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1 • Documentation Sources (by liate on 2018-02-26 01:27:26 GMT from United States)
What documentation I look at tends to vary some based on the program. I tend to start with man pages for command line programs and the web for graphical ones. I only really check other documentation after those fail
2 • Documentation (by Bill S. on 2018-02-26 01:44:44 GMT from United States)
If I am compiling, I look for the Read Me file. Otherwise it's a DuckDuckGo search which may lead to the aps web page or to a wiki.
3 • Documentation Linux Info (by Tux Raider on 2018-02-26 01:54:47 GMT from United States)
first i read the man page in an xterm, and if i need more help i search online for examples posted by other people, it would be cool if some website started collecting and indexing known good examples for various topics like fixing hard to compile source code, complicated command-line operations and things like that, i bet the admin of Linuxquestions.org could collect a bunch since they have the best access to their website
4 • Installers (by Billy Larlad on 2018-02-26 02:04:50 GMT from United States)
I don't know if this was even remotely feasible for Pop_OS or Elementary, but I wish more distros would adopt (and contribute to) one of the cross-platform installers such as calamares. This really just seems like a space where distros continuously re-invent the wheel, often badly.
5 • This and that (by eco2geek on 2018-02-26 02:15:32 GMT from United States)
> ...it's not a great sign when the user is working around the provided features
> rather than using them.
That's a spot-on description about how I feel about GNOME shell. :-) I shall have to borrow it.
DistroTest, although too slow to be usable on my internet connection, is a great concept.
6 • Documentation sources (by Romane on 2018-02-26 03:03:27 GMT from Australia)
I answered other, because there was no entry which said various. I don't have a consistent 'first go-to'
For some things I will turn to the man pages first, for other things I'll head straight for a web search. Other times, I will head for the wiki. Depends on the issue I am facing.
7 • distrotest (by somuchtesting on 2018-02-26 03:08:38 GMT from United States)
DistroTest could have saved me hours and hours of time back in the day! Great idea!
8 • Documentation (by Ron on 2018-02-26 04:21:15 GMT from United States)
I find MAN pages somewhat obfuscated! Therefore I learn more from web searches, forums, etc. Speaking of documentation, as great as Linux is, command line options are helter skelter and ever nonplussing, one area where things could use a rework!
9 • documentation (by RTL on 2018-02-26 08:03:10 GMT from Hungary)
There is no option for multiple.
As others have noted, I also use man pages, when I know the command, but can't remember how to use it exactly (like I always forget how to use chmod), but if I have to use something I haven't seen before, I search on the web.
10 • info/doc sources (by zykoda on 2018-02-26 08:05:00 GMT from United Kingdom)
I voted "other" as there is no entry that is inclusive. Examples of common usage are a great way to better "understand" the notion of the metawares under consideration.
11 • 6 • Documentation sources & 9 •, 10 • (by Someguy on 2018-02-26 08:33:06 GMT from United Kingdom)
If ever there was a case for permitting multiple responses to a questionnaire, then this is one. Hopefully, bamboozled users will access more than one source when trying to solve intractable problems? Whenever I receive those annoying commercial surveys trying to get free marketing intelligence, they offer 'tick as many as relevant' options, so there is a way to implement this on DWW.
12 • man page (by Trihexagonal on 2018-02-26 11:33:22 GMT from United States)
If it's a program I'm using and need to know about flags, parameters, etc. there is no other choice for me than the man page.
It's already at my fingertips and tells me everything I need to know.
13 • documentation sources (by John on 2018-02-26 12:26:57 GMT from Canada)
Should have had an option for "All of the above". The documentation source I pick depends on the situation. For some weird command line thing, I'll try the man pages, or for other issues, I could visit the site and forums, or maybe just head straight to Google... It's a "whatever works" kind of thing.
14 • Documentation preferences (by MikeOh Shark on 2018-02-26 12:44:05 GMT from )
I start with man pages because I will always prefer local sources to remote sources on the Internet. If that fails, I go to web searches.
I hate to say it but I don't think man pages have caught up with the hypertext help that MS had in DOS 6.2 back in the 90's. More examples of common uses and hypertext links to go to the examples page and then either back or to other pages for other commands would be great. I used to keep the DOS help on a zip disk. I wish I could have all the man pages and a hypertext enabled browser on a flash drive for reference.
15 • Opinion Poll (by any user on 2018-02-26 13:06:46 GMT from United States)
I selected other because, I use more than one of the above.
16 • Documentation (by DaveW on 2018-02-26 13:59:26 GMT from United States)
Like several other responders stated, this question needs some kind of multiple choice. I voted web because that's probably where I go first most of the time. However, for command line programs, I usually go to the man page. I also frequently use forums, and even free tech support. A couple of times I tried IRC, but didn't have much success there. Wiki and local documentation get used when there is nothing else.
P.S.: Does it count as web or wiki if a web search points to a wiki?
17 • Documentation poll (by Dxvid on 2018-02-26 14:12:51 GMT from Sweden)
The first thing I do is type "command-name --help" so I voted "other local documentation", I used to do the same in the eighties in DOS "command-name /H". This usually gives a short overview of the most used option and a few examples.
If this doesn't work I usually type "man command-name" or "man configuration-file".
If this doesn't give any good answers I try to find official documentation from the distro.
If this doesn't give good answers I try to find official documentation from the package creator for the specific version.
If this doesn't give good answers I surf the web for answers and usually end up at some forum or stackexchange site which might have 8 year old answers which might not work anymore because of the switch to systemd and change of network tools in many distros.
PS. The question was what we do first, some people want multiple check boxes but the question isn't all options we use, it's the first one we turn to they want to know this time.
18 • Poll and multiple choice (by Jesse on 2018-02-26 14:46:07 GMT from Canada)
Since some people are suggesting the documentation sources poll should be multiple choice because people use multiple sources of documentation, I'd like to remind everyone that the poll asks where you "turn first" for help. This is about where you look first for answers, not all the resources you ever use.
19 • @18 Re Poll and multiple choice (by Rev_Don on 2018-02-26 14:54:54 GMT from United States)
Which resource I would avail myself of first would depend on the situation. Do I have internet access or not. What type of problem am I dealing with. Are there even man pages, wiki, local information, etc. even available that would address the issue. So yes, multiple choice would definitely be appropriate here.
20 • distrotest (by dmacleo on 2018-02-26 14:58:35 GMT from United States)
that looks very interesting thank you for mentioning it
21 • Documentation (by Alessandro di Roma on 2018-02-26 15:23:47 GMT from Italy)
Sometimes man pages are not accurate, so a web search is mandatory.
22 • Documentation (by DaveW on 2018-02-26 15:30:53 GMT from United States)
Yes, the question is where do you turn first. But where I go first depends on what software is involved. Some requires "cmd --help", some a forum search, some tech help, some a web search, some local help. If I'm having a problem with a macro in LibreOffice, I typically hit the F1 key. If I need a specific option for the wget command, I go to the man page. A problem with Linux Mint will require a forum or web search. Other problems require other sources.
So multiple choice is still a requirement here.
23 • where one turns first (by dogma on 2018-02-26 15:34:30 GMT from United States)
I agree that this poll, without multiple choice, is simply misguided.
24 • OviOS (by Sam on 2018-02-26 16:03:57 GMT from United States)
After reading the review of this seemingly disappointing Distro, I noticed:
"Visitor supplied rating
OviOS has a visitor supplied average rating of: 9.3/10 from 3 review(s).
Have you used OviOS? You can leave your own review of the project on our ratings page. "
A 9.3/10 rating suggests that we should all take the visitor-supplied distro ratings with a grain of salt. I wonder how many active Devs OviOS has? Anyone want to bet 3?
25 • I voted online search. (by tom joad on 2018-02-26 16:22:56 GMT from United States)
What first just blew me away was the quality of the Linux online help. I started from scratch using linux about 10 or so years ago. I was very easily stumped in those days. Yeah, I had a lot of windows, computer experience under my belt by then. But Linux is a very different animal.
But when Linux stumped me, I would do an online search. That was long before I found Distrowatch too. I found so much online help and good quality help too in my searches. I always, always found a solution.
So...I want to thank everyone out there whose page I have searched for help. You wizards have saved my rear end more than one and will do so in the future.
To you I say; thank you, thank you and thank you!!!
26 • Documentation Sources (by Will Senn on 2018-02-26 16:45:06 GMT from United States)
Should have been a multi-select question :). I use man pages, irc, stack exchange, wiki, mailing lists in that order.
27 • Documentation (by David on 2018-02-26 16:58:12 GMT from United Kingdom)
A lot of software has down-loadable documentation, which few people seem to notice: I have it for things like ImageMagic, GnuCash, Fontforge, and all the LibreOffice programs. Then there are the web-sites of things like Xfce. For really tricky problems I go to the Arch wiki: detailed, up-to-date, and readable (Debian take note!) The other day it helped me with systemd on Xubuntu!
28 • Doc-U-mentate-tion (by Somewhat Reticent on 2018-02-26 17:45:23 GMT from United States)
I find 'local' man pages far more likely to be appropriate to version than online man pages, but sorely lacking in cogent examples usually included in 'local' documentation. Both are often left out of ISOs, but may be included in repository packages (re-install?).
…
Online searching can yield piles of confusion to sift through for hints; wikis are not often up-to-date, and rarely version-comprehensive hypertext.
29 • Poll (by Jordan on 2018-02-26 17:46:40 GMT from United States)
Online search has yielded many bookmarked pages that I now refer to when most issues come up.
It's usually only about getting the command syntax correct, and still now and then finding the right command to begin with.
30 • Read-The-Full-Manual! (by FOSSilizing Dinosaur on 2018-02-26 17:58:19 GMT from United States)
Long Ago, Full Manuals would have educational examples and cross-references (before hypertext!); update pages could be laid over older versions for audit trail. Initiates were expected to study before questions.
…
Next came the GUI and the built-in application-specific Help function, which could lead to a hypertext manual. Such documentation, included in OS or app installation disk, was at least less likely to be lost, and also less likely to be thoroughly studied prior to use - on-the-fly study became the new norm. Community education simply could not cover it all.
31 • off-line upgrades (by pengxuin on 2018-02-26 19:39:13 GMT from New Zealand)
I think the answer as provided to the question posed is mostly regarding updating packages, whereas I read the question as upgrading the system when offline - ie from mint17 to mint18.
There are distros that allow this, without resorting to downloading, then burning an .iso and upgrading that way.
The upgrade script would normally ask if you wish to live upgrade or off-line, and then, if you choose off-line, advise how much space is required for the downloaded packages.
Once sufficient space is confirmed and the user agrees, the upgrade process can be started.
Once the upgrade process is started the internet connection can be severed at any time, and the upgrade would continue when internet availability is restored.
This method is particularly useful if you have slow / intermittent internet connection that would cause the live upgrade to fail.
32 • poll (by a on 2018-02-26 19:40:41 GMT from France)
Yet another poll where the lack of multiple choice answers is a problem. I didn’t vote. Just wanted to say, of course, I never use the atrocious "info" command…
33 • issue specific (by Tim Dowd on 2018-02-26 20:10:14 GMT from United States)
Like others, I had trouble answering the question. My overall strategy is usually "keep searching every possible information source until something works"
That said there are some general answers. I don't feel like man pages are the best first place to look, because they're written to provide a general answer of how to do everything and that's not really a great way to learn to do something. I'd rather search for my specific desired outcome or error message, and that means a forum is the best place to check.
I've found if you have a question anywhere in the Debian family, the Ubuntu forums are the most helpful place to look for answers. There's a lot of info there and the tone is usually polite.
If it's a basic question about the command line, linuxquestions.org usually has a quick and simple discussion.
As far as wikis go, I have to say I love Gentoo's and FreeBSD's. They're really well put together and I feel like great textbooks for teaching the pieces of a functional operating system. When you're at a place where you have specific choices they do a great job of explaining why you'd pick one or the other.
34 • OviOS (by slack on 2018-02-26 19:58:29 GMT from United States)
I've used OviOS Linux and I was very happy with it, as for the most part it was extremely easy to setup iSCSI, NFS and SMB on it.
The SMB issues you ran into are not well documented, but that is because your smb service was not started, I've ran into those issues too. Once you start smb it would work.
I would say though, the big advantage to this distro is HA and replication.
If you get used to it, it is very powerful. Also , in such an environment I envision OviOS working, you won't expose this system to the internet to get automatic updates.
35 • IRC Ponderable (by Kragle von Schnitzelbank on 2018-02-26 21:47:22 GMT from United States)
Would IRC better serve if combined with temporary email addresses or a support-ticket database which could supply bulletin-board, wiki and forum?
36 • DistroTest (by Ray on 2018-02-26 22:52:27 GMT from United States)
No clue what the site is telling me. It's in German! LOL Needless to say... It failed. Guess I'll still be doing it the ol' fashioned way.
37 • Documentation (by Bob on 2018-02-26 22:53:44 GMT from United States)
If I need to know something specific about running something in the terminal, I use "--help". If I need to find out how to fix something that is broken, then I go to the web.
38 • OviOS (by slack on 2018-02-26 23:58:29 GMT from United States)
I've used OviOS Linux and I was very happy with it, as for the most part it was extremely easy to setup iSCSI, NFS and SMB on it.
The SMB issues you ran into are not well documented, but that is because your smb service was not started, I've ran into those issues too. Once you start smb it would work.
I would say though, the big advantage to this distro is HA and replication.
If you get used to it, it is very powerful. Also , in such an environment I envision OviOS working, you won't expose this system to the internet to get automatic updates.
39 • Docs and such (by azuvix on 2018-02-27 02:43:31 GMT from United States)
Where's the "all of the above" option?
Seriously, some projects have superb documentation using only the man pages, others have an extensive info page, others you have to "use the source, Luke", and still others are served just fine by online documentation in all its forms and user support when the documentation isn't sufficiently clear.
I like projects that provide multiple avenues for figuring things out, though I prefer it when IRC is considered the last resort option. Why? Two reasons, really. For one, it doesn't tax anyone's patience. Two, I feel a lot more competent when I can solve a puzzle myself with the useful guideposts left by the experts. My system, my responsibility.
40 • @39 (by azuvix on 2018-02-27 02:51:52 GMT from United States)
Erm... I meant to say "an extensive info file (with, you know, 250 pages or so)"
41 • @18, 23... (by Corentin on 2018-02-27 05:29:47 GMT from France)
No, one choice is quite correct.
If you have no web access, you can just use your smartphone or tablet to make a web search... 😉
42 • Web access (by RTL on 2018-02-27 09:34:41 GMT from Hungary)
"If you have no web access, you can just use your smartphone or tablet to make a web search... 😉"
I don't think you know what web access means. When you don't have web access, you don't have access on smartphone or tablet either.
What if you are on Mars, and you can't make a web search why doesn't the water creating maschine work? Could be a simple permission check error.
43 • Documentation (by hsw on 2018-02-28 04:00:37 GMT from Taiwan)
I usually check man first and if the obvious name does not work I will try apropos searches before using DuckDuckGo to search. I avoid info pages and will try to find the equivalent HTML version.
44 • OviOS review (by ovi on 2018-03-01 02:31:09 GMT from Canada)
Hi guys,
just found you reviewed OviOS, interesting p.o.v, more so as OviOS was never meant to be used by regular home users.
First, to reply to comment 24 (Sam) , there is one dev working on OviOS :)
A second thing is, the project started in an attempt to demonstrate the power of Linux on the storage, compared to Netapp's ONTAP and their filesystem WAFL, and by this I mean enterprise storage, with a heavy focus on iSCSI and NFS (SMB was added way later when samba was working well enough with an DC), and zfs on Linux.
The goal was to showcase the use of Linux on storage at a time when no commercial distro (RHEL or SUSE) was doing it. They still do it pretty badly today when it comes to ease of use.
This found an interest in a few companies who use it even today happily.
So one storage admin would have a better understanding of why there is a vol, snap, lun command (replacing the zfs command) , why autosnap is not needed in the ovios-shell, or why automatic updates are not useful because you'd never expose the storage system to the internet anyway.
FTP is also not "advertised" as working out of the box , it's not yet implemented along with other storage protocols.
SMB works when started, there is a BUG there ,but you know, which distro doesn't have them :)
keep up the good work btw, your reviews are awesome, I read them each and every one of them :)
ovi
45 • Polls (by Hello, this is Lenny on 2018-03-01 05:30:26 GMT from Canada)
What an very odd, seemingly pointless poll...
Developers will continue doing what they do and placing their info where each deems best.
Users will continue to struggle up the greased learning curve using method(s) they already feel comfortable with ...
What's all the hubbub...
As of this writing, 54% of respondents use web searches, with manual pages coming in a distant second at 27%.
So I guess that settles things.
...
BUT Wait ! There's MORE !!!
...
This is the kind of pointless data that is a gold mine to Marketing firms wishing to know where the biggest bang for their buck can be had with regard to ad placement.
I am sure a pretty penny can be made from the sale of such data, make no mistake ! even if it be less than $100 in total.
With 27% of the respondents using manual pages as their primary goto, it would be a shame to see ads being layed into such documents down the road.
And now you see how seemingly meaningless polls can have a darker ulterior motive ...
I'm looking at you, DW ...
(Hears raised voices from the back rooms of distrowatch)
"...and we would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for those meddling kids, err...commentators..."
46 • Polls @45 (by Qualsevol Nom on 2018-03-01 13:18:57 GMT from Spain)
Man pages, usually, are NOT clear enough for newbies. In the other side, for experts are NOT necessary.
On my first installation of Arch Linux, I do NOT understand man pages on how to install it.
The content of synopsis in man pages is for Computer Engineers or General Users?
Thanks to youtube videos and / or tutorials with EXAMPLES I learn how to install Arch Linux. (and yes, with a lot of adds).
Shame to devs for create man pages that only understant experts WITHOUT CLEAR EXAMPLES.
47 • @39 about documentation (by RJA on 2018-03-01 16:50:01 GMT from United States)
Gentoo is the best example of superb documentation!
I was able to get a proper installation in not that long, especially for me still being a Linux newbie, several years ago, back in 2010!
But back in 2010, I very quickly became a non-Linux-newbie!
48 • "pointless poll?" (by Jordan on 2018-03-02 22:26:48 GMT from United States)
@45 It seems to be straightforward and to the point. The "point" being whatever the data results show us.
49 • Poll (by Jim on 2018-03-03 11:04:39 GMT from United States)
I am guessing a lot of people use multiple means of documentation. I tend to use favorite Linux sites for tutorials first, then web searches, then forums and last wikis. Hopefully I have the problem solved by the first one or at the least by the last one.
50 • Docs don't exist. (by os2_user on 2018-03-04 23:48:40 GMT from United States)
Information in Linux is its worst area. Sure, some of the newer applications work well enough and are adequately written up. But for basics, Linux keeps the Unix tradition of terse / arcane / out of date / non-existent information. And it's not going to be fixed because no one wants to do ALL the dull work that's been neglected for nearly 50 years now. It's basically "RTFM, newb!" Those who've figured it out think writing basics is not worth their time, and of course, everyone else simply doesn't know!
Three specific examples from PCLinux:
No help anywhere for screen resolution never saved in 2014 and prior versions, always back to default. (Seems fixed in 2017, but next two aren't.)
Tried to "learn" vim just in case of need, but "man" page omits or is wrong on key point of the edit command modes, and though says on screen to "Press F1", it does nothing!
Setting up new 3T drive in GParted, which it wouldn't allow, NO help at all on how, of having to choose EFI GPT type, nothing apposite found on line. Making two 1.5T partitions lasted only until next boot, then was scrambled and unusable. Eventually found command line instructions, which worked -- at least for a while, but that ext4 file system just rotted away, sub-dirs empty, then both superblocks bad!
Number of Comments: 50
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| • 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 |
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| • 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 |
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| • 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 |
| • Issue 1129 (2025-07-07): GLF OS Omnislash, the worst Linux distro, Alpine introduces Wayback, Fedora drops plans to stop i686 support, AlmaLinux builds EPEL repository for older CPUs, Ubuntu dropping existing RISC-V device support, Rhino partners with UBports, PCLinuxOS recovering from website outage |
| • Issue 1128 (2025-06-30): AxOS 25.06, AlmaLinux OS 10.0, transferring Flaptak bundles to off-line computers, Ubuntu to boost Intel graphics performance, Fedora considers dropping i686 packages, SDesk switches from SELinux to AppArmor |
| • Issue 1127 (2025-06-23): LastOSLinux 2025-05-25, most unique Linux distro, Haiku stabilises, KDE publishes Plasma 6.4, Arch splits Plasma packages, Slackware infrastructure migrating |
| • Issue 1126 (2025-06-16): SDesk 2025.05.06, renewed interest in Ubuntu Touch, a BASIC device running NetBSD, Ubuntu dropping X11 GNOME session, GNOME increases dependency on systemd, Google holding back Pixel source code, Nitrux changing its desktop, EFF turns 35 |
| • Issue 1125 (2025-06-09): RHEL 10, distributions likely to survive a decade, Murena partners with more hardware makers, GNOME tests its own distro on real hardware, Redox ports GTK and X11, Mint provides fingerprint authentication |
| • 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 | 
Grafpup Linux
Grafpup Linux was a desktop Linux operating system based closely on Puppy Linux. Its goal was to be as useful to graphic designers and other imaging professionals as possible while still remaining extremely small and fast. Grafpup was a live CD of only 75MB with current versions of GIMP, Cinepaint, Inkscape, and Scribus. Grafpup was also very user-friendly, with wizards for doing most system tasks like connecting to the internet and installing to hard disk or USB drive. There was also a powerful package management system, "pupget", with a very extensive and ever increasing list of additional packages available for easy installation.
Status: Discontinued
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| Tips, Tricks, Q&As | | Tips and tricks: Command line tips - using ffmpeg, awk and renice |
| Tips and tricks: Running openSUSE "Factory" |
| Myths and misunderstandings: Does physical access mean root access? |
| Questions and answers: Advocating Linux and free software |
| Myths and misunderstandings: The massive memory myth |
| Tips and tricks: Check free disk space, wait for a process, command line spell-check, shutdown PC when CPU gets hot |
| Myths and misunderstandings: Can Netflix run on a Raspberry Pi? |
| Tips and tricks: Find common words in text, find high memory processes, cd short-cuts, pushd & popd, record desktop |
| Tips and tricks: OpenSSH, pipes and file transfers |
| Questions and answers: Splitting up and merging files |
| More Tips & Tricks and Questions & Answers |
| 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.
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| 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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