 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 817, 3 June 2019 |
Welcome to this year's 22nd issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
We start the month of June with a review of one of the most popular distributions of Linux among our visitors - the Cinnamon edition of the rolling-release Manjaro Linux. The article, written by Ivan Sanders, not only examines various aspects of the distribution and project, it also offers solutions to several (minor) problems that the author encountered during his testing. In the news section, we link to a story about the underrated but highly useful Ubuntu Security Podcast, examine the recent announcements from Dell and System76 about their powerful line of Linux laptops, visit the newly-released Condres Control Centre, and present the lightweight QtFM file manager that has been recently introduced into the SparkyLinux distribution. And speaking about Linux notebooks, we also have mouth-watering review of Entroware Apollo, an exciting piece of hardware produced by the UK-based company which specialises in Linux solutions. Last but not least, as we celebrate the 18th birthday of DistroWatch, we have a quick survey and a simple question: How long have you been visiting DistroWatch? Happy reading!
Content:
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| Feature Story (by Ivan Sanders) |
Manjaro Linux 18.0.4
Manjaro has truly come of age. Since its inception, the community behind Manjaro has endeavored to make an Arch-inspired Linux distribution that works out of the box, and I think they have hit a home run with the release of 18.0.4. The Manjaro hardware detection (mhwd) service is the real star of the show and gets almost any computer up and running straight from the installation.
What is Manjaro?
Manjaro is the increasingly popular Linux distribution based on Arch Linux which aims to be a free and open-source replacement for Windows or macOS. According to their website Manjaro, "Provides all the benefits of cutting-edge software combined with a focus on getting started quickly, automated tools to require less manual intervention." Let's break that down.
As written above, Manjaro is Arch Linux-based and Arch Linux means cutting edge. What Manjaro adds to that equation is stability while still being Arch based. If you take the bleeding edge that is Arch Linux and you take a small step back from that edge, you get Manjaro). Manjaro does this by having its own repositories where it tests packages for a time (about two weeks, give or take). Manjaro has a stable branch, which I tested, a testing branch, and an unstable branch. Manjaro's unstable branch, "Usually runs inside of three days behind Arch package releases & are modified as necessary to suit Manjaro using the unstable branch may consequently break your system!" Arch-based does not mean the same thing as Arch Linux.
Selection of desktop environments
Manjaro comes in four flagship editions and seven community editions. The flagship editions available are Xfce, KDE Plasma, the GNOME desktop environment, and the fourth flagship edition is Manjaro-Architect. Manjaro-Architect is is a text based net-installer which downloads the latest packages and enables the user to 100% completely customize their Manjaro experience from kernel to desktop environment. The community editions offer Manjaro in the following desktop environments (and some window managers): Cinnamon, Openbox, Awesome, Budgie, MATE, i3, and Deepin. I'm quite impressed with the selection available.
Manjaro Linux 18.0.4 -- Running the Firefox browser with Netflix
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For the purposes of this review I used the Cinnamon desktop environment, for no other reason than I happen to like Cinnamon. Yes, it is a little RAM heavy, but it is modern and easy. If you are interested in a light version of Manjaro I recommend Xfce or MATE for a fully functional desktop environment or Openbox or i3 for a super-lightweight window manager. Any Manjaro experience you choose, Manjaro promises to be Manjaro whether you are on a community edition or a flagship. Each desktop environment has its own benefits and drawbacks, and we won't go into that here.
Installation
Before you install Manjaro, the fancy boot menu allows you to select drivers for your install. If the user has NVIDIA graphics, it is generally recommended to select non-free drivers. After the boot screen, Manjaro detects your hardware and properly configures the system before booting into a live desktop environment where you can try out the system or move into the installation.
Manjaro uses the modern Calamares installer. Calamares is an independent installer framework; it is a fully functional installer and features an advanced partitioner that can do all the work for the user or allow partitioning manually. Many other distributions also use the Calamares installer and it is well documented across the Linux community. I had no issues with the Calamares installer. It was great. I did not dual boot. I installed the root (/) onto my NVMe SSD and mounted my /home filesystem onto my HDD.
Manjaro Linux 18.0.4 -- Displaying information about the system
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Settings
There are two main settings areas, the classic system settings with almost everything a user would be looking for, and then there is the Manjaro Settings Manager. The Manjaro Settings Manager is a very useful tool that enables the user to install drivers, select open source options or proprietary, auto-install drivers, and change the kernel being used. Using the auto-install proprietary drivers setting worked well with my hardware. Initially, I was using kernel 4.19.32-1, which is LTS and recommended. I was eager to see the process and update the kernel to the newest Linux kernel 5.0.5 through the Manjaro Settings Manager, but I was also terrified that this would break my system, NVIDIA, X.Org, or something along the way. To my surprise, updating the kernel worked very well and I was able to use the new kernel on my next restart. Manjaro defaults to the newest kernel installed but the user has the option of selecting kernels from the boot screen if the user wants to use a different kernel.
The ease of Manjaro is what really stood out to me throughout the entire review process.
Manjaro Linux 18.0.4 -- Installing a new kernel
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Hardware
Lets take a moment to talk about laptops with NVIDIA and integrated Intel graphics processors, a set-up known as Optimus. Optimus laptops have been notoriously difficult to work with in Linux and many distributions have problems or difficulties setting up and installing on those laptops. Most notably is the black screen on boot. I had this issue years ago when I first tried Manjaro and I was sure this would happen again, but it did not. I am blown away by the good job Manjaro does in managing a computer's hardware.
Manjaro Linux 18.0.4 -- Browsing settings modules
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Manjaro uses a tool called mhwd, or Manjaro Hardware Detection. mhwd, "Enables the automatic detection and configuration of computer hardware the system is running on," and it is run during the installation process. This tool really does a great job at installing the operating system and making sure it works with the hardware presented. On my Optimus laptop, I had no problems running programs with my NVIDIA card when I wanted to by using primusrun, a command which uses Bumblebee to, "Offload rendering to the NVIDIA GPU." To fully use the NVIDIA graphics card, however, some users may prefer to run the entire system on the NVIDIA card and disable the Intel card at times. This can be done by using the program optimus-manager and the instructions for doing this are very simple to follow on the Manjaro wiki.
Manjaro Linux 18.0.4 -- The Manjaro Settings Manager
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Software
Typically on Linux distributions I use the terminal quite a bit, especially when installing software. Manjaro uses Pamac as its primary package manager but Arch's command line package manager - pacman - is still available. Pamac is able to build from the Arch User Repository (AUR), which gives the user an even greater selection of software to choose from. I found, however, that Pamac's graphical user interface (pamac-manager) was fast and clean. I even resorted to using Pamac in its graphical form more than using the command line. I feel like this is almost taboo for most Linux users to admit, but pamac-manager is an excellent software manager. It is easy to use, clean, and concerning users who may be coming from a different operating system, it is more familiar and less daunting than the command line.
Manjaro Linux 18.0.4 -- Downloading a collection of updates
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Manjaro (with the possible exception of the Architect edition) comes pre-installed with around 1,000 packages (at least on the Cinnamon edition, Ubuntu usually ships with more than 1,600 packages, for reference). Firefox, GIMP, Thunderbird, the LibreOffice suite, and VLC are just a few notable examples. I was very impressed with the dark theme and its usage across every program I used (the pre-installed Cinnamon theme is Adapta-Nokto-Maia). Not a single program loaded the theme wrong or in a broken state (many of Ubuntu's programs installed from the Snap store is an example of GTK themes not working).
Manjaro Linux 18.0.4 -- Available themes
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Forum / Wiki
I realize the forum and wiki aren't actually a part of a Linux distribution. That being said, the wiki helped me in every situation where I needed it and it was clearly written. Additionally, the forum is very easy to maneuver, search works well, and it is available in many languages (some are more active than others). The community behind Manjaro was a positive experience.
Manjaro Linux 18.0.4 -- Transferring files over Bluetooth
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Conclusions
I've always been a big fan of Ubuntu because of ease of use and it always seemed to work with my hardware, but I've always had a desire to use a rolling release and have more control over my system. Manjaro really impressed me with how well it worked on my computer, even with pretty new hardware (mhwd gets the credit here). Other things about Manjaro that seal the deal are Pamac, Manjaro Settings Manager, and the community. I don't think I can ever go back to the release model that Ubuntu uses and I will be using Manjaro as my distro of choice for the foreseeable future.
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Hardware used in this review
- Laptop - Lenovo Legion Y530
- Processor: Intel Core i7-8750H CPU @ 2.20GHz x 6
- Storage: 256GB NVMe SSD Samsung and 1TB HDD
- Memory: 16GB
- Networking: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411
- Display: 1920x1080 @ 60Hz
- Graphics: Intel Corporation UHD Graphics 630, NVIDIA Corporation GP106M [GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile]
At startup, Manjaro Cinnamon used 772MB of RAM.
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Post Script: Problems and technical considerations
The problems I had with Manjaro were very few and exceedingly easy to fix. The community and wiki were helpful in troubleshooting the problems I had. I will list the problems I had which were probably specific to my hardware:
I have a newer Lenovo computer, so I had to manually blacklist the ideapad_laptop module to use wi-fi.
The standard, non-free drivers installation was impressive, but primusrun did not enable my HDMI port. The only way I could get my HDMI port to work was when only using the NVIDIA graphics card and optimus-manager, which I prefer anyways. I wrote a simple, one line script to switch graphics using optimus-manager and connected it to a launcher on my panel:
optimus-manager --print-mode | grep -q intel && gnome-terminal -- optimus-manager --switch nvidia || gnome-terminal -- optimus-manager --switch intel
This one line command basically states, "Hey computer, what GPU am I using? Is it the Intel integrated GPU? If that is correct, change to NVIDIA. Otherwise, change to the Intel GPU." Setting this simple script to a launcher on my panel made switching graphics as easy as clicking on the icon (I used the NVIDIA icon). When I want my battery to last, I use the Intel GPU. When I want to game, I use the NVIDIA GPU. The GPU applet indicator on the panel indicates what GPU I am using; if it is using the NVIDIA GPU it displays the temperature. Otherwise the applet does not display the temperature because the NVIDIA GPU is unreachable. Setting up optimus-manager was as easy as reading the relevant wiki page.
I was never able to get audio through HDMI to work, even with pavucontrol. Not an issue if you use speakers that are not in your monitor, but for use with a TV with integrated speakers, the sound only works through the computer or the aux port. This may be an issue specific to my hardware. I was troubleshooting this issue for approximately 15 minutes.
My computer hangs for approximately 1.5 minutes on shutdown (and during the shutdown process of reboot) nearly every time. This happened on kernels 4.19.34, 5.0.5, and 5.0.7. I was troubleshooting this issue for approximately 25 minutes before I found a fix. Running the following command fixed the shutdown hang on kernel 5.x.x.
sudo systemctl mask lvm2-monitor
According to forums this is only a temporary fix until the kernel or package/service is fixed.
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Visitor supplied rating
Manjaro Linux has a visitor supplied average rating of: 8.1/10 from 411 review(s).
Have you used Manjaro Linux? You can leave your own review of the project on our ratings page.
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| Miscellaneous News (by Ladislav Bodnar) |
Ubuntu presents Security Podcast, Dell and System76 unveil powerful Linux laptops, Condres OS introduces new control centre, SparkyLinux adds QtFM file manager
Ubuntu developer Alex Murray has published an article about Ubuntu Security Podcast, an initiative that has been around for several months, but it hasn't perhaps garnered as much attention as the project's security team would like to see. It is published every Monday and is available via many popular channels: "The Ubuntu Security Podcast is a weekly podcast covering all the latest news and developments from the Ubuntu Security team. Each week the team also discuss a topical Ubuntu and/or general Linux security item of interest. Past episodes have discussed new speculative execution attacks, responsible disclosure practices, Ubuntu security hardening guides and more. The team also welcome your feedback and suggestions for ideas on security topics to discuss, and look forward to answering your questions in future episodes. Special mention of current vacancies within the Ubuntu security team are also announced when open positions are available. The Ubuntu Security Podcast is available via iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts or RSS. Subscribe via your favourite podcast application and each week you will receive the latest Ubuntu security news as soon as it is published. Happy listening!" The Ubuntu Security Podcast has its own web site at UbuntuSecurityPodcast.org.
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Barton George, senior architect at Dell's chief technology office, has unveiled a new range of Ubuntu laptops designed primarily for developers. The powerful Precision systems, classified as "mobile workstations", follow last month's release of entry-level machines: "Earlier this month we introduced the entry-point system in Dell's next generation of Ubuntu-based Precision mobile workstations. Today we are announcing the rest of the line: the Precision 5540, Precision 7540 and Precision 7740. If mobile power is what you're looking for, you've come to the right place. And if AI is your need, the Precision 7540 and 7740 might just be what you've been looking for." The three systems differ in specifications, with the most powerful of the range, the Precision 7740, featuring a large PCIe SSD storage capacity - up to 8TB: "This mobile monster has been updated to feature up to the latest Intel Xeon E or 9th Gen Intel Core 8-core processors. The 7740 comes with up to 128GB of ECC memory, and a large PCIe SSD storage capacity (up to 8TB). It also boasts the latest NVIDIA Quadro RTX graphics, up to the RTX5000, delivering real-time ray tracing and graphics-based AI acceleration. Additional options include next-generation AMD Radeon Pro." Read the rest of the blog post for detailed specifications of the three Dell Precision laptops.
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Still on the subject of Linux laptops, System76 has also announced a new range of 15- and 17-inch laptops called "Gazelle". The laptop will feature a 9th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU: "In case you missed it, we recently announced that a new Gazelle laptop will be released soon. Gazelle has both 15" and 17" options and comes loaded with a 9th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU, an NVIDIA 16-series GPU, and up to 64GB RAM. Gazelle's trifecta of CPU, GPU and Memory gives content creators, gamers, animators and designers a machine that can keep up with their graphics-heavy workloads." All System76 products come pre-loaded with the Ubuntu-based Pop!_OS distribution (developed in house) which also includes a number of recent enhancements: "The ability to disable mouse acceleration has been added to GNOME Settings in Pop!_OS 19.04. Disabling mouse acceleration allows for the increased precision of mouse movements desired by PC gamers, artists, and designers for their unique use cases that depend on mouse accuracy. This patch was previously submitted upstream to GNOME by Mathew Bouma, but was not accepted. However, we've decided to include the patch as an option in Settings rather than through the GNOME Tweak Tool utility, as this feature has been highly requested among Pop!_OS users." See the May newsletter for other recent news covering both hardware and software aspects of System76's products.
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The developers of Condres OS, a set of desktop-oriented distributions based on Arch Linux and featuring a number of popular desktop environments, has introduced a new graphical control centre. Although still labelled as a "beta", the Condres OS Control Centre has now replaced Condres Settings Manager and Octopi in all of the project's distributions: "We have released an important update concerning our control center, which now completely replaces the Condres Settings Manager and Octopi. There are many added features, starting from the control center itself that has been revised and has now reached beta 2. The beta 2 required a massive code rivalry and finally the system tray gets updates in real time. Here is the news from the control center: added the sharing section with Samba and NFS sharing; Samba is automatically supported - in fact all the shares can be made without using any line of code, same thing for NFS; the other section concerns the user account that allows you to create an account and delete it or change the password; support for language and date and time has also been added. This release, in addition to adding a lot of features, even though still in beta, has reached maturity to allow its primary use on the system." Read the full announcement for further information and screenshots.
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If you are still looking for that ideal file manager for Linux, consider giving QtFM a try. This lightweight, customisable and cross-platform application (available for Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD and macOS), has recently landed in the repository of SparkyLinux, a Debian-based distribution featuring the LXQt desktop: "There is a new tool available for Sparkers: QtFM. What is QtFM? A lightweight desktop-independent Qt file manager for Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and macOS. Features: XDG integration; customizable interface; powerful custom command system; customizable key bindings; drag & drop functionality; tabs support; removable storage support; system tray daemon; extensive thumbnail support. The package is built and tested on Sparky 5 and Debian 'Buster' 64-bit and 32-bit only. The project developers are Ole-André Rodlie, Michal Rost, Wittfella; it is licensed under the GNU GPL-2." Here is the brief blog post as published on the SparkyLinux website. The QtFM home page can be found at QtFM.eu and the source code is provided at GitHub. The latest stable version is 6.1.9, released in April 2019, but a more recent beta build is currently in a testing phase.
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These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
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| Hardware review (by Robert Rijkhoff) |
Entroware Apollo
Entroware is a UK company that sells laptops and desktop PCs that come with Ubuntu or Ubuntu MATE pre-installed. I recently bought the Apollo laptop, which is Entroware's 14-inch "Ultrabook". The company ships to just six countries in the EU but fear not; this model is the same as System 76's Galago Pro and ZaReason's UltraLap. The laptop itself is made by Clevo - the vendors choose the exact components and install Linux on the machines.
The starting price for the Apollo is £650 (roughly US$830). I decided to upgrade the processor from an i3 to an i7, increase the amount of memory from 8GB to 16GB and swap the 120GB SSD drive for a 1TB SSD. The laptop comes standard with a backlit keyboard, a high definition display and all the ports you would expect, including a good ol' Ethernet port. The laptop also comes with a three year warranty, although the mouse print states that the warranty on parts is just one year. The total cost, including shipping, was £1,050 (US$1,340).
Ports galore on the Entroware Apollo
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First impressions
The delivery was rather slow, which was partly because I preferred to pay using a card rather than a PayPal account - Entroware delays non-PayPal orders by a full week as "a counter-fraud measure". The laptop did arrive after about ten days, together with a few Entroware and Ubuntu stickers, a notepad and ballpoint pen.
The Apollo, with accessories
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The laptop doesn't have any branding and the Windows/Super key features the Entroware logo. The chassis is made of aluminium and feels solid. The keyboard is fine but the trackpad feels a little rough; if you have got dry fingers it sounds like you are polishing the trackpad with sandpaper. I found that the battery life is average - you are likely to get five or six hours out of the battery, depending on your work load.
The hard drive(s), memory cards and battery can all be replaced (the laptop can opened by removing twelve screws) but there are no instructions on how to do so. Getting started with the laptop itself is self-explanatory and doesn't require a manual. When you switch on the laptop for the first time you are presented with a system configuration window; after selecting your preferred language / keyboard layout and creating a user account you are ready to go. There is no option to partition or encrypt the hard drive (you will get a single ext4 partition).
The back of the laptop, with the Clevo model number (N141ZU)
(full image size: 2.2MB, resolution: 1600x1064 pixels)
The laptop boots very fast. Decrypting the 1TB hard drive takes about four seconds, and loading the desktop after entering my user password takes roughly the same amount of time. I am also very impressed with the high definition screen - everything looks super sharp. Compared with other laptops I own the sound is poor though - it is tinny and shrill at the same time.
Customisations
Entroware ships with a fairly vanilla Ubuntu desktop. The only non-standard application is the "Entroware Support Hub", a simple application that lets you create a diagnostic file with lots of information about your system which you can then send to Entroware's support team.
The Entroware Support Hub
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The support hub is one of nine packages in the Entroware repository that is enabled by default. The purpose of most of the packages is obvious but there were three packages I was curious about: audio-el09r2, entroware-base and entroware-nvidia. The description for the packages are vague at best - for instance, the description of the audio-el09r2 package is "EL09R2 audio". I asked Entroware about these packages but all they would tell me is that they are not intended for the Apollo laptop and that they are "used for enabling/optimising hardware on Entroware's other systems."
Exploring the Entroware repository
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Other operating systems
I wanted to try at least two other operating systems on the laptop. I first tried Trisquel, which is a fully libre, Ubuntu-based distro. The experiment was a failure. When I tried to run Trisquel as a live distro I ended up with completely black screen and when I launched the non-graphical installer I got the same black screen with 24 tiny windows aligned horizontally across the top. As far as I could tell the windows were the text-based screens the installer would normally display one after the other but they were too small to be sure.
I next tried GhostBSD, which is a desktop operating system based on TrueOS. GhostBSD correctly handled the screen resolution and I was able to install the system. There were a few things I couldn't get to work, including wireless Internet, the web cam and some of the Fn keys (for instance, the keys to change the screen brightness didn't work).
Just to make sure that the laptop is at all capable of running anything but Ubuntu I next tried Fedora. Everything worked out of the box, so the morale seems to be that most major Linux distros are likely to work just fine. Entroware told me that they only test and ensure compatibility with Ubuntu and Ubuntu MATE, but that they will provide assistance to get you up and running with your desired distro.
Conclusions and final observations
I like the Entroware Apollo. Looking back I went a little overboard while configuring the laptop but the performance is outstanding and compared to laptops with similar specifications the price is very reasonable. The machine is compact (though the "ultra" description is a bit of a stretch) and the aluminium body makes it look classy. Plus, as you would expect from a company that ships Linux laptops, the most important parts are replaceable.
It is disappointing that Trisquel wouldn't run on the hardware and that GhostBSD worked only partially. Another disappointment is that Clevo is not taking part in the Linux Vendor Firmware Service programme. Until that changes your laptop will not get firmware updates, and I gather it is unlikely that Clevo will sign up to the project any time soon.
If compatibility with hardware and getting firmware updates are high on your list with priorities then a better option would be to buy a (refurbished) Thinkpad. The Apollo is a nice machine though, and I feel it is important to support companies like Entroware and System 76 - if anything, it is nice to not have to pay the Windows Tax. It is also worth mentioning that Entroware gives back to the Linux community; among others they were one of the sponsors of last year's Oggcamp "unconference" here in the UK.
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| Released Last Week |
MX Linux 18.3
An updated build of MX Linux, version 18.3, is out. MX Linux is desktop-oriented Linux distribution based on Debian 9.9 and featuring a customised Xfce desktop. The new version is a minor release, bringing updated MX applications and an improved MX manual: "We are pleased to offer MX Linux 18.3 ISO image for your use. MX 18.3 is a refresh of our MX 18 release, consisting of bug fixes and application updates. Updated packages - the latest updates from Debian 9.9 'Stretch', antiX and MX repositories. New and updated mx-apps: mx-installer (based on gazelle-installer) - the installer workflow has been reworked to allow the user to enter system configuration selections while the major system copy is proceeding, speeding up the actual installation time for the user. This is in addition to the encryption cipher options and select-able ESP install location that were previously added. Improvements to the UEFI boot installation routines have been added as well, along with a ton of of other bug fixes. The kernel has been updated to 4.19.37. So-called 'zombieload' patches are included." Read the rest of the release announcement for further details.
GParted Live 1.0.0-1
Curtis Gedak has announced the release of GParted Live 1.0.0-1, a milestone release from the project that develops the GParted partition management tool as well as this bootable CD/USB image that also contains various disk management and data rescue utilities. From the release announcement: "The GParted team is pleased to announce a new stable release of GParted Live. This release includes GParted 1.0.0, updated packages and other improvements. Items of note include: includes GParted 1.0.0; port to Gtkmm 3; port to GNOME 3 yelp-tools documentation infrastructure; enable online resizing of extended partitions; add F2FS support for read disk usage, grow and check; fix slow refreshing of NTFS file systems; based on the Debian 'Sid' repository as of 2019-05-30; Linux kernel updated to 4.19.37; the boot menu has been sorted; a menu using large font for console has been added; the menu about local OS booting has been improved; a menu about entering UEFI firmware setup has been added; he info about GParted live has been added to the boot menu; bug fixed - PXE booting with FQDN tftp server name is now working. This release of GParted Live has been successfully tested on VirtualBox, VMware, BIOS, UEFI and physical computers with AMD/ATI, NVIDIA and Intel graphics."
4MLinux 29.0^
Zbigniew Konojacki has announced the release of 4MLinux 29.0, a new stable version of the project's independently-developed distribution for desktops (32-bit with JWM) and servers (64-bit with a complete LAMP stack). The new version comes with updated Linux kernel version 4.19.41, updated desktop and server packages (LibreOffice 6.2.4, GIMP 2.10.10, DropBox 73.4.118, Firefox 66.0.5, Chromium 74.0.3729.108, MESA 18.3.1, Apache 2.4.39, MariaDB 10.3.14, PHP 7.3.5 and Python 3.7.1), as well as several new features on both desktops and servers. From the release announcement: "The status of the 4MLinux 29.0 series has been changed to 'stable'. As always, the new major release has some new features: Audacious available out of the box, a new desktop sub-menu called 'Office' (with AbiWord, Gnumeric, LazPaint), spellcheck functionality added to Sylpheed and HexChat, improved LibreOffice installation script, better support for MINIX file system (via util-linux and GParted), much improved 3D acceleration in Quake2. And finally, the 4MServer now includes PHP 7.3 with NaCl cryptography support."
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Development, unannounced and minor bug-fix releases
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| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
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Summary of expected upcoming releases
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| Survey (by Ladislav Bodnar) |
How long have you been visiting DistroWatch?
As we celebrate DistroWatch's 18th birthday (see the Website News section below), we wonder how many of our faithful DWW readers have been with us since the very beginning (starting way back in 2001) and how many discovered us relatively recently. Also, have you ever stopped visiting for a while before becoming regular again? Feel free to comment if you'd like to provide further explanations.
So this week's "poll" is more of a survey than an opinion poll, but we'll be very curious about the outcome.
You can see the results of our previous poll on enabling a firewall on your computer in last week's edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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How long have you been visiting DistroWatch?
| Since 2001: | 389 (13%) |
| Since 2002-2005: | 768 (26%) |
| Since 2006-2010: | 916 (31%) |
| Since 2011-2015: | 605 (21%) |
| Since 2016-2019: | 252 (9%) |
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| Website News (by Ladislav Bodnar) |
DistroWatch reaches adulthood
Yes, it was exactly 18 years ago last Friday, on 31 May 2001, that DistroWatch was first published. It wasn't quite the comprehensive website covering free operating system that it is today, but it was a start - a single page comparing a dozen Linux distributions in a table format, with major features and package versions. Many of the projects popular in those days, such as Caldera OpenLinux, Corel Linux, Progeny Debian or Libranet GNU/Linux died long time ago, but others, like Slackware Linux, Debian, Red Hat or openSUSE continue to thrive in various forms to this day. If you'd like to see what this website looked like in 2001, please take a look at this snapshot provided by Archive.org. From this modest start listing just 12 Linux distributions DistroWatch evolved, adding BSDs and other free operating systems to the ever-growing DistroWatch database. Organising the information of this chaotic bazaar of open-source products into a structured and logical way continues to be a challenge even today - our database currently contains a total of 899 operating systems of which nearly 300 are considered active. Before opening a bottle of champagne, I'd like to say a big thank-you to all our readers who continue to provide valuable suggestions and corrections, as well as our past and present contributors - notably Jesse Smith, currently the main site maintainer, but also Dr W T Zhu, Susan Linton, Caitlyn Martin, (the late) Robert Storey, Chris Smart and many others who have helped with great articles and valuable insight over the past 18 years. So cheers to all as we look forward to many more years of covering the world of free operating systems!
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DistroWatch database summary
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This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 10 June 2019. Past articles and reviews can be found through our Article Search page. To contact the authors please send e-mail to:
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| Reader Comments • Jump to last comment |
1 • Happy Birthday, DW! (by Chris on 2019-06-03 00:59:27 GMT from United States)
Happy Birthday, DistroWatch! Thanks for 18 terrific years, and here's looking forward to 18 more. To me, this site represents the best of what the internet could/should be: compiling and sharing relevant and timely information. Just the facts, ma'am.
2 • Happy Birthday! (by Twodogs on 2019-06-03 01:05:23 GMT from United States)
Wow, I can't believe it's been 18 years! Thanks for the Manjaro review.
3 • Birthday & Manjaro (by Sherlock on 2019-06-03 01:33:53 GMT from Canada)
Best wishes for reaching adulthood. I am a DW fanboy, I appreciate the wealth of info on FOSS and Linux distros. Excellent Job and well deserved praise.
Thanks for the Manjaro review. I found out about Manjaro after Mint stopped development of their KDE offering and became a die-hard Manjaro KDE enthusiast. Never looked back. Indeed Manjaro has a great community and we can count on the professionalism of the project developers to offer high quality and well-tested editions.
4 • Distrowatch 18 (by TuxUser on 2019-06-03 01:41:02 GMT from Canada)
Thank you all for your outstanding present and past work Jesse Smith, Dr. W T Zhu, Susan Linton, Caitlyn Martin, Robert Storey, Chris Smart . It would be interesting to know where all these people are now.
Without knowing it, you helped make me a better computer user and professional computing.
A big thank you
5 • Happy Birthday DW (by Alfrex on 2019-06-03 01:42:02 GMT from United States)
Many thanks for your site and information. Greetings from Mexico (using proxy).
6 • How long have you been visiting DistroWatch? (by 2damncommon on 2019-06-03 01:54:10 GMT from United States)
I started using Linux c. 2000
Not sure when I found Distrowatch but I know I visited infrequently looking for distro information.
For the last couple years I check out Distrowatch most weeks just to check things out.
Didn't answer the poll because I don't know a date.
7 • Happy Birthday (by Teresa e Junior on 2019-06-03 02:01:58 GMT from Brazil)
Congratulations, DW! It's fun to see so many visitors from the same 2006-2010 era as myself!
8 • Congratulations for reaching adulthood (by Ariel on 2019-06-03 02:03:00 GMT from Argentina)
Just wanted to congratulate people behind distrowatch always keeping their shape and style in spite the spend of the years, it brings me memories from highschool, collegue, and i am really happy to see it still up and running and hope it goes this way.. cheers!
9 • Congratulations on 18 years, DistroWatch! (by eco2geek on 2019-06-03 02:15:39 GMT from United States)
I don't remember when I started reading DW, but it was sometime when the site looked a lot like it does now. Anyway, Susan Linton, if you're still reading, "Hi!" And to all those who put together this site, thank you for your hard work.
Since Linux Mint is no longer producing a KDE version, I'm going to install Manjaro KDE in its place. Manjaro runs quite well from live media.
10 • Happy 18th Birthday to DistroWatch (by fa - flyingalone on 2019-06-03 02:39:30 GMT from Australia)
Congratulations on providing a truly useful service,
Once I found DW, DW became the MUST go-to place (I started in 2013 I think) for any info about diistros, I have learnt so much from all articles from the great staff at DW, the weekly DW newsletter is a must do on a monday, the reviews fantastic when needing help in making a distro swap, the amount of info about the distros including packages, desktop choices etc etc saves a lot of going from one to another distros main page , DistroWatch should be packaged with every distro live session, Not every( especially new to Linux )computer user knows about DistroWatch,
Again Thank You Very Much
And Congratulations on 18 years
11 • How I came here? (by Niyas C on 2019-06-03 03:00:51 GMT from Singapore)
I came to know about DistroWatch from the Operating System Concepts book, 'notorious' as Dinousar Book. It gave distrowatch URL as reference to check more about GNU/Linux distributions. and I reached here.
Since then, I'm a regular visitor of this website.
12 • DistroWatch's 18th birthday (by Terry on 2019-06-03 03:49:19 GMT from United States)
Congratulation DistroWatch! I am so thankful that you continue to stay around all these years. Your hosting of all those distro's is so valuable to public and the creators of linux distros. Must have made 1000's of distress from your site with no regrets. Very valuable information. Keep on keeping on!!!!!!
13 • Comment on #12 (by Terry on 2019-06-03 03:53:07 GMT from United States)
Also mention, if it were not for your site I would have never stayed with Linux. The disto's hosted made it possible for me to get interested and educated and to stay with Linux to the every day. Thanks a bunch!!!!!
14 • Happy Birthday and stuff... (by claudecat on 2019-06-03 04:27:42 GMT from United States)
Wow... I've been reading DW daily for so long I can't even imagine a world without it! Congratulations and thanks for all you folks do for us each and every day and week.
I first checked out Linux in the late 90's, with Red Hat and SUSE, attempts that were largely unsuccessful. I wasn't able to do everything I needed my computers to do, so I stayed with Windows for the most part. Until around 2010 or so I guess. I've been Windows-free for almost a full decade now, and have bounced around from distro to distro with lots of help from DW. Currently running Neon, as I've discovered that it plays much nicer with KDE resources (memory mainly) than Arch. I do prefer the Arch infrastructure/"way" however, and look forward to them addressing whatever it is that's causing memory leaks.
Honestly I keep several distros current on my main PC, and they all work well enough to be daily drivers. I'm just happiest with KDE and current versions of my main array of mostly music/video related applications. Neon with a few PPA's does that really well, but I'd rather Arch the whole thing and not have to worry about upgrading to the next LTS... With the help of DW I'll be able to determine at which point this will be possible (again).
Sorry for rambling... and thanks again!
PS - I really enjoy the reviews by folks other than Jesse. Fresh perspectives, less dry structure...
15 • 18th birthday (by Roger on 2019-06-03 05:05:15 GMT from Belgium)
It's good that some things continue to evolve and getting better.
Distrowach is one of those excellent site's about Linux.
The weekly newsletter is a joy to read, short to the point and correct info.
16 • Feature Story (by Ivan Sanders) (by Greg Zeng on 2019-06-03 05:05:15 GMT from United Kingdom)
The distribution review (Manjaro Cinamon) was a joy to read. The test computer had industry standard hardware, so will be on my must-buy list. Problems & solutions were concise & enlightening to read. Congratulations Distrowatch.
17 • Happy Birthday (by Roy on 2019-06-03 05:11:35 GMT from United States)
I have enjoyed this site for a long while now.
18 • 18th Birthday (by Kev.T. on 2019-06-03 05:56:13 GMT from Australia)
I have been reading since I started to think about changing from Windows to Linux as I found Distrowatch to be easy to follow and honest. Through it I found many distros which I tried until settling for Mint. Now I follow on twitter and visit at least once a day and Monday's are started only after the Weekly is read. Thank you and here's to the next 18 years.
19 • Happy Birthday (by Karan on 2019-06-03 06:29:34 GMT from United States)
Congrats on maintaining DW for so long.
20 • Happy Birthday (by Roy Davies on 2019-06-03 06:30:48 GMT from United Kingdom)
I've been an avid reader of DistroWatch since I discovered Linux in 2014, at the demise of XP.
DistroWatch, along with It's F.O.S.S. and ComputerActive magazine have been the guiding lights on my Linux journey.
My thanks to Jesse and the team, and long may you continue with the sharing of all things Linux.
21 • Entroware Apollo Laptop (by Paul M on 2019-06-03 06:42:12 GMT from Canada)
Every time I read a review about a new Linux laptop, I want to scream! I say this because these reviews are almost always about some $1000+ priced machine. And, while it's great that there are companies out there selling laptops with Linux pre-installed, the prices are usually on the high end of the spectrum. Now, if you are a developer whose company is paying for the laptop, bully for you... same if you are a well-paid IT sysadmin making 6 figures & can afford said laptops. Thennnn... there are those of us out here who are "average Joe" types - making average Joe salaries. For those of us, a System76 Oryx Pro at $1700 IS-NOT-in-the-cards! Hell, about 6 years ago I bought a 2000 Ford Explorer for $800! - and yeah, it was a beater with a lot of miles - but it was a VEHICLE that got me to work and back for 2+ years before the motor went south!!! Needless to say, people like me are not in the financial position to be shelling out big $$$ for Linux laptops!
And to be fair, there are some Linux powered laptops that are available that are priced at working-guy prices - like the Pinebook, or some SBC-type (Raspberry Pi, etc) homebrew laptops. BUT, these comprise the minority of Linux laptops, and usually come with low-end specs, and/or have major design compromises. IMHO, what we need to see are companies that are selling entry-level to-mid-level Linux laptops (and Desktops) that are priced at what working people can afford.
Another way we (and DISTROWATCH) can bring real-world priced Linux laptops into the spotlight - is by talking about buying currently available entry-level computers from retailers - such as the Acer Aspire E15 (~$325) and stripping Winderrrs off the sucker and putting some Linux flavor on it. I would love to be reading reviews here on Distrowatch of people who have done that and their experiences! Another thing we need to hear more about is re-purposing older laptops that still have some life left in them into Linux machines. I'm sure that I'm not the only one here who feels this way...
22 • Happy 18th birthday Distrowatch. (by Chris on 2019-06-03 06:54:06 GMT from South Africa)
Distrowatch is my morning cup of coffee!
23 • Congratulations (by X on 2019-06-03 07:05:48 GMT from United States)
So much has changed since I discovered the static page many years ago. Thank you for making this site available and to all of those that contributed to make it a success.
If only Groklaw was still around to shed more light on the legal side of open source software.
24 • Happy Birthday, please bring back the statistics page (by ou_ryperd on 2019-06-03 07:42:09 GMT from South Africa)
A few years ago there was a page called statistics, that showed, among other things, which distros were derived from which. Please bring it back :-)
25 • Happy Birthday (by Michael on 2019-06-03 08:08:21 GMT from United Kingdom)
Happy Birthday, Distrowatch!
My Monday morning reading each week, distro hopping with every new distro release
Since I started using Linux in 2002/3 I always bought ex-business 3 or 4-year-old Thinkpad models, One of the joys of computing to be able to play with hardware and software,
Still waiting for a Linux OS for mobile phones that will do the same
26 • @21 Linux Laptops (by Fred W. on 2019-06-03 08:48:26 GMT from United States)
I have an Acer E15 dual booting KDE-neon. Replaced the HDD with an SSD. Good machine for the money. Also, Dell will sell you a Precision 3530, decent specs, with Ubuntu 18.04 for around $600. That's not so high.
27 • Happy Birthday World best Linux Website (by Sanjay on 2019-06-03 09:00:32 GMT from India)
Using more than 5 Years(even I don't remember), and thanks for providing Linux information faster than anyone ...
28 • Congrats Distowatch Team! (by José Augusto (Brasil) on 2019-06-03 09:40:52 GMT from Brazil)
At least once a week (but probably more) I have been, for many years, surfing on Distrowatch. It has drive my choice of distribution to install and use. It has ofered a lot of options to test and compare. Linux comunit has been honoured with your outstanding job!! Congrats!!!
29 • Happy 18th B-day (by Maik on 2019-06-03 09:55:34 GMT from Belgium)
Happy 18th birthday DW! I've been visiting the site for about 11 to 12 years now. After i found out about Linux based distro's, starting with ubuntu back then, i tried a lot of them. And with a lot i mean almost the complete list of distro's from 2007/2008. Just to see what others made of it and how well they worked. Good old times. Now i settled down and left my distrohopping days behind.
30 • Chrome OS and the "new" Chromebooks that would run Linux apps (by OstroL on 2019-06-03 09:57:43 GMT from Poland)
Happy Birthday!!!
Would DWW look into "new" Chromebooks that would run Linux apps? It would be interesting to get a ready made Linux laptop. After all, Chrome OS is based on Linux.
Personally, never used one, so would be interesting to read a review at DWW.
31 • DW&DWW (by Sondar on 2019-06-03 10:31:43 GMT from United Kingdom)
Penblwydd Hapus - Diolch yn Fawr.
What a nice helpful chap is Jesse, too.
32 • Since 2001 (by MikeOh Shark on 2019-06-03 10:46:12 GMT from Switzerland)
Congratulations on staying relevant as well as alive! That is an awesome accomplishment!
I found DW on July 1, 2001. That was the day that they installed our cable modem. The first thing I did was search for Linux download Live CD and DW came up. I added it to my bookmarks toolbar and have checked in almost every day since. My weather page had to change but DW is the only site that stays.
Even after trying many distros, I enjoy the Tips & Tricks. It's why I use dnsmasq, firejail, iptables and ip6tables, and ipsets.
Thanks for everything.
33 • Happy Birthday, Distrowatch! (by Taif Miloud on 2019-06-03 10:51:48 GMT from Morocco)
Happy Birthday, Distrowatch!
A wonderful Linux database and a great community
I wish you all the best
34 • Since 2004 (by Garon on 2019-06-03 12:12:08 GMT from United States)
Happy Birthday to DistroWatch. This is one of the first things I do every day. It never hurts to be informed and here I can do that. Loved the screen shot of the DistroWatch page from 2001. I found it fascinating that most distros of that time were not free but cost a little money. Those were the days.
Thanks again for all your help over the years.
Eddie "Garon" Wilson
35 • Gratulacje (by Witold on 2019-06-03 12:18:52 GMT from Poland)
18 lat to piękny wiek . Do 100 lat i więcej. Naprawdę dobra robota . Od 2006 r. i Ubuntu 6.10
36 • Happy B-Day (by G. Savage on 2019-06-03 13:05:44 GMT from Canada)
Thank you for everything the Distrowatch team does. If it wasn't for you, I'd have given up on Linux. After a nightmare of aggravation with Slackware; you helped discover Mepis.Suddenly Linux installed and ran as easily as Windows. I'm so happy it lives on as MX. I haven't looked back since.
:-)
37 • Linux Computers and/or Conversion To (by Lawrence H. Bulk on 2019-06-03 13:51:32 GMT from United States)
I too would like to see more articles about computers with Linux pre-installed and especially about some which are reasonably priced.
That said, I recently purchased five (5) computers from ZaReason, all of which are "high-end" and all of which are superb in every regard.
Two of the computers are Ultralap 6440 with the 8th-generation i5-8250U processor. Even though it is an i5, it is FAST. My wife and I really like them!
On four of the computers we have Antergos installed (soon to be EndeavourOS as Antergos is discontinued). On the fifth (a MediaBox 7550 [they've just released the 9130 model] we have Manjaro installed.
Manjaro is fine though I do prefer Antergos. The problem with Antergos, at least for me, was getting it installed in the first place. The Cnchi installer had always given me problems until I found that if one has the live disk mounted, one can go into the programs, run GParted, and reformat all the drives on the computer. Then Cnchi runs perfectly, at least in my experience (so far).
What I would also like to see here on DistroWatch are instructions to install various Linux (and BSD) systems on computers with UEFI enabled (I have at least one computer on which UEFI cannot be disabled) and Secure Boot (either enabled or disabled).
When I have disabled Secure Boot on certain older computers, I have had to guess as to what other settings changes were necessary in the UEFI/BIOS. I think that DistroWatch could be of great help here, especially in view of the fact that I have only rarely found two computers with the same UEFI/BIOS installed (even among computers made by the same company and bought around the same time!).
In any case, I too wish you a Happy Birthday and I wish you a bright future. My Monday mornings (occasionally Sunday nights) would not be complete without DistroWatch. Thanks for this newsletter, this site, and for all that you do.
38 • Visitor since..?? (by Dr. E.S. Ktorp on 2019-06-03 13:52:47 GMT from United States)
First time I used Linux was 2004.. so it was either right around there or immediately prior to that.. 2003 at the earliest, 2005 at the latest. Most of us regular visitors can only barely stand eachother, but it's nice to have a place where we can converge to butt heads; I like it.
So here's to Distrowatch, our friends and our foes.
Long Live Distrowatch!
Death to systemd! (come at me)
39 • audio over hdmi important to me (by dmacleo on 2019-06-03 14:19:46 GMT from United States)
I would consider the no audio over hdmi pretty important, I cannot test similar setups due to hardware but would be interested if you ever find the issue.
40 • Happy Birthday DW (by Friar Tux on 2019-06-03 14:27:38 GMT from Canada)
Happy Birthday DW. Can't remember when I started reading DW, but it was well back before the Windows 10 Fiasco. In fact, it was DW that helped me test out numerous distros to find a decent Windows replacement. (I chose Linux Mint/Cinnamon.) Haven't regretted that choice once in all this time. This is the place I steer folks to if they're interested in anything Linux.
By the way, I haven't stopped testing disrtos, still at it, and still coming here for the info on those distros, so keep up the great work guys.
@21 (Paul M) I totally agree with your comment. I get around that by buying lower end laptops from reputable companies, wiping 'Winderrs', and replacing that with a Linux distro. (Yeah, I'm still paying the 'Windows Tax' but it's much better than actually having to use that rubbish.) Presently, I'm using four HP laptops and they have lasted for quite a long time. I think the oldest one will be ten this summer, and still going strong running Mint/Cinnamon. All my laptops were under $600.00 from the local, well known office supply store. A friend of mine buys his computers at a computer resale place. That way, according to him, he can get a high end computer at lower end prices, plus a good parts and labour guaranty. He, too, has had a couple of his computers for as long as I've known him, which is longer than I care to admit. One of the great things about Linux is that it CAN extend the life of a computer. (Some distros even advertise that in their write-up.)
41 • Manjaro/Antergos (by Friar Tux on 2019-06-03 14:38:34 GMT from Canada)
Opps, I forgot. The Manjaro review... I have tried out Manjaro a number of times. Each time it offered a number of issues. (I tried XFCE, KDE, Cinnamon) So far, I have found Antergos to be far superior out-of-box. Too bad, that one has bit the dust. It had possibilities. Sad to see it go.
42 • My Previous Post (by Lawrence H. Bulk on 2019-06-03 14:41:53 GMT from United States)
Re-reading my previous post here makes me realize that I am asking an awful lot of you.
The trouble is that DistroWatch has become my "go-to' site for information. There is nowhere else that I can find information about the merits and demerits of various Linux and BSD distributions in such great and useful detail (and that includes user reviews).
There is also nowhere where I can find useful information about the computers on which we install these operating systems. The machine-information provided at the end of each review is important and useful, of course, but I think that more is needed.
Perhaps you could set up a section in which various "guest" reviewers (vetted, of course) could write about their own experiences with installing Linux/BSD on (former) Windows computers (either Linux/BSD only or dual-boot). It would be nice to know which computer brands are Linux/BSD friendly and which are not.
I do apologize if you think that I am asking DistroWatch to expand its mission beyond that which it is intended.
43 • @ 40 rubbish...? (by akoy on 2019-06-03 14:47:38 GMT from United Kingdom)
"I get around that by buying lower end laptops from reputable companies, wiping 'Winderrs', and replacing that with a Linux distro. (Yeah, I'm still paying the 'Windows Tax' but it's much better than actually having to use that rubbish.)"
Ever seen/read the DWW publish anything against other operating systems? What you do with your low end laptops is your private matter. Explain "rubbish" in your post with facts, not just your say so. And, don't dirty this comment space.
44 • Happy birthday and thanks (by oscar on 2019-06-03 15:35:00 GMT from Spain)
I began using Linux at 2001 with Red Hat 7.1. A year later, about 2002-2003 researching other Linux distros for my school I came to Distrowatch. Since that, almost all weeks I come here and many sundays I stay awake waiting until 2:00 am the new DW Weekly issue, (In Spain DW Weekly are published about that hour)
Happy Birthday and thanks to Distrowatch!
Thanks because I learned new things, to allow me be up to dated, felt part of a community and discovered and used outsider distros like Crux and Lunar and knew about other curious like Pizza Linux, Rock, Devil Linux, Adios and other obscure distros that comes to my mind.
45 • #43 rubbish comment - Manjaro review (by vern on 2019-06-03 15:57:31 GMT from United States)
The "rubbish" mentioned in #40, was in reference to Windows, not DW.
Manjaro review was exactly my experience while using it. I was using the XFCE flagship. I might try the KDE version, as I already have XFCE from xubuntu.
46 • Happy birthday!!! (by David on 2019-06-03 16:09:16 GMT from Serbia)
For the last couple of years I've been visiting the site (pretty much every single day), and I always find/learn something new and interesting. It is needless to say that now I can't imagine my Mondays without DistroWatch Weekly. You guys are doing the fantastic job, and I hope you will keep doing it in years to come. Happy birthday and wish you all the best!
47 • Linux laptops/notebooks (by Dave Postles on 2019-06-03 16:27:39 GMT from United Kingdom)
I've bought several laptops/notebooks from PCSpecialist (and earlier from Novatech) without an operating system. In fact, because they test them with Windows, Windows comes installed, but without a recovery partition. I just install whatever Linux happens to grab me at the time. I therefore have Linux notebooks/laptops for well under £400 (usual spec of 8Gb RAM).
48 • Happy birthday, DW! (by TheTKS on 2019-06-03 16:34:21 GMT from United States)
Congratulations on reaching 18 years old. Thanks to all the contributors, and to the fellow posters. I appreciate learning from both.
I stumbled on Distrowatch in late 2016, not long after I first installed Linux after a worse-than-usual Windows 10 incident (Oct update) and a bit before discovering and installing BSD.
I have learned a few things here vital to making Linux and BSD work for me, or work better, for which I am grateful. A good reminder that it's time to make another contribution.
TKS
49 • Rubbish defined (by Friar Tux on 2019-06-03 17:03:57 GMT from Canada)
@43, (akoy), yes, vern (@45) is right. The word referred to Windows. You asked for facts so here are the facts:- Windows updates were intrusive. They took over the computer, sometimes right in the middle of my work. Linux lets you wait till you decide to click the update button. Windows updates sometimes took an hour with numerous reboots to boot. The longest Linux update I have had was 10 minutes - yes, I keep track. (This was actually The Wife's laptop and she left it too long.) Windows ran vvveeerrryyy slow. Linux runs like there's no tomorrow. Windows kept giving me "(Program) Not Responding." Linux has never given me a single issue in the three years I've used it (on four computers). There are many more 'facts', but I think I'll stop here to give others a chance to write.
And just to make sure you understand COMPLETELY, I would never diss Distrowatch. This site is a God-sent to newcomer to Linux and those looking for info about the various distros, myself included. As with others, here, this is my first Monday morning read (and my last Saturday night read). And I love this comment section, I love the passion, here. Yeah, we occasionally 'butt heads', but we're all for Linux and passionate about it. (Even your passion comes through in your comment, akoy.)
50 • @45, @50, one man's rubbish (by Fred W. on 2019-06-03 17:45:26 GMT from United States)
I'll have to side with @ 43 akoy. There's no need for insults, and as he wrote and you misunderstood, DW is about promoting Linux, not about insulting other OSes. Believe it or not, this can be done while being civil.
@45, I have used and enjoyed Linux a lot longer than the 4 years you claim, but I'm still writing this comment on what you name as "rubbish," which has also worked very well for my use, and allows me to accomplish quite a few things I can't get done on Linux..
51 • Manjaro/Laptops (by Rick on 2019-06-03 17:48:20 GMT from United States)
Manjaro has been buggy for at least the past 3-4 years. Tried it a number of times. Back in 2016 a huge update blew up without any explanation or recovery option. Tried to use later versions and the same thing - buggy! Unusable for me. I'll stick with MX Linux for the time being. Both Ubuntu and Mint were great at one time. But now they are either failing or only fair to good compared to "excellent" in the past (Ubuntu 10.10 & Mint 17.3).
I have been buying Lenovo Thinkpad refurbished laptops on eBay or IBM Used Equipment for the past 12 years. I have 4 of them running now. Why pay for new when you can get a refurbished laptop which should last at least a few years if not longer? The most I ever paid was about $150.00. I simply wipe the disk and install Linux. For the most part, but not all, today's laptops are cheap toys with lousy keyboards that can't even begin to compare to Dell's and Lenovo's and a few others' business class laptops.
52 • Congratulations (by Pepe Le Peu on 2019-06-03 18:05:14 GMT from United Kingdom)
Congratulations to Distrowatch on their 18th year.
Unfortunately, it's obvious from a few of the comments that some people must put others' choices down in order to feel good about their own.
53 • HAPPY 18TH dw (by kc1di on 2019-06-03 18:20:27 GMT from United States)
Great to see it's been 18 years , been here since almost the beginning. Thanks for you faithful service. l
54 • @ 50 not defined, only hate (by Pierre on 2019-06-03 18:43:05 GMT from United Kingdom)
"The word referred to Windows. You asked for facts so here are the facts:- Windows updates were intrusive. They took over the computer, sometimes right in the middle of my work. Linux lets you wait till you decide to click the update button. Windows updates sometimes took an hour with numerous reboots to boot."
Take decision; either use Windows or Linux. Or, both of them. BUT, don't trash one OS in another OS's public forum. DWW is a respected place, and we are here celebrating its 18th B'day.
Want to argue about Windows? Trash it? Go to a Windows forum to do so. Here. let's talk Linux, and BSD, and even Android, Chrome OS, which are based on the Linux kernel.
We are NOT interested in any of your Windows woes, period!
55 • Happy Birthday! (by Glenn on 2019-06-03 18:44:10 GMT from United States)
Can't exactly remember when I first discovered DW but have loved and visited it often -as much as twice daily for appx. 10 years now. GREAT resource and I point people to it regularly as the finest repository of fresh Linux and BSD distro info. I know of. Further, I'm a superfan of small distros for old laptops and pc's, so am continuously coming here for fresh distros that might make an old machine useful for other than a landfill. I use several daily. THANK YOU to the DistroWatch team for an amazing and truly useful site! -Glenn
56 • Manjaro & DW (by PorkyPie on 2019-06-03 19:22:07 GMT from United Kingdom)
Happy birthday to DW :)
I only started using Linux seriously in preference to Win10 about a year ago - about the same time I discovered Distrowatch.
The Manjaro article was excellent, it's one of the distros I boot along with Mint 19.1 (and Win10 if necessary).
The only thing I dislike about Manjaro (Cinnamon) is Bumblebee. I have an Optimus laptop and I would prefer to use Prime by default as Mint 19.1 (Cinnamon) does (forget about battery life).
Other than that it's worked flawlessly on my Lenovo Ideapad.
The link to the instructions to switch GPU was greatly appreciated and I like the up to date software that a rolling distro provides such as the LibreOffice suite V6+.
I look forward each week to a new issue of DW, it must take a massive effort to keep that schedule rolling.
57 • Distrowatch (by OstroL on 2019-06-03 19:36:33 GMT from Poland)
I have Distrowatch bookmarked in every web browser I use, even in Microsoft Edge. I think, I started coming here since 2002, and I remember those lovely one-man distros it showed us. Wish you a long life!
58 • Cheap Linux Laptop (by Style99 on 2019-06-03 19:43:15 GMT from United States)
I have a cheap laptop (about $300) which came with Windows 10, and my patience with that OS ended about a year ago when Windows FUBARed an "update" (which they always try to do behind your back). I installed Ubuntu over that wreckage of an OS and it worked great out of box. No having to delve into hidden control settings and disable every other thing installed on the machine like you have to with Windows. Ubuntu just works.
Trust me on this. Get a cheap laptop and then install Linux over top of it. That's the way to do cheap.
59 • Thank you DW (by StephenC on 2019-06-03 19:44:23 GMT from United States)
Thank you for all that you have done. You've kept my stick on the ice!
60 • Archive (by Agafnd on 2019-06-03 19:56:20 GMT from United States)
Here's the earliest snapshot web.archive.org has of distrowatch.com!
https://web.archive.org/web/20010706122626/http://www.distrowatch.com/
61 • Thanks for contributing to my livelihood and sanity. (by Bushman on 2019-06-03 19:58:43 GMT from United States)
Been reading DW for 17.5 years. Kept me in linux by teaching me a lot. Always a place to go know what you don't know. Thanks for contributing to my livelihood and sanity. God bless your good work and selflessness.
62 • Manjaro/Antergos/Arch (by Vukota on 2019-06-03 20:13:38 GMT from Serbia)
Problem with Arch is that it gets broken often (on/for specific hardware only), but it gets fixed quickly.
Antergos was just an Arch with a nice GUI installer and nice theme.
Manjaro is hybrid snapshot of Arch that is 3 months old (they think it is more stable/tested that way), and this usually means when your particular hardware is broken it stays broken for three months. So if I had to choose, I would choose Arch instead, as things get fixed quickly and turnaround is faster from when you report the issue.
They both share problems with package review process (Arch inherited), where different maintainers push inconsistent change and they are often getting fixed with next update, but they were not supposed to be incorrect in the first place (like permissions 755 vs 711 vs 700 on security critical files/folders, wrong folders, bad signatures, etc.)
I personally, prefer something more predictable/stable than both of these choices.
63 • Buying a new laptop (by Ben Myers on 2019-06-03 20:20:56 GMT from Canada)
Both my clients and I benefit from an approach I have long used when setting up laptops for use. Typically, I get the model closest to a bare-bones setup as possible, small hard drive and the least amount of memory offered. Then I install the amount of memory the client requires and the right capacity of SSD, both bought at street prices much lower than the steep increments added by original seller to the most basic teaser configuration price. My client pays less than what the seller would charge and I get some more hardware to add to my collection and to use for other purposes.
There I go again, giving away my secrets. But to do all of this, you better understand perfectly well what can be installed inside the laptop you buy, else you will be stuck with extra hardware.
64 • @50 Friar Tux: (by dragonmouth on 2019-06-03 20:42:15 GMT from United States)
How DARE YOU trash and insult Windows, the Gift from God (or at least Mr. Bill)?! You must beg forgiveness for your trespass, otherwise Microsft will send out its hit squads after you. If you wish to speak/write about Windows, you will only do it in reverential tones as befits the Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread.
65 • @21 et al (by Ray on 2019-06-03 20:51:21 GMT from United States)
I have had some luck refurbishing laptops given to me/rescued from the trash. I replace the hard drive, add memory if I have it, then install a version of Linux (Mint, Ubuntu (and derivatives), Mandriva, Fedora, PCLinuxOS,etc...). It has been successful on Toshiba C850's, Lenovo E540's, an HP, and several Dell's of various ages. Most of those have been 5-10 years old. I was even able to install Linux on a small Asus laptop (can't remember the model) that was about 7" screen size for a school I support. Only issue (using *buntu's) has been broadcom wifi cards; but following forum posts and using the wired connection, it was sorted out. YMMV.
Anyways, just my two cents worth.
Happy 18TH DW!!!
66 • distrowatching (by gumb on 2019-06-03 21:28:42 GMT from France)
Used to visit this site frequently back in the age where I'd do a daily round trip of dozens of bookmarks. Started using Linux in 2003/4. Still use it all the time but am less interested in the goings-on than I used to be, hence my lack of visits here in recent years. A few months ago I subscribed to the RSS feed and so I make occasional visits again here to read news snippets. I know how hard it can be to stay motivated to keep a website running in the long term so well done for your continued efforts.
67 • DW and Linux beginnings (by Jordan on 2019-06-03 23:12:04 GMT from United States)
Windows 95 propelled me to RedHat Linux, that was in '96. Not much in the way of Linux websites out there. Then about 5 years on here was Distrowatch.
And thus began the distrohopping, happily on my way. ;o)
68 • 18 (by Bill S on 2019-06-03 23:36:09 GMT from United States)
Happy Birthday to you!
I have learned so very much coming to your site, and you rescued me after Gnome 2.0.2 was lost. The links found here and the articles are PRICELESS! Thanks everyone involved.
69 • HaPPY BiRTHDaY DiSTRoWaTCH ;?) (by mikie on 2019-06-04 02:53:44 GMT from United States)
Thanks a bunch distrowatch crew (Beatrix Kiddo), used to work in UNIX for 15 years & our sysadmin was a UNIX/linux professional and turned us on to Red Hat ages ago. Recently 2 of my computers were hacked thru google chrome browser, like NSA cops imho Thankfully had old UNIX usb stick, was able to get admin privileges back. Saved my butt & my computers. Now am back to linux with a vengeance after many years. Your site was critical getting me back to linux with all the great info, reviews, comments, etc. Took those computers back Arnold terminator style. One computer was XP (just used for gaming & browsing), other win 10 computer (locked start menu). Will never use anything google ever again or comment on youtube or any other social media site, free speech no longer exists turns out ( cops are on yt impersonating people ), will never create accounts connected to any of these evil mass surveillance corporations ever again. Recently after trying many distros have settled on Linux Mint LMDE 3.0 using Calamares installer Cinnamon edition, imho that is one of the best OS I have ever used & install was a dream, duel boot. To the laptop issue here I say ASUS laptops rock, bought one for 500 new, also my daughter has had them too, they are super reliable, have a Ubuntu on one now soon to be LMDE 3.0 Cinnamon. Aside to anyone who missed this very important watch imho > Snowden Live from Russia ( dated May 30th about 1.5 hours). Again thankyou Distrowatch for all that you do, keep up the great work, & we all wish your team many more birthdays. Best Regards, Mike
70 • How long have you been visiting DistroWatch? (by Male Reader on 2019-06-04 15:54:14 GMT from United Kingdom)
I've enjoyed Distrowatch since back in the days when you had the good-lookin' babe at the masthead.
Sure wish you would bring her back!
71 • Old Distrowatch (by LaCoste on 2019-06-04 19:31:19 GMT from United States)
http://web.archive.org/web/20030126063851/http://distrowatch.com/
72 • @70, @71 (by Justin on 2019-06-04 20:24:30 GMT from United States)
Distrowatch probably can't do that for legal reasons. From the archive link, that's Rikku from Final Fantasy X. If you do a quick image search, you can find a wallpaper.
Coincidentally, I noticed that the ownership of Distrowatch seems to have changed. The copyright notice at the bottom for a long time was "Unsigned Integer Limited" but now it's "Altea Ataroa Limited".
73 • RE Salix (by Steve on 2019-06-04 20:44:01 GMT from United Kingdom)
I know its not a hot topic but, I am gutted Salix has gone dormant!
74 • Happy 18 (by SERGIO on 2019-06-04 21:01:56 GMT from Portugal)
Still Reading dw on monday morning😃
75 • Distrowatch (by JohnP on 2019-06-04 21:53:40 GMT from United Kingdom)
I visit this site every day (excluding holidays). Have used GNU/Linux distros since 2005 when Mandrake allowed me to ditch Windows XP. Distrowatch has enabled me to experiment with different distros, and ensure that I always have a chance to find the best distro for my needs. Have used Mandrake and KDE3, Kiwi (based on Ubuntu) and Gnome 2, Mandriva and KDE4, and for some years now I have used the LTS versions of Xubuntu and XFCE with compiz. I have been truly spoilt, and can now never go back to Windows.
Happy 18th birthday, and grateful thanks.
76 • Old DW (by Jordan on 2019-06-05 00:08:21 GMT from United States)
And there's Yoper!
77 • 18 years (by Mr. Winderrs on 2019-06-05 00:13:03 GMT from United States)
Distrowatch has done yeoman's service for open-source. Great to see the many distros and all the enthusiastic comments from desktop/laptop users who have switched to Linux and "will never go back." But somehow the Linux desktop market share remains stubbornly around 1.5%. Guess we hear most from those who came, and less from those who came and went. Here's to the year of the Linux desktop.
78 • @73 Salix isn't dead, just resting (or dormant, in DW parlance) (by Fossilizing Dinosaur on 2019-06-05 07:26:34 GMT from United States)
If you check the Salix forum, you will see that signs of life continue.
(One developer does anticipate being busy on something else this month.)…
…
Slackers move to a different drumbeat.
79 • Happy Birthday DW!!! (by imonline on 2019-06-05 09:38:49 GMT from Canada)
Visiting you for more than 10 Years(approximate), and thanks for all Linux information.
80 • One has to understand it the way it is (by whoKnows on 2019-06-05 09:56:35 GMT from United Kingdom)
@73 • RE Salix (by Steve)
IT ONLY LOOKS LIKE "Salix has gone dormant!"
Important to understand is the Slackware philosophy. That legendary stability doesn't come out of nowhere but, it comes from "Never change the running system".
It changes, of course but it changes in F.A. Porsche's manner: "Change is easy, improvement is far more difficult".
@77 • 18 years (by Mr. Winderrs)
"... Linux desktop market share remains stubbornly around 1.5%. ... Here's to the year of the Linux desktop."
When you check that Linux desktop market share in 50, 100, 500 or 1000 years, it's still gonna be that high.
Whoever expects it to rise, didn't understand what it is about.
The rest comes from the Linux users itself.
81 • @76 Yoper (by Ankleface Wroughtlandmire on 2019-06-05 13:52:11 GMT from Ecuador)
@76 Whoah, that comment about Yoper took me down memory lane. Back in 2001 when I switched from Windows 98 SE to Linux (Redhat 8.0 and Mandrake 9.0 if memory serves me correctly) my biggest disappointment with Linux was actually performance. It took *forever* to boot, and like 30 seconds to open the web browser and literally a full minute to launch OpenOffice. So when I read Yoper's claims to be the fastest distro on the planet, I eagerly downloaded it where I could find a broadband connection and burned it to a CD... what a disappointment! Processor not supported. Turns out it was optimized for i686, and my machine had an AMD K6-II CPU that was only i586 compatible.
82 • Long time visitor (by Luke on 2019-06-05 17:47:38 GMT from United States)
I first found this site back in 2002 when trying to decide on which distro I'd try first. I'd spent quite a bit of time here and on SJVN's DesktopLinux forums back then. Good times! I'd forgotten about Rikku!
DistroWatch Weekly is the star of the show for me these days, as I'm now too old and tired to keep up with the bleeding edge or go distro-hopping. I remember when it first started and I never miss it (even if I'm a bit late here and there)!
83 • distroexe (by trendyfrendy on 2019-06-05 21:34:28 GMT from Australia)
Happy Birthday Distrowatch. Been visiting long enough to witness a number of "next big thing" distros:
mandrake, xandros, yoper, knoppix, siduction, sabayon, pardus, solus,..
Still waiting for that killer distro though - preferably one with an app install system as easy as Windows exe files.
84 • @83: (by dragonmouth on 2019-06-05 23:12:38 GMT from United States)
"an app install system as easy as Windows exe files"
What is wrong with Synaptic Package Manager?
Start Synaptic,
click on RELOAD to update package list with the latest versions,
click on a package (or a bunch of packages) to highlight it,
click on APPLY,
wait a few seconds,
Voila! Package(s) installed with no muss or fuss.. Synaptic does all the work: checks for dependencies, downloads everything from the distro repositories and installs it on your system.
All that without you having to do the downloads manually or worry if the site is safe or if the software contains malware.
85 • trendyfrendy (by distroexe2 on 2019-06-06 06:18:24 GMT from United Kingdom)
@84 "Voila! Package(s) installed with no muss or fuss"
Yes, package managers are good - but only for apps within a repository. When you search for an obscure app - outside a repository (like Github) - invariably you have to compile it, install it, etc, and even then there's no guarantee that it will work on your system, nor that there aren't other dependency or functionality files to add to it. This is Linux' archille's heal.
86 • .exe files (by Dave Postles on 2019-06-06 06:30:15 GMT from United Kingdom)
Personally, I never want the equivalent of .exe files. I prefer my binaries to be imported from a verifiable repository only. That's one of the principal reasons that I use Linux and BSD.
87 • @86 (by Hoos on 2019-06-06 08:31:51 GMT from Singapore)
Agreed.
I think it is best to stick to a distro's repositories for packages, and if truly necessary, to supplement with universal packages like appimages, flatpaks or snaps from - again - verifiable sources/repositories. The universal packages will help address the issue of dependency conflicts.
Searching all over the web for all manner of executable binaries from sources you are not so sure about is not something I would do.
88 • @ 86 why? (by OstroL on 2019-06-06 08:42:50 GMT from Poland)
"Personally, I never want the equivalent of .exe files. I prefer my binaries to be imported from a verifiable repository only."
You have them, all those .extension files in the Linux system. The only thing is that we don't really need the .extension in the Linux system, as the extension" is not needed to get the file to run. All these extensions in the executive files in Linux system is made to differentiate one Linux OS from another, the .deb. .rpm and what not. Just take away the .extension in your system, see if the executive file runs.
89 • Zorin release notes. (by Didymus on 2019-06-06 11:18:12 GMT from United Kingdom)
"Not only do these features reduce eye strain and make it more comfortable to use your computer, they also help maintain your body's natural circadian rhythm, helping you to sleep better and wake up refreshed the next day." Add another to the waiting list: BS Linux.
90 • @85: (by dragonmouth on 2019-06-06 11:19:31 GMT from United States)
"Yes, package managers are good - but only for apps within a repository. "
You're trying to set up a straw man. How many "obscure" packages do you use that it is such a chore to compile them? Synaptic has access to Stable distro repositories with up to 50,000 packages in some of them, depending on the distro. If you include Unstable and Experimental repositories, there are quite a bit more packages, both obscure and esoteric, that are available to you. And if you really are desperate for obscure apps, there are PPAs with thousands of more applications.
BTW - if you compile your own application, you KNOW that it does not contain malware. If you download some obscure .EXE from some obscure download site, you don't know what it contains.
91 • Not uncommon. (by Garon on 2019-06-06 13:14:00 GMT from United States)
@89,
Haven't you heard of the blue light effect? It's not an uncommon thing for almost all operating systems now. Sometimes it's called night light mode, among other things, so really it's not BS as you say. Myself I do not use it , but maybe I should try it to see if it works.
92 • @91, BS is not uncommon (by Didymus on 2019-06-06 14:19:34 GMT from Philippines)
Yes, I know about blue light and the now common "night light" feature. I find dark theme more useful for me to reduce eye strain, but maybe others prefer the yellow screen. That's fine. It is the bit about circadian rhythms and improved sleep that's over the top. I expect it's also gluten-free.
93 • Zorin's night-light (by Kragle von Schnitzelbank on 2019-06-06 16:49:13 GMT from United States)
Just another arrow in the quiver of comfort/time management - but shouldn't tying spectrum scheduling to GPS+GMT be optional? Not everyone works on the same shift…
94 • Yoper and old DW (by Jordan on 2019-06-06 17:48:56 GMT from United States)
@81 Yep the cusp of the architecture changes nailed many a hopeful user of Yoper as well as a few other forward looking distros. Well.. self-narrowing, I guess. An offering of more than one set up is common now of course.
95 • Love it! (by Garon on 2019-06-06 18:36:32 GMT from United States)
@92,
"I expect it's also gluten-free."
OMG!
That comment made my afternoon. Thanks, and #93 is correct. It should be completely adjustable.
96 • Blue light, Night mode, Dark theme... (by Friar Tux on 2019-06-06 22:45:53 GMT from Canada)
I, personally, use a dark theme all the time. Had my 'lookers' both operated on and cannot look at a bright screen for long anymore. My preference is teal/green. It's a much more natural colour for the eyes - grass, trees, tornado clouds... I use a combination black - dark teal background with light teal, green font. Seems quite restfully on the old eyeballs. And, yes. it IS gluten-free.
97 • packaging (by trendy on 2019-06-07 04:40:46 GMT from Australia)
#88 "Just take away the .extension in your system, see if the executive file runs." - good tip
#90 "You're trying to set up a straw man"
The Linux desktop has arrived - some distros are top-notch & user-friendly. But how many times have ppl tried to improve the app packaging - cnr, ppa, pisi, nix, pup, pet, orb, flatpack, snap? The easy universal packaging format hasn't arrived yet.
98 • @97: (by dragonmouth on 2019-06-07 15:39:05 GMT from United States)
"The easy universal packaging format hasn't arrived yet."
And it never will because Linux's biggest strength, choice, is also its biggest disadvantage. The Linux community cannot agree on any universals because every Tom, Dick or Harry knows that his version of whatever is the BEST and is not willing to compromise.
BTW - you forgot AUR and AppImage. :-)
99 • Audio over HDMI (by Charles on 2019-06-07 20:52:56 GMT from United Kingdom)
On my optimus laptop with NVIDIA and Arch Linux, I found that audio over HDMI out was disabled by default for some reason, no idea why. But it can be fixed with this excellent kernel module: https://github.com/hhfeuer/nvhda
There's a package in the AUR for it: https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nvhda-dkms-git/
To load the module at boot time you create the following file /etc/modules-load.d:
# echo nvhda > /etc/modules-load.d/nvhda.conf
Then you can check the status of NVIDIA HDMI audio with
$ cat /proc/acpi/nvhda
And toggle it on/off with
# echo ON > /proc/acpi/nvhda
(or OFF to turn it off). As I said, at boot time the audio is always off so you need to create a systemd service that's run after systemd-modules-load.service and that runs the command above to toggle the audio on.
I hope this helps someone as I was tearing my hair out trying to work out why my HDMI audio device was always reporting that it was disconnected when a cable was plugged in.
100 • Masthead girl (by Male Reader on 2019-06-09 01:34:49 GMT from Moldova, Republic of)
@71&72, I guess there were more than one! Rikku is not the lady I was thinking of, though I do remember her now. The one I'm remembering was blowing some sort of a bubble, which expanded across the masthead. She reminded me of someone really nice from my past. Couldn't find her in the Archives, darn!
The publisher had a significant change in his life, and the masthead graphic subsequently changed into a series of world globes instead. Happens.
101 • survey (by ringwraith on 2019-06-09 12:21:56 GMT from United States)
I used to stop by a couple times a week. But that was back when I would try most every new release that would come along. At some point I stopped doing that, then my visits here became less often.
Number of Comments: 101
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| • 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 |
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| • 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 |
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| • 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 |
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| • 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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BackSlash Linux
BackSlash Linux was an Ubuntu-based desktop distribution featuring a custom shell running on top of the KDE Plasma desktop. BackSlash features a user interface inspired by macOS.
Status: Discontinued
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| Star Labs |
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
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0x969CD4E778C7b6549A2B00e34114e0168c86A542 
