 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 870, 15 June 2020 |
Welcome to this year's 24th issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
New distributions get submitted to DistroWatch at an average rate of about one a week. Some of these projects are respins of existing distributions, some are experimental proof-of-concept operating systems, and some combine open source technologies in exciting new ways. This week Jesse Smith explores two projects, Regolith Linux and distri, currently on our waiting list. Regolith merges Ubuntu, GNOME, and i3 window management in an effort to create a special user interface while distri explores modular package management concepts. Read on to learn more about these two distributions. In our News section we talk about UBports shipping on the Pinetab tablet as the project makes it easier for developers to find and fix problems in mobile applications. The Tails project shared some updates and known issues in their monthly newsletter and we link to those details below. Linux has come a long way over the years and we conclude our News section with a look back at a classic: Softlanding Linux System from 1994. Then we explore methods for tagging files in our Questions and Answers column. Tools for tagging files on Linux tend to be rare or require work to set up and we would like to hear if you use any tagging utilities in our Opinion Poll. Plus we are pleased to share the releases of the past week and list the torrents we are seeding. We wish you all a wonderful week and happy reading!
Content:
- Review: Regolith Linux 19.10.0-R1.3 and distri
- News: UBports makes fixing apps easier and ships on the Pinetab, Tails shares known issues and workarounds, revisiting SLS
- Questions and answers: Tagging files and searching for files using tags
- Released last week: SuperGamer 6, 4MLinux 33.0
- Torrent corner: 4MLinux, ArcoLinux, AUSTRUMI, Endless OS, Haiku, KDE neon, pfSense, SuperGamer, SystemRescueCd, Volumio
- Opinion poll: Tagging files on Linux
- New distributions: Split Linux, Mobian, GamerOS
- Reader comments
Listen to the Podcast edition of this week's DistroWatch Weekly in OGG (14MB) and MP3 (10MB) formats.
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| Feature Story (by Jesse Smith) |
Regolith Linux 19.10.0-R1.3
This week I was in the mood to try something different and turned my focus to the DistroWatch waiting list to try out a couple of projects at random. The first distribution I selected was Regolith. The project describes itself as follows:
Regolith is a modern desktop environment designed to let you work faster by reducing unnecessary clutter and ceremony. Built on top of Ubuntu, GNOME, and i3, Regolith stands on a well-supported and consistent foundation.
I was intrigued by the idea as it sounds a though both GNOME and i3 window manager components are run together. The distribution's website goes on to share some other key features, including:
- Delivers a desktop with a functional yet minimal user interface that can be customized and expanded as needed.
- Combines GNOME's system management features with i3-wm's productive workflow.
- Enables new users a fast and fun way to try out a tiling window manager.
I was sceptical about what it would be like to mix these two (i3 and GNOME) desktop approaches, but I thought the result might be interesting. Regolith is available in two versions, one is based on Ubuntu 18.04 and the other on Ubuntu 19.10. I took the latter one, which is the latest release. Regolith appears to run on 64-bit (x86_64) machines only and its ISO file is a 2.2GB download. Alternatively, we are told existing Ubuntu installs can be converted into Regolith by adding a PPA to our package sources and performing an upgrade.
After downloading Regolith, I booted from the live media and, with the default settings, the distribution failed to start. The system displayed a message indicating it was applying a Spector security fix and then locked up, unable to continue or respond.
Restarting the computer I brought up the boot menu and selected booting to the live desktop in Safe Graphics mode. This time the operating system seemed to boot successfully and presented me with what appeared to be the i3 window manager with a panel at the bottom of the display and a menu to the right. This menu includes options for switching between windows and launching programs, such as a terminal, the web browser, and a file manager. Selecting any of the menu options did nothing as the graphical environment almost immediate locked up and refused to respond to mouse or keyboard input.
The third time I started the computer and booted Regolith I missed the boot menu and ended up with the default option. This time the system completed booting and loaded a graphical environment. However, instead of the i3 environment I experienced when running in Safe Graphics mode, I ended up looking at Ubuntu's welcome window with a prompt to Try the live environment or Install the operating system. Unfortunately the interface was not responsive and I was unable to use the mouse or keyboard. I was also unable to even switch to a text terminal.
Given the system's inconsistent and non-functioning nature in each of the three boot attempts, I put Regolith aside and selected a second project from the waiting list.
* * * * *
distri
The other project which caught my attention this week is distri, an experimental distribution which explores fast, modular package management. The project's documentation describes the projects succinctly as: "a Linux distribution to research fast package management." It goes on to warn: "Note that due to its research project status, it is NOT RECOMMENDED to use distri in ANY CAPACITY except for research. Specifically, do not expect any support. distri is published in the hope that other, more established distributions, will find some parts of it interesting and decide to integrate those."
It appears as though distri runs on 64-bit (x86_64) computers exclusively, though there are many approaches we can take to test drive the distribution. There are installation instructions for containers and virtual machine options along with options for downloading more traditional install media. The generic download is compressed and weighs in at 1GB in size. When this file is uncompressed it expands to 7GB. We can then copy this image to a thumb drive or convert it to a virtual machine disk image.
The distri operating system boots to a text screen where we can login using the username "root" and the password "peace". The distribution runs a very minimal shell. In fact, minimalism is one of the project's key characteristics in most aspects of its design. There are just seven user accounts (root, nobody, three systemd accounts, messagebus, and sshd). One of the few services running is OpenSSH which allows regular users to sign in while also blocking remote root logins if they use a password. As far as I could tell there is no vi text editor, in fact there may be no text editor at all. There is no pager either, such as more or less, which means we can only see the last few paragraphs of manual pages.
The operating system does ship with Python 3 and systemd. It also features some common command line tools such as cat, man, and grep. It runs on version 5.1 of the Linux kernel. One oddity of distri is that it creates a lot of system mounts. When I first started running the distribution it mounted 36 filesystems (much of it temporary storage or cgroup related) and it appears to mount more whenever we run commands from installed packages. (More on packages in a second.) All of this takes up about 285MB of RAM when signed into the text console and consumed 2.7GB of disk space.
The key feature of the distri project is its package manager which is also called distri. I was unable to find much documentation, either on the project's website or locally, explaining how distri works. The project's on-line documentation says we can run a command like "distri install <package-name>" to install new software. However, I could not find information about removing or upgrading packages. I could not find any manual page for the package manager either. Running the distri command without arguments (or with a keyword and no following parameters) will display a brief usage text. However, this text rarely explains arguments and seems more geared toward helping the developers than end-users.
I did not find any way to search for available software from within the package manager, however there is a list of packages on the distribution's GitHub account. We can then run a command such as "distri install vim" to download a new package or "distri install -root /home/jesse/bin vim" to install the vim package in my home directory.
The distri package manager downloads software very quickly. With the possible exception of Alpine Linux's package manager, this may be the fastest package manager I have encountered. I suspect this is in part because of the way distri packages are organized. The packages appear to be entirely self-contained, bundling their dependencies inside a single SquashFS archive. (I could not confirm dependencies are bundled, but it seemed this way in the packages I downloaded.) This means the package manager can skip resolving dependencies and unpacking the archive. Instead it seems the bundle is downloaded as a single file and then mounted or accessed as needed. Whenever I ran a new command, such as vim or bash, a message would appear on the console indicating the software was being mounted.
Again, there is not much documentation on how distri works, but it looks as though new software is downloaded into the /roimg directory. Then unpacked or accessed through the /ro directory. Symbolic links are set up in /sbin which point to the executables. For instance, when I install the vim package, the SquashFS archive appears under /roimg and a directory containing the bundled programs is placed in /ro. A symbolic link, called vim, is placed in /sbin which points to the appropriate program in /ro. This may seem a little complicated, but it works and appears to side-step dependency issues. This makes distri an interesting alternative to other portable packaging approaches, such as AppImage and Flatpak as distri integrates software into the rest of the operating system more seamlessly.
Most of the available packages appear to be simple command line tools or developer utilities. There are a handful of graphical utilities and applications, but most are low-level command line programs.
As the project's website warns, distri is not intended to be used as a day to day operating system. It is an experimental platform and one that does not offer support or much in the way of documentation. Some interesting ideas are presented (such as fast, minimal, portable package management). I certainly can get behind the idea of transferring programs and their dependencies through SquashFS archives. It is fast, portable and, with the use of symbolic links, seems to avoid breaking conventions the way other distributions like GoboLinux do. I'm curious to see if distri can complete with alternatives like AppImage, though first I suspect the interface and documentation will need to expanded.
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| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
UBports makes fixing apps easier and ships on the Pinetab, Tails shares known issues and workarounds, revisiting SLS
The UBports team is trying to make it easier to develop and test applications on their mobile operating system. One of the changes to application bundles is the option of including debug information to help developers find memory errors. "Jonny is an active member of the app development team and he came along to speak about some major improvements in development infrastructure. Clickable is the name of the package used when building apps for UT. In a huge step forward, debugging functions have now been built into the Clickable package itself. GB shell works and you can analyze memory leaks etc. This really is a fundamental change if you work on apps. Many of the new functions can be run either on the desktop or on the device. Some, such as the memory leak tests are limited to the desktop side for now." Further details on Clickable, along with details on UBports shipping on new phones, can be found in the project's blog post.
In other UBports-related news, the operating system is now shipping by default on the Pinetab, a tablet made by PINE64. The new tablet ships with an optional keyboard, 2GB of memory, and a 1.2GHz ARM processor. Details on the tablet can be found in the PINE64 store.
* * * * *
The Tails project published their monthly newsletter this week and shared some known issues their users have reported and workarounds: "We saw more problems for Mac computers this month, some users could not use their keyboard and touchpad, and others could not start Tails. If you plan to use a laptop for Tails, try to test it before buying it. Many Electrum users had to restore their wallet as explained in our documentation. Some ATI Radeon cards have problems to start Tails 4.7."
* * * * *
One of the world's first Linux distributions was Softlanding Linux System (also known as SLS). The project had its humble beginnings in the early 1990s and was, for many people, the first taste of what a Linux-based operating system could look like. SLS was largely responsible for the birth of other distributions such as Slackware Linux and Debian. The NCommander YouTube channel has a video review showing what it was like to run SLS. The distribution's capabilities, and problems, are outlined in this video. We hope you enjoy this visit to Linux's early days.
* * * * *
These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
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| Questions and Answers (by Jesse Smith) |
Tagging files and searching for files using tags
Tag and release asks: Please recommend to me some Linux distributions with feature "tags" as in macOS (where I can search or/and organise files by tags in Finder).
DistroWatch answers: Tagging files in a generic way is something that is possible in Linux distributions, but has not really caught on as a popular feature. As such I am not aware of any distributions which ship with a file manager that includes tagging as a standard or default feature.
I think there are two reasons tagging is not generally presented as an option through the file manager on Linux. The first is that individual applications typically each handle tracking and tagging associated files. For example, the Rhythmbox audio player can use, edit, and search through tags in audio files. LibreOffice and GIMP both track recently opened and created files on their start-up screens or through the File menu. Thunderbird can tag and flag e-mails. Since each application is managing its data and files, there usually isn't a need to have a generic tagging system that works through the file manager.
The second reason that files which are used in a more generic way are not tagged is files in those situations typically get organized in directory structures. Library files, source code files, archives, etc all get set up in a directory hierarchy which largely removes the need for tagging. Likewise, many miscellaneous files on a Linux system are text and can be parsed when looking for specific data.
Tagging certainly has its uses, but it is less common on Linux due to the other ways in which files can be organized, tracked, and managed.
With that being said, there are ways to tag files on Linux. Most Linux file systems allow a type of tagging through extended file attributes. This allows programs to associate meta data (or tags) with a given file. However, most of the tools to work with extended file attributes are command line utilities and probably not what you are looking for.
There are ways to cobble together a tagging system using database or text files in directories, but this is, again, overly complicated and probably not what you had in mind.
Assuming you are looking for a graphical program that will help organize, tag, and track files with a minimal amount of effort, there are a few options. The first one I found is called TagSpaces. It is a graphical program that runs on a variety of operating systems (including Linux distributions). The project provides multiple install options, including AppImage and Deb packages. TagSpaces looks very friendly and polished and its website seemed promising. However, I was unable to get either the AppImage or the Deb package to run on my distribution so I cannot comment on the program from first-hand experience.
One program which I did get to run is TagFlow. The TagFlow application is also graphical and is available as a portable AppImage or as RPM and Deb packages. The software did install and launch for me. It offers a friendly interface for adding files or directories we wish to tag and track.
The TagFlow interface is fairly straight forward to navigate and I like that we can edit tags, perform fast searches, and mark selected files as favourites for quick access later.
TagFlow 0.5.1 -- Searching for files using tags
(full image size: 62kB, resolution: 806x656 pixels)
There is one weird aspect to TagFlow and that is the files it tracks are not, by default, the original files in your filesystem. When we add files to TagFlow to track them, the program effectively copies the files and tags copies of them. We can then "download" files from TagFlow later if we wish to access or edit them. I suspect the idea here is that TagFlow can work over networks and may be better suited to office environments. The down side to this is that TagFlow seems to need to copy files (using more disk space) and it cannot tell us the original path to a file if we want to work with the original copy. This is not necessarily bad, but it is more awkward than working with files in a file manager directly.
* * * * *
Additional answers can be found in our Questions and Answers archive.
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| Released Last Week |
SuperGamer 6
SuperGamer is an Ubuntu-based distribution intended to showcase gaming capabilities and options on Linux. The distribution's latest release, version 6, is based on Ubuntu 20.04 and includes new NVIDIA vieo drivers. The release announcement on the project's forum reads: "I am proud to announce the release of the SuperGamer v6. This is using the new 20.04 base. I have included some Games as well as Game Manager Installers. This release is going forward with the 5.6.14 kernel built for Low Lattency and unpatched. NVIDIA drivers work from the Installer on this Kernel. I also included some more wallpapers and fixed some of the Ryzen 3 onboard graphics issues. This should work for both Legacy and UEFI but as always your mileage may vary with different motherboards and BIOSs." The project's ISO file is available as a compressed ZIP archive.
SuperGamer 6 -- The default desktop layout and application menu
(full image size: 191kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
4MLinux 33.0
4MLinux is a miniature Linux distribution which includes tools for data rescue, multimedia, network services, and games. The distribution's latest version is 4MLinux 33.0, which now provides the TFTP daemon, improved font rendering, and the Palemoon web browser as an optional add-on. "As always, the new major release has some new features. Support for Brotli compressed data streams has been added. PCManFM in is now able to create thumbnails of PSD (Photoshop) documents. The 4MLinux server comes with a new TFTP daemon. Font rendering in JWM has been improved. Palemoon web browser is now available as a downloadable extension, while nnn (small yet powerful file manager) is included out of the box. Finally, all the 4MLinux ISO images are now hybridized, meaning that you can use the dd command to create a live USB. This should work for both BIOS and UEFI systems." Further details can be found in the project's release announcement.
* * * * *
Development, unannounced and minor bug-fix releases
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| Torrent Corner |
Weekly Torrents
The table below provides a list of torrents DistroWatch is currently seeding. If you do not have a bittorrent client capable of handling the linked files, we suggest installing either the Transmission or KTorrent bittorrent clients.
Archives of our previously seeded torrents may be found in our Torrent Archive. We also maintain a Torrents RSS feed for people who wish to have open source torrents delivered to them. To share your own open source torrents of Linux and BSD projects, please visit our Upload Torrents page.
Torrent Corner statistics:
- Total torrents seeded: 2,022
- Total data uploaded: 32.2TB
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| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
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Summary of expected upcoming releases
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| Opinion Poll (by Jesse Smith) |
Tagging files on Linux
We talked about ways to tag files in our Questions and Answers column. Tagging files is relatively rare on Linux, for various reasons, and most file managers that ship with Linux distributions either do not support tags, or require some extra work from the user to effectively tag files.
We would like to know if you use file tagging on Linux. If you do, let us know which program or utility you use to tag files in the comments.
You can see the results of our previous poll on sharing features across distributions in last week's edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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Tagging files on Linux
| I tag files in my file manager: | 62 (6%) |
| I tag files in another utility: | 39 (4%) |
| I do not tag files: | 957 (90%) |
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| Website News (by Jesse Smith) |
Distributions added to waiting list
- Split Linux. Split Linux is a Void-based distribution which strives to provide additional security both for on-line environments and physical access.
- Mobian. Mobian is a specialized build of Debian for mobile devices, such as the PinePhone.
- GamerOS. GamerOS is an Arch Linux-based distribution which boots into Steam's Big Picture mode to provide a dedicated, console-like gaming experience.
* * * * *
DistroWatch database summary
* * * * *
This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 22 June 2020. Past articles and reviews can be found through our Article Search page. To contact the authors please send e-mail to:
- Jesse Smith (feedback, questions and suggestions: distribution reviews/submissions, questions and answers, tips and tricks)
- Ladislav Bodnar (feedback, questions, donations, comments)
- Bruce Patterson (podcast)
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| Archives |
| • Issue 1099 (2024-12-02): AnduinOS 1.0.1, measuring RAM usage, SUSE continues rebranding efforts, UBports prepares for next major version, Murena offering non-NFC phone |
| • Issue 1098 (2024-11-25): Linux Lite 7.2, backing up specific folders, Murena and Fairphone partner in fair trade deal, Arch installer gets new text interface, Ubuntu security tool patched |
| • Issue 1097 (2024-11-18): Chimera Linux vs Chimera OS, choosing between AlmaLinux and Debian, Fedora elevates KDE spin to an edition, Fedora previews new installer, KDE testing its own distro, Qubes-style isolation coming to FreeBSD |
| • Issue 1096 (2024-11-11): Bazzite 40, Playtron OS Alpha 1, Tucana Linux 3.1, detecting Screen sessions, Redox imports COSMIC software centre, FreeBSD booting on the PinePhone Pro, LXQt supports Wayland window managers |
| • Issue 1095 (2024-11-04): Fedora 41 Kinoite, transferring applications between computers, openSUSE Tumbleweed receives multiple upgrades, Ubuntu testing compiler optimizations, Mint partners with Framework |
| • Issue 1094 (2024-10-28): DebLight OS 1, backing up crontab, AlmaLinux introduces Litten branch, openSUSE unveils refreshed look, Ubuntu turns 20
| | • Issue 1093 (2024-10-21): Kubuntu 24.10, atomic vs immutable distributions, Debian upgrading Perl packages, UBports adding VoLTE support, Android to gain native GNU/Linux application support |
| • Issue 1092 (2024-10-14): FunOS 24.04.1, a home directory inside a file, work starts of openSUSE Leap 16.0, improvements in Haiku, KDE neon upgrades its base |
| • Issue 1091 (2024-10-07): Redox OS 0.9.0, Unified package management vs universal package formats, Redox begins RISC-V port, Mint polishes interface, Qubes certifies new laptop |
| • Issue 1090 (2024-09-30): Rhino Linux 2024.2, commercial distros with alternative desktops, Valve seeks to improve Wayland performance, HardenedBSD parterns with Protectli, Tails merges with Tor Project, Quantum Leap partners with the FreeBSD Foundation |
| • Issue 1089 (2024-09-23): Expirion 6.0, openKylin 2.0, managing configuration files, the future of Linux development, fixing bugs in Haiku, Slackware packages dracut |
| • Issue 1088 (2024-09-16): PorteuX 1.6, migrating from Windows 10 to which Linux distro, making NetBSD immutable, AlmaLinux offers hardware certification, Mint updates old APT tools |
| • Issue 1087 (2024-09-09): COSMIC desktop, running cron jobs at variable times, UBports highlights new apps, HardenedBSD offers work around for FreeBSD change, Debian considers how to cull old packages, systemd ported to musl |
| • Issue 1086 (2024-09-02): Vanilla OS 2, command line tips for simple tasks, FreeBSD receives investment from STF, openSUSE Tumbleweed update can break network connections, Debian refreshes media |
| • Issue 1085 (2024-08-26): Nobara 40, OpenMandriva 24.07 "ROME", distros which include source code, FreeBSD publishes quarterly report, Microsoft updates breaks Linux in dual-boot environments |
| • Issue 1084 (2024-08-19): Liya 2.0, dual boot with encryption, Haiku introduces performance improvements, Gentoo dropping IA-64, Redcore merges major upgrade |
| • Issue 1083 (2024-08-12): TrueNAS 24.04.2 "SCALE", Linux distros for smartphones, Redox OS introduces web server, PipeWire exposes battery drain on Linux, Canonical updates kernel version policy |
| • Issue 1082 (2024-08-05): Linux Mint 22, taking snapshots of UFS on FreeBSD, openSUSE updates Tumbleweed and Aeon, Debian creates Tiny QA Tasks, Manjaro testing immutable images |
| • Issue 1081 (2024-07-29): SysLinuxOS 12.4, OpenBSD gain hardware acceleration, Slackware changes kernel naming, Mint publishes upgrade instructions |
| • Issue 1080 (2024-07-22): Running GNU/Linux on Android with Andronix, protecting network services, Solus dropping AppArmor and Snap, openSUSE Aeon Desktop gaining full disk encryption, SUSE asks openSUSE to change its branding |
| • Issue 1079 (2024-07-15): Ubuntu Core 24, hiding files on Linux, Fedora dropping X11 packages on Workstation, Red Hat phasing out GRUB, new OpenSSH vulnerability, FreeBSD speeds up release cycle, UBports testing new first-run wizard |
| • Issue 1078 (2024-07-08): Changing init software, server machines running desktop environments, OpenSSH vulnerability patched, Peppermint launches new edition, HardenedBSD updates ports |
| • Issue 1077 (2024-07-01): The Unity and Lomiri interfaces, different distros for different tasks, Ubuntu plans to run Wayland on NVIDIA cards, openSUSE updates Leap Micro, Debian releases refreshed media, UBports gaining contact synchronisation, FreeDOS celebrates its 30th anniversary |
| • Issue 1076 (2024-06-24): openSUSE 15.6, what makes Linux unique, SUSE Liberty Linux to support CentOS Linux 7, SLE receives 19 years of support, openSUSE testing Leap Micro edition |
| • Issue 1075 (2024-06-17): Redox OS, X11 and Wayland on the BSDs, AlmaLinux releases Pi build, Canonical announces RISC-V laptop with Ubuntu, key changes in systemd |
| • Issue 1074 (2024-06-10): Endless OS 6.0.0, distros with init diversity, Mint to filter unverified Flatpaks, Debian adds systemd-boot options, Redox adopts COSMIC desktop, OpenSSH gains new security features |
| • Issue 1073 (2024-06-03): LXQt 2.0.0, an overview of Linux desktop environments, Canonical partners with Milk-V, openSUSE introduces new features in Aeon Desktop, Fedora mirrors see rise in traffic, Wayland adds OpenBSD support |
| • Issue 1072 (2024-05-27): Manjaro 24.0, comparing init software, OpenBSD ports Plasma 6, Arch community debates mirror requirements, ThinOS to upgrade its FreeBSD core |
| • Issue 1071 (2024-05-20): Archcraft 2024.04.06, common command line mistakes, ReactOS imports WINE improvements, Haiku makes adjusting themes easier, NetBSD takes a stand against code generated by chatbots |
| • Issue 1070 (2024-05-13): Damn Small Linux 2024, hiding kernel messages during boot, Red Hat offers AI edition, new web browser for UBports, Fedora Asahi Remix 40 released, Qubes extends support for version 4.1 |
| • Issue 1069 (2024-05-06): Ubuntu 24.04, installing packages in alternative locations, systemd creates sudo alternative, Mint encourages XApps collaboration, FreeBSD publishes quarterly update |
| • Issue 1068 (2024-04-29): Fedora 40, transforming one distro into another, Debian elects new Project Leader, Red Hat extends support cycle, Emmabuntus adds accessibility features, Canonical's new security features |
| • Issue 1067 (2024-04-22): LocalSend for transferring files, detecting supported CPU architecure levels, new visual design for APT, Fedora and openSUSE working on reproducible builds, LXQt released, AlmaLinux re-adds hardware support |
| • Issue 1066 (2024-04-15): Fun projects to do with the Raspberry Pi and PinePhone, installing new software on fixed-release distributions, improving GNOME Terminal performance, Mint testing new repository mirrors, Gentoo becomes a Software In the Public Interest project |
| • Issue 1065 (2024-04-08): Dr.Parted Live 24.03, answering questions about the xz exploit, Linux Mint to ship HWE kernel, AlmaLinux patches flaw ahead of upstream Red Hat, Calculate changes release model |
| • Issue 1064 (2024-04-01): NixOS 23.11, the status of Hurd, liblzma compromised upstream, FreeBSD Foundation focuses on improving wireless networking, Ubuntu Pro offers 12 years of support |
| • Issue 1063 (2024-03-25): Redcore Linux 2401, how slowly can a rolling release update, Debian starts new Project Leader election, Red Hat creating new NVIDIA driver, Snap store hit with more malware |
| • 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 |
| • Full list of all issues |
| Star Labs |
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
|
| Random Distribution | 
Slackel
Slackel is a Linux distribution and live CD based on Slackware Linux and Salix. It is fully compatible with both. It uses the current version of Slackware and the latest version of the KDE desktop. The Slackel disc images are offered in two different forms - installation and live.
Status: Active
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| Tips, Tricks, Q&As | | Questions and answers: Games for Linux |
| Myths and misunderstandings: GPL |
| Tips and tricks: Transitioning from PC-BSD to TrueOS |
| Tips and tricks: Making snapshots of UFS on FreeBSD |
| Tips and tricks: Command line weather, ionice, rename files, video preview snapshot, calednar, ls colour settings |
| Tips and tricks: Monitoring and recording user activity |
| Tips and tricks: Basename, for loop, dirname, aliases, bash history, xsel clipboard |
| Tips and tricks: Gathering system information with osquery |
| Questions and answers: Performance impact from installing dependencies and installing alternative package versions |
| Questions and answers: Remotely shutting down and complex aliases |
| More Tips & Tricks and Questions & Answers |
| TUXEDO |
TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite
Choose from a wide range of laptops and PCs in various sizes and shapes at TUXEDOComputers.com. Every machine comes pre-installed and ready-to-run with Linux. Full 24 months of warranty and lifetime support included!
Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
|
| 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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