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1 • Happy new year. Thanks for the good work. (by eco2geek on 2020-01-13 01:32:36 GMT from United States)
To Jesse Smith, Ladislav Bodnar, and everyone else who produces this web site: Before it gets too far into the new year, I'd like to express my appreciation for your work on DistroWatch and DistroWatch Weekly over the past year, and hope you keep up the good work in the new decade.
2 • elementary OS just isn't tweakable enough (by eco2geek on 2020-01-13 01:49:13 GMT from United States)
While elementary OS has a nice looking user interface, it reminds me of a piece of electronic equipment with a sticker on the back that reads, "Do Not Open. No User-serviceable Parts Inside."
Want to pick or fine-tune the fonts the UI (or the terminal application) uses? Don't like the fact that there isn't a "minimize" control on application windows? Too bad.
However, (when I tried out the 5.1 "Hera" beta) there's a utility named "elementary-tweaks" that's meant for elementary OS 5.0 "Juno" that still worked. It alleviates many of the "bolted-down" aspects of elementary OS's user interface. It's available here:
https://github.com/elementary-tweaks/elementary-tweaks
It can also be installed via a PPA, although in true elementary OS fashion, you can't install software from PPAs out of the box. You'll have to install the "software-properties-common" package before you can use PPAs. (And, of course, the terminal application will nag you about your use of the sudo command.)
3 • Elementary OS is no longer good anymore... (by Torsten on 2020-01-13 03:11:34 GMT from Germany)
Infact, for me, Elementary OS also has become a big disappointment.
Their very first release was quite good, stable and outstanding, but all the upcoming releases were getting worse (in my view). I don't know why, but it seems that the staffs of Elementary OS doesn't listen to their users very much and only wants to make their own things, regardless to the users. And the current release of Elementary also is quite buggy. No Firefox and no LibreOffice - no way!
For me, it's really better to stay with Debian or a Debian derivate. With Debian you know what you get: stability!
4 • Allowing regular users to access storage drives (by Flavio on 2020-01-13 04:13:09 GMT from Brazil)
A personal desktop is very different from a server.
Since the unique user is the Admin, there is no reason to ask password each time he needs to check some file.
5 • Elementary & Regolith (by Andi on 2020-01-13 04:14:58 GMT from Indonesia)
I am agree with Torsten. How good the first release of elementary, but after that its going downhill. It used to be light, fast, and beauty.
6 • Elementary (by Arkhenstone on 2020-01-13 11:03:24 GMT from France)
I'll have to agree with the review and other comments concerning Elementary OS.
There is nice visual work, indeed, it's sleek from end to end when it comes to the system and curated apps.
But on the functional part, I'm really worried because the team have objectives they cannot reach with the means they have now. They're not much, but they develop Elementary OS as if it is an actual OS instead of a distribution. Elementary has access to Firefox, LibreOffice, and whatever else deb package canonical maintain. How the hell can they affirm we might not get updates or it'll break ? If ubuntu breaks, so is elementary os, since it's the same underlying system, it's just not gnome. On the other side, we get pay what you want software that is more likely to not get updates since it's mostly ONE developper doing its own thing. So, it's totally presomptuous from elementary to not play the safe route.
Do people needs another yet music player ? Another text editor ? Maybe yes for elementary OS perspective of an all round experience, but we needed them plain, simple, like do once and never touch again.
The picture software is slow because it manage an internal database of photos and stuffs. Music player does the same, but indexing is a pain. Code is ridiculous at that point. I saluate the effort, but such tool needs a dedicated team. VS Code is already the simplest modular code editor, yet one of the more powerful also. Epiphany, although working nicely, breaks sometime, especially video content or gifs, or even due to the adblocker. It's not for everyone. It shouldn't be the default browser. It's not even so on Ubuntu for the same reasons : Firefox is a way more stable alternative.
Out of that, double screen is pain. You can't use multiple virtual desktop because it only applies on principal screen, pantheon doesn't recognize your wallpaper color anymore to adjust the top bar color/opacity.
All of this to say, I was on elementary for a full year. I like what they are doing for their system, but it's taking long, long, long time to get something all round for the experience they aim, while within one year, it could be a system simple enough to let you get the best looking DE in a simple but perfect workflow.
FIX. DAMN. ISSUES. DONT. WASTE. EFFORTS.
7 • Elementary OS (by R. Cain on 2020-01-13 11:43:35 GMT from United States)
What's the point?
One MORE Linux 'distribution' which does not (now) "bring anything to the party", and gives all indications (lack of basic capabilities; lack of support; lack of response from *DEVELOPER) of being--in the not TOO distant future--yet another addition to the mountain of abandoned "distros". Read DistroWatch's 'Reader Reviews'. There are far too many negative comments to objectively support the rating of 7.9. ("... It looks stuningly beautiful, but there is too much breakage, and nothing ever get's fixed. Everytime they release a new version, I try it out, and the same things are all still broken...")
As one well-known tech writer has said: "Linux, now, has become nothing more than a sandbox for nerds." This is a good example of that sentiment.
8 • @7 the point? (by OstroL on 2020-01-13 13:38:20 GMT from Poland)
>> What's the point?
One MORE Linux 'distribution' which does not (now) "bring anything to the party"
Elementary OS brought "something" around 2014, but after that nothing much, really.
9 • elementary OS (by grog on 2020-01-13 13:47:04 GMT from Sweden)
I love elementary OS and recommend it to all my friends.
It's UI is really beautiful, consistent, intuitive and easy to navigate. Way better than Gnome, KDE, etc. Sure, it is not very customizable but that is by design in order to cater to folks coming from M$/UnnamedFruitCompany that want their computer to browse the web, check email, etc and do not care about tweaking. Stabilitywise I'm having no problems.
They cater very well to app developers as well. There is a streamlined development- and distribution framework. Also, the pay-what-you-want feature in the appcenter makes it easier for app developers to fund their projects.
Sure, I like to tweak and experiment with UI but for that I have another laptop running Openbox.
To each his own. Damn I'm grateful for the freedom of choice that FOSS grants me.
10 • @7 (by Arkhenstone on 2020-01-13 13:55:41 GMT from France)
What's the point ?
It brings 2 things on the linux table that seems to have disappeared since long, despite the lot of issues :
They have design guideline from end to end. You might like or dislike the look, but when you install a fresh elementary OS, everything follows the guidelines they did set up for it. That's refreshing. And although it's really bad for usability, they have a store that put things made for elementary OS first.
They also have a pay what you want system. I won't argue on whether it's good or bad, but I don't see anything else serious enough doing that.
11 • Distro reviews: (by dragonmouth on 2020-01-13 14:35:45 GMT from United States)
Many of the DW distro reviews tell us how hard or easy it is to install additional software. However, no review tells us how hard or easy it is to UNinstall default software. (unwanted packages, unneeded hardware drivers, unneeded language packs, etc.) Some distros, once installed, are monoliths. Not a single package that was installed by default can be uninstalled because all the packages are welded to the system files. Other distros allow up to 1.2 GB of unwanted/unneeded packages to be uninstalled depending on a distro. IMO, the ability to uninstall packages is as much a part of reviewing a distro as the ability to install packages.
12 • Paresseux Developers (by William Renolyds on 2020-01-13 16:06:42 GMT from Canada)
I am all about trying new distros when I see them pop up on the Distrowatch page, such as elementary OS...IF and Only if it passes the 'Love' test.
To me, a distro needs to be something unique, it needs its own personality crafted by the developer(s). It needs to reflect the passion put into it, so that when I use it, I feel the passion flow forth.
That is why, the First thing I do when entertaining the prospect of a new distro, is to go to its Distrowatch page, scroll down, and look at the Init software used.
If it contains systemd, then imho it is a low effort distro without a developers passion or love placed in the code. It is a quicky mickey, a carbon copy of all the other systemd offerings other than a different color paint job... and, I put that distro out of my mind and move on.
Sometimes, I will download an older version of the distro when it used a different Init variant just to see how they started out before they got lazy and headed down that wide, well traveled road full of potholes and ruts.
I do not want to open my fridge to see nothing but 1 carton of milk, or 1 type of car to buy, or 1 television station to watch, or 1 government to rule the world and I certainly do not want 1 variant of linux yet with many names.
One is the number of stagnation, and I refuse to promote it.
Sorry (1) ... Not now, Not ever.
13 • @11 Unneeded packages (by OstroL on 2020-01-13 17:00:28 GMT from Poland)
"However, no review tells us how hard or easy it is to UNinstall default software. (unwanted packages, unneeded hardware drivers, unneeded language packs, etc.)"
Excellent observation!
Maybe the luckiest users are those who run Arch, Crux or Gentoo. No (or very little) unwanted packages.
With the so-called mainline distros, such as Ubuntu, you can uninstall the unwanted packages, if you really try. Of course, the developers won't tell you how, even try to hide any apps that can do that, such as Synaptic Package Manager. These "mainline" are created through a meta package. You can find out the dependencies of that meta package, and manually reinstall the packages you want, and then uninstall the meta package. Sometimes they have meta packages linked to each other, so the work is somewhat tedious. But, you can get it done, if you really want to.
Sure, it'd be nice to have a review as you mentioned.
14 • Removing packages (by Jesse on 2020-01-13 17:04:55 GMT from Canada)
@11, @13: "Many of the DW distro reviews tell us how hard or easy it is to install additional software. However, no review tells us how hard or easy it is to UNinstall default software. "
I always try to remove a couple of default packages from a distribution while I'm running it. Just to see what happens. If it works as expected, I don't mention it. I only write about it if removing a default package breaks something or results in a lot of other packages getting removed (ie through a meta-package removal).
It is very rare I run into a problem removing default packages so it almost never comes up.
15 • @14 Removing default packages (by OstroL on 2020-01-13 19:15:51 GMT from Poland)
"It is very rare I run into a problem removing default packages so it almost never comes up."
See what happens, when you try to uninstall Nautilus from Ubuntu default. Nautilus is the default file manager of Gnome, but as a user, you might like to use another file manager, and also you might not like to keep Nautilus in your system, that is considering it as unwanted. Just see what happens?
16 • @14: (by dragonmouth on 2020-01-13 21:05:22 GMT from United States)
The Ubuntu-based distros are the worst for removing software that was installed by default. Try removing "cowsay" or "fortune" from Ubuntu or Mint or elementary. Every package or program, no matter how insignificant, has ubuntu-minmal file as a dependency. Once that is removed, the system is inoperable. Maybe there is some magical way of removing packages but I have not found it yet.
17 • Uninstall packages (by Otis on 2020-01-13 21:06:41 GMT from United States)
@11
"Not a single package that was installed by default can be uninstalled because all the packages are welded to the system files. Other distros allow up to 1.2 GB of unwanted/unneeded packages to be uninstalled depending on a distro. IMO, the ability to uninstall packages is as much a part of reviewing a distro as the ability to install packages."
I am asking something because I don't know, not to be snarky or sarcastic. Does that package "welding" to the system files have anything to do with systemd?
18 • Nautilus (by Jesse on 2020-01-13 21:56:45 GMT from Canada)
@15: Since Nautilus is a key component of GNOME, why would you try to remove it from a GNOME installation? It's not just another end-user application like Firefox or a text editor, it's a core component. It's like trying to remove the C library and still expecting your shell to still work.
@16: " Try removing "cowsay" or "fortune" from Ubuntu or Mint or elementary. "
I've done that, a few times. In fact, I think we've had conversations about this in past years. It hasn't posed a problem for me.
19 • The Whys & Why Not Let'ems Of Distros (by M.Z. on 2020-01-14 00:47:14 GMT from United States)
To be clear about the most reasonable position of "why make this distro?", is in truth because someone wanted to and the GPL which all Linux versions are licensed under was made to allow just that. If you think there are too many options you can easily use some proprietary OS & accept that you and all others have no real control & get the one official version, though why that's better than choice & freedom is beyond me.
----------
"What's the point?" of Elementary...
Well beyond the above point there is of course a number of fairly obvious things:
1) A whole different DE
2)A different set of design aesthetics to go with #1
3)A different take on how opensource could be funded
Frankly it seems odd to ask when a Distro has so many obvious ambitions and is clearly doing things different than others in lots of important ways. They aren't doing anything I'm too interested in, but I can see & respect the effort.
@12
"If it contains "{X}" then imho it is a low effort distro without a developers passion or love placed in the code. "
Regardless of what X is that's a rather silly & arbitrary claim. You could sub in anything for your hated project & it would be equally invalid. I for one really don't like Gnome 3, but rather than ragging on any project that uses it I move on to something else rather than attacking it based on my perceptions of what is good.
The fact is people can be passionate & caring no matter what bits of open source software they use, and if they use something you don't like it just means they have passions that lie elsewhere from yours. If a projects creators use Gnome or something even odder like Ratpoison WM, then they clearly don't care about desktops for normal users like I do. That doesn't make their project or passion any less valid, though it gives me reason to move on. It would be a lot more thoughtful to simply move on as well rather than painting everyone who does care about the same things as you with some broad brush because they didn't do things the way you want.
20 • Elementary OS (by Sean Greenhalgh on 2020-01-14 01:16:02 GMT from Australia)
I really like the interface of Elementary, I will give them that. It does have a lot going for it... They have a really nice website too. Their icon set is really good.
Why I don't use it:
- The system requirements are too high
- Epiphany browser is a hit or miss with GPU's. YouTube in particular. And somehow they have made Firefox feel inferior to the OS.
- It doesn't have a solid base set of apps like Firefox, Thunderbird and Libreoffice.
- It's very beautiful, but doesn't feel like a workhorse. It's more like a casual computer use OS - it feels like a toy. It doesn't feel like an OS you would want to do real work on. Other OS's like Ubuntu and Xubuntu feel like you can get in and grind. They feel really stable and work-ready and so does Mint.
But Elementary, it's too trendy or something... for my own liking.
21 • Elementary OS - Mac OS X user here (by mmphosis on 2020-01-14 06:01:42 GMT from Canada)
I really try to lower my expectations. Elementary OS is supposed to be macOS-like which is a great goal for a Mac-hanger-on like me, but some things are not going to be the same. I use Debian with XFCE, and to bring back the Command key where my muscle memory expects it to be on a PC keyboard, I have this bash alias readily available:
alias x='/usr/bin/setxkbmap -option ctrl:swap_lalt_lctl'
This makes most of the "Mac" hot keys work as I expect: Command-Z X C V B N A S F G Q W R U I O P -- Undo Cut Copy Paste Bold New Select-All Save Find Find-Again Quit Close Refresh Underline Italics Open Print. Cycle windows is Command-Tab. XFCE Settings > Window Manager let's you set and clear hot keys. It also allows a Mac-hanger-on like me to put Close Minimize Maximize (there is no Zoom) where I expect them in the left side of title bars.
XFCE allows me to put network, audio, power, date (format: %a %-I:%M %p) at the right side of a panel at the top of the screen that looks suspiciously like a menu bar. Rather than an Apple menu, I have my own custom "Debian" menu, with "About this Linux..." "Firefox" "Mail Reader" "File Manager" "MousePad" "Calculator" "Terminal Emulator" "Settings Manager" and pretty much nothing else. Everything else that I rarely use is in the "Applications" folder which is /usr/share/applications/ which is in Places in the side pane of Thunar the File Manager.
I have a bunch of phrases in AutoKey 0.95.9 to make Terminal keys work as I expect: ^C-interrupt-kill-SIGINT ^D-send-EOF ^Z-send-SIGTSTP-signal and Cut and Paste (Command-C and Command-V) work as I expect.
I saw an AutoKey request to make Command arrow keys work in text boxes like on the Mac, but I think that is pretty much a non-starter without seriously modifying X Windows internals.
I seem to remember using KDE and I think one of the options is to have a single menu bar at the top of the screen like the Mac instead of many menu bars at the top of every window like Windows. XFCE is based on GTK so I live without the single menu bar.
There are always compromises, and there are many many things about Linux that are huge improvements over the Mac: speed, open source software, customization, and above all... choice.
22 • @ "Default" applications? (by OstroL on 2020-01-14 08:30:23 GMT from Poland)
"Since Nautilus is a key component of GNOME, why would you try to remove it from a GNOME installation?"
Because, Nautilus is now featureless, for example. Maybe, the user still needs to have a file manager, which is much more full featured, such as Nemo.
The matter still is that if you try to take one "key" part off, the whole thing somehow breaks. The thing is, Gnome as a shell, or just a menu system, should be allowed to be installed separately. But, it is not. They add dependencies, which are not really absolutely necessary for the functioning of the shell/menu. Ubuntu tightens it more with their 2 extension forks.
But, Nautilus can be uninstalled, and for example Nemo be installed and take up the desktop. When Nemo takes up the desktop, the user can place icons on the desktop. The desktop is a pretty good place to work, after all. (Windows and Apple people knows that.)
On the whole, Linux distros try hard to not to let the users uninstall so-called default apps. What's default for one is not default for the others.
23 • "Key components" (by curious on 2020-01-14 09:53:19 GMT from Germany)
To different people, different programs may be important.
But the integration of a file manager, shell, menu system and window manager (and possibly more) is what makes something a "desktop environment", as opposed to a loose collection of non-integrated tools. So, Nautilus is a key component of GNOME, just as Thunar is a key component of XFCE, or Dolphin a key component of Plasma. It should be no surprise that removing them breaks things.
So, if a user needs a file manager with different features from Nautilus, he can install an additional one that is more useful to him.
But if he wants to replace Nautilus completely, the much more logical step would be to replace the whole desktop environment. In other words - if you don't like the GNOME user experience, don't use GNOME. There are plenty of better desktop environments.
24 • Install Storage (by Jim on 2020-01-14 10:37:18 GMT from United States)
I am the only one that uses my computer, so I allow all users to access storage drives.
I also love distros that offer minimal installs. I think every Distro should offer a minimal install. I would rather install what I need or want than uninstall what someone else thinks I just have to have.
25 • @13 unneeded packages (by Akoy on 2020-01-14 11:57:55 GMT from United States)
"Maybe the luckiest users are those who run Arch, Crux or Gentoo. No (or very little) unwanted packages."
True. They are the luckiest Linux users!
I could very easily uninstall Nautilus and its dependencies and install Nemo and make Nemo take over the desktop in Arch. I only needed the Nemo file manager, not the whole Cinnamon. I could use some goodness of Gnome that way.
Ubuntu, Fedora most probably won't allow that.
26 • Unneeded Packages (by dragonmouth on 2020-01-14 14:55:13 GMT from United States)
@17:
" Does that package "welding" to the system files have anything to do with systemd?"
I think it has more to do with design philosophy. Ubuntu, and distros based on it, have been monoliths since day one. Ubuntu came on the scene long before systemd was even a twinkle in Lenard Poettering's eye.
@19:
"If you think there are too many options you can easily use some proprietary OS & accept that you and all others have no real control & get the one official version"
You DO realize that there is (or should be) a middle ground between the current balkanization of Linux and the proprietary systems.
As if users had any real control with vast majority of distros. Most distros are some developer's arrogant idea of what is best. The only real control users have in Linux is to use a DIY distro (LFS, Gentoo, Arch).
"though why that's better than choice & freedom is beyond me."
For all intents and purposes, the hundreds of Linux distros are just as proprietary as Windows or OS/X. What is the difference between Gates' Windows and Shuttleworth's Ubuntu? OK, Ubuntu is free.
27 • Linux Rainbow (by Otis on 2020-01-14 18:59:48 GMT from United States)
@26 Thank you for your learned response to my query about systemd's possible influence on default package uninstalling. I think I see what you mean, but those stated notions, which we've seen before in these discussions, always trigger a feeling of why I'm using Linux distros in the first place: All of the choices.
Of course, some of those choices are visceral in nature and have to do with what we want to see and where to click (icons, menus, etc). But other choices aren't even in our field of mental vision until we learn more about the distro we have, and of course Linux in general.
Having spent year after year hopping from distro to distro and from TYPE of distro to others, I am still amazed at how vast the differences are between these works, all generally built over the same kernel.
What philosophy I might have about all this is still evolving, but I'm sure that it has a lot to do with exploration and Ubuntu allows just as much of that as Arch or Debian.. and then there are the offshoots/siblings of all the main ones. Systemd or not, if I want to remove default software from any Linux distro I'm going to find out how to do that, as I have, and remove it. Can't do that much on Windows.
28 • Storage access // ElementaryOS (by Cheker on 2020-01-15 23:31:51 GMT from Portugal)
We all have our own computers in the house so my user has access to everything. Perhaps this shouldn't be the case. Maybe someday I'll change it.
I don't like ElementaryOS because I have an unhealthy hatred for everything Apple and it's Debian (nothing wrong with Debian) but trying to look like macOS as much as possible. This is a perfectly valid reason for the distro existing though. It fills a spot, it has a purpose, which is to feel familiar to macOS users and help them transition to Linux.
29 • Reply to Checker (by Peter on 2020-01-16 00:08:03 GMT from Germany)
@28 ElementaryOS is Ubuntu-based, not based on Debian!
30 • Todays Menu (by Tech in San Diego on 2020-01-16 13:32:52 GMT from United States)
If you have no program experience and just want to browse the web or get email, then stick with Windows. If you truly want a minimalist distro that you can customize then install Arch. You will gain a tremendous amount more respect for Linux developers and how things work in the Linux eco-system.
Their are plenty of distros that run perfectly fine out-of-the-box from beginner to advanced. If you have never built a distro, or contributed to one, you should try it. If you want something pre-packaged then install Windows and quit bitching! Have you ever tried removing software from Windows? It's really quite simple.
My personal taste for over 15 years is Arch. It's like the EverReady battery of GNU/LINUX, it just keeps going and going and going.
Go with Arch or go back to Windows, I'm certain you will find Windows quite enjoyable.
One last comment... Try taking a snapshot of your system before making any tweaks to it, that way you will always have a known good backup should something go wrong. I'm certain that everyone has a back-up plan in place, right?
31 • Freedom is Messy (by M.Z. on 2020-01-17 00:02:34 GMT from United States)
@26
"You DO realize that there is (or should be) a middle ground between the current balkanization of Linux and the proprietary systems."
Why exactly do you find it necessary to talk like controlling others right to fork is some great good that the Linux community should embrace? You do realize that forks waste only their creators time & not yours, right? There is no harm done in another fork, & if people try it enough something widely useful usually comes up eventually.
"As if users had any real control with vast majority of distros. Most distros are some developer's arrogant idea of what is best. The only real control users have in Linux is to use a DIY distro (LFS, Gentoo, Arch)."
Every single product you own is just as much a product of some 'arrogant idea' of what the right way to do something is, be it making a toaster or a car. Depending on others to do most of the grunt working in making most all the things we own & use is part of being in a society, & it odd that you think there is a way to magically make it otherwise.
Of course there is a big difference with Linux Distros, and that is the ability many users to find almost exactly what they want by digging through their options & finding something that appeals to them.Linux Distros are like 1000 different little hot rod shops making a vast array of cars off similar basic blueprints & from what I can tell there should be a good enough option for nearly all users. You have the power to support any Distro of your choice in any way that you can & try to get others to support it as well. Also devs fork stuff & wii contine to do so regardless of the useless complaints about freedom.
"For all intents and purposes, the hundreds of Linux distros are just as proprietary as Windows or OS/X."
So you both want to complain about the consequences of freedom (more Distros than you can shake a stick at), & you also want to claim that said freedom doesn't exist? That makes no rational sense.
"What is the difference between Gates' Windows and Shuttleworth's Ubuntu?"
How about the fact that Ubuntu is as much Clément Lefèbvre's Linux Mint as it is Shuttleworth's Ubuntu? How about the fact that there are about 50 other versions that are someone else's vision of a better Ubuntu type distro tracked here on DW?
There is no rational way to pretend to be liberal/libertarian enough to complain about lack of freedom & to simultaneously be authoritarian enough to act like we should be able to stop devs from forking Distros. Freedom is messy & it involves accepting that others will do what they want. All I need to see for proof that the GPL causes freedom of software is another nice messy fork of some Distro gaining an audience & surviving long enough for control mongers to complain about.
32 • @30, Today's Menu (by Angel on 2020-01-17 01:14:03 GMT from Philippines)
Actually, for just web browsing and emails, there is a much better choice than Windows: it's Chrome OS, built on the Linux kernel. Don't care for a PC but still want to surf and email? There's always Android. In fact, Linus Torvald's little 1990 project is the gift that keeps on giving, able to run anything from your doorbell to the Matrix, from stuff here's stuff for DIY fans to easy set-and-forget things like Elementary and Endless.
"Go with Arch or go back to Windows, I'm certain you will find Windows quite enjoyable."
Unless that is a direct and enforceable order, I think I will continue my activities including surfing and emailing using what I please. At the moment I'm running Kali and KDE neon. That may change when I feel like it. You and your archaic peers can go on dabbling along while others can do whatever they feel like doing with their preferred distros.
And BTW, I'm typing this on Windows.
Number of Comments: 32
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| • 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 |
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| • 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 |
| • Issue 1035 (2023-09-04): Debian GNU/Hurd 2023, PCLinuxOS 2023.07, do home users need a firewall, AlmaLinux introduces new repositories, Rocky Linux commits to RHEL compatibility, NetBSD machine runs unattended for nine years, Armbian runs wallpaper contest |
| • Issue 1034 (2023-08-28): Void 20230628, types of memory usage, FreeBSD receives port of Linux NVIDIA driver, Fedora plans improved theme handling for Qt applications, Canonical's plans for Ubuntu |
| • Issue 1033 (2023-08-21): MiniOS 20230606, system user accounts, how Red Hat clones are moving forward, Haiku improves WINE performance, Debian turns 30 |
| • Issue 1032 (2023-08-14): MX Linux 23, positioning new windows on the desktop, Linux Containers adopts LXD fork, Oracle, SUSE, and CIQ form OpenELA |
| • Issue 1031 (2023-08-07): Peppermint OS 2023-07-01, preventing a file from being changed, Asahi Linux partners with Fedora, Linux Mint plans new releases |
| • Issue 1030 (2023-07-31): Solus 4.4, Linux Mint 21.2, Debian introduces RISC-V support, Ubuntu patches custom kernel bugs, FreeBSD imports OpenSSL 3 |
| • Issue 1029 (2023-07-24): Running Murena on the Fairphone 4, Flatpak vs Snap sandboxing technologies, Redox OS plans to borrow Linux drivers to expand hardware support, Debian updates Bookworm media |
| • Issue 1028 (2023-07-17): KDE Connect; Oracle, SUSE, and AlmaLinux repsond to Red Hat's source code policy change, KaOS issues media fix, Slackware turns 30; security and immutable distributions |
| • Issue 1027 (2023-07-10): Crystal Linux 2023-03-16, StartOS (embassyOS 0.3.4.2), changing options on a mounted filesystem, Murena launches Fairphone 4 in North America, Fedora debates telemetry for desktop team |
| • Issue 1026 (2023-07-03): Kumander Linux 1.0, Red Hat changing its approach to sharing source code, TrueNAS offers SMB Multichannel, Zorin OS introduces upgrade utility |
| • Issue 1025 (2023-06-26): KaOS with Plasma 6, information which can leak from desktop environments, Red Hat closes door on sharing RHEL source code, SUSE introduces new security features |
| • Issue 1024 (2023-06-19): Debian 12, a safer way to use dd, Debian releases GNU/Hurd 2023, Ubuntu 22.10 nears its end of life, FreeBSD turns 30 |
| • Issue 1023 (2023-06-12): openSUSE 15.5 Leap, the differences between independent distributions, openSUSE lengthens Leap life, Murena offers new phone for North America |
| • Issue 1022 (2023-06-05): GetFreeOS 2023.05.01, Slint 15.0-3, Liya N4Si, cleaning up crowded directories, Ubuntu plans Snap-based variant, Red Hat dropping LireOffice RPM packages |
| • Issue 1021 (2023-05-29): rlxos GNU/Linux, colours in command line output, an overview of Void's unique features, how to use awk, Microsoft publishes a Linux distro |
| • Issue 1020 (2023-05-22): UBports 20.04, finding another machine's IP address, finding distros with a specific kernel, Debian prepares for Bookworm |
| • Issue 1019 (2023-05-15): Rhino Linux (Beta), checking which applications reply on a package, NethServer reborn, System76 improving application responsiveness |
| • Issue 1018 (2023-05-08): Fedora 38, finding relevant manual pages, merging audio files, Fedora plans new immutable edition, Mint works to fix Secure Boot issues |
| • Issue 1017 (2023-05-01): Xubuntu 23.04, Debian elects Project Leaders and updates media, systemd to speed up restarts, Guix System offering ground-up source builds, where package managers install files |
| • Issue 1016 (2023-04-24): Qubes OS 4.1.2, tracking bandwidth usage, Solus resuming development, FreeBSD publishes status report, KaOS offers preview of Plasma 6 |
| • Issue 1015 (2023-04-17): Manjaro Linux 22.0, Trisquel GNU/Linux 11.0, Arch Linux powering PINE64 tablets, Ubuntu offering live patching on HWE kernels, gaining compression on ex4 |
| • Issue 1014 (2023-04-10): Quick looks at carbonOS, LibreELEC, and Kodi, Mint polishes themes, Fedora rolls out more encryption plans, elementary OS improves sideloading experience |
| • Issue 1013 (2023-04-03): Alpine Linux 3.17.2, printing manual pages, Ubuntu Cinnamon becomes official flavour, Endeavour OS plans for new installer, HardenedBSD plans for outage |
| • Issue 1012 (2023-03-27): siduction 22.1.1, protecting privacy from proprietary applications, GNOME team shares new features, Canonical updates Ubuntu 20.04, politics and the Linux kernel |
| • Issue 1011 (2023-03-20): Serpent OS, Security Onion 2.3, Gentoo Live, replacing the scp utility, openSUSE sees surge in downloads, Debian runs elction with one candidate |
| • Issue 1010 (2023-03-13): blendOS 2023.01.26, keeping track of which files a package installs, improved network widget coming to elementary OS, Vanilla OS changes its base distro |
| • Issue 1009 (2023-03-06): Nemo Mobile and the PinePhone, matching the performance of one distro on another, Linux Mint adds performance boosts and security, custom Ubuntu and Debian builds through Cubic |
| • Issue 1008 (2023-02-27): elementary OS 7.0, the benefits of boot environments, Purism offers lapdock for Librem 5, Ubuntu community flavours directed to drop Flatpak support for Snap |
| • Issue 1007 (2023-02-20): helloSystem 0.8.0, underrated distributions, Solus team working to repair their website, SUSE testing Micro edition, Canonical publishes real-time edition of Ubuntu 22.04 |
| • Issue 1006 (2023-02-13): Playing music with UBports on a PinePhone, quick command line and shell scripting questions, Fedora expands third-party software support, Vanilla OS adds Nix package support |
| • Issue 1005 (2023-02-06): NuTyX 22.12.0 running CDE, user identification numbers, Pop!_OS shares COSMIC progress, Mint makes keyboard and mouse options more accessible |
| • Issue 1004 (2023-01-30): OpenMandriva ROME, checking the health of a disk, Debian adopting OpenSnitch, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1003 (2023-01-23): risiOS 37, mixing package types, Fedora seeks installer feedback, Sparky offers easier persistence with USB writer |
| • Issue 1002 (2023-01-16): Vanilla OS 22.10, Nobara Project 37, verifying torrent downloads, Haiku improvements, HAMMER2 being ports to NetBSD |
| • Issue 1001 (2023-01-09): Arch Linux, Ubuntu tests new system installer, porting KDE software to OpenBSD, verifying files copied properly |
| • Issue 1000 (2023-01-02): Our favourite projects of all time, Fedora trying out unified kernel images and trying to speed up shutdowns, Slackware tests new kernel, detecting what is taking up disk space |
| • Issue 999 (2022-12-19): Favourite distributions of 2022, Fedora plans Budgie spin, UBports releasing security patches for 16.04, Haiku working on new ports |
| • Issue 998 (2022-12-12): OpenBSD 7.2, Asahi Linux enages video hardware acceleration on Apple ARM computers, Manjaro drops proprietary codecs from Mesa package |
| • Issue 997 (2022-12-05): CachyOS 221023 and AgarimOS, working with filenames which contain special characters, elementary OS team fixes delta updates, new features coming to Xfce |
| • Issue 996 (2022-11-28): Void 20221001, remotely shutting down a machine, complex aliases, Fedora tests new web-based installer, Refox OS running on real hardware |
| • Issue 995 (2022-11-21): Fedora 37, swap files vs swap partitions, Unity running on Arch, UBports seeks testers, Murena adds support for more devices |
| • Issue 994 (2022-11-14): Redcore Linux 2201, changing the terminal font size, Fedora plans Phosh spin, openSUSE publishes on-line manual pages, disabling Snap auto-updates |
| • Full list of all issues |
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