones recognized by Canonical? Thanks!
45 • Super Grub2 Disk on #20 after ranking update (by adrian15 on 2017-04-01 08:49:34 GMT from Spain)
Given that after the new ranking update based on the new WHPD (Weitghted Hits per day) algorithm Super Grub2 Disk is on the #20 position I invite you to test Super Grub2 Disk today.
As Distrowatch description says:
It is a live CD that helps the user to boot into almost any operating system even if the system cannot boot into it by normal means. This allows a user to boot into an installed operating system if their GRUB installation has been overwritten, erased or otherwise corrupted. Super Grub2 Disk can detect installed operating systems and provide a boot menu which allows the user to boot into their desired operating system.
It's always a good thing to learn how to use tools that can be handy when you cannot boot into your GNU/Linux systems.
Have a nice day!
46 • Ubuntu+ (by Amar on 2017-04-01 09:53:36 GMT from India)
I think it is fair to club the *buntu distros. Great change to the PHR...
47 • Ubuntu + Editions (by sydneyj on 2017-04-01 11:37:37 GMT from United States)
If you're concerned about this....it's April 1. Jeez.
48 • *ubuntu + ubuntu studio (by Marcos Nascimento on 2017-04-01 17:37:59 GMT from Brazil)
You have read my thoughts! I was thinking it would be fair to merge the *ubuntu distributions and ubuntu studio.
49 • april fools?? (by edcoolio on 2017-04-01 18:00:31 GMT from United States)
So, I really really like the Ubuntu base. No doubt.
They have decided to mash all of the editions together here on Distrowatch in order to get the #1 ranking from Mint... and I'm cool with that.
However, now the only link that exists to my favorite distro for older to mid-range computers, Lubuntu, is impossible to find. The Ubuntu home page does not have obvious, quick direct links to this and other flavors.
Dumb.
This radically reduces the usefulness of Distrowatch. Instead of hitting distrowatch, then the Ubuntu flavor of my choice, and finally the direct homepage link of the distro - I'm left with avoiding Distrowatch and going directly to my flavor of choice.
This is great for the main Ubuntu distro, but a disaster for Lubuntu and others under the Ubuntu umbrella unless this oversight is fixed.
50 • @49 - Finding Lubuntu (by Uncle Slacky on 2017-04-01 19:46:47 GMT from France)
Just use the "Search Distribution" dropdown list in the site header!
51 • New & Improved Distrowatch.. (by Bill on 2017-04-01 21:45:41 GMT from United States)
I've been coming to DistroWatch for 6 years now and I don't like what's going on. You guys are going to tweak this site to the point where it looks good, but is useless to anyone looking for distros. Not sure that's what you want. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
52 • confused (by tim on 2017-04-02 00:30:42 GMT from United States)
FWIW, I'm seeing same as ever... all the MINT versions are lumped together (and, perhaps as a result of that) Mint at #1 clicks spot on DW main page. Kubuntu and the other editions are present #59 and whatnot in the list when I view the page. Maybe when you viewed the page, its content had been temporarily altered as a prank?
53 • April Fool's Page Hit (p)Ranking reverted now? (by RO on 2017-04-02 01:48:36 GMT from United States)
Noting that it is now April 2 GMT, and the Page Hit Ranking appears as ever with all the different Ubuntu variants, maybe that "rollup" of all into one was indeed just a temporary prank?
54 • April fools (by M.Z. on 2017-04-02 05:57:50 GMT from United States)
@53
It obviously was an April fools thing, & it was not the first time such things have happened on DW.
55 • April Fool prank (by Jordan on 2017-04-02 16:11:00 GMT from United States)
Dang I missed it. Everything looked normal each time I checked DW's PHR on 1 April.
56 • Official flavors (by Marcos on 2017-04-02 18:18:19 GMT from Brazil)
All distributions are evaluated with their official flavors. Why ubuntu not?
57 • Flavors (by M.Z. on 2017-04-02 21:33:46 GMT from United States)
@56
The differences are all in how each project treats it's various 'flavors' or spins as Fedorta calls them. With Fedora, Mint, Mageia, etc., there are multiple desktops available from either the projects homepage or in the case of Fedora a page dedicated to 'spins' that is directly linked to the man page. In addition all official desktop versions of these projects are either released simultaneously, or in the case of Mint they are announced on the project homepage 'when ready' & are give more or less equal treatment as official parts of the distro.
In the case of Ubuntu all desktops besides Unity are treated very different & each project has it's own independent homepage. In effect everything but the Unity edition seems to be a small semi independent side project created by the Ubuntu community. See here & here:
http://xubuntu.org/
http://www.kubuntu.org/
vs here for Mageia:
http://www.mageia.org/en/downloads/
Note that in Mageia there is a single 'classic' installer that can cover virtually any desktop you want to use provided you don't want to do live testing. In addition there are two live CDs for KDE & Gnome which are give equal treatment (& XFCE will be available after version 6 comes out). There is no ambiguity that each desktop is fully supported & is given equal treatment with the classic installer & there are multiple live CDs. In Ubuntu all live CDs beside the main edition have to be supported as community projects. If Ubuntu wanted to structure things more like Mageia or Mint they easily could, but they don't, so are treated different. If Ubuntu announced all flavors on their man page & had a download section like Mint or so many other projects they certainly would be #1 on the DW rankings. With Mint there is a main section to download all versions with all desktops & all versions are announced via the blog:
https://linuxmint.com/download_all.php
Number of Comments: 57
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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.
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| Archives |
| • Issue 1181 (2026-07-13): Artix 20260419, making migrating to Linux easier, Google locking down Android, TUXEDO switches to Debian base, Mint improves Cinnamon on Wayland, OpenMandriva recovers from repository deletion, OSNews compares Windows and Linux |
| • Issue 1180 (2026-07-06): FreeBSD 15.1 and rumours of its installer capabilities, tools for running admin commands, Asahi fixes boot issue, reasons to run Gentoo, Ubuntu reverts Rust-based copy command, Astral gets WINE port |
| • Issue 1179 (2026-06-29): PCLinuxOS 2026.05, tips for switching distros, COSMIC gets a new system monitor, Xfce tests new Wayland compositor, FreeBSD developers invite questions |
| • Issue 1178 (2026-06-22): TBLock reviewed, the AUR compromised, Fedora's growing community, reasons to avoid immutable desktop distributions, Ubuntu to get speech-to-text, Canonical updates its beta policy, highlights in Plasma 6.7 |
| • Issue 1177 (2026-06-15): TROMjaro 2026.05.08, Ubuntu MATE updates, Asahi fixes dual-boot issue with macOS 27, AUR infected with malware, setting variables across shells |
| • Issue 1176 (2026-06-08): Redcore Linux 2601, the problem with minimal system requirements, Red Hat account linked to compromised npm repositories, COSMIC to get frosted glass effect, openSUSE shows off system extension manager, Origami merges with RakuOS |
| • Issue 1175 (2026-06-01): PineTab2 with various distros, less common words of wisdom, Canonical shutting down Ubuntu's Pastebin, Murena nears 100k users, DistroWatch turns 25 |
| • Issue 1174 (2026-05-25): Solus 4.9, Linux tablets, Haiku boots on Apple M1 machines, Fedora drops Deepin packages, Mint improves Nemo performance |
| • Issue 1173 (2026-05-18): Sylve on FreeBSD, the benefit of BleachBit, Debian commits to reproducible builds, Debian publishes updated install media, Haiku introduces SMP support on ARM64 processors, Rocky Linux creates opt-in security repository, Fedora reconsiders AI tools, KDE receives generous donation |
| • Issue 1172 (2026-05-11): Fedora 44, dealing with extra fonts, Fedora plans to provide AI tools, problems with Ubuntu's new coreutils, TrueNAS extends its development cycle, postmarktetOS improves the boot splash screen, Redox ports tmux |
| • Issue 1171 (2026-05-04): Xubuntu 26.04, extending memory with VRAM, Ubuntu plans AI features, Devuan developer forks GTK2, Mint introduces hardware enablement builds, Linux running on a PlayStation 5, local kernel exploit found in Linux |
| • Issue 1170 (2026-04-27): ENux 5.2.1, picking a second distro, AlmaLinux expands CPU support, FreeBSD publishes Status Report, Ubuntu MATE skips 26.04 release |
| • Issue 1169 (2026-04-20): Lakka 6.1, free software and source-based distributions, FreeBSD Foundation publishes compatible laptop list, Debian holds Project Leader election, Haiku progresses ARM64 port, Mint to extend development cycle, Linux 7.0 released |
| • Issue 1168 (2026-04-13): pearOS 2026.03, EndeavourOS 2026.03.06, which distros are adopting age verification, Arch adjusts its firewall packages, Linux dropping i486 support, Red Hat extends its release cycle, Debian's APT introduces rollbacks, Redox improves its scheduler |
| • Issue 1167 (2026-04-06): Origami Linux 2026.03, answering questions for Linux newcomers, Ubuntu MATE seeking new contributors, Ubuntu software centre is expanding Deb support, FreeBSD fixes forum exploit, openSUSE 15 Leap nears its end of life |
| • Issue 1166 (2026-03-30): NetBSD jails, publishing software for Linux, Ubuntu joins Rust Foundation, Canonical plans to trim GRUB features, Peppermint works on new utilities, PINE64 shows off open hardware capabilities |
| • Issue 1165 (2026-03-23): Argent Linux 1.5.3, disk space required by Linux, Manjaro team goes on strike, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA driver support and builds RISC-V packages, systemd introduces age tracking |
| • Issue 1164 (2026-03-16): d77void, age verification laws and Linux, SUSE may be for sale, TrueNAS takes its build system private, Debian publishes updated Trixie media, MidnightBSD and System76 respond to age verification laws |
| • Issue 1163 (2026-03-09): KaOS 2026.02, TinyCore 17.0, NuTyX 26.02.2, Would one big collection of packages help?, Guix offers 64-bit Hurd options, Linux communities discuss age delcaration laws, Mint unveils new screensaver for Cinnamon, Redox ports new COSMIC features |
| • Issue 1162 (2026-03-02): AerynOS 2026.01, anti-virus and firewall tools, Manjaro fixes website certificate, Ubuntu splits firmware package, jails for NetBSD, extended support for some Linux kernel releases, Murena creating a map app |
| • Issue 1161 (2026-02-23): The Guix package manager, quick Q&As, Gentoo migrating its mirrors, Fedora considers more informative kernel panic screens, GhostBSD testing alternative X11 implementation, Asahi makes progress with Apple M3, NetBSD userland ported, FreeBSD improves web-based system management |
| • Issue 1160 (2026-02-16): Noid and AgarimOS, command line tips, KDE Linux introduces delta updates, Redox OS hits development milestone, Linux Mint develops a desktop-neutral account manager, sudo developer seeks sponsorship |
| • Issue 1159 (2026-02-09): Sharing files on a network, isolating processes on Linux, LFS to focus on systemd, openSUSE polishes atomic updates, NetBSD not likely to adopt Rust code, COSMIC roadmap |
| • Issue 1158 (2026-02-02): Manjaro 26.0, fastest filesystem, postmarketOS progress report, Xfce begins developing its own Wayland window manager, Bazzite founder interviewed |
| • Issue 1157 (2026-01-26): Setting up a home server, what happened to convergence, malicious software entering the Snap store, postmarketOS automates hardware tests, KDE's login manager works with systemd only |
| • Issue 1156 (2026-01-19): Chimera Linux's new installer, using the DistroWatch Torrent Corner, new package tools for Arch, Haiku improves EFI support, Redcore streamlines branches, Synex introduces install-time ZFS options |
| • Issue 1155 (2026-01-12): MenuetOS, CDE on Sparky, iDeal OS 2025.12.07, recommended flavour of BSD, Debian seeks new Data Protection Team, Ubuntu 25.04 nears its end of life, Google limits Android source code releases, Fedora plans to replace SDDM, Budgie migrates to Wayland |
| • Issue 1154 (2026-01-05): postmarketOS 25.06/25.12, switching to Linux and educational resources, FreeBSD improving laptop support, Unix v4 available for download, new X11 server in development, CachyOS team plans server edtion |
| • Issue 1153 (2025-12-22): Best projects of 2025, is software ever truly finished?, Firefox to adopt AI components, Asahi works on improving the install experience, Mageia presents plans for version 10 |
| • Issue 1152 (2025-12-15): OpenBSD 7.8, filtering websites, Jolla working on a Linux phone, Germany saves money with Linux, Ubuntu to package AMD tools, Fedora demonstrates AI troubleshooting, Haiku packages Go language |
| • Issue 1151 (2025-12-08): FreeBSD 15.0, fun command line tricks, Canonical presents plans for Ubutnu 26.04, SparkyLinux updates CDE packages, Redox OS gets modesetting driver |
| • Issue 1150 (2025-12-01): Gnoppix 25_10, exploring if distributions matter, openSUSE updates tumbleweed's boot loader, Fedora plans better handling of broken packages, Plasma to become Wayland-only, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1149 (2025-11-24): MX Linux 25, why are video drivers special, systemd experiments with musl, Debian Libre Live publishes new media, Xubuntu reviews website hack |
| • Issue 1148 (2025-11-17): Zorin OS 18, deleting a file with an unusual name, NetBSD experiments with sandboxing, postmarketOS unifies its documentation, OpenBSD refines upgrades, Canonical offers 15 years of support for Ubuntu |
| • Issue 1147 (2025-11-10): Fedora 43, the size and stability of the Linux kernel, Debian introducing Rust to APT, Redox ports web engine, Kubuntu website off-line, Mint creates new troubleshooting tools, FreeBSD improves reproducible builds, Flatpak development resumes |
| • Issue 1146 (2025-11-03): StartOS 0.4.0, testing piped commands, Ubuntu Unity seeks help, Canonical offers Ubuntu credentials, Red Hat partners with NVIDIA, SUSE to bundle AI agent with SLE 16 |
| • Issue 1145 (2025-10-27): Linux Mint 7 "LMDE", advice for new Linux users, AlmaLinux to offer Btrfs, KDE launches Plasma 6.5, Fedora accepts contributions written by AI, Ubuntu 25.10 fails to install automatic updates |
| • Issue 1144 (2025-10-20): Kubuntu 25.10, creating and restoring encrypted backups, Fedora team debates AI, FSF plans free software for phones, ReactOS addresses newer drivers, Xubuntu reacts to website attack |
| • Issue 1143 (2025-10-13): openSUSE 16.0 Leap, safest source for new applications, Redox introduces performance improvements, TrueNAS Connect available for testing, Flatpaks do not work on Ubuntu 25.10, Kamarada plans to switch its base, Solus enters new epoch, Frugalware discontinued |
| • Issue 1142 (2025-10-06): Linux Kamarada 15.6, managing ZIP files with SQLite, F-Droid warns of impact of Android lockdown, Alpine moves ahead with merged /usr, Cinnamon gets a redesigned application menu |
| • Issue 1141 (2025-09-29): KDE Linux and GNOME OS, finding mobile flavours of Linux, Murena to offer phones with kill switches, Redox OS running on a smartphone, Artix drops GNOME |
| • Issue 1140 (2025-09-22): NetBSD 10.1, avoiding AI services, AlmaLinux enables CRB repository, Haiku improves disk access performance, Mageia addresses service outage, GNOME 49 released, Linux introduces multikernel support |
| • Issue 1139 (2025-09-15): EasyOS 7.0, Linux and central authority, FreeBSD running Plasma 6 on Wayland, GNOME restores X11 support temporarily, openSUSE dropping BCacheFS in new kernels |
| • Issue 1138 (2025-09-08): Shebang 25.8, LibreELEC 12.2.0, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, the importance of software updates, AerynOS introduces package sets, postmarketOS encourages patching upstream, openSUSE extends Leap support, Debian refreshes Trixie media |
| • Issue 1137 (2025-09-01): Tribblix 0m37, malware scanners flagging Linux ISO files, KDE introduces first-run setup wizard, CalyxOS plans update prior to infrastructure overhaul, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1136 (2025-08-25): CalyxOS 6.8.20, distros for running containers, Arch Linux website under attack,illumos Cafe launched, CachyOS creates web dashboard for repositories |
| • Issue 1135 (2025-08-18): Debian 13, Proton, WINE, Wayland, and Wayback, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, KDE gets advanced Liquid Glass, Haiku improves authentication tools |
| • Issue 1134 (2025-08-11): Rhino Linux 2025.3, thoughts on malware in the AUR, Fedora brings hammered websites back on-line, NetBSD reveals features for version 11, Ubuntu swaps some command line tools for 25.10, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA support |
| • Issue 1133 (2025-08-04): Expirion Linux 6.0, running Plasma on Linux Mint, finding distros which support X11, Debian addresses 22 year old bug, FreeBSD discusses potential issues with pkgbase, CDE ported to OpenBSD, Btrfs corruption bug hitting Fedora users, more malware found in Arch User Repository |
| • Issue 1132 (2025-07-28): deepin 25, wars in the open source community, proposal to have Fedora enable Flathub repository, FreeBSD plans desktop install option, Wayback gets its first release |
| • Issue 1131 (2025-07-21): HeliumOS 10.0, settling on one distro, Mint plans new releases, Arch discovers malware in AUR, Plasma Bigscreen returns, Clear Linux discontinued |
| • Issue 1130 (2025-07-14): openSUSE MicroOS and RefreshOS, sharing aliases between computers, Bazzite makes Bazaar its default Flatpak store, Alpine plans Wayback release, Wayland and X11 benchmarked, Red Hat offers additional developer licenses, openSUSE seeks feedback from ARM users, Ubuntu 24.10 reaches the end of its life |
| • 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.
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| Random Distribution | 
SLYNUX
SLYNUX was a Knoppix-based live and installation CD designed with Linux beginners in mind. It comes with a wide variety of applications for web surfing, multimedia playback, image editing, and office tasks, as well as support for internal modems, digital cameras, printers, and most other common hardware. Besides English, the CD also includes Malayalam fonts and an on-screen keyboard for typing in Malayalam, the principal language of the South Indian state of Kerala. SLYNUX was developed by an Indian teenager.
Status: Discontinued
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| 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.
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