 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 764, 21 May 2018 |
Welcome to this year's 21st issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
Advanced file systems such as Btrfs and ZFS are increasingly popular ways to manage multiple storage devices, protect the operating system during upgrades and safeguard sensitive data. Another, less discussed advanced file system called HAMMER is developed by the DragonFly BSD project. This week we begin with a look at DragonFly BSD 5.2.0 which includes an early release of the HAMMER2 file system. In our Tips and Tricks column we discuss how to find out which background services have been affected by a software update and should be restarted. Plus we discuss Tails working on persistently installed packages, new features coming to Ubuntu, and Ubuntu Studio looking at offering alternative desktop environments. We also cover Mageia's recent large wave of package updates and GNOME removing the ability to launch programs from within the Nautilus file manager. The change to Nautilus is also the subject of this week's Opinion Poll and we would like to know if the change would affect you. We are pleased to share the releases of the past week and list the torrents we are currently seeding. We wish you all a wonderful week and happy reading!
Content:
- Review: DragonFly BSD 5.2.0
- News: Tails works on persistent packages, Ubuntu Studio plans alternative desktops, Mageia offers massive update, Ubuntu team plans new features, GNOME removes (and restores) launching programs from Nautilus
- Tips and tricks: Finding which services were affected by an update
- Released last week: Endless OS 3.4.0, Kwort 4.3.3, Proxmox 5.2 "VE"
- Torrent corner: Endless OS, KNOPPIX, Kwort, Linuxfx, LXLE, NuTyX, Omarine, Proxmox, siducation
- Upcoming releases: openSUSE 15
- Opinion poll: GNOME removing the ability to launch programs from Nautilus
- New additions: Namib GNU/Linux
- New distributions: crunkbong
- Reader comments
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| Feature Story (by Jesse Smith) |
DragonFly BSD 5.2.0
DragonFly BSD is a operating system which began as a fork of FreeBSD and is now an independent project with its own documentation, special features, ports framework and package repository. One of the DragonFly features which stands out is the HAMMER file system. HAMMER is an advanced file system with features similar to those of Btrfs and ZFS.
The latest release of DragonFly is version 5.2.0. It includes fixes for the Meltdown and Spectre CPU bugs and improves graphics acceleration. It also introduces support for HAMMER2 (H2), a new, advanced file system with features similar to the original HAMMER. I will talk about H2 in more detail later.
DragonFly 5.2.0 is available for 64-bit x86 computers only and there are two separate download options for USB thumb drives and optical media. These two download options are about 260MB in size when downloaded in their compressed form. They expand to around 850MB when they are decompressed and written to media.
Installing
Booting from the project's media presents us with a text console where we can either login as the root user to access a shell or login with the username installer to start the installation process. DragonFly's installer uses a series of text-based menus to guide us through setting up the operating system on our hard drive.
The installer asks us if we are running DragonFly on a UEFI-enabled computer or a Legacy BIOS system. We are asked to select our target hard drive from a list and then choose which partition DragonFly should take over. Alternatively, we can assign an entire disk to DragonFly's usage. We are then asked if the operating system should run on the UFS, HAMMER or HAMMER2 file system and I chose HAMMER2. We can then tweak mount points and the sizes of each storage volume. DragonFly does support file system encryption if we want to make use of it.
There is a pause while the installer copies file to our hard drive and we are then asked to complete a handful of configuration steps. These include selecting our time zone, setting a password on the root account and setting up a network connection. We have the option of creating a regular user account for ourselves, but the installer warns us any password assigned to this account will be logged. We can alternatively wait until we are running the operating system to create additional accounts. With these steps completed we can reboot and start using our brand new copy of DragonFly BSD.
Early impressions
DragonFly boots to a text console where we can sign in as the root user and get to work customizing the operating system. By default DragonFly does not include many programs or features. We have access to the typical range of UNIX command line utilities, manual pages and the pkg package manager which DragonFly has in common with FreeBSD.
While the default environment is minimal, the DragonFly project offers a helpful
handbook which guides new users through common tasks. In particular, I recommend reading the section on installing and managing third-party software using either pkg or the project's ports collection. Personally, one of my aims with this trial was to set up DragonFly to act as a desktop operating system and, for others who wish to do the same, I recommend the project's guide to setting up X and a window manager.
DragonFly BSD 5.2.0 -- The Lumina application menu
(full image size: 1.1MB, resolution: 1024x768 pixels)
Following the instructions for enabling X worked as planned and provided me with a very minimal graphical window manager and a terminal emulator. However, my mouse failed to work. Adding the line moused_enable="YES" to my /etc/rc.conf file got my mouse pointer moving. Soon afterward I installed the Lumina desktop environment to get a more complete graphical interface. At first Lumina failed to start, reporting it was missing D-Bus functionality. This can be corrected by adding dbus_enable="YES" to the /etc/rc.conf file.
Lumina made for a pleasant, fairly minimal and very responsive desktop environment running on DragonFly. Lumina does not include many desktop applications, apart from a file manager, document viewer and settings panel. Additional software such as LibreOffice, Firefox and the VLC media player can be added to the system using the pkg package manager.
File systems
Apart from trying to use DragonFly as a desktop system (an experiment that mostly went well), my other reason for trying the project's latest release was to experiment with the HAMMER2 (H2) file system. H2 is an advanced file system with snapshots, deduplication and multiple device management. H2 is still relatively young and is just reaching the point of maturity where it is considered safe to use. For people interested in an overview of HAMMER and H2, there is a page dedicated to these file systems on the DragonFly website. There is also a manual page which talks about H2's features and command line options.
I learned H2 is expected to provide many of the same features as other advanced file systems, such as ZFS. The documentation on H2 is still a bit on the technical side and I feel its manual pages currently act as more of a quick reference than a complete guide to using the new file system. I also noted that while H2 is expected to offer features like snapshotting, deduplication and restoring files from old snapshots, some features are not yet complete. At one point I used H2's command line utility to create snapshots of my file system, but then could not find a way to restore files from the snapshots. The H2 manual page lists restoring files from snapshots as a "todo" item.
In short, H2 seems to be stable, fast and usable. However, it may still be missing some pieces and documentation that will be added on over time. H2 has been developed fairly quickly and I would guess these planned features will probably become available in the next year or so.
DragonFly BSD 5.2.0 -- Running LibreOffice
(full image size: 155kB, resolution: 1024x768 pixels)
Hardware
I ran DragonFly in two test environments and I found trying to get the operating system to boot on my physical desktop computer was the low point of my trial. I tried booting DragonFly in UEFI mode, in Legacy BIOS mode, and various combinations of safe mode with some features turned off. Each time the operating system failed to boot on my desktop computer.
I had better results trying to get DragonFly to run in a VirtualBox virtual machine. The system was quick to load and performed tasks quickly. The Lumina desktop, once I got it set up, was responsive and ran smoothly. The only problem I had in the VirtualBox environment was DragonFly was unable to integrate with my host operating system and unable to make full use of my screen resolution. I looked for VirtualBox guest modules which would work with DragonFly, but could not find any in the project's collection of third-party ports.
In its default configuration DragonFly used little RAM (13MB of active memory and 390MB of wired memory) and little disk space (530MB). Once Lumina was installed with the Fluxbox window manager, resource usage rose to 2.8GB of disk space and 315MB of active memory and 620MB of wired memory. When we consider that DragonFly was running the advanced H2 file system with the Lumina desktop, this puts DragonFly about on par with a Linux distribution running ZFS and a middle-weight desktop.
DragonFly BSD 5.2.0 -- Watching YouTube and updating packages
(full image size: 191kB, resolution: 1024x768 pixels)
Other observations
For the most part DragonFly did not throw any surprises my way. It presents itself as a minimal operating system that we can shape to fit our needs, much like other popular flavours of BSD or Arch Linux. The documentation was generally helpful in guiding me through setting up the system to complete my tasks. I was able to browse the web, write documents, take screen shots, edit images and watch videos, though I struggled to get audio working. Getting these features enabled took longer than it would on most Linux distributions or on a desktop-friendly BSD like GhostBSD, but I still ultimately got all the features I wanted.
The few surprises I did run into were mostly security related as DragonFly takes a strict stance on accessing certain features. For example, my regular user account could not use su to become the root user. I also found permission elevation programs such as sudo and doas were not included. I tried installing doas, but is failed to work due to missing PAM modules. Users who wish to be able to run su to gain root access need to add their user to the wheel group.
DragonFly BSD 5.2.0 -- Running the VLC multimedia player
(full image size: 465kB, resolution: 1024x768 pixels)
Another security feature I ran into was DragonFly's version of secure shell cannot connect to remote systems that use passwords to authenticate. DragonFly assumes remote servers will use key-based authentication and blocks access to servers which do not use keys. We can change this by editing OpenSSH's configuration file and uncommenting the PasswordAuthentication variable.
Conclusions
My experience with DragonFly this week was a lot like my experiences with other members of the BSD family. The system is lightweight, provides lots of useful documentation and gives us a minimal platform from which to build our operating system. The system was stable, fast and provided me with most of the software I wanted. Apart from DragonFly not working with my desktop computer's hardware, I had an overall good experience with the operating system.
I had mixed feelings about H2. At this point the file system seems stable and can be used for most common tasks. However, the advanced features that make the future of H2 look so appealing, are not all in place yet. So it might be best to wait another year before switching over to H2 if you want to make the most of snapshots and other advanced file system options.
DragonFly is typically regarded as a server operating system, and that is where its strengths lie. However, this week I feel it performed well as a desktop platform too. It takes a little while to set up DragonFly as a desktop, but the documentation walks us through most of the process and I was able to do everything I would typically do on Linux desktop distribution.
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Hardware used in this review
My physical test equipment for this review was a desktop HP Pavilon p6 Series with the following specifications:
- Processor: Dual-core 2.8GHz AMD A4-3420 APU
- Storage: 500GB Hitachi hard drive
- Memory: 6GB of RAM
- Networking: Realtek RTL8111 wired network card
- Display: AMD Radeon HD 6410D video card
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Visitor supplied rating
DragonFly BSD has a visitor supplied average rating of: 7.2/10 from 9 review(s).
Have you used DragonFly BSD? You can leave your own review of the project on our ratings page.
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| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
Tails works on persistent packages, Ubuntu Studio plans alternative desktops, Mageia offers massive update, Ubuntu team plans new features, GNOME removes (and restores) launching programs from Nautilus
The Tails distribution is often used as a live, portable desktop distribution which can be used to browse the Internet anonymously and communicate more securely. The distribution is testing a feature which would allow users to install a package and have it remembered and installed again automatically in the future. "We've designed and implemented a user interface to select additional software packages and make additional software persistent. Users are now able to decide, for each additional piece of software that they might install in Tails once, whether it shall be installed automatically in the future." More information on how the feature works and how to provide feedback on it can be found in the project's news post.
* * * * *
The Ubuntu Studio team has announced they are looking at offering a second desktop option to their multimedia-focused distribution. Ubuntu Studio, unlike other Ubuntu community editions, is not set up to focus on a specific desktop environment and the team is evaluating which desktop (or desktops) might best suit their goals. "In the end and for the reasons described in this mailing list post, the Ubuntu Studio team would like to announce its first alternative desktop environment as KDE's Plasma. We found it would be much easier to implement than most desktops at this time, and has struck a balance between form and functionality. We want to be clear: Ubuntu Studio is not changing default desktop at this time. Some considerations are being made to make desktop selection available at install time, but to minimize DVD image file size we are also considering offering two separate ISOs." Further information can be found in the project's blog post.
* * * * *
The Mageia distribution recently published a large batch of package updates. For the most part the new wave of updates, which affected more than 1,300 packages, appears to have gone smoothly for most users. However, a few people have run into a package conflict which arises when 32-bit packages are installed on an otherwise 64-bit system. "Most of us will have updated our systems by now, and most of the updates have been as smooth as silk. But! So far there have been two reports of problems with the Grand Update, both caused by having 32-bit libraries installed on a 64-bit system." Uninstalling the 32-bit packages and attempting the update again should work around the issue.
* * * * *
The Ubuntu team is currently working on a series of features planned for inclusion in Ubuntu 18.04.1 and in future versions of the popular Linux distribution. Some upcoming new features include integration with Android phones using GS Connect (a GNOME-friendly version of KDE Connect), making Communitheme the default desktop theme, packaging the Chromium web browser as a Snap,and making it possible to unlock the desktop with a fingerprint. The bundling of Chromium as a Snap is especially interesting as it highlights the challenges involved in packaging rolling release applications on a long term support operating system: "Chromium is becoming very hard to build on older releases of Ubuntu as it uses a number of features of modern C++ compilers. Snaps can help us solve a lot of those problems and so we propose to ship Chromium only as a Snap from 18.10 onwards, and also to retire Chromium as a deb in Trusty. If you're still running Trusty you can get the latest Chromium as a Snap right now." More information on the planned features can be found in Will Cooke's blog post.
* * * * *
The GNOME project has a reputation for removing features the developers feel are unnecessary or which may clutter the desktop interface. In the past we have even poked light-hearted fun at GNOME's tendency toward minimalism. Recently the GNOME project decided to remove a feature from the Nautilus file manager which may seem to unnecessarily reduce the functionality of the file manager. "Now that the desktop is long gone, launching binaries and desktop files from within Nautilus is not as useful. Not only that, but we are moving towards a more sandboxed system, and we should use the standard and system wide support for launching apps based on users' choices." In short, users would no longer be able to launch programs, open desktop short-cuts and run AppImages by double-clicking them in the Nautilus file manager. A few days later, the GNOME team published a new change with the intent of restoring the application and script launching ability: "A few cases appeared that we need to support, specially for enterprise and content creators. Specifically, cases similar to #434. This also shows that is hard to predict cases like these, as some complex setups might be needed for specific workflows. This commit allows us to run binaries and scripts as before, and further investigation in these cases need to be done if we ever want to tweak
the workflow of running binaries."
* * * * *
These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
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| Tips and Tricks (by Jesse Smith) |
Finding which services were affected by an update
When we install software updates on a running operating system it brings the files on our hard drive up to date with the latest fixes and features. However, the programs and libraries that are running in our computer's memory are not updated and will continue using the old code until the application or service is restarted. Often times people will reboot their computer to remove the older versions of software from memory and load the latest copies. While rebooting is a simple approach to take, from the user's point of view, it can be disruptive to one's workflow as well as time consuming.
Luckily, for people who want to continue using their computers and also run the latest versions of software, most Linux distributions include tools which identify which programs and services have been updated. This allows us to restart these specific services without shutting down the computer. What follows is a list of ways we can check for running programs which have been modified on various popular distributions.
On Debian, and related distributions such as Ubuntu and Linux Mint, the command to check for outdated versions of software still running in memory is called checkrestart. The checkrestart command is part of the debian-goodies package. Running checkrestart as the root user (without any arguments) will display a list of applications running which have updated versions or dependencies on the disk. The checkrestart command can also supply the command we need to run in order to restart running daemons or network services.
For people running openSUSE and related operating systems, the command to check for outdated versions of software in memory is zypper ps. The zypper command is slightly less helpful than Debian's checkrestart command in that it only supplies us with a list of files or programs that have been updated; it does not provide the command needed to restart services. The zypper package manager is included in openSUSE by default.
In the Red Hat and CentOS family of distributions the command needs-restarting performs the same function. This program is part of the yum-utils package on these distributions. The Fedora distribution is part of the Red Hat family, but has switched from using the YUM package manager to using DNF. Fedora users can use the dnf needs-restarting command to perform the same task.
So far I have not encountered a similar tool to check for updated applications on members of the Arch Linux family of distributions. However, it is possible to run the lsof program to find open files and focus on just the programs and libraries which have been updated. A command like
lsof | grep deleted
will show open programs and libraries whose files have been removed or upgraded. But then it becomes a manual process to read through the list and restart the associated process. The list can be trimmed down, but it is still an imprecise process, compared to the above methods. It may be easier in this case to simply reboot the computer.
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More tips can be found in our Tips and Tricks archive.
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| Released Last Week |
Endless OS 3.4.0
Michael Hall has announced the release of Endless OS 3.4.0. Endless OS is a Linux-based operating system which provides a simplified and streamlined user experience using a customized desktop environment forked from GNOME 3. The new version includes better controls for scheduling updates and introduces a service which will allow Endless OS to share files with an Android device. "Endless OS 3.4 is our latest major release and is a huge step forward in our journey to help you take advantage of an Internet connection when you have it, and be respectful of your limited data plan if that's what you are using to connect. Version 3.4 brings exciting new features to help you manage your data consumption and get updates in smarter ways. We are also proud to announce the upcoming debut of a brand new addition to the Endless product line - the Endless Companion App for Android phones. You will soon be able to use your Android phone to view content from your computer so that more people can benefit from Endless OS' native apps at the same time. With Endless OS 3.4, your computer will now be ready to share content with the Endless Companion App as soon as it is publicly released." Further details and screen shots can be found in the project's release announcement.
Endless OS 3.4.0 -- The Endless OS application menu
(full image size: 1.8MB, resolution: 1360x768 pixels)
Kwort 4.3.3
Kwort is a CRUX-based Linux distribution that uses the GTK+ toolkit and the Openbox window manager. Its most prominent feature is a package manager, called kpkg, for retrieving packages. The Kwort distribution has published a new release, Kwort 4.3.3, which incldues two compilers and several key package updates. "Well, this was supposed to happen, our system has highly increased its size. Not that too many dependencies were added, but LLVM, which [is] huge, is now part of the standard image. Hopefully we'll have again one compiler in the future, but for now we need two. Having said that the system keeps being simple and fast and with everything on the right spot. Most significant technical aspects are: Linux kernel 4.14.40. New toolchain with glibc 2.27, gcc 7.3.0 and binutils 2.29.1. New kpkg has some new features and new documented (in the man page) variables to make it less error prone and more automated. Official kdb file is now included in the kpkg package, so no need to download it and install it manually anymore. Chromium 65.0.3325.181. Brave 0.22.22 available in the mirror. Firefox has been left out." Further detaisl can be found on the project's home page.
Proxmox 5.2 "Virtual Environment"
Proxmox Virtual Environment (VE) is an open-source virtualisation platform for running virtual appliances and virtual machines, based on Debian. The project's latest release is Proxmox VE 5.2 which features built-in support for Let's Encrypt free security certificates. "Proxmox VE 5.2 comes with new features like the Cloud-init package for automation of VM provisioning, a CIFS/SMB storage plug-in, and the Let's Encrypt certificate management via the graphical user interface. The Proxmox development team further expands the cluster functionality making the creation and configuration of Proxmox VE clusters possible via the web interface. The open-source virtualization management platform Proxmox VE 5.2 is based on Debian 9.4, and an updated and modified Linux Kernel 4.15. Proxmox VE 5.2 now supports Cloud-Init, a multi-distribution package that handles initial setup of a virtual machine as it boots for the first time, and allows provisioning of VMs that have been deployed based on a template. With the Cloud-Init package Proxmox users can easily configure host names, add SSH keys, set up mount points or run post-install scripts via the graphical user interface." Additional information can be found in the distribution's release announcement.
NuTyX 10.2
NuTyX is a French Linux distribution (with multi-language support) built from Linux From Scratch and Beyond Linux From Scratch, with a custom package manager called "cards". The project has released NuTyX 10.2 which includes several key package updates and improved support for EFI-enabled computers. "A new bootplash is now included in each ISO and at boot time after install. The kernel blocking and verbose problem on EFI machines is now solved. Users should be able to use more recent EFI machines with this new version. Extra languages like Arabic, Hindi, Chinese and Japanese are now available. NuTyX 10.1 user's are invited to upgrade. It is possible to make an upgrade of your system without problems. It's no need to reinstall your NuTyX. If the automatic upgrade process is activate, it will be done at next shutdown." A list of popular package versions and upgrade instructions can be found on the project's news page. NuTyX is available in standard (minimal), Xorg and MATE editions.
* * * * *
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. To share your own open source torrents of Linux and BSD projects, please visit our Upload Torrents page.
Torrent Corner statistics:
- Total torrents seeded: 859
- Total data uploaded: 19.6TB
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| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
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Summary of expected upcoming releases
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| Opinion Poll |
GNOME removing the ability to launch programs from Nautilus
In our News section we discussed the GNOME developers changing a feature in the Nautilus file manager which prevents Naultius from launching applications and .desktop files (also known as short-cuts).
This move is in line with GNOME's vision of desktop icons and being a thing of the past and all programs being integrated into the desktop's application menu. However, the move would mean third-party scripts and programs, such as AppImages, would no longer open from the file manager.
It looks like the change is being reverted and Nautilus users will be able to launch programs and scripts again. What do you think of the change? Does it make sense to do away with desktop icons and opening programs from within the file manager? Or does this change add an unwanted hurdle when it comes to installing and running third-party programs?
You can see the results of our previous poll on live patches and atomic updates in last week's edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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GNOME removing the ability to launch programs from Nautilus
| I welcome this change: | 64 (4%) |
| I am unaffected by this change: | 629 (38%) |
| I do not like this change: | 983 (59%) |
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| DistroWatch.com News |
New projects added to database
Namib GNU/Linux
Namib GNU/Linux is a desktop operating system based on (and compatible with) the Arch Linux distribution. Namib is available in multiple desktop editions and can be set up using the Calamares system installer.
Namib GNU/Linux 18.02 -- Running the KDE Plasma desktop
(full image size: 922kB, resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
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Distributions added to waiting list
- crunkbong. crunkbong is a minimal Devuan-based live disc.
* * * * *
DistroWatch database summary
* * * * *
This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 28 May 2018. Past articles and reviews can be found through our Article Search page. To contact the authors please send e-mail to:
- Jesse Smith (feedback, questions and suggestions: distribution reviews/submissions, questions and answers, tips and tricks)
- Ladislav Bodnar (feedback, questions, donations, comments)
- Bruce Patterson (podcast)
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| Archives |
| • 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 |
| • Issue 1069 (2024-05-06): Ubuntu 24.04, installing packages in alternative locations, systemd creates sudo alternative, Mint encourages XApps collaboration, FreeBSD publishes quarterly update |
| • Issue 1068 (2024-04-29): Fedora 40, transforming one distro into another, Debian elects new Project Leader, Red Hat extends support cycle, Emmabuntus adds accessibility features, Canonical's new security features |
| • Issue 1067 (2024-04-22): LocalSend for transferring files, detecting supported CPU architecure levels, new visual design for APT, Fedora and openSUSE working on reproducible builds, LXQt released, AlmaLinux re-adds hardware support |
| • Issue 1066 (2024-04-15): Fun projects to do with the Raspberry Pi and PinePhone, installing new software on fixed-release distributions, improving GNOME Terminal performance, Mint testing new repository mirrors, Gentoo becomes a Software In the Public Interest project |
| • Issue 1065 (2024-04-08): Dr.Parted Live 24.03, answering questions about the xz exploit, Linux Mint to ship HWE kernel, AlmaLinux patches flaw ahead of upstream Red Hat, Calculate changes release model |
| • Issue 1064 (2024-04-01): NixOS 23.11, the status of Hurd, liblzma compromised upstream, FreeBSD Foundation focuses on improving wireless networking, Ubuntu Pro offers 12 years of support |
| • Issue 1063 (2024-03-25): Redcore Linux 2401, how slowly can a rolling release update, Debian starts new Project Leader election, Red Hat creating new NVIDIA driver, Snap store hit with more malware |
| • Issue 1062 (2024-03-18): KDE neon 20240304, changing file permissions, Canonical turns 20, Pop!_OS creates new software centre, openSUSE packages Plasma 6 |
| • Issue 1061 (2024-03-11): Using a PinePhone as a workstation, restarting background services on a schedule, NixBSD ports Nix to FreeBSD, Fedora packaging COSMIC, postmarketOS to adopt systemd, Linux Mint replacing HexChat |
| • Issue 1060 (2024-03-04): AV Linux MX-23.1, bootstrapping a network connection, key OpenBSD features, Qubes certifies new hardware, LXQt and Plasma migrate to Qt 6 |
| • Issue 1059 (2024-02-26): Warp Terminal, navigating manual pages, malware found in the Snap store, Red Hat considering CPU requirement update, UBports organizes ongoing work |
| • Issue 1058 (2024-02-19): Drauger OS 7.6, how much disk space to allocate, System76 prepares to launch COSMIC desktop, UBports changes its version scheme, TrueNAS to offer faster deduplication |
| • Issue 1057 (2024-02-12): Adelie Linux 1.0 Beta, rolling release vs fixed for a smoother experience, Debian working on 2038 bug, elementary OS to split applications from base system updates, Fedora announces Atomic Desktops |
| • Issue 1056 (2024-02-05): wattOS R13, the various write speeds of ISO writing tools, DSL returns, Mint faces Wayland challenges, HardenedBSD blocks foreign USB devices, Gentoo publishes new repository, Linux distros patch glibc flaw |
| • Issue 1055 (2024-01-29): CNIX OS 231204, distributions patching packages the most, Gentoo team presents ongoing work, UBports introduces connectivity and battery improvements, interview with Haiku developer |
| • Issue 1054 (2024-01-22): Solus 4.5, comparing dd and cp when writing ISO files, openSUSE plans new major Leap version, XeroLinux shutting down, HardenedBSD changes its build schedule |
| • Issue 1053 (2024-01-15): Linux AI voice assistants, some distributions running hotter than others, UBports talks about coming changes, Qubes certifies StarBook laptops, Asahi Linux improves energy savings |
| • Issue 1052 (2024-01-08): OpenMandriva Lx 5.0, keeping shell commands running when theterminal closes, Mint upgrades Edge kernel, Vanilla OS plans big changes, Canonical working to make Snap more cross-platform |
| • Issue 1051 (2024-01-01): Favourite distros of 2023, reloading shell settings, Asahi Linux releases Fedora remix, Gentoo offers binary packages, openSUSE provides full disk encryption |
| • Issue 1050 (2023-12-18): rlxos 2023.11, renaming files and opening terminal windows in specific directories, TrueNAS publishes ZFS fixes, Debian publishes delayed install media, Haiku polishes desktop experience |
| • Issue 1049 (2023-12-11): Lernstick 12, alternatives to WINE, openSUSE updates its branding, Mint unveils new features, Lubuntu team plans for 24.04 |
| • Issue 1048 (2023-12-04): openSUSE MicroOS, the transition from X11 to Wayland, Red Hat phasing out X11 packages, UBports making mobile development easier |
| • Issue 1047 (2023-11-27): GhostBSD 23.10.1, Why Linux uses swap when memory is free, Ubuntu Budgie may benefit from Wayland work in Xfce, early issues with FreeBSD 14.0 |
| • Issue 1046 (2023-11-20): Slackel 7.7 "Openbox", restricting CPU usage, Haiku improves font handling and software centre performance, Canonical launches MicroCloud |
| • Issue 1045 (2023-11-13): Fedora 39, how to trust software packages, ReactOS booting with UEFI, elementary OS plans to default to Wayland, Mir gaining ability to split work across video cards |
| • Issue 1044 (2023-11-06): Porteus 5.01, disabling IPv6, applications unique to a Linux distro, Linux merges bcachefs, OpenELA makes source packages available |
| • Issue 1043 (2023-10-30): Murena Two with privacy switches, where old files go when packages are updated, UBports on Volla phones, Mint testing Cinnamon on Wayland, Peppermint releases ARM build |
| • Issue 1042 (2023-10-23): Ubuntu Cinnamon compared with Linux Mint, extending battery life on Linux, Debian resumes /usr merge, Canonical publishes fixed install media |
| • Issue 1041 (2023-10-16): FydeOS 17.0, Dr.Parted 23.09, changing UIDs, Fedora partners with Slimbook, GNOME phasing out X11 sessions, Ubuntu revokes 23.10 install media |
| • Issue 1040 (2023-10-09): CROWZ 5.0, changing the location of default directories, Linux Mint updates its Edge edition, Murena crowdfunding new privacy phone, Debian publishes new install media |
| • Issue 1039 (2023-10-02): Zenwalk Current, finding the duration of media files, Peppermint OS tries out new edition, COSMIC gains new features, Canonical reports on security incident in Snap store |
| • Issue 1038 (2023-09-25): Mageia 9, trouble-shooting launchers, running desktop Linux in the cloud, New documentation for Nix, Linux phasing out ReiserFS, GNU celebrates 40 years |
| • Issue 1037 (2023-09-18): Bodhi Linux 7.0.0, finding specific distros and unified package managemnt, Zevenet replaced by two new forks, openSUSE introduces Slowroll branch, Fedora considering dropping Plasma X11 session |
| • Issue 1036 (2023-09-11): SDesk 2023.08.12, hiding command line passwords, openSUSE shares contributor survery results, Ubuntu plans seamless disk encryption, GNOME 45 to break extension compatibility |
| • Full list of all issues |
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CentOS
CentOS as a group is a community of open source contributors and users which started in 2003 and has been sponsored by Red Hat since 2014. CentOS Linux versions up to CentOS Linux 8 are 100% compatible rebuilds of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, in full compliance with Red Hat's redistribution requirements. In 2020 it was announced CentOS Linux is being discontinued and replaced with CentOS Stream, a developer-focused distribution which acts as a middle-stream between Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Status: Active
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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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