 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 721, 17 July 2017 |
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Welcome to this year's 29th issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
The Fedora distribution regularly acts as a test bed for new technologies and fresh versions of popular open source programs. In this issue we begin with a look at the latest version of the distribution, Fedora 26. Joshua Allen Holm took Fedora 26's Workstation edition and two other spins for a test drive and reports on his findings in our Feature Story. In our News section, we discuss the new features in Fedora's installer. We also talk about how people who are visually impaired can install DragonFly BSD and we cover Yunit packages becoming available to Ubuntu LTS users. In our Questions and Answers column we discuss rolling release source-based distributions and where to find them. Our Opinion Poll this week also talks about installing software from source packages and we would like to know how many of our readers install software from source code. Plus we provide a list of the distributions released last week and cover the torrents we are seeding. This week we are also happy to welcome two new projects, DFLinux and Cucumber Linux, to our waiting list. We wish you all a wonderful week and happy reading!
Content:
- Review: Fedora 26
- News: New Fedora features, installing DragonFly BSD with Orca, Yunit packages backported to Ubuntu 16.04
- Questions and answers: Source based Linux distributions
- Released last week: Fedora 26, Parrot Security 3.7, SolydXK 9, Mageia 6
- Torrent corner: ExTiX, Fedora, KaOS, Mageia, Parrot Security, Redcore, SolydXK, Sparky, Ultimate, Zevenet
- Opinion poll: Installing source-based packages
- New distributions: Cucumber Linux, DFLinux
- Reader comments
Listen to the Podcast edition of this week's DistroWatch Weekly in OGG (59MB) and MP3 (94MB) formats.
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| Feature Story (by Joshua Allen Holm) |
Fedora 26
The twenty-sixth release of Fedora is stable, polished, but kind of boring. The changes from Fedora 25 can be summarized as "newer versions of various packages." Fedora Workstation now comes with GNOME 3.24, which adds a built-in Night Light function that changes the color of the display at night, and LibreOffice 5.3, which can use the new Notebookbar interface if experimental features are enabled. There are also minor, incremental improvements to the Anaconda installer, DNF package manager, and sundry other packages.
The really interesting changes come in the form of a new spin, a variant featuring a different desktop environment that uses the LXQt desktop and a new Lab variant that focuses on Python programming. These two new editions are far more interesting than the changes to Fedora Workstation so, after I take a look at Fedora Workstation's new features, I will explore each of these new Fedora flavours before sharing my final thoughts on Fedora 26 as a whole.
Fedora Workstation
Packing a decent selection of software into a 1.6GB ISO, Fedora Workstation provides a near-complete desktop experience out of the box. Sure, developers and other people with more advanced needs will need to install additional software, but for basic use, Fedora comes with enough software pre-installed. Firefox for web browsing, Evolution for e-mail, LibreOffice for editing documents, plus the standard selection of GNOME applications, like Rhythmbox and Videos. The only thing lacking is some of the media codecs that have to be installed from RPM Fusion or some other source.
Fedora 26 -- The Workstation edition's GNOME desktop
(full image size: 928kB, resolution 1366x768 pixels)
Installing Fedora Workstation is a straightforward experience for anyone familiar with modern Red Hat-style distributions. Boot the live media, run the Anaconda installer, select a few options, and the operating system is installed on the computer's hard drive. Users already running Fedora can also use GNOME Software or the DNF package manager to upgrade to newer versions of Fedora.
Fedora 26 -- The Anaconda system installer
(full image size: 68kB, resolution 1366x768 pixels)
There have been a few refinements to Anaconda since Fedora 25, but most are minor. The only exception is that the partitioning disks step now has an advanced option for power users. This new option uses Blivet GUI to provide a more feature-rich partitioning experience. I tried out this new advanced option when I installed Fedora 26 and found that it provided a superior partitioning experience, but only if you really need to tweak your options. I always change my partition sizes from Fedora's defaults, but the older manual partitioning option has always been more the enough for my purposes. Blivet GUI is not something I see myself using very frequently, but it will be a very welcome addition for users that really need advanced partitioning tools.
Overall, Fedora Workstation is a well put together desktop experience, but like I noted in my introduction, it is kind of boring. It looks like all the big changes to Fedora are slated for future releases. Users of Fedora 25 should consider upgrading as soon as possible to take advantage of new features like Night Light, and users shopping for a new distribution should definitely give Fedora Workstation a try.
Fedora's LXQt spin
I will admit that Fedora Workstation with its GNOME desktop is my normal setup. I use it daily and like it, but I was interested in checking out the new LXQt spin. While I do have some issues with it, which I cover below, I found the LXQt spin to be a nice change of pace. It is still Fedora under the hood, so it is not a radical departure, but it was different enough from the standard Workstation/GNOME experience to be interesting. The layout of the LXQt desktop is more traditional, with the taskbar at the bottom of the screen in a layout similar to Windows and KDE. LXQt is lightweight but still looks modern.
The LXQt spin's 1.0GB ISO is smaller than the Workstation ISO, but that is not just because the LXQt desktop is a more lightweight desktop. Unfortunately, the ISO is smaller because the live image does not come with much software. There is a web browser (QupZilla), the Qtransmission bittorrent client, Quassel IRC program, and a various system utilities but not much else. No graphical e-mail client. No office suite. The lack of an e-mail client in the age of webmail I can understand, but no office software makes for a sub-optimal live desktop experience. Including either LibreOffice or the Calligra office suite would provide a much better out of box experience.
Fedora 26 -- The dnfdragora software manager
(full image size: 125kB, resolution 1366x768 pixels)
While it would be nice to have more software included on the ISO, the LXQt spin can install any Fedora package. Unlike Fedora Workstation, which uses GNOME Software to install packages, the LXQt spin uses dnfdragora. This graphic package manager provides a pretty typical experience for users familiar with various graphic package managers. dnfdragora lets users install, uninstall, and update packages. Users can search though packages visually or by a keyword search. Pretty typical experience really, but nice and easy to use. The only frustration is that one has to use it just to get the LXQt spin into a usable state. A lot of software can fit into 600MB, so it would be nice to see future releases of the LXQt spin have ISOs closer in size to Workstation's ISO, just so the user experience is more complete right after installing.
Fedora Python Classroom
Out of all the new things available in Fedora 26, the new Python Classroom Lab variant is the most interesting. This specialized Fedora lab is focused entirely on Python development. It uses the GNOME desktop environment, but aside from a few utilities, most of the standard applications are removed. The only graphical software included is Calculator, Emacs, Files, Firefox, IDLE 3, Ninja-IDE, Settings, Software, Text Editor, and various basic utilities. If it is not Python related or does not support programming Python, it is not included.
Fedora 26 -- The Python Classroom applications
(full image size: 775kB, resolution 1366x768 pixels)
The Python Classroom ISO is almost a large as Fedora Workstation's and all of the space saved by removing applications goes towards providing a Python programming environment. A lot more Python packages are included on this ISO, making it possible to do a wide variety of Python programming right from the live environment without having to install anything. While professional Python programmers will probably find things lacking for their own purposes, the Python Classroom lab provides plenty of packages for use in a learning environment. A handful of spare computers, Fedora Python Classroom on USB drives, and an introductory Python programming text are a great way to quickly and easily create a learning lab for teaching new programmers.
Fedora 26 -- The Ninja-IDE
(full image size: 123kB, resolution 1366x768 pixels)
Ninja-IDE is the primary development tool provided and it is a reasonable choice. Sure, some developers might want their favorite IDE instead, but Ninja-IDE strikes a excellent balance between lightweight and providing tools to help developers create software. It is a well-rounded IDE that provides a good set of features without being too heavy like Eclipse with Python development tools installed could be, and it is more robust than any of the text editors with syntax highlighting options that are available. By using Ninja-IDE, the Python Classroom lab provides a development solution that should work well on even on slightly older hardware. Ninja-IDE is also cross-platform, so users who start learning Python through a Python Classroom experience can continue learning using the same IDE on their Windows or macOS computer, if they are not yet comfortable making the switch to Linux.
My only caveat with the Python Classroom lab is that Emacs has an icon in the application list, but Vim does not. I have no particular preference in the great Emacs vs Vi debate, but it would have been nice to include graphical versions of both applications, so that the icons for both appeared on the desktop instead of there being an icon for one and requiring opening a terminal to access the other.
Final thoughts
Fedora 26 is a great release of one of the major Linux distributions. Yes, the differences between Fedora 26's and Fedora 25's Workstation variants are minimal, but the few changes that are there are solid reasons to upgrade. For users interested in different desktop environments, Fedora's various spins provide a solid Fedora core experience with different desktop environments on top. The LXQt spin in particular is an interesting new addition to the Fedora family and is worth checking out. Though, the real star of this release is the Python Classroom Lab, which is a wonderful way to provide a Python programming environment for classrooms. Even when running off live media, it is very functional, making it a great way to temporarily turn a few general purpose computers into a lab for teaching programming without a lot of work.
If the worst thing I can say is that Fedora 26 is boring, I think the developers have done a great job. I really look forward to the next few releases of Fedora, which should be much more interesting, assuming planned developments actually make it into the releases.
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Hardware used in this review
My physical test equipment for this review was a Lenovo Ideapad 100-15IBD laptop with the following specifications:
- Processor: 2.2GHz Intel Core i3-5020U CPU
- Storage: Seagate 500GB 5400 RPM hard drive
- Memory: 4GB of RAM
- Networking: Realtek RTL8723BE 802.11n Wireless Network Adapter
- Display: Intel HD Graphics 5500
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Visitor supplied rating
Fedora has a visitor supplied average rating of: 8.2/10 from 396 review(s).
Have you used Fedora? You can leave your own review of the project on our ratings page.
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| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
New Fedora features, installing DragonFly BSD with Orca, Yunit packages backported to Ubuntu 16.04
The newly launched Fedora 26 introduced several package updates and minor improvements, but most of the eye catching changes were in Fedora's system installer. The installer, called Anaconda, has been updated with a number of improvements to disk partitioning and networking options. "Anaconda - the Fedora installer - has many new features and improvements implemented for Fedora 26. The most visible addition is the introduction of Blivet GUI, providing power users an alternate way to configure partitioning. Additionally, there are improvements to automated installation with kickstart, a range of networking improvements, better status reporting when your install is under way, and much more." Fedora Magazine lists the new Anaconda features and provides screen shots of the new disk partitioning tool in action.
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When people think of DragonFly BSD they tend to envision a high performance server operating system or a platform for using the advanced HAMMER file system. However, one person has discovered DragonFly BSD can be installed and utilized by visually impaired users. "I just thought I would post this here to see if there are any other users of DragonFly BSD that are totally blind. If there are, we could possibly connect and share experiences and tips. I use Orca which is a screen reader for the GUI to access my laptop and desktop in DragonFly. There are console screen readers available, however, I have not tried to get any of them working yet mostly because Orca can read GUI terminals like MATE-terminal Xfce4-terminal etc." The user's mailing post describes the steps they used to get DragonFly BSD installed using the Orca screen reader.
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Back in April Canonical announced that the company, which develops the Ubuntu operating system, would cease work on their Unity 8 desktop environment. Since then, open source developers have taken the Unity 8 desktop code and rebranded it Yunit. The Yunit project has since released packages for Debian and, this week, the developers announced they have backported Yunit to Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. This means that Ubuntu LTS users can enable a new repository and install Yunit, letting them experience the interface Canonical had previously planned to bring to the Desktop edition of Ubuntu. The new packages should work on Ubuntu, Ubuntu GNOME, Lubuntu and Xubuntu. There are some package conflicts which prevent the desktop from working on Kubuntu and Ubuntu MATE. Additional information on this release and Yunit's future can be found in the project's announcement.
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These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
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| Questions and Answers (by Jesse Smith) |
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Source based Linux distributions
Building-everything-from-source asks: Do you know where I can find a list of source-based distributions? I'm interested primarily in rolling release distros where everything is built from source for maximum flexibility.
DistroWatch answers: I am pleased to be able to tell you our Search page can help you find both rolling release distributions and source-based distributions, as well as projects which combine both features. If you are new to exploring source-based distributions, I recommend starting out with a project that offers source-based packages as an option while also providing the user with pre-built binary packages. This allows you to get up and running quickly while giving you the option to later build any packages you wish from scratch. For example, Gentoo is a popular source-based distribution and the Calculate Linux project is based on Gentoo. Calculate can build software from its source code, while also providing an easy installation process and the option of using pre-built packages.
I would also like to point out that most distributions, while not geared specifically toward building software from source code, do provide options which make it fairly easy to do so. As an example, any Debian-based distribution can download the source and dependencies for any packaged software so you can build and install it yourself. Other Linux distributions, and flavours of BSD, have similar options to make it easy to tweak and build your own software from its source. Most Linux distributions are not set up this way by default as compiling source code is not convenient, but most do provide the option.
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More answers can be found in our Questions and Answers archive.
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| Released Last Week |
Fedora 26
Matthew Miller has announced the launch of Fedora 26. The Fedora distribution is available in three editions: Workstation, Server and Atomic Host and can be run on a variety of hardware, including i686, x86_64 and ARM boards. Fedora 26 features a new partition manager in the Anaconda system installer along with many package updates: "First, of course, we have thousands of improvements from the various upstream software we integrate, including new development tools like GCC 7, Golang 1.8, and Python 3.6. We’ve added a new partitioning tool to Anaconda (the Fedora installer) - the existing workflow is great for non-experts, but this option will be appreciated by enthusiasts and sysadmins who like to build up their storage scheme from basic building blocks. F26 also has many under-the-hood improvements, like better caching of user and group info and better handling of debug information. And the DNF package manager is at a new major version (2.5), bringing many new features." Additional information can be found in the release announcement and in the distribution's release notes.
Fedora 26 -- Running the GNOME desktop
(full image size: 934kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
Parrot Security OS 3.7
The Parrot Security team have announced a new update to their Debian-based, security and penetration testing distribution. The new release, Parrot Security OS 3.7, introduces mostly small improvements and fresh package versions, compliments of Debian's Testing branch: "Of course the release of Debian 9 as the new Stable branch brought many important changes in Debian, but for those distributions based on Debian Testing, the main change was the introduction of many many updated packages that remained locked in the Unstable branch because of the pre-release testing freeze. We decided to not introduce significant changes on our side in this new release, and we just wanted to focus on making existing things better. The most evident change is the introduction of the ARC theme, while also the auto-updater received an important change to show the progress of system upgrades. The old Linux 4.9 kernel was replaced with the new 4.11 branch, and this introduced a better support for many devices." Further details can be found in the project's release notes.
ExTiX 17.7
The ExTiX project has announced the release of a new version of the Ubuntu-based desktop distribution. The new version, ExTiX 17.7, ships with the Budgie desktop environment and features Refracta Tools for remastering the operating system. "I've made a new extra version of ExTiX with the Budgie Desktop. Budgie is focused on simplicity and elegance. Designed with the modern user in mind. Only a minimum of packages are installed in ExTiX Budgie. You can of course install all the packages you want, even while running ExTiX Budgie live. i.e. from a DVD or USB stick. All four ExTiX systems are based on Ubuntu and Debian. While running ExTiX Budgie 17.7 live or from hard drive you can use Refracta Tools (pre-installed) to create your own live installable Ubuntu system." Additional details on ExTiX 17.7 can be found in the project's release announcement.
Mageia 6
Following several delays during the development cycle, the Mageia project has announced the release of Mageia 6. The new version includes the KDE Plasma 5 desktop environment, the DNF package manager is now available alongside urpmi and Mageia 6 includes live test media for the Xfce desktop environment: "The extra time that has gone into this release has allowed for many exciting additions, here are a few of the major additions and key features of Mageia 6: KDE Plasma 5 replaces the previous KDE SC 4 desktop environment. The new package manager DNF is provided as an alternative to urpmi, enabling a great packaging ecosystem: Support for AppStream and thus GNOME Software and Plasma Discover; support for Fedora COPR and openSUSE Build Service to provide third-party packages for Mageia 6 and later; dnfdragora, a new GUI tool for package management inspired from rpmdrake. Brand new icon theme for all Mageia tools, notably the Mageia Control Center. Successful integration of the ARM port (ARMv5 and ARMv7) in the build system, allowing to setup ARM chroots. Installation images are not available yet but will come in the future. GRUB2 as the default bootloader. New Xfce Live images to test Mageia with a lighter weight environment." Additional information on Mageia 6 can be found in the project's release announcement and in the release notes.
Mageia 6 -- Running the Plasma desktop
(full image size: 218kB, resolution: 1680x1050 pixels)
SolydXK 9
The SolydXK project has announced the availability SolydXK 9, which is based on packages from the recently released Debian 9. Apart from the new base, SolydXK has removed the Backports repository by default (though it can be re-enabled), added a tool to assist in encrypting partitions and introduced new desktop themes. "In the past three weeks we have been testing, improving, developing and exercising parts of our vocabulary that our mothers didn't even know we had but finally we are satisfied with the result. It is time to release the new SolydX and SolydK version 9. Changes: New themes for SolydX and SolydK. You can choose a light or dark theme. SolydXK Systems has a GUI now where you can encrypt partitions (and your USB flash drive), localize your system, select the fastest repositories, hold back packages and cleanup your system. The encryption part of this application is functioning but still in beta. Use at your own risk! The backport repository was removed by default but can be enabled in the new SolydXK System application. The solydx/k-info packages were integrated in the solydx/k-system-adjustments packages and are now obsolete." More details on SolydXK 9 can be found in the project's release announcement.
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Development, unannounced and minor bug-fix releases
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| 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 in our Torrent Archive. We also maintain a Torrents RSS feed for people who wish to have open source torrents delivered to them. If you would like to upload your distribution's torrents to our torrent tracker you may do so on our Upload Torrents page.
Torrent Corner statistics:
- Total torrents seeded: 491
- Total data uploaded: 14.5TB
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| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
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Summary of expected upcoming releases
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| Opinion Poll |
Installing source-based packages
Most open source operating systems provide binary software packages in repositories for their users to install. While this is a quick and easy way to install new software, some people prefer to compile their applications from source code. Several Linux distributions and the BSD projects make it easy to install new software from source code. Compiling from source can provide additional flexibility as to which features are included and, in some instances, may offer improved performance.
This week we would like to find our how many of our readers regularly install software from source packages (sometimes called ports). If you install some of your packages from source, please let us know why in the comments.
You can see the results of our previous poll on installing software on Debian Stable in last week's edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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Installing source-based packages
| I only install binary packages: | 611 (42%) |
| I install one or two source-based packages: | 413 (29%) |
| I install several source-based packages: | 335 (23%) |
| I install all software from source packages: | 86 (6%) |
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| DistroWatch.com News |
Distributions added to waiting list
- DFLinux. DFLinux, also known as Debian Facile (or Easy Debian), is a French distribution which continues the efforts of HandyLinux to create a beginner friendly, Debian based Linux distribution.
- Cucumber Linux. Cucumber Linux is an independent distribution which aims to provide a Linux distribution that is usable as an every day, general purpose operating system. It aims to this in as minimalistic a way as possible and in a way that follows the Unix Philosophy. Cucumber Linux favors simplicity and modularity of design over simplicity of use. It runs the Sys V init software.
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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, 24 July 2017. Past articles and reviews can be found through our Article Search page. To contact the authors please send e-mail to:
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| Archives |
| • Issue 1121 (2025-05-12): Bluefin 41, custom file manager actions, openSUSE joins End of 10 while dropping Deepin desktop, Fedora offers tips for building atomic distros, Ubuntu considers replacing sudo with sudo-rs |
| • Issue 1120 (2025-05-05): CachyOS 250330, what it means when a distro breaks, Kali updates repository key, Trinity receives an update, UBports tests directory encryption, Gentoo faces losing key infrastructure |
| • Issue 1119 (2025-04-28): Ubuntu MATE 25.04, what is missing from Linux, CachyOS ships OCCT, Debian enters soft freeze, Fedora discusses removing X11 session from GNOME, Murena plans business services, NetBSD on a Wii |
| • Issue 1118 (2025-04-21): Fedora 42, strange characters in Vim, Nitrux introduces new package tools, Fedora extends reproducibility efforts, PINE64 updates multiple devices running Debian |
| • Issue 1117 (2025-04-14): Shebang 25.0, EndeavourOS 2025.03.19, running applications from other distros on the desktop, Debian gets APT upgrade, Mint introduces OEM options for LMDE, postmarketOS packages GNOME 48 and COSMIC, Redox testing USB support |
| • Issue 1116 (2025-04-07): The Sense HAT, Android and mobile operating systems, FreeBSD improves on laptops, openSUSE publishes many new updates, Fedora appoints new Project Leader, UBports testing VoLTE |
| • Issue 1115 (2025-03-31): GrapheneOS 2025, the rise of portable package formats, MidnightBSD and openSUSE experiment with new package management features, Plank dock reborn, key infrastructure projects lose funding, postmarketOS to focus on reliability |
| • Issue 1114 (2025-03-24): Bazzite 41, checking which processes are writing to disk, Rocky unveils new Hardened branch, GNOME 48 released, generating images for the Raspberry Pi |
| • Issue 1113 (2025-03-17): MocaccinoOS 1.8.1, how to contribute to open source, Murena extends on-line installer, Garuda tests COSMIC edition, Ubuntu to replace coreutils with Rust alternatives, Chimera Linux drops RISC-V builds |
| • Issue 1112 (2025-03-10): Solus 4.7, distros which work with Secure Boot, UBports publishes bug fix, postmarketOS considers a new name, Debian running on Android |
| • Issue 1111 (2025-03-03): Orbitiny 0.01, the effect of Ubuntu Core Desktop, Gentoo offers disk images, elementary OS invites feature ideas, FreeBSD starts PinePhone Pro port, Mint warns of upcoming Firefox issue |
| • Issue 1110 (2025-02-24): iodeOS 6.0, learning to program, Arch retiring old repositories, openSUSE makes progress on reproducible builds, Fedora is getting more serious about open hardware, Tails changes its install instructions to offer better privacy, Murena's de-Googled tablet goes on sale |
| • Issue 1109 (2025-02-17): Rhino Linux 2025.1, MX Linux 23.5 with Xfce 4.20, replacing X.Org tools with Wayland tools, GhostBSD moving its base to FreeBSD -RELEASE, Redox stabilizes its ABI, UBports testing 24.04, Asahi changing its leadership, OBS in dispute with Fedora |
| • Issue 1108 (2025-02-10): Serpent OS 0.24.6, Aurora, sharing swap between distros, Peppermint tries Void base, GTK removinglegacy technologies, Red Hat plans more AI tools for Fedora, TrueNAS merges its editions |
| • Issue 1107 (2025-02-03): siduction 2024.1.0, timing tasks, Lomiri ported to postmarketOS, Alpine joins Open Collective, a new desktop for Linux called Orbitiny |
| • Issue 1106 (2025-01-27): Adelie Linux 1.0 Beta 6, Pop!_OS 24.04 Alpha 5, detecting whether a process is inside a virtual machine, drawing graphics to NetBSD terminal, Nix ported to FreeBSD, GhostBSD hosting desktop conference |
| • Issue 1105 (2025-01-20): CentOS 10 Stream, old Flatpak bundles in software centres, Haiku ports Iceweasel, Oracle shows off debugging tools, rsync vulnerability patched |
| • Issue 1104 (2025-01-13): DAT Linux 2.0, Silly things to do with a minimal computer, Budgie prepares Wayland only releases, SteamOS coming to third-party devices, Murena upgrades its base |
| • Issue 1103 (2025-01-06): elementary OS 8.0, filtering ads with Pi-hole, Debian testing its installer, Pop!_OS faces delays, Ubuntu Studio upgrades not working, Absolute discontinued |
| • Issue 1102 (2024-12-23): Best distros of 2024, changing a process name, Fedora to expand Btrfs support and releases Asahi Remix 41, openSUSE patches out security sandbox and donations from Bottles while ending support for Leap 15.5 |
| • Issue 1101 (2024-12-16): GhostBSD 24.10.1, sending attachments from the command line, openSUSE shows off GPU assignment tool, UBports publishes security update, Murena launches its first tablet, Xfce 4.20 released |
| • Issue 1100 (2024-12-09): Oreon 9.3, differences in speed, IPFire's new appliance, Fedora Asahi Remix gets new video drivers, openSUSE Leap Micro updated, Redox OS running Redox OS |
| • Issue 1099 (2024-12-02): AnduinOS 1.0.1, measuring RAM usage, SUSE continues rebranding efforts, UBports prepares for next major version, Murena offering non-NFC phone |
| • Issue 1098 (2024-11-25): Linux Lite 7.2, backing up specific folders, Murena and Fairphone partner in fair trade deal, Arch installer gets new text interface, Ubuntu security tool patched |
| • Issue 1097 (2024-11-18): Chimera Linux vs Chimera OS, choosing between AlmaLinux and Debian, Fedora elevates KDE spin to an edition, Fedora previews new installer, KDE testing its own distro, Qubes-style isolation coming to FreeBSD |
| • Issue 1096 (2024-11-11): Bazzite 40, Playtron OS Alpha 1, Tucana Linux 3.1, detecting Screen sessions, Redox imports COSMIC software centre, FreeBSD booting on the PinePhone Pro, LXQt supports Wayland window managers |
| • Issue 1095 (2024-11-04): Fedora 41 Kinoite, transferring applications between computers, openSUSE Tumbleweed receives multiple upgrades, Ubuntu testing compiler optimizations, Mint partners with Framework |
| • Issue 1094 (2024-10-28): DebLight OS 1, backing up crontab, AlmaLinux introduces Litten branch, openSUSE unveils refreshed look, Ubuntu turns 20
| | • Issue 1093 (2024-10-21): Kubuntu 24.10, atomic vs immutable distributions, Debian upgrading Perl packages, UBports adding VoLTE support, Android to gain native GNU/Linux application support |
| • Issue 1092 (2024-10-14): FunOS 24.04.1, a home directory inside a file, work starts of openSUSE Leap 16.0, improvements in Haiku, KDE neon upgrades its base |
| • Issue 1091 (2024-10-07): Redox OS 0.9.0, Unified package management vs universal package formats, Redox begins RISC-V port, Mint polishes interface, Qubes certifies new laptop |
| • Issue 1090 (2024-09-30): Rhino Linux 2024.2, commercial distros with alternative desktops, Valve seeks to improve Wayland performance, HardenedBSD parterns with Protectli, Tails merges with Tor Project, Quantum Leap partners with the FreeBSD Foundation |
| • Issue 1089 (2024-09-23): Expirion 6.0, openKylin 2.0, managing configuration files, the future of Linux development, fixing bugs in Haiku, Slackware packages dracut |
| • Issue 1088 (2024-09-16): PorteuX 1.6, migrating from Windows 10 to which Linux distro, making NetBSD immutable, AlmaLinux offers hardware certification, Mint updates old APT tools |
| • Issue 1087 (2024-09-09): COSMIC desktop, running cron jobs at variable times, UBports highlights new apps, HardenedBSD offers work around for FreeBSD change, Debian considers how to cull old packages, systemd ported to musl |
| • Issue 1086 (2024-09-02): Vanilla OS 2, command line tips for simple tasks, FreeBSD receives investment from STF, openSUSE Tumbleweed update can break network connections, Debian refreshes media |
| • Issue 1085 (2024-08-26): Nobara 40, OpenMandriva 24.07 "ROME", distros which include source code, FreeBSD publishes quarterly report, Microsoft updates breaks Linux in dual-boot environments |
| • Issue 1084 (2024-08-19): Liya 2.0, dual boot with encryption, Haiku introduces performance improvements, Gentoo dropping IA-64, Redcore merges major upgrade |
| • Issue 1083 (2024-08-12): TrueNAS 24.04.2 "SCALE", Linux distros for smartphones, Redox OS introduces web server, PipeWire exposes battery drain on Linux, Canonical updates kernel version policy |
| • Issue 1082 (2024-08-05): Linux Mint 22, taking snapshots of UFS on FreeBSD, openSUSE updates Tumbleweed and Aeon, Debian creates Tiny QA Tasks, Manjaro testing immutable images |
| • Issue 1081 (2024-07-29): SysLinuxOS 12.4, OpenBSD gain hardware acceleration, Slackware changes kernel naming, Mint publishes upgrade instructions |
| • Issue 1080 (2024-07-22): Running GNU/Linux on Android with Andronix, protecting network services, Solus dropping AppArmor and Snap, openSUSE Aeon Desktop gaining full disk encryption, SUSE asks openSUSE to change its branding |
| • Issue 1079 (2024-07-15): Ubuntu Core 24, hiding files on Linux, Fedora dropping X11 packages on Workstation, Red Hat phasing out GRUB, new OpenSSH vulnerability, FreeBSD speeds up release cycle, UBports testing new first-run wizard |
| • Issue 1078 (2024-07-08): Changing init software, server machines running desktop environments, OpenSSH vulnerability patched, Peppermint launches new edition, HardenedBSD updates ports |
| • Issue 1077 (2024-07-01): The Unity and Lomiri interfaces, different distros for different tasks, Ubuntu plans to run Wayland on NVIDIA cards, openSUSE updates Leap Micro, Debian releases refreshed media, UBports gaining contact synchronisation, FreeDOS celebrates its 30th anniversary |
| • Issue 1076 (2024-06-24): openSUSE 15.6, what makes Linux unique, SUSE Liberty Linux to support CentOS Linux 7, SLE receives 19 years of support, openSUSE testing Leap Micro edition |
| • Issue 1075 (2024-06-17): Redox OS, X11 and Wayland on the BSDs, AlmaLinux releases Pi build, Canonical announces RISC-V laptop with Ubuntu, key changes in systemd |
| • Issue 1074 (2024-06-10): Endless OS 6.0.0, distros with init diversity, Mint to filter unverified Flatpaks, Debian adds systemd-boot options, Redox adopts COSMIC desktop, OpenSSH gains new security features |
| • Issue 1073 (2024-06-03): LXQt 2.0.0, an overview of Linux desktop environments, Canonical partners with Milk-V, openSUSE introduces new features in Aeon Desktop, Fedora mirrors see rise in traffic, Wayland adds OpenBSD support |
| • Issue 1072 (2024-05-27): Manjaro 24.0, comparing init software, OpenBSD ports Plasma 6, Arch community debates mirror requirements, ThinOS to upgrade its FreeBSD core |
| • Issue 1071 (2024-05-20): Archcraft 2024.04.06, common command line mistakes, ReactOS imports WINE improvements, Haiku makes adjusting themes easier, NetBSD takes a stand against code generated by chatbots |
| • Issue 1070 (2024-05-13): Damn Small Linux 2024, hiding kernel messages during boot, Red Hat offers AI edition, new web browser for UBports, Fedora Asahi Remix 40 released, Qubes extends support for version 4.1 |
| • Full list of all issues |
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Helix
Helix was a customised distribution based on Ubuntu with excellent hardware detection and many applications dedicated to incident response and forensics.
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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