 DistroWatch Weekly |
| Tip Jar |
If you've enjoyed this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly, please consider sending us a tip.
(Tips this week: 1, value: US$19.81) |
|
|
|
 bc1qxes3k2wq3uqzr074tkwwjmwfe63z70gwzfu4lx  lnurl1dp68gurn8ghj7ampd3kx2ar0veekzar0wd5xjtnrdakj7tnhv4kxctttdehhwm30d3h82unvwqhhxarpw3jkc7tzw4ex6cfexyfua2nr  86fA3qPTeQtNb2k1vLwEQaAp3XxkvvvXt69gSG5LGunXXikK9koPWZaRQgfFPBPWhMgXjPjccy9LA9xRFchPWQAnPvxh5Le paypal.me/distrowatchweekly • patreon.com/distrowatch |
|
| Extended Lifecycle Support by TuxCare |
|
|
| Reader Comments • Jump to last comment |
1 • wip changes (by Vern on 2019-05-06 01:44:57 GMT from United States)
I use Bleachbit to wipe some internal changes, vim, office, etc
2 • Synaptic for changes (by Roy on 2019-05-06 01:49:36 GMT from United States)
Synaptic helps to do some changes.
3 • Ignoring the obvious distributions... (by Bobbie Sellers on 2019-05-06 02:30:47 GMT from United States)
"Gaël Duval is the creator of Mandrake Linux, which later became Mandriva and was the base for many modern spin-offs, including ROSA, OpenMandriva and Mageia."
One of the earliest forks from Mandrake was PCLinux, now PCLinuxOS64, a very
easy to use and capable system now available in KDE Plasma 5 and Mate at version
2019.03 from which about 500 updates will take you to the current state and to
Linux 5.0.12. <http://www.pclinuxos.com/> for downloads and links to the
PCLinux Forums.
PCLinuxOS64 is a rolling release with occasional jumps due to KDE changes and
sometimes graphics driver changes.
Unlike Mageia and Rosa PCLinux has gone to Synaptic, a more precise package
updating tool. I use PCLInux every day. Oh and I tried out several versions of
Open_Mandriva, but it was so inferior I left it on DVD.
I used Mandriva Power-Pack for about 5 years paying for updates until the
organization went down the tubes. I switched to PCLinux then to Mageia
and back to PCLinux.
bliss of SF-LUG in Spring-like San Francisco.
4 • Wipe changes (by Ron on 2019-05-06 02:32:59 GMT from United States)
I use MX linux with persistance turned off to wipe changes.
5 • Wipe Changes (by Andy Figueroa on 2019-05-06 03:33:39 GMT from United States)
I don't, apparently like most respondents. However, I maintain deep rolling backups of both personal files and the installed OS. And, I'm careful.
6 • live discs (by buntunias on 2019-05-06 04:41:11 GMT from Australia)
live discs and USBs have been useful to prevent lasting changes. But these days you have to check that the "persistence" feature is off, or they can become magnets for hacking and tracking.
Speaking of which, can the distrowatch "search" page also include a "stateless" Distribution category? This would bring up distros like GUix, NixOS, and others? This is a valuable feature for security.
7 • Bias? (by Charlie on 2019-05-06 05:16:22 GMT from Hong Kong)
Rpmdarke has been used by Mandrake family for a long time. I think it's better than the app center approach because information about software is very limited in the latter. Unlike macOS or Windows, install a software on Linux generally requires more information. That's why I think the traditional software installation tool like Synaptics, Rpmdrake or YaST is better.
Urpmi also has a long history, even older than yum/dnf, I don't find anything difficult using urpmi except it's design approach is a bit out of date comparing to its rivals. I heard that Mageia may prefer dnf over urpmi in the future, which I think it's a pity.
8 • MX & systemd (by Someguy on 2019-05-06 05:41:53 GMT from United Kingdom)
" MX Linux's interesting features is the ability to run either the systemd init software or SysV init ..... systemd-shim".
Surely the reason MX finds itself top-dog in PHR is because it is NOT systemd? Rather recruiting a -shim partner, perhaps they should concentrate on being a non-systemd which is what punters are saying?
9 • MX Linux (by heri on 2019-05-06 08:45:30 GMT from Germany)
We, that is after testing moved to MX from other distros because it will run without system D and is semi rolling. I have no users asking for or activating systemd. I do get more remarks about reliability of this system, all are positive as is my own experience to date.
I wish MX and Devuan would team up, Devuan is awesome as it is but the intention is not a semi rolling release for desktop users. MX could fill that gap and not waste time supporting a monstrous bag of worms.
10 • systemd (by void on 2019-05-06 10:56:47 GMT from Brazil)
Coincidentally I was reading about systemd this week. I don´t have the expertise to know if it´s true or not, but a very interesting reading:
http://0pointer.de/blog/projects/the-biggest-myths.html
11 • @10 void: (by dragonmouth on 2019-05-06 12:48:43 GMT from United States)
The article sounds quite self-serving.
12 • systemd (by Giordano on 2019-05-06 13:05:18 GMT from Switzerland)
@10 Thank you for the link: a very interesting reading. Many people seem to hate systemd and dont miss any chance to tell us how bad it is, without knowing what are they talking about. I do not care much about my init system, but i must say, I never had any problem with systemd.
@8 "Rather recruiting a -shim partner, perhaps they should concentrate on being a non-systemd": ok, but in that case they would have to have there own software repositories: without systemd-shim MXLinux can not use the Debian repositories.
13 • systemd and/or not (by anticapitalista on 2019-05-06 13:26:01 GMT from Greece)
@12 "without systemd-shim MXLinux can not use the Debian repositories."
This is not true. antiX uses Debian repos and does not use systemd-shim. MX Linux could easily do the same if it wishes.
14 • systemd (by voidpin on 2019-05-06 13:43:44 GMT from Sweden)
@10, thanks for the link.
Here's a 'non-myth', though. systemd sucks and has NO place in my systems.
15 • Fat Dog (by Sananab on 2019-05-06 14:05:59 GMT from Canada)
Looks like it's time to FAT DOG for midterms!
16 • ROSA Fresh R11 (by whoKnows on 2019-05-06 14:06:16 GMT from United Kingdom)
ROSA website is the epitome for chaos.
Even if you go to http://wiki.rosalab.ru/en/, you'll get no idea of existence of http://wiki.rosalab.ru/en/index.php/ROSA_Desktop_Fresh_R11.
The only thing that helps is to bookmark http://mirror.rosalab.ru/rosa/. That way, you'll easily find http://mirror.rosalab.ru/rosa/rosa2016.1/iso/ROSA.Fresh.R11/
However, the best place to start is: http://wiki.rosalab.ru/en/index.php/ROSA_Release
17 • Myths are not facts. (by Garon on 2019-05-06 14:09:53 GMT from United States)
Good article on systemd. Facts are always better then opinions or myths. Also facts that are not agreed with gives a person a chance to question them or disprove them.
18 • The 3 Ms (by OstroL on 2019-05-06 14:13:18 GMT from Poland)
Now that MX Linux, Manjaro and Mint, the 3 Ms, are in the top 3 positions of "hit rankings" one can consider that small teams are on the top, because of their dedicated interest, rather than the business interest of the big Linux corporates. It is nice to notice this, that there are still people dedicated to Linux, rather than for profit, even though money is needed to hold on. I wish there'd be a Linux laptop with one of these distros, maybe the Pinebook Pro.
19 • Rosa 11 (by whoKnows on 2019-05-06 15:01:55 GMT from United Kingdom)
KDE4 listed first:
KDE4 Edition of ROSA is 'the real ROSA' with some great and unique features like Timeline.
http://wiki.rosalab.ru/ru/images/e/e2/R2012.1-Sss3.png
The boot process glitches are typical for most if not every Linux and it's H/W dependent.
The Plasma desktop and most applications are from late 2018 because ROSA uses some kind of LTS model and the latest release is still based on 2016 edition.
ROSA Freeze is: http://wiki.rosalab.ru/en/index.php/ROSA_Freeze
Rpmdrake is more of a Synaptic or Muon than 'Software center'. That is also why "You often get a very large number of results …"
As of "… no results …" -- one has to learn the Linux distribution one's using and its quirks.
https://ibb.co/r3XLBKS
https://ibb.co/6BQfNB2
Installing software doesn't always work but, that's more of a general Linux problem then ROSA specific. On the positive side, there are many things (like SoftMaker Office, for example) already in ROSA repositories.
20 • Systemd (by Friar Tux on 2019-05-06 15:04:10 GMT from Canada)
Hmmm. I read the article posted by @10 (void). Then I went back through the notes I've kept on all the distros I tested (about four dozen). It appears that the ones running systemd were the ones that worked best out-of-box. (The Wife and I eventually settled on Linux Mint/Cinnamon.) Haven't had an issue in three solid years. By the way, just so you know, The Wife is totally 'non-technical'. I mean it. If it plugs in and is switched on, she can kill it by just touching it. Yet, three years ago, she jumped straight from Windows to Mint and has not had a problem since. (Under Windows, I was quite busy, almost daily, on HER laptop.) Anyway, if this is due to systemd, then I'll bow the knee at the pedestal it is raised on. (Keep up the great work, Clem and Team.)
21 • Rosa R11 Fresh (by whoKnows on 2019-05-06 15:17:19 GMT from United Kingdom)
"I was keen to manage software via the command line but … I had no idea what package manager ROSA uses."
It's not ROSAs failure if someone doesn't inform himself on package manager used – that's not like with 'with or without' systemd – that's essential.
ROSA has a documentation on URPMI:
http://wiki.rosalab.ru/en/index.php/Urpmi
AppImage packages might or might not -- as on any other Linux. Support for Flatpak and Snaps is the same as in Mageia and OpenMandriva.
KMail email client added six different entries in the application menu – just as it would do in Kubuntu or any other kUarkstribution.
ROSA's enterprise editions have absolutely nothing to do with ROSA's consumer editions (named 'Fresh') since they are based on RHEL and not on Mandriva.
WiFi setup and KWallet were always a big hassle in all kUarkstributions. In Nord Korea those developers would quickly learn how not to program. ;)
22 • systemd myths (by Jesse on 2019-05-06 15:35:20 GMT from Canada)
@10: I have some mixed feelings about the "biggest systemd myths" page. On the one hand, I think pretty much everything listed there is true. However, very little on that page addresses arguments against systemd. As the article title suggests, it is debunking myths about systemd - correcting ideas that are untrue. And, to be fair, it does that pretty well.
But the article is often inappropriately held up by fans of systemd as a defence against valid complaints against systemd which have nothing to do with misinformation. There are lots of good reasons not to like systemd and the "myths" article doesn't address those, it only addresses misinformation, not valid complaints.
I'm not taking sides here for or against systemd. While there are valid reasons not to like it, there are also lots of benefits systemd provides. I'm just pointing out the "myths" rebuttal does nothing to address valid reasons to dislike systemd, it only addresses invalid reasons (reasons based on misinformation) not to like systemd. The "myths" page is not an argument in favour of systemd, it's just correcting common misconceptions.
So I think the article is good to read, people should just keep in mind what it is doing (correcting misinformation) and what it is not doing (countering valid concerns some people hold).
23 • @20, systemd (by a on 2019-05-06 17:16:46 GMT from France)
"she jumped straight from Windows to Mint and has not had a problem since. (Under Windows, I was quite busy, almost daily, on HER laptop.) Anyway, if this is due to systemd, then I'll bow the knee at the pedestal it is raised on."
I’d say that Mint is good *despite* systemd.
24 • @22 Myths and misinterpretation (by Pierre on 2019-05-06 17:19:08 GMT from United Kingdom)
One of the myths is that we, the Linux users are actually about 2% of all desktop users in the world. But, before being that, we had paid for Windows, buying the Windows laptop/desktop.
The pure/pristine Linux users are those, who had build their own desktop and installed Linux on it, or bought a dedicated Linux laptop.
25 • @23 (by Pierre on 2019-05-06 17:22:29 GMT from United Kingdom)
" she jumped straight from Windows to Mint and has not had a problem since. (Under Windows, I was quite busy, almost daily, on HER laptop.)"
But, first paid for Windows, and wasted money by doing so...
26 • @24 (by voidpin on 2019-05-06 17:39:47 GMT from Sweden)
Wrong!
Yes, both my laptops came originally with Windows, but no, I did not pay for it as I got them without an hard drive.
27 • @26 original and second hand (by Kazan on 2019-05-06 17:49:54 GMT from United Kingdom)
"Yes, both my laptops came originally with Windows, but no, I did not pay for it as I got them without an hard drive."
An original way to get a second hand laptop, without the hard disk!
Lovely!
Only, if you download the "free" Windows, and install it in your "new" hard disk, you get a fully registered Windows. Why?
Your mobo has the license key embedded in it.
You should get the laptops without the mobo too. :)
28 • @10 (by RoestVrijStaal on 2019-05-06 17:50:18 GMT from Netherlands)
@10 @11 @12 @14 @17 @20 @22
Please take in caution that you're reading a blog of Lennart Pöttering, one of the developers of systemd.
And IMHO the article is written in very defensive tone towards the criticism of systemd without explaining in detail what's so simple in configuring systemd.
Also he is contradicting himself, for example:
> Myth: systemd is not portable for no reason.
< Non-sense! We use the Linux-specific functionality (...)
Err, FYI OS-specific (or kernel-specific for the puristic GNUs) means not portable :)
29 • Systemd (blog)+ MX Linux (by X-Hacker on 2019-05-06 18:06:26 GMT from Greece)
@10 That's Lennart Poettering's blog, Ofc it's pro-systemd...
I would love to see MX Linux freed from any systemd vestige, Since antiX (the core of MX) is systemd-free, It would be more ideal to go that way.
30 • Using a VPN in MXlinux (by Chris Leffers on 2019-05-06 18:10:44 GMT from United States)
I use Private Internet Access as my VPN and it requires systemd. A pain but it all still works. I'm glad there is still this option.
31 • PIA VPN (by X-Hacker on 2019-05-06 18:20:36 GMT from Greece)
@30 https://github.com/MX-Linux/piavpn-sysvinit-compat
32 • Maybe you should read this (by Ostrol on 2019-05-06 18:20:56 GMT from Poland)
Maybe you should read this, https://fossforce.com/2019/03/foss-on-the-road-to-nowhere/
33 • ROSA hasn't changed, systemd (by Distrowitch on 2019-05-06 20:30:47 GMT from United States)
Jesse: Good review this week. ROSA is still ROSA. Great concepts, some well thought out and implemented ideas, and a whole lot of quirks and rough edges that detract from the goal of a user friendly OS anyone can use. The website is and always has been a mess. You need first class detective skills to find the various bits of documentation you might need. I always come away thinking it has a lot of very good bits but fails to come together as a cohesive whole. Pity, because if they got it all polished they'd have something special.
I'll freely admit being a systemd fangirl. Many of the vocal people on both sides of the issue tend to let their bias and their emotions cloud their judgement. As someone who has moved from systems engineering into a senior development role I can see the good and the bad. For home users and hobbyists systemd provides no advantage. For people administering large numbers of systems it simplifies some things, standardizes a lot of things, and makes process automation a whole lot easier because what works for one process is almost certain to work for another. The hodgepodge of different scripts and code that had evolved for the old init system wasn't adequate for enterprise needs.
That's the point. systemd was written by Red Hat for their enterprise customers. It wasn't written for anyone else. It addressed enterprise needs and only enterprise needs. That works well for SUSE Linux Enterprise, for Ubuntu Server LTS, and even for Debian which are aimed at the enterprise. For the rest of the Linux ecosystem it just doesn't fit terribly well in a lot of cases.
Here is reality: anything without systemd at this point is a hobbyist distro. Nothing wrong with that. Anyone who does work with Linux in a professional environment or wants to learn to do so has to work with systemd.
34 • @33 Distrowitch: (by dragonmouth on 2019-05-06 20:56:59 GMT from United States)
Unfortunately, distro developers are rushing pell-mell to join the systemd revolution whether theirs is an enterprise-grade distro or not.
35 • @ 33 Linux is for enterprise? (by OstroL on 2019-05-06 21:05:02 GMT from Poland)
"That's the point. systemd was written by Red Hat for their enterprise customers. It wasn't written for anyone else. It addressed enterprise needs and only enterprise needs."
Linux is for the Enterprise. The hobbyists would do some testing, some development, but money doesn't come to hobbyists, so Linux would stay put with the Enterprise, where the money comes in, and pay checks to Linux devs. The business keeps it going, not by us the zealous free users.
36 • Rushing? Revolution? Not hardly. (by Distrowitch on 2019-05-06 21:07:00 GMT from United States)
@34: "rushing pell-mell to join the systemd revolution" I laughed so hard I almost snorted coffee onto my keyboard. Rushing? I didn't know taking 5-7 years to do something like that was rushing. Revolution? No, it's a natural evolution towards more standardized, maintainable, and sustainable code. Unfortunate? Not hardly. As far as I am concerned any distro that still hasn't adopted systemd is irrelevant and has no future except as a toy. I'm not interested in toys any more.
37 • Mangia. (by Jessica on 2019-05-06 21:10:45 GMT from United States)
Yah I think PCLLinux is better then ROSA, but at least it is something better then more Ubuntu 19.04 coverage that is not interesting. Been tuned out of Ubuntu since 18.04 where all they have is Gnome 3. The one big thing for me is that whole Droping 32bit support thing. Might though just have to give up on that and just use one machine for Gaming and one for Linux. PCLinux is interesting as it has apt with RPM's.
38 • MX Linux systemd-shim (by Gavin on 2019-05-06 21:11:08 GMT from Chile)
Congrats to MX Linux for standing up for freedom, but why do they need systemd-shim? Straight Debian sid Xfce with sysvinit works fine. You have to allow libsystemd0 and udev, but the init system can be sysv with no problems.
39 • @33-36; the rate, scope and purpose of systemd adoption (by D. Esktorp on 2019-05-06 21:40:26 GMT from United States)
Rushing? Yes-- in FOSStime, 5-7 years is moving pretty fast.
The problem is always the same when someone attempts to feign a moderate and rational stance on the systemd debacle; no willingness to believe in the existence of ulterior motives, dishonest corporate strategies and outright lies. Until Red Hat comes right out and admits that they're edging everyone else out, the coincidence theorists pulling their paychecks from various kowtowing positions within satellite corporations who feed gluttonously off the IBM status quo.
If it's okay for users to be labeled as zealous freeloaders, then it's okay to point out that IBM/Red Hat/Gnome/etc is a moneycult of conniving greedy monsters. I'm tired of disingenuous shills pretending that it's wrong or bad for people to get pissed off about crap like this.
40 • systemd article "myths" (by Jordan on 2019-05-06 21:43:22 GMT from United States)
Thanks for the 2013 article link. I guess.
It does seem to list the arguments we've seen here in DW comments area since about then, and before. Off and on. Ad infinitum.
41 • Maybe you should read this. (by R. Cain on 2019-05-06 21:54:39 GMT from United States)
Maybe you should read this,
http://www.ocsmag.com/2016/10/19/systemd-progress-through-complexity/
https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/ubuntu-beaver-slow-boot.html
42 • @ 10 systemd and anything else you can name (by dedoymedio on 2019-05-07 00:10:00 GMT from United Kingdom)
First, I'll stipulate that DW is an excellent resource for those interested in Open Source, especially Linux. That goes without question. But that does not apply to the comments section. If you are looking for some kind of insight, this ain't the place. This is for the most part just a bunch of people with too much time on their hands and not much else to do. Yes, I will throw myself in the same bunch, otherwise I'd be doing something productive instead of this.
Sytemd, monster or hero? MX Linux, great or crappy? Ubuntu, the end of Linux or the greatest thing since open-source sliced-bread? Should Linux go in this direction? No, that one! No, the other one! Is Linux superior to Windows? Opinions you'll get, for all they are worth. Meanwhile, developers will develop, Ubuntu will carry on, MX will do it's thing, etc., oblivious to all the blabber here. The effect of all this on Linux is about the same as the proverbial tree that falls in the forest and no one hears.
43 • @42 (dedoymedio) (by Friar Tux on 2019-05-07 00:53:24 GMT from Canada)
Well said, my good man, well said. However, that is exactly why I come here. For the fun of it all. Passionate people can get quite comical in their bantering back and forth. Especially when then try to 'prove' their point with what THEY interpret as facts. Then along comes someone like 'Distrowitch', who actually KNOWS what she's talking about, and throws another rock at the hornets' nest. This is better than watching what passes for entertainment on TV, or Youtube and such. Please don't stop. This old geezer rather enjoys the chicken squabbling in this hen house.
Distro-wise, if it works, and I can get my work done, then I'll use it - systemd notwithstanding. Allow me to repeat myself, I have tried at least 4 dozen distros and each one I tried has a list of issues I've jotted in my logbook - except Linux Mint/Cinnamon. Not one issue. On two separate laptops. In three whole years. Systemd notwithstanding.
I rest my face. (Oh-oh, must have been using my outside voice again, The Wife is giving me That Look.)
44 • systemd (by hmmm on 2019-05-07 09:29:44 GMT from United Kingdom)
I'd actually like to know, how many of the people here, giving their salt on pro/contra systemd are developers or system administrators. All other people have very little reason to thinker about it or fiddle with some configuration files.
45 • upcoming releases ? (by morgan cox on 2019-05-07 10:01:45 GMT from United Kingdom)
Why are there so few releases mentioned in the upcoming releases section today ?
46 • They Got It Right! (by Garon on 2019-05-07 12:53:42 GMT from United States)
#42 & #43 got it right. While some information can be gleamed a lot of this should not be taken too seriously. Not in the comments section anyway. Many years ago I use to give my email address when I commented but some people would get really ugly about someone's opinion. I like discussion and not confrontation. I guess a person just needs to know how to separate the wheat from the chaff, and know how to have a good time.
47 • @36 Distrowitch: (by dragonmouth on 2019-05-07 12:58:06 GMT from United States)
"As far as I am concerned any distro that still hasn't adopted systemd is irrelevant and has no future except as a toy."
It is very easy to establish one's opinion as the only right one when one a priori disdainfully declares any other opinions as laughable or erroneous..
Two of the basic tenets of Linux are simplicity and modularity. Systemd flies in the face of those tenets. With the aim of "streamlining the startup process", more and more services and processes are incorporated into systemd. At the same time, more and more programs are being made depended on systemd, in the process turning systemd into a monolithic behemoth.
No matter how much you, Lennart Poetering and the pro-systemd crowd shake and dance and declare any objections as "myths", the emperor DOES NOT have any clothes. The theory of Systemd maybe a good but in practice systemd leaves a lot to be desired.
48 • @42 dedoymedio: (by dragonmouth on 2019-05-07 13:12:25 GMT from United States)
"If you are looking for some kind of insight, this ain't the place."
Exactly what "insight" are you looking for?
" developers will develop, .................. oblivious to all the blabber here"
And that is precisely the problem with Linux. Developers develop in their little echo chambers without listening to what the users have to say. Developers' attitude towards the users is "Be eternally grateful for what we deigned to develop for you!" The tree can fall right on the developer and he will still refuse to acknowledge it.
49 • DragonMouth (by hmmm on 2019-05-07 13:17:12 GMT from United Kingdom)
"As far as I am concerned ..."
Was that really that hard to understand?
dragonmouth:
"... more and more services and processes are incorporated into systemd. At the same time, more and more programs are being made depended on systemd ..."
Distrowitch:
"... any distro that still hasn't adopted systemd is irrelevant and has no future except as a toy."
Was that really that hard to understand?
I hope you see yourself why Distrowitch is absolutely right.
50 • dragonmouth (by hmmm on 2019-05-07 13:23:02 GMT from United Kingdom)
"Developers develop ... without listening to what the users have to say. "
Developers listen very much what the users have to say only, 'the users' is not you but, the corporates.
The tree can fall right on you and you will still refuse to acknowledge it.
51 • DW comments vs "real information and insight" (by Jordan on 2019-05-07 15:06:02 GMT from United States)
@42 I respectfully disagree. This comments are is peopled largely by veteran Linux users who impart their experiences in here, and quite varied, as opposed to somebody with a point of view who holds a website and publishes therein his or her "facts vs myths," or whatever.
We get more in here than many of those articles out there for the simple reason of those variations in opinion; we get to sort things and experiment at will.. and the comments here are discussion of a productive nature or the site operator(s) here don't allow it for long.
Plus there's humor.. one of my favorite laughs here is when a positive opinion is put forth about system, a distro, or even an app, and then that person is set upon and called a "fanboi." That is always worth a lmao or at least an all caps LOL.
52 • Linux, privacy and freedom of choice (by jan on 2019-05-07 15:08:01 GMT from Poland)
With Android 9, Google decided that you, the phone user, should not be able to record your phone conversations. Just like that - a corporate decision without any warning to the customers. Google now patches Android 8 and 7 to also prevent your ability to record calls. As a customer, you have no recourse towards a vendor that changes an important characteristic of the product you bought.
The fact that little by little, systemd makes it more and more difficult for users to deploy linux the way they need it, namely, among others, making it obligatory for linux applications to incorporate systemd dependent functionality, may lead to an undesirable vendor lock-in with one specific corporation whose prime customers are various agencies defending the world against all their current (and imagined) enemies.
So yes, systemd has some technical merits, but in the end, the linux community will end up just as the Android community did just lately - somebody who knows better what is good for you will do it to you without asking.
So yes, it is a high time for the linux community to reconsider its options today, because if it doesn't, tomorrow there will be no choices left.
53 • Wiping changes (by Hadrian Ferran on 2019-05-07 15:20:30 GMT from Netherlands)
What I'm most concerned with is cross-site tracking. For this reason, I use plugins like noscript, ublock origin, and cookie autodelete.
In businesses with virtual desktops, it is not uncommon to have a stock image that's updated every once in a while, and create a new instantiation of the virtual machine every time it is requested. I've not set this up myself, but it should be possible with KVM.
54 • @53 more the reason to root your device (by OstroL on 2019-05-07 16:07:46 GMT from Poland)
"With Android 9, Google decided that you, the phone user, should not be able to record your phone conversations. Just like that - a corporate decision without any warning to the customers. Google now patches Android 8 and 7 to also prevent your ability to record calls. As a customer, you have no recourse towards a vendor that changes an important characteristic of the product you bought."
One should not be a customer of Google, so the best is to root your phone and install what you want. Of course, you might lose your guarantee, if you root your device. So, best to buy a phone that allows you to root it, or get (well) used one and root it, and install what you want. (I have a Nexus 6, fully rooted and without all that bloat. I have 33 apps, including VLC. The system and the custom apps taking just 5.1GB+1.9GB. And, I have Android Pie 9 fully upgraded to April release.)
Rooting makes you free! And, you can install any app you like, disable any Google app you don't want.
55 • Maybe you should read this. (by R. Cain on 2019-05-07 16:23:27 GMT from United States)
“...When you get people with absolute zero social and marketing skills tell the world what the end product should be like...When you let software developers define the final state, your world [becomes] one big debugger session. This is so stupid and pointless that watching reality TV feels like inventing calculus...”
https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/software-development-cancer.html
56 • I don't trust Redhat derivatives anymore. (by former Linux enthusiast on 2019-05-07 18:54:55 GMT from United States)
I want to get excited about Redhat 8.0 and Fedora 30. Redhat used to have much higher quality than, say, Debian. However, ever since they got purchased by one of the evilest companies in existence (IBM) and subsequently announced a desire to start tracking their users, I can't in good faith continue my exploration of CentOS (or Fedora).
Something about Linux... Companies get too big to succeed...
Now that both of the most trustworthy distros (Ubuntu and Redhat) have shown themselves to be subverted, I'm seriously thinking of leaving Linux altogether, and just trying *BSD.
57 • @56 (by Akoy on 2019-05-07 20:33:07 GMT from United Kingdom)
"Something about Linux... Companies get too big to succeed...
Now that both of the most trustworthy distros (Ubuntu and Redhat) have shown themselves to be subverted, I'm seriously thinking of leaving Linux altogether, and just trying *BSD."
You are not the only one thinking this way. Actually, companies get too greedy to succeed...
Never used Red Hat, most probably never will. But, used Ubuntu since the beginning, but feel like being betrayed by it nowadays. Maybe, I'd try BSD or go back to Windows. At least MS doesn't hide that it is a business and software is their business. Or, go to MacOS. Linux is running away from the ideas of the guy, who created the GNU OS.
58 • @56 I don't trust Redhat derivatives anymore. (by DaveT on 2019-05-07 20:47:25 GMT from United Kingdom)
Take a sharp intake of breath and try OpenBSD.
The install is easy, works well on my ASUS laptop, can be a bit user-unfriendly until you get the hang of it and its funny little UNIX ways. The standard desktop is horrid by the way (imho). Xfce etc are available.
NetBSD is fun if you like building from source code, FreeBSD is hard work, TrueOS never plays nicely with my hardware. Other FreeBSD derivatives wouldn't play nicely either. IMHO YMMV etc!
I last specified paid-for and installed Red Hat at the company I worked for in 2003.
I chose to make the company servers fully debian in 2007.
59 • Red Hat and others (by Harold on 2019-05-08 02:50:38 GMT from United Kingdom)
@56: "Companies get too big to succeed." Did you think that one through? Isn't growth a measure of success for a company?
@57: "At least MS doesn't hide that it is a business and software is their business." So what are Red Hat and Canonical? Aren't they software businesses? They certainly don't claim top be non-profit charities.
"Linux is running away from the ideas of the guy, who created the GNU OS." Ok, here's the Gnu website. Just copy and paste here all the ideas that Linux is running away from.
https://www.gnu.org/home.en.html
@58
"Take a sharp intake of breath and try OpenBSD." Good grief! On my desktops? I'd rather hold my breath until I turn blue.
60 • systemd! (by Titus_Groan on 2019-05-08 03:09:22 GMT from New Zealand)
more systemd bashing.(yawn)
ok, I get that some (vocal) users are not happy with systemd and/or its scope creep(tm).
your favourite distro has just joined the systemd bandwagon with so much as a heads up to you, the all important user.
so! are you a real linux user, or along for the "free ride"?
if the former, pretty sure that LFS is still available with systemd free option, and you can make it what you like.
if the later, perhaps its time to upskill, and get LFS working for you!
61 • Re #60 (by crowbyte on 2019-05-08 10:31:21 GMT from Germany)
Yeah, more systemd bashing.
As Jesse pointed out there are good reasons to like it and not to like it and I am welcoming constructive criticism and discussion. But I can't stand this 'systemd sucks' that is fired and forgotten and does not help anyone.
And on your comment, Titus_Groan, there are legit options for GNU/Linux distros without systemd - you don't need to build a house on your own, only because you want a house the way you like it.
Devuan is out there, Gentoo, and some other good alternatives. Just try them before going nuts and all hardcore with LFS which is a nice thing to play around with but a maintance hell if you want to use it on a daily basis or even as production system.
62 • Systemd (by aguador on 2019-05-08 13:33:08 GMT from Bulgaria)
Rather than rehash a 6 year old article, one of the best thing I have found on systemd is "The tragedy of systemd": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_AIw9bGogo
That talk gave me a more positive feeling about systemd, although I remain sceptical given mission creep and havingseen how easy it is to bork a system when updating a beast with such long tentacles. That is one reason that I have installed MX Linux (without systemd) for a couple of people. When I have time I will try Void and, may ultimately end up with Artix as an Arch-based distro is the closest to best for me of any distro I have used.
As far as MX Linux's search for help, there are clearly sound systemd-free alternatives that should be able to help, with or without systemd-shim.
63 • Trusti and RH/Fedora (by aguador on 2019-05-08 13:41:41 GMT from Bulgaria)
For those who like RH-Fedora systems, but have their doubts about the project, may I suggest Mageia. It has a truly great community and all the ease-of-use tools you could want (including a graphical alternative to urpmi if you like). Mageia is headed toward the release of Mageia 7 (RC to be out later this month) and has a full range of choice from the primary Gnome, Plasma, XFCE options, to Mate, Enlightenment and a full array of WMs.
At the moment there is still close cooperation with Fedora devs, but Mageia is community driven and completely independent.
64 • comments (by Tim on 2019-05-08 18:34:18 GMT from United States)
My concern is just that this is one of the most prominent places people trying to decide if they want to use Linux would go to, and every week the comments are just this barrage of awful angry stuff.
At the end of the day there's a whole bunch of Linux distros that install in less than half an hour and provide most users a pretty easy experience with high quality software and lots of stability. There's a lot of good choices for desktop Linux in 2019, but from what people say here you wouldn't know that.
65 • @64 Tim: (by dragonmouth on 2019-05-08 18:47:01 GMT from United States)
"the comments are just this barrage of awful angry stuff."
People fancy themselves to be experts. If their opinions are not accepted as gospel truth, they get offended. When they get offended, they get angry.
66 • angry comments (by Tim on 2019-05-08 19:20:39 GMT from United States)
@65
It's not my forum, so I don't set the rules, but I just don't think this is the best place to have everything everyone's angry about week after week.
The strength of this site is that it's more like an old chatroom than a modern forum, so conversations can be freewheeling. But the problem is that I think a lot of people come back week after week with their same axe to grind and it overshadows the actual discussion. I enjoyed hearing about ROSA this week. I'm curious about what @21 said about how the different ROSAs have different bases. How does that work?
67 • @59 Red Hat and others (by DaveT on 2019-05-08 19:20:52 GMT from United Kingdom)
"Take a sharp intake of breath and try OpenBSD." Good grief! On my desktops? I'd rather hold my breath until I turn blue.
That made me laugh out loud! OpenBSD has all the usual modern desktops apart from KDE Plasma, they only go as far as KDE4.
I use fluxbox, but I am so old I remember when Gnome was good...
It was systemd that tipped me over the edge, linux has abandoned the UNIX philosophy of 'do one thing and do it well', so now I use UNIX.
68 • @61 systemd bashing (by Titus_Groan on 2019-05-08 20:17:04 GMT from New Zealand)
a search on Distrowatch site for => init system : non-systemd, returns over 100 distros.
Just, that, to me, the constant systemd bashing is getting beyond a joke. (opinion)
nothing has been added to the debate, only repeating ad-infinitum opinions (opinion)
I just chose LFS as an example. (came up 51st in above search, so yes, plenty of options)
69 • Cont. # 54 May security update (by Ostrol on 2019-05-08 20:22:29 GMT from Poland)
Just got the OTA Android Pie 9 May security update and installed it. Even, though the device is out production a long time ago, it is working as it was bought yesterday. Rooting makes you free, and I have the latest Android!
One can still get brand new devices, still lying in stores, even though the device out of production. And, rooting makes it work with the latest Android. Android is after all Linux based. Thanks to the group of enthusiasts at XDA! Open source projects.
70 • Dislikes (by Friar Tux on 2019-05-08 22:20:35 GMT from Canada)
OK, let's try this... I like systemd. It has never given me any grief. I tend to shy away from anything QT. I find KDE too bloated, and full of issues (screen flickering and buttons disappearing being the worst). I don't like Gnome 3 as Gnome 3 - it makes my laptop look ridiculously like a giant cell phone (icons all over the desktop). I don't care for XFCE, way too bare bones for me (Though I hear that's changing). I don't care to, or have the time to, mess around after installation to fix things that should work out-of-box. If I cannot install an OS and go right to work I don't want it. Right folks, let hear it.
71 • @66 ROSA platforms (by Robert Rijkhoff on 2019-05-08 22:42:59 GMT from United Kingdom)
@66 I wasn't able to find much information about the ROSA "platforms". I put the release notes for ROSA 11 through Google Translate and I gather that ROSA 11 will be the last release based on the 2016 platform, and that they're working on a 2019 platform. It seems that each platform is supported for about five years (when the next point release comes out the 2014 will be killed off).
So the "platforms" are somewhat similar to for instance Ubuntu's LTS releases. In fact, the kernel is also based on Ubuntu's kernel (but with enhancements, such as SELinux support instead of AppArmor).
72 • @67, Red Hat and others. (by Harold on 2019-05-09 01:03:36 GMT from United Kingdom)
I'm also old enough for "good" Gnome. In fact I preferred it back in the day. (Mint 2, Ubuntu 6.X) I also remember that installation procedure was no more complex then than it is today. Back in 2008 I installed a Mint CD on a laptop with just a wireless connection. The pesky WiFi card would work by cracking open the Windows driver and using ndiswrapper. Today it is still much more of a pain to install the BSDs than it was for Linux 11 years ago. No thanks, I'm old and lazy.
As for the UNIX philosophy, I'm not a philosopher, so I really don't care. I like things that work well. Also, as @68 points out, there are plenty of distros without systemd, should I object on purity grounds.
Luckily, I have choices, and am still breathing fine. Cheers!
73 • @70 Dislikes (by pengxuin on 2019-05-09 01:25:57 GMT from New Zealand)
I have no issue with systemd (currently).
I have no (current) issue with other Linux init systems either!
If they get the job done and let me do my work, that is all that matters.
When I turn on one of my machines in the morning, by the time I sit down and have had my first sip of coffee, login greeter is presented - plenty fast enough for me. (I dont actually time it with a stopwatch).
then a few seconds to present desktop (Kde Plasma5) after login.
as a comparison, I also get to use a windows7 machine that takes an age (like 5 minutes) to be usable, fully 2 minutes after the desktop is presented. It has random system lockups for 10s of minutes (including the clock) and the useful software on it is windows platform specific, so I live with the pain. (Core i5 with 8gb ram). no, I am not interested in windows10.
(It also has a dual boot Linux system that flies on it, with no issues)
74 • @70 Dislikes (by Harold on 2019-05-09 01:50:56 GMT from United Kingdom)
I like your subject, "dislikes," because that's all it usually boils down to. I stopped using Cinnamon because it crashed too often. Had gotten better lately, but by then I had switched to Plasma. I just tried out Feren OS on VBox, a distro started and developed by a high-school kid. It's pretty much a well-dressed Linux Mint with Cinnamon. Liked the looks, but a few minutes in, Cinnamon crashed. Déjà vu. To be fair, there's a warning that it may not work well on VBox.
I have the opposite take on Gnome's menu. Like you I'm getting on in years, and I prefer my apps front-and-center rather than to scroll through menus and categories and such. It's not like they are there all the time. By culling the menu apps to ones I use, they are sio much easier to launch. Anything else only I only need to type a couple of letters and it pops up.
For me, KDE was too much "look at me" with bouncing things and notifications and all kinds of distractions and interruptions. No more. It now uses fewer resources than Cinnamon, it stays out of the way. I do set the menu to the dashboard option which is rather Gnomish. I also like and use docks, regardless of DE.
75 • To no avail (by whoKnows on 2019-05-09 06:11:17 GMT from United Kingdom)
@71 • (by Robert Rijkhoff)
"I wasn't able to find much information about the ROSA "platforms"."
... and because YOU were UNABLE, you have to show your disbelief, belittle/put down or put in question the comments of those who are able? That's namely exactly what you did with those quotes on word “platforms”.
Google search is a tool, you are the search machine. If Bing, Google and others fail to find something, it's you who failed.
https://ibb.co/WWcZ0BP
https://ibb.co/XSKygWR
https://ibb.co/QmxxnT3
@65 • (by dragonmouth)
"People fancy themselves to be experts. If their opinions are not accepted as gospel truth, they get offended."
One of the rare occasions were you were on a good way but, as usually, you missed seeing the complete picture.
95 + % of comments are indeed coming from “People (who) fancy themselves to be experts.” but, sometimes there's one or the other who explains you the systemd facts, or MX misconfiguration or whatever and the “People (who) fancy themselves to be experts.” put him/her/it/them down.
There are sometimes a few real experts here who sometimes pass by, leave a comment or two and then leave again. One can easily see who's the expert and who's “the expert” -- those who know what they talk about, they bring some valid arguments (as we saw on that MX discussion for example).
@66 • (by Tim)
"I'm curious about what @21 said about how the different ROSAs have different bases. How does that work?"
Simple. There's ROSA Fresh (Consumer Ed.) and then there's ROSA Enterprise Desktop Edition (== Mandrake/Mandriva based) and ROSA Enterprise Server Edition (== RHEL based).
76 • The choice (by whoKnows on 2019-05-09 06:27:47 GMT from United Kingdom)
70 • Dislikes (by Friar Tux)
That's a perfect overview and the reflection of the reality and that's why we got:
1. Windows (10)
2. macOS (10.14)
3. Linux Mint (19.1)
... as the only valid choice(~s).
77 • Rosa (by notarussian on 2019-05-09 07:01:31 GMT from United States)
Rosa's info, what there is, is indeed all over the place.
@66 Tim, Here's a pretty good summary on Rosa.
https://www.revolvy.com/page/ROSA-Linux
@75, @ 71, Re: Angry comments- I don't see how @71 was putting anything down by using quotation marks. It's common when referring to someone else's use of a word or expression.
78 • Context (by whoKnows on 2019-05-09 09:55:43 GMT from United Kingdom)
@77 • Rosa (by notarussian)
Written conversation was always very prone to misunderstandings. There are quotes and "quotes". One is citeing something or somebody and the other one usualy opens the way for "other interpretations". The interpretations are different regarding to a given context (so called "contextual reading").
Somebody wrote how you're very smart because of your comments given above.
If I tell you, I agree with No.1, that you really are very smart (== I confirm that you are very smart), is pretty much very different than if I tell you, I could see that you really are "very smart" (== you're an idiot / you are stupid).
* This wasn't meant to be an offence but, just the very first (and probably not the happiest) example that came on my mind.
The comment of @71 ...
[quote] I wasn't able to find much information about the ROSA "platforms". ... So the "platforms" are somewhat similar to ... [/quote]
... gave me the very strong impression of putting two different platforms used by ROSA in question and I apology if I was misinterpreting it.
79 • @ 78 Rosa, and angry googling (by notarussian on 2019-05-09 12:39:05 GMT from United States)
It would be fine to castigate someone for lack of search skills if in the process you came up with the right answer. In fact you did not, and @71 is correct, if somewhat vague, about what Rosa calls "platforms." The platforms are for Rosa Fresh, not about whether they are based on Red Hat or other versions..
http://wiki.rosalab.ru/en/index.php/ROSA_Desktop_Fresh_R11
"ROSA Desktop Fresh R11 'is the final release of the home distribution based on the platform 2016.1. This platform will be maintained for another 2 years in accordance with the release policy - until the development of the new platform 2019.1 is completed. The previous platform - 2014.1 - will be withdrawn from support after the release of the next, corrective release of R11.1, so users of the platform 2014.1 should plan an update in the coming months."
There is a link to the release policy page, but that page is blank, which seems to be par for the course for Rosa.
80 • Search skills (by whoKnows on 2019-05-09 14:07:06 GMT from United Kingdom)
79 • Rosa, and angry googling (by notarussian)
"It would be fine to castigate someone for lack of search skills if ..."
I'm not castigating anybody for anything but, even searching in internet is a skill that one has or has not and ...
Yup -- That's correct, as I said above in @19: "the latest release is still based on 2016 edition." and as seen, from the link in @16 (rosa2016.1): "...mirror.rosalab.ru/rosa/rosa2016.1/iso/ROSA.Fresh.R11/"
http://wiki.rosalab.ru/en/index.php/ROSA_Desktop_Fresh_R11
... tells you that ROSA Fresh 11 is based on rosa2016.1 platform and that it will be supported for 2 years, as long as the work on rosa2019 platform isn't done. It also tells you that the old platform rosa2014.1 will loose the support.
http://rosalinux.com/
and
http://en.rosalinux.com/2017/12/08/rosa-r10-is-out/
... tells you that the ROSA Fresh 10 is based on rosa2016.1 platform and that it'll be supported for 4 years.
This site http://wiki.rosalab.ru/en/index.php/ROSA_Release
contains the link to
http://wiki.rosalab.ru/en/index.php/ROSA_Desktop_Fresh_R8_Release_Notes
... which tells you that it is the last release based on rosa2014.1 platform.
A little bit of reading and basic mathematics will tell you, what the lack of search skills couldn't do.
OR ... (since the 'googleing' is not the only possibillity to search, how about 'yandexing'?), you give the search machine the propper keywords ...
https://ibb.co/TW6FLmw
... and simply read/click on the very first result, which leads you to:
http://wiki.rosalab.com/en/index.php/ROSA_Fresh_release_policy
TaDa ... ;)
But ... I agree -- well done website(~s) shouldn't be done done that way (as I already said in @16).
81 • systemd bashing (by Alburgheiro on 2019-05-10 10:43:00 GMT from Russia)
Some people complain about the constant bashing against systemd.
Understand this: systemd is like global warming, humankind needs to be warned until they understand.
Yes, the arguments are always the same, because the problem is the same.
By the way, RedHat now belongs to IBM, but I guess that is also irrelevant, isn't it?
82 • From corporates for corporates (by whoKnows on 2019-05-10 12:11:41 GMT from United Kingdom)
81 • systemd bashing (by Alburgheiro)
"RedHat now belongs to IBM, but I guess that is also irrelevant, isn't it?"
Your question was already answerd in @50.
83 • Bad software installs aren't a Linux problem (by Joseph on 2019-05-10 18:02:52 GMT from United States)
@19 "Installing software doesn't always work but, that's more of a general Linux problem then ROSA specific."
Heh, no, that's not a "general Linux problem". That sounds like you're using a bad distro. :-) Many modern Linux package managers use a "SAT solver" which mathematically guarantees that if there is a way to install a package, it will find it. (It's not mathematically guaranteed to find the optimal solution, however). Years ago a paper was published about using SAT solvers and revealed that in a test 0.8% of the time apt failed to install a package that was installable on Debian. Debian had no interest in working with the author the paper and their OPIUM proof-of-concept package manager. Other distros and developers did and am open source SAT solver was built into the zypper package manager and some others.
On one distro I tested out that was using pac-man it wanted to uninstall the linux kernel as one of the prerequisites for installing a package! I've seen Sabayon's package manager want to install over a 100 dependencies for a media player and at one time an install would succeed or fail depending on the order in which packages were specified on the command line. So, it's not a Linux problem, but a bad/outdated package manager problem. It's also a problem with distros that don't have adequate testing. Using a major distro with good testing practices and a modern package manager one doesn't have these issues. OpenSUSE and its openQA automated testing system combined with the zypper package manager with SAT solver is a good example.
84 • This you say ;) (by whoKnows on 2019-05-10 18:48:39 GMT from United Kingdom)
83 • Bad software installs aren't a Linux problem (by Joseph)
"Heh, no, that's not a "general Linux problem". That sounds like you're using a bad distro."
Exactly ... all Linux distros that I ever tried are bad distros ... Ubuntu, Fedora ... you name.
That's why installing Shutter work without any problem in any distro. ;)
(Yes, I can make it properly installed if I make my hands dirty, but that's another thing.)
85 • Firejail Q&A (by Jake on 2019-05-10 20:26:18 GMT from United States)
This week the Q&A suggested using --private in firejail. I looked up the manpage, and I saw there is an option --overlay-tmpfs. What is the difference between these two approaches?
As an aside, I like using firejail, but stuff like this makes the whole thing seem a bit too complicated. The same is true for the profile configs. There are so many options, some without enough documentation detail, which makes it hard to set up a custom profile. I end up sticking with modifying based on the default profiles, but then those seem to change every version or two, and I don't always understand what is going on or why.
86 • firejail (by jeb on 2019-05-10 20:44:18 GMT from United States)
Recently while spending an afternoon wading through the firejail issues at github, and rereading the documentation, a thought sprung to mind: "congratulations (not really), firejail configuration has now become more complicated than that of AppArmor".
87 • Firejail (by Jesse on 2019-05-10 21:34:50 GMT from Canada)
@85: "This week the Q&A suggested using --private in firejail. I looked up the manpage, and I saw there is an option --overlay-tmpfs. What is the difference between these two approaches?"
overlay-tempfs basically makes the application's whole filesystem temporary/disposable. The private flag does this for just /home and /root, so it protects against applications writing to the places they usually write to as opposed to the entire filesystem.
>> ""congratulations (not really), firejail configuration has now become more complicated than that of AppArmor".
Usually, unless you're doing something unusual, you don't need to configure Firejail at all. With most programs you get a basic amount of protection just running "firejail application-name" or "firejail --private application-name". Beyond that, you usually don't need to do anything.
You might be referring to creating new sandbox profiles, but if your application doesn't have one yet, Firejail uses a generic one that handles many common cases, so you don't need to create a new profile.
88 • OS experiences (by RJA on 2019-05-11 03:19:56 GMT from United States)
@72 I'm with you there. Especially if talking about 2008, where I likely was excited about "Hardy Heron". Up until close to the time of "Raring Ringtail", I used to be excited for even ".10" versions. I remembered being excited about "Intrepid Ibex" 10 years ago, IIRC.
I honestly liked "Jaunty Jackalope" and "Lucid Lynx".
89 • Blanket statement (by Garon on 2019-05-11 15:48:49 GMT from United States)
84 said "Exactly ... all Linux distros that I ever tried are bad distros ... Ubuntu, Fedora ... you name."
WOW!!! What is it that you use? You kinda sound like you know what you are talking about so whatever you use must be considered good. I don't know anyone who would use something bad all the time, then again, since I've been working with this stuff, starting in the late 70's, I've had to get my hands dirty all the time. With anything I've used. Just saying.
90 • Reading... (by whoKnows on 2019-05-11 17:08:58 GMT from United Kingdom)
89 • Blanket statement (by Garon)
"I don't know anyone who would use something bad all the time ..."
Basically just about everebody is using something bad all of the time, simply because there's nothing better.
As of the rest ...
Yeah, I know ... contextual reading is not everybodies pair of shoes. ;)
-- -- -- -- --
ROSA Fresh R11, Feature Story (by Robert Rijkhoff)
Software management
"ROSA's repositories are quite large - any package I wanted to install was available. Installing software didn't always work though. ..."
19 • (by whoKnows)
"Installing software doesn't always work but, that's more of a general Linux problem then ROSA specific. On the positive side, there are many things (like SoftMaker Office, for example) already in ROSA repositories."
["Installing software doesn't always work..." == from time to time, it can happen that some software from the repositories doesn't install as intendended, from one reason or the other another.]
83 • (by Joseph)
"Heh, no, that's not a "general Linux problem". That sounds like you're using a bad distro."
84 • (by whoKnows)
"All Linux distros that I ever tried are bad distros ... Ubuntu, Fedora ... you name it."
[Because -- each and every one had some issues at some point. The fact that all other O/S are also having some issues is irrelevant here.]
91 • Installing BSD... (by Friar Tux on 2019-05-11 21:40:57 GMT from Canada)
@72 (Harold) "Today it is still much more of a pain to install the BSDs..." Yeah, why is that. Also, downloading them takes forever. When I download a Linux .iso it usually take about 5 to 10 minutes depending on the mirror and .iso size. Trying to download a BSD .iso takes 1 to 3 hours no matter which mirror I pick (regardless of the .iso size). Anyone want to comment on this? I gave up testing BSD long ago because of this.
92 • ROSA (by Friar Tux on 2019-05-11 21:50:44 GMT from Canada)
By the way, for those discussing ROSA... If you're have a tough time with ROSA, try OpenMandriva. It derived off of ROSA, but hasn't got any of the 'issues'. At least not on my machine.
93 • firejail changes (by jeb on 2019-05-12 08:27:30 GMT from United States)
"default profiles, but then those seem to change every version or two, and I don't always understand what is going on or why."
okay, I see those changes as a good thing. Edge cases like distro-specific file locations get reported, and the default profiles are modded to handle those cases.
Number of Comments: 93
Display mode: DWW Only • Comments Only • Both DWW and Comments
| | |
| TUXEDO |
TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite
Choose from a wide range of laptops and PCs in various sizes and shapes at TUXEDOComputers.com. Every machine comes pre-installed and ready-to-run with Linux. Full 24 months of warranty and lifetime support included!
Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
|
| Archives |
| • Issue 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 |
| • 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 |
| • 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.
|
| Random Distribution | 
CrunchBang Linux
CrunchBang Linux was an Debian-based distribution featuring the light-weight Openbox window manager and GTK+ applications. The distribution has been built from a minimal Debian system and customised to offer a good balance of speed and functionality. CrunchBang Linux was currently available as a live CD; however, the best performance was achieved by installing it to a hard disk.
Status: Discontinued
|
| TUXEDO |
TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite
Choose from a wide range of laptops and PCs in various sizes and shapes at TUXEDOComputers.com. Every machine comes pre-installed and ready-to-run with Linux. Full 24 months of warranty and lifetime support included!
Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
|
| Star Labs |
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
|
|
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
