 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 933, 6 September 2021 |
Welcome to this year's 35th issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
The world of computers and technology is complex. There are so many file formats, web browsers, distributions, and protocols that sometimes it's challenging to keep them straight, let alone get them all working smoothly together. This week we explore some projects which strive to make things more simple. We begin with a look at elementary OS, a desktop Linux distribution which tries to streamline the user experience and cut out clutter. Read on to learn more about elementary OS from our guest author, Jeff Siegel. Then, in our Questions and Answers column we talk about decluttering filenames. Different operating systems handle filenames in different ways, using their own special characters and rules. We talk about how to clean up filenames to make them more cross-platform friendly and easier to handle in scripts. In our News section we report on the Linux Mint team polishing their website and desktop themes while the GhostBSD project swaps out OpenRC for FreeBSD's service manager. Plus we talk about how the Qubes project is trying to make it possible for users to know that the project has not been compromised by government agencies. This week we are also pleased to share a list of recent releases along with the torrents we are seeding. Finally, for our Opinion Poll we tip out hat to 30 years of Linux development and ask how long our readers have been running the Linux kernel - either on servers, desktops, or mobile devices. Let us know how you got started with Linux in the comments. We wish you all a wonderful week and happy reading!
Content:
- Review: elementary OS 6.0 "Odin"
- News: Linux Mint polishes its look, GhostBSD swaps out OpenRC for FreeBSD's service manager, Qubes publishes a canary
- Questions and answers: Cleaning special characters out of filenames
- Released last week: Linux Lite 5.6, EndeavourOS 2021.08.27, Linux From Scratch 11.0
- Torrent corner: Alpine, Arch Linux, Bluestar, EasyOS, EndeavourOS, KDE neon, Linux Lite, Manjaro, Nitrux, Obarun, openmamba
- Upcoming releases: Tails 4.22
- Opinion poll: How long have you been using Linux?
- Reader comments
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| Feature Story (by Jeff Siegel) |
elementary OS 6.0 "Odin"
Think of elementary OS as the distro that - in a perfect world - would carry Linux to desktop domination. It's slick, it looks good, it's surprisingly nimble, and its developers have only the best of intentions.
So why doesn't it come with a word processor?
One would think, in the second decade of the 21st century, that a word processor would be standard equipment, showing up next to the email, calendar, and other apps after installation. But not in the new elementary OS 6, code named Odin. Yes, with a little bit of command line keystroking, you can add LibreOffice or Calligra or even AbiWord.
But an office suite, just because almost everyone uses a word processor or a spreadsheet or a presentation app these days?
Nope.
And this, more than anything, points to the reason why elementary, despite its fame and accomplishments, makes so many of us install something else. Early on, I used elementary as my daily driver. It was that fresh and that amazing and even I began to wonder if it was the future.
elementary OS 6.0 -- The default desktop layout
(full image size: 1.9MB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
But as soon as it moved from Jupiter to Luna, I switched back to Xubuntu. I need a distro that helps me work - not one that sits on the screen so I can admire its beauty. And, sadly, Odin continues that tradition. Is it fast and mostly intuitive? Yep. Does it include terrific documentation and does it look gorgeous? You bet. Is it also annoying, frustrating, and even occasionally aggravating?
Of course it is.
The background
elementary starts with surprisingly simple recommended hardware: Just 4GB of memory, an i3 processor or equivalent, and only a 15GB hard drive. In fact, the installation directions, and even how to write the ISO download to a thumb drive, are well-written and easy to follow. In this, it may be the best how-to for accessing a BIOS boot drive I've seen.
Odin is based on the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS release and uses the 5.11 kernel. It includes a variety of changes, improvements, and updates from elementary 5.1 Hera, many of which make the distro even better looking and even smoother in use. Look for updates for many of its bespoke applications, like the web browser (GNOME's old Epiphany browser, relabeled Web) and the email app (Mail), as well as a new to-do app called Task. The other apps, like Music, Video, Calendar, and Camera, do pretty much what they're supposed to do.
elementary OS 6.0 -- The welcome window
(full image size: 1.6MB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
The installer has been streamlined and takes up only three screens once it appears - a most welcome change. My laptop booted in seconds, so quickly that I barely noticed. Battery life was good, too - some word processing, web browsing, emails, testing the video and music players, and the like, and I got about 3.5 hours on my well-used machine.
Multi-touch support has been improved, there's a firmware updater (also most welcome), and new wallpapers and app decorations have been added. Plus a dark mode, since everything has to have a dark mode these days.
elementary OS 6.0 -- Adjusting the theme of the virtual terminal
(full image size: 957kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
But perhaps the most important change? The App Center focuses on installing software using Flatpak and includes Sideload, a dedicated Flatpak installation app. This is a fundamental change in the way most Linux distros handle software availability and installation. Yes, you can use the command line to install LibreOffice or Firefox, or to pull down Synaptic to handle the chore; Odin still accesses the Ubuntu repos. And, depending on how the App Center updates (since it's buggy too, just like most software centres in the Ubuntu family), all of the available apps may not show up right away. In my case it took three boots for the App Center to populate.
elementary OS 6.0 -- Trying to fetch package updates
(full image size: 714kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
But the distro's developers would prefer you use their stuff - so much so that there's a warning if you try to install any other software: "Install untrusted/non-curated app? 'LibreOffice' is not curated by elementary and has not been reviewed for security, privacy, or system integration." Why this warning for major open-source software, which is certainly not anything like some phishing expedition on Android?
elementary OS 6.0 -- Installing untrusted applications
(full image size: 619kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
And, because it's elementary, the developers anticipate a variety of installation and use problems. There's a note in the FAQ outlining the App Center changes, as well a recommendation to only install software via Flathub, the Flatpak repository. There's also a mention of the distro's failure to install in VirtualBox (which I found to be spot on despite repeated attempts to make it work).
Installation, though, is not always easy and straightforward. If you don't use Etcher to put the ISO on a thumb drive, good luck. This is odd for an Ubuntu-based distro other than Pop!_OS; most typically install using any ISO writer. I have rarely had difficulties using Multi-System, for example.
And even if you use Etcher, there might be problems - hanging at "stdin: not a typewriter" on the initial installation screen, for example. And a Reddit post reported problems upgrading from Hera, which might even bork the box (which, to its credit, the FAQ says not to do in favor of a fresh install).
Getting some work done
This is where elementary reminds us that it can be so frustrating, even after "sudo apt-get ..." delivers a word processor.
The top panel, for all practical purposes, can't be changed. So no Nextcloud or Zoom icon. And if you don't use Bluetooth, which I don't, a grayed icon stares at you ... and stares at you ... and stares at you. There is, apparently, a third-party PPA workaround for this, but I didn't want to take the chance it would make matters worse.
A single click opens folders in the file manager (Files, also known as Pantheon), like KDE's Dolphin. But opening files in folders requires a double click. It's not so much that this is odd or that it can't be changed. The truly annoying part is that unless you know elementary, you double click on a folder and find yourself down two levels instead of one. It takes a half dozen or so double clicks before you can figure out what's going on.
Odin recognized my Canon MX-922 printer, which connects through Wi-Fi, but it wouldn't print. It still wouldn't print even after I used the tweaks that lets it print on Fedora and the Ubuntu distributions.
The Pantheon Tweak tool, a third-party app, enables changes in Files. This includes moving the close button to the upper right hand corner and adding a minimize button. But it doesn't fix the click/double-click thing.
Odin uses the Plank dock, but makes it more difficult to change settings - and it's not like changing Plank's settings are intuitive to begin with. Here, it's Ctrl-right-click, as opposed to right-click.
By themselves, these minor niggles are just part of the Linux experience. How many of us still hold a grudge because Unity isn't GNOME, and vice versa? The catch, though, is that these minor inconveniences add up. If I don't use Bluetooth, why should I be forced to look at the icon, but not see icons that I want, like Nextcloud and Zoom?
Finally, the non-elementary apps business may well be more than a minor niggle, despite good intentions and long explanations on elementary's website. It will scare away a lot of people who might want to try Odin because it is so pretty, works as well as it does, and gets such good reviews. The normal, intuitive thing to do is to look in the App Center for software; what will they think about Linux when there's a warning about using LibreOffice and Firefox?
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Hardware used for this review
My physical test equipment for this review was an HP EliteBook Folio 9480m laptop with the following specifications:
- Processor: Intel Core i5-4310u, 2.6GHz
- Storage: 240GB SSD
- Memory: 8GB of RAM
- Networking: Intel Wireless 7260 802.11ac dual band Wi-Fi + Bluettoh
- Display: Intel Haswell-ULT Integrated Graphics
When he is not testing out new versions of Linux distributions, Jeff Siegel can be found writing about all things related to wine at Wine Curmudgeon.
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Visitor supplied rating
elementary OS has a visitor supplied average rating of: 5/10 from 148 review(s).
Have you used elementary OS? You can leave your own review of the project on our ratings page.
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| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
Linux Mint polishes its look, GhostBSD swaps out OpenRC for FreeBSD's service manager, Qubes publishes a canary
The Linux Mint team is working on polishing the look of the distribution - both its desktop themes and its website. In the project's monthly newsletter the team outlines some of the customizations available: "The Mint-Y Cinnamon theme will provide a light panel (though we'll still ship with Mint-Y-Dark by default). The theme will support dark applications. That last point consists in letting certain applications look dark even in the light theme. In Linux Mint 20.3 we will take advantage of this to ship some of the apps in dark: Celluloid; Xviewer; Pix; Hypnotix; GNOME Terminal. Each of these applications will have a setting in its preference window to disable/enable dark mode. Note that support for dark apps will work with Cinnamon, Marco (MATE's window manager) and Metacity, but not with Xfwm (which is used by default in Xfce)."
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The GhostBSD project is planning to shift from using the OpenRC service manager to running FreeBSD's RC service manager. While OpenRC offers some nice features and possibly some performance benefits, the overhead of maintaining alternative service management from GhostBSD's parent has proven too much work. "For those who are disappointed with this change, put your feet in my shoes. Maintaining FreeBSD services plus FreeBSD ports services for OpenRC is too much for one person. In addition, I do not have the adequate manpower to keep up with all new services and services changes. I have people helping, but it is not enough to keep up. So instead of trying to keep up with something that already works well, GhostBSD will focus on improving the FreeBSD desktop experience." Details on the migration can be found in the project's news post.
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People who are concerned about their privacy often use security-focused operating systems such as Qubes OS or Tails. However, when using these systems people might worry about whether the operating system itself has been compromised or whether its developers have been contacted by government agents to spy on their users. One guard against this sort of thing is called a canary - a document which, if changed, signals something has happened without explicitly stating what has happened as may be required by non-disclosure agreements. The Qubes project has such a canary document which is periodically updated to let users know the project's status. "No warrants have ever been served to us with regard to the Qubes OS Project (e.g. to hand out the private signing keys or to introduce backdoors). We plan to publish the next of these canary statements in the first fourteen days of December 2021. Special note should be taken if no new canary is published by that time or if the list of statements changes without plausible explanation." The full document can be found on the project's news page.
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These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
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| Questions and Answers (by Jesse Smith) |
Cleaning special characters out of filenames
Surrounded-by-chaos asks: Every time I download a file or get e-mailed a document from a colleague the file has spaces or weird characters in it like ()$!. How can I automate cleaning up filenames so I don't need to rename them in Nautilus every time?
DistroWatch answers: There is a tool which is ideal for this sort of work called detox. The detox command line utility accepts the name of a file (or a directory) and will rename each file you provide to make it easier to work with. This will transform files such as "Untitled (2) - blah#!.pdf" to "Untitled-2-blah#_.pdf".
The detox utility can accept a number of options and special flags, but there are probably just three ways you will want to use this program. The first is to rename a single file. This works by simply passing the name of an existing file to detox and the file will be automatically renamed. Here is an example of fixing the name of one file:
$ ls
Untitled (2) - blah#!
$ detox Untitled\ \(2\)\ -\ blah#\!
$ ls
Untitled-2-blah#_
The detox command can also rename all files in a directory tree. We can accomplish this using the "-r" flag. However, before renaming files you might want to see what the results will be from renaming potentially hundreds or thousands of files. We can perform a test run without changing any filenames by using the "--dry-run" parameter. Here we see what actions detox will take on a directory:
$ detox -r --dry-run Docs
Docs/Untitled (2) - blah#! -> Docs/Untitled-2-blah#_
Docs/a b c () - $%! -> Docs/a_b_c-%_
In the above example we see the original name of both files, followed by the new name detox will assign to the files. To actually perform the rename operation we can drop the "--dry-run" flag:
$ detox -r Docs
$ ls -1 Docs
a_b_c-%_
Untitled-2-blah#
People will typically use detox on files downloaded from the Internet or on files transferred from another operating system which uses different special characters in filenames.
* * * * *
Additional answers can be found in our Questions and Answers archive.
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| Released Last Week |
EndeavourOS 2021.08.27
Bryan Poerwo has announced the availability of EndeavourOS 2021.08.27, the latest stable version of the project's rolling-release Arch Linux-based distribution with Xfce as the default desktop. This release brings major changes to the Calamares system installer: "The changes for Calamares are the most significant ones made on this release. In comparison to our previous releases, this release brings us to a higher level and we are confident to say that this ISO image is a milestone step towards our future. The changes made are complete overhaul under the hood of Calamares with a significant speed increase in installation as the most stellar improvement. This was achieved by throwing our previous system entirely out of the window and building the ISO image from scratch, which resulted in an installer that is fast, light, easy to maintain, easy to add new features in and a hugely improved user experience. Test results did clock an online install time from three to fifteen minutes, depending on the available internet speed." See the release announcement for further information and screenshots.
Linux Lite 5.6
Linux Lite is a beginner-friendly Linux distribution based on Ubuntu's long-term support (LTS) release and featuring the Xfce desktop. The project's latest release, Linux Lite 5.6, is based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and offers a number of conveniences and upgrades. Python 3 is now used by default, it is possible to install the distribution via the welcome screen on the live media, and the Lite Tweaks tool will offer to clean up temporary files used by the Brave browser. "Linux Lite 5.6 Final is now available for download and installation. This release includes updates to the Help Manual - our extensive, easy to follow Linux Lite guide, you can now install Linux Lite directly from Lite Welcome, an updated Papirus icon theme, 2 new features added to Lite Tweaks, the introduction of the 'Pay what You Want' digital download model, 7 new wallpapers, Python default version now set to Python3, and a host of bug fixes and enhancements for our target audience. If you're coming from Windows, you'll find this to be a solid, stable release that will help make your transition to a linux based operating system, user friendly." Details on the release, along with screenshots, can be found in the release announcement.
Linux Lite 5.6 -- Running the Xfce desktop
(full image size: 138kB, resolution: 1360x768 pixels)
Linux From Scratch 11.0
Bruce Dubbs has announced the release of Linux From Scratch (LFS) 11.0, the latest version of the project's book that provides step-by-step instructions of building a Linux system from source code: "The Linux From Scratch community announces the release of LFS version 11.0. The reason for the major release number increment is that this version no longer uses the 'split-user' system. That is, like most current distributions, /bin is a symbolic link to /usr/bin. Likewise, /lib and /sbin are both symbolic links to their /usr counterparts. Additional major changes include toolchain updates to GCC 11.2.0, glibc 2.34, and Binutils 2.37. The Linux kernel has also been updated to version 5.13.12. In total, 40 packages were updated since the last release. Changes to the text have also been made throughout the book. In coordination with this release, a new version of LFS using the systemd package is also being released. This package implements the newer systemd style of system initialization and control and is consistent with LFS in most packages." Visit the project' news page to read the full release announcement. Beyond Linux From Scratch, a book which includes over 1,000 extra packages, is also available in version 11.0.
EasyOS 2.9
Barry Kauler has announced the release of EasyOS 2.9, an updated build of the project's minimalist Linux distribution with roots in Puppy Linux. This version has been completely recompiled in OpenEmbedded, a build framework for embedded Linux: "There has been a complete recompile in OpenEmbedded, with some package version upgrades. Also, SeaMonkey has been upgraded to 2.53.9 and the Linux kernel to 5.10.61. Release notes: OpenEmbedded project 20210828 uploaded; statically linked packages with musl in OpenEmbedded; OpenEmbedded Dunfell aarch64 rebuild; align Perl utility updated; 807 packages compiled in OpenEmbedded for EasyOS; OpenEmbedded Dunfell updated rebuild. Note, when I do a complete rebuild in OE, I bump the 'revision number', in this case from "r3" to "r4" - this is in the package names, note also, 'nocona' is the earliest x86_64 instruction set. Changes that usually go unannounced, I sometimes replace Busybox applets with the full versions, from 'coreutils' or 'util-linux', when I encounter an error due to the Busybox applet not supporting the required commandline options." See the release announcement and the release notes for more information.
* * * * *
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: 2,580
- Total data uploaded: 39.8TB
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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) |
How long have you been using Linux?
The Linux kernel recently celebrated its 30th birthday. Over the years, Linux has grown from an open source hobby kernel to a strong ecosystem of software to a multi-billion dollar industry. Linux servers now power a large percentage of the Internet, Linux runs on most of the world's fastest super computers, Linux is at the heart of most smartphones, and the popular kernel runs on tens of millions of desktop systems. How long have you been running Linux systems? Let us know what your first taste of Linux was in the comments.
You can see the results of our previous poll on your preferred virtual terminal software in last week's edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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I have been running Linux...
| Less than one year: | 34 (1%) |
| 1-2 years: | 81 (3%) |
| 3-5 years: | 157 (6%) |
| 6-10 years: | 433 (16%) |
| 11+ years: | 1915 (72%) |
| I do not use Linux: | 22 (1%) |
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| Website News |
DistroWatch database summary
* * * * *
This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 13 September 2021. 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 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 |
| • 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 |
| • Full list of all issues |
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| Random Distribution | 
Parsix GNU/Linux
Parsix GNU/Linux was a live and installation DVD based on Debian GNU/Linux. The project's goal was to provide a ready-to-use and easy-to-install operating system based on Debian's Stable branch and the latest stable release of the GNOME desktop environment. Extra software packages are available for installation from the distribution's own software repositories.
Status: Discontinued
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TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite
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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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