 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 947, 13 December 2021 |
Welcome to this year's 49th issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
The Linux ecosystem is a diverse place with lots of competing designs and approaches. Sometimes we want to be able to run one distribution while also wishing we could borrow elements from another. There are a number of solutions geared toward solving this problem, including virtual machines and meta-distributions like Bedrock Linux. This week we take a look at a different approach, called JuNest, which allows the user to run a private copy of Arch Linux on another distribution. This allows the user to effectively run Arch and be the root user of the Arch system while being a regular user on the host distribution. Our Feature Story offers details on setting up and running JuNest. In our News section we talk about Wayland being adopted as the default display server for Fedora, even when the system is using NVIDIA video cards. We also talk about Zorin OS launching an updated Lite edition for older computers and Haiku updating filesystem drivers and remote access tools. As Linux continues to advance and take on new capabilities it expands its audience and market share. In this week's Questions and Answers column we address the question of whether we've reached the fabled "year of the Linux desktop". Do you think we've reached this milestone? Let us know what you believe in our Opinion Poll. Finally, 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:
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) |
JuNest
One interesting project that has been sitting on the DistroWatch waiting list for a few years is Jailed User NEST (JuNest). The project's documentation describes itself as follows:
JuNest (Jailed User NEST) is a lightweight Arch Linux based distribution that allows [users] to have disposable and partial isolated GNU/Linux environments within any generic GNU/Linux host OS and without the need to have root privileges for installing packages.
JuNest contains mainly the package manager (called pacman) that allows access to a wide range of packages from the Arch Linux repositories.
The main advantages of using JuNest are:
- Install packages without root privileges.
- Partial isolated environment in which you can install packages without affecting a production system.
- Access to a wide range of packages, in particular on GNU/Linux distros that may contain limited repositories (such as CentOS and Red Hat).
- Available for x86_64 and ARM architectures, but you can build your own image from scratch too!
- Run on a different architecture from the host OS via QEMU.
- All Arch Linux lovers can have their favourite distro everywhere!
The purpose of JuNest is not to build a complete isolated environment but, conversely, is the ability to run programs as [if] they were running natively from the host OS. Almost everything is shared between host OS and the JuNest sandbox (kernel, process subtree, network, mounting, etc) and only the root filesystem gets isolated (since the programs installed in JuNest need to reside elsewhere).
While JuNest refers to itself as a distribution, it's not a Linux distribution in the usual sense. In fact, I'd hesitate to refer to it as a distribution at all. The project does not provide a stand-alone operating system you can install from scratch the way you could Debian, Fedora, or Ubuntu. To run JuNest we first need to have a host Linux distribution installed and running. JuNest also doesn't provide its own kernel (ie. it does not distribute Linux), JuNest relies on the host operating system's kernel. In this way, JuNest is more akin to a type of container or virtual environment which is added onto an existing distribution rather than its own Linux-based distribution. It might be better considered a meta-distribution in a similar vein to Bedrock Linux.
I decided to try installing JuNest on a copy of openSUSE Leap. This, I figured, would provide me with a stable, openSUSE base while testing JuNest's ability to run cutting-edge software from Arch Linux. Setting up JuNest requires the host system to have bash, GNU Coreutils, and git installed. The first two are usually pre-installed on almost every Linux distribution while git is present in most distributions' repositories.
Installing
Installing JuNest is fairly straight forward. We can accomplish the set up with four commands. First, we grab a copy of the JuNest GitHub repository:
git clone git://github.com/fsquillace/junest
Then we set up local path information. This allows JuNest to find its tools (from the GitHub repository) and its isolated environment which is, by default, stored under ~/.junest.
export PATH=~/junest/bin:$PATH
export PATH="$PATH:~/.junest/usr/bin_wrappers"
The two above lines should be added to your shell's start-up configuration in order to make sure we can use JuNest the next time we sign into our account. Finally, we run a command to pull in some Arch Linux files and set up the environment:
junest setup
At this point we have a minimal Arch Linux environment installed on our system under our home directory. We can use this core collection of Arch tools in a few different ways.
First impressions of JuNest
The first thing I noticed about running JuNest was that I could access the Arch-based environment by simply running "junest". This would give me an Arch bash prompt and seemed to effectively log me in as a regular user to the JuNest/Arch environment. I could run commands that were installed in the JuNest directory. I still had access to the files on my openSUSE host system, but could also run commands as though I were running a minimal Arch system.
In a small variation of this experience, if I had run "junest -f" I would be logged into the JuNest/Arch environment, but with a fakeroot account. This basically meant that, as far as the Arch environment was concerned, I was the root user and could perform administrative tasks, such as installing new software. Usually this does not seem to be necessary as I'll talk about later, but it's nice to know the "fake root" experience is available.
At this point, from my virtual terminal on openSUSE, I could run commands from either environment. For instance, I could run "sudo zypper update" to bring my openSUSE host up to date with new software packages. I could also run "pacman -Syu" to update my JuNest environment. Both commands could be run from the comfort of the same terminal window. I could also install new packages in the JuNest environment from Arch's repositories.
As an example, my copy of openSUSE did not ship with the Nano text editor, nor did the JuNest minimal environment. I corrected this by running "pacman -S nano", which installed the Arch Nano package into JuNest. I could then run "nano text-file" to create a new text file in my home directory. I could access and edit this file using native openSUSE applications or tools in the JuNest jailed environment.
This approach to seamlessly running programs from two separate environments feels similar to running Bedrock Linux which I talked about in a previous article. The main difference is Bedrock works with multiple different distributions, not just Arch. Bedrock is more flexible, but also requires more effort to set up and maintain. JuNest is specific to Arch (at the moment) and requires minimal effort to set up and maintain.
What about GUI applications?
At this point you might be thinking that having a jailed, Arch-based environment for testing software might sound cool, but does it only work for command line programs? Usually, if we want to run cutting edge software, we're more interested in desktop applications than command line tools. At least this was my main focus.
Running KWrite from the JuNest environment
(full image size: 614kB, resolution: 1,125x863 pixels)
I installed a couple of desktop applications using the pacman package manager and tried out a few. For the most part, desktop applications installed inside JuNest ran seamlessly. Installing and running programs like KWrite or other simple graphical applications worked just as if they were running natively.
I did run into an issue when I tried a heavier application. Specifically, trying to run the Falkon web browser from the openSUSE command line did not work and reported an error saying the browser could not be run without the "--no-sandbox" flag set. This issue could be worked around by first running "junest" to launch the jailed environment and then launching Falkon from the JuNest shell. This is a minor workaround and functioned quite well, allowing Falkon to see and save files in my openSUSE user's home directory.
Running the Falkon browser from JuNest
(full image size: 525kB, resolution: 1,125x863 pixels)
Conclusions
I found the JuNest software to be one of those rare gems that does exactly what it sets out to do, no more or less. The JuNest project gives us the ability to set up a semi-isolated Arch Linux environment in a jail. The software allows us to install and run software from the Arch repositories without contaminating our host operating system. This essentially gives us access to an Arch Linux environment without the overhead of a virtual machine. It also means we can use Arch applications on our desktop and share files between our host system and the JuNest jail seamlessly.
I did run into some errors with more complex applications, but those were easy enough to work around by simply running the junest command to access the jail's namespace.
All in all, I like JuNest. It may not be a full Linux distribution, like those we usual cover here, but it does provide a helpful way to run cutting edge Arch software from within an existing Linux distribution with minimal overhead or maintenance. The fact we can manage the JuNest environment and install additional software from Arch's repositories without administrative access also makes this a very handy tool for situations where we are working in a restrictive environment.
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I'd like to thank Shells.com for donating the openSUSE test environment I was running this week. It allowed me to perform longer computing operations while travelling without interrupting what I was doing.
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| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
Fedora to adopt Wayland as default display server for NVIDIA cards, Zorin OS releases Lite edition, Haiku improves filesystem drivers
The Fedora project uses Wayland as its default display software for its Workstation edition, except when the operating system is running on an NVIDIA video card. There is a plan to adopt Wayland as the default display server for all situations, including when using NVIDIA drivers in Fedora 36. Ben Cotton offered a summary of the situation: "Recent updates in NVIDIA proprietary driver allow Xwayland to benefit from hardware acceleration and X11 applications can have their rendering hardware accelerated. That allowed to enable Wayland sessions even when the NVIDIA proprietary driver is used, but keeping Xorg the default in that case. This proposal is to make Wayland by default with newer versions of the NVIDIA proprietary driver to remain consistent with other drivers."
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The Zorin OS distribution is an Ubuntu-based project which provides a beginner-friendly desktop operating system. Zorin OS is intended to feel familiar to people coming from a Windows environment. The developers have released a new set of Lite editions for version 16 of the distribution. "Today, we're excited to announce the release of Zorin OS 16 Lite. It condenses the full Zorin OS 16 experience into a streamlined operating system, designed to run on low-spec computers as old as 15 years. We believe this is more important than ever, after the obsolescence of older PCs in Windows 11 during a global chip shortage. By pairing the most advanced and efficient software with a user-friendly experience, we've made it possible for anyone to extend the lifespan of their computers for years to come." Additional information can be found in the project's announcement and ISO files can be found on the project's download page.
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The Haiku team have been at work improving their operating system's tools. In particularly, Haiku is becoming more capable of interacting with Windows technology. Updated NTFS and FAT filesystem drivers have been merged into the Haiku code and a remote desktop client has been fixed to work with modern versions of Windows. "I saw a commenter on a forum lamenting that they could not connect to some Windows machines via RDP from Haiku; none of the tools they installed seemed to work. I remembered we had a FreeRDP port, but indeed it was a few years out of date, so I spent about half a day cleaning up the port and bringing it in line with the latest version. (The port is 'Haiku-native', and unfortunately not upstreamed, so things had diverged somewhat in the newer version.)" Additional information can be found in the project's blog post.
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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) |
When is the year of the Linux desktop?
Any-day-now asks: After 30 years, and millions of Linux deployments, do you think that 2021 is finally the year of the Linux desktop?
DistroWatch answers: I suppose whether we've reached the "year of the Linux desktop" depends on how you define the term. Perhaps even more importantly, it depends on who is answering the question.
If you define the "year of the Linux desktop" as the point where a Linux distribution can handle all of the tasks a person needs from their desktop or laptop machine, then the answer will depend on who you ask. Linux has handled all my computing needs (and done so better than the alternatives) since about 2003. Some of my more technologically minded friends transitioned around 2005. Several of my family and friends who are better described as "average computer users" were able to make the transition to Linux for their computing needs about a decade ago. For each of us the point when Linux became the best option for home computing happened at a different time, but it did happen for each of us.
However, if you asked someone who is heavily into modern gaming or who needs a specific, Windows-only application for office work, then the "year of the Linux desktop" hasn't happened yet.
Personally, I define the "year of the Linux desktop" differently. To me it means a point in time when it's possible to walk into any local personal computer retailer and see Linux offered pre-installed on computers alongside (or in place of) commercial operating systems like Windows. Where I live that day hasn't come yet. Every local retailer I checked with sells computers with Windows exclusively. Some shops I questioned said they would be willing to sell me a computer without an operating system pre-installed, but though they had heard of Linux, they didn't have any experience with installing it or fixing Linux-relating issues.
People who live in other parts of the world may have better retail access to computers running Linux or live in areas where Linux is supported by local tech shops. In which case the "year of the Linux desktop" has arrived for them, but sadly not for me.
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Additional answers can be found in our Questions and Answers archive.
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| Released Last Week |
Freespire 8.0
Roberto Dohnert has announced the release of Freespire 8.0, the latest update of the project's Ubuntu-based distribution featuring the Xfce desktop. The new version continues to be based on Ubuntu's latest long-term support release, version 20.04: "Today, the PC/OpenSystems LLC FOSS development team has released Freespire 8.0, an update which delivers much needed system enhancements and security fixes. Once again we have let users decide; they have spoken and we have included all the most-requested Google services - Calendar, Docs and Gmail. For more traditional use cases, Freespire core has not changed at all - it's still a full-featured desktop OS, with all of the applications and resources of the Ubuntu repositories available as always. Freespire does not incorporate any proprietary media codecs and aside from Google Chrome, there are no other vendor-specific software applications pre-installed at all. Freespire 8.0 features a new stable kernel which fixes bugs and broadens hardware support. Google Chrome 96 includes security patches and other general browser improvements. We have upgraded Xfce 4.16, X11, Samba and other system fundamentals, including non-UEFI and secure boot systems." Here is the full release announcement with screenshots.
Freespire 8.0 -- Running the Xfce desktop
(full image size: 3.4MB, resolution: 2560x1600 pixels)
Tails 4.25
The Amnesic Incognito Live System (Tails) is a Debian-based live DVD/USB with the goal of providing complete Internet anonymity for the user. The project's latest release is Tails 4.25 introduces a number of package updates for key components. It also features a backup utility to copy important files in persistent storage to a thumb drive. "We added a utility to make a backup of the Persistent Storage to another Tails USB stick. This utility automates the process described until now in our documentation on making a backup of your Persistent Storage, which used the command line. It's pretty basic and we still want to do something better in #7049, but we didn't want to wait more because we know that backups are a big issue for our users. External Hard Disk - we added a new entry called Tails (External Hard Disk) to the GRUB boot loader. Changes and updates: update Tor Browser to 11.0.2; update Tor to 0.4.6.8; add a shortcut to restart Tails when the Unsafe Browser was not enabled in the Welcome Screen; add a link from the error screen of the Tor Connection assistant to our documentation on troubleshooting connecting to Tor." Additional details can be found in the release announcement.
FreeBSD 12.3
The FreeBSD team has announced the availability of the third update to the operating system's 12.x branch. FreeBSD 12.3 includes several bug fixes to the kernel, userland updates, and improvements to network drivers. The project's release announcement reports: "The FreeBSD Release Engineering team is pleased to announce the availability of FreeBSD 12.3-RELEASE. This is the fourth release of the stable/12 branch. Some of the highlights: updates to various networking drivers; several updates to upstream contributed software; several userland application improvements and kernel bug fixes. For a complete list of new features and known problems, please see the online release notes and errata list. The FreeBSD Project dedicates the FreeBSD 12.3-RELEASE to the memory of Ian Lepore. FreeBSD 12.3-RELEASE is now available for the amd64, i386, powerpc, powerpc64, sparc64, armv6, armv7 and aarch64 architectures. FreeBSD 12.3-RELEASE can be installed from bootable ISO images or over the network. Some architectures also support installing from a USB memory stick." The release notes provide a list of fixes in this release along with their security advisories.
Calculate Linux 22
Calculate Linux is a Gentoo-based distribution with several desktop editions, a cloud edition, and server edition. The project has published a new version, Calculate 22: "We are pleased to announce the release of Calculate Linux 22. With this new version, you will be able to smoothly update your system after a long period of time. We also ported the Calculate Utilities to Python 3, and set PipeWire as the default sound server. Calculate Linux Desktop featuring the KDE (CLD), Cinnamon (CLDC), LXQt (CLDL), Mate (CLDM) or Xfce (CLDX and CLDXS) desktop, Calculate Directory Server (CDS), Calculate Linux Scratch (CLS) and Calculate Scratch Server (CSS) are now available for download. Changes: Added support for long intervals between systems updates. Now you can upgrade whenever you want, even if you have not updated your system for a long time. The latest Calculate Utils 3.7 were fully transitioned to Python 3, and Python 2.7 removed from the distribution image. PulseAudio audio was replaced by PipeWire. You can also still select ALSA if this is what you prefer. Added Bluetooth support for ALSA." Additional information and screenshots can be found in the project's release announcement.
Kali Linux 2021.4
Kali Linux is a Debian-based distribution with a collection of security and forensics tools. The project has published a new release, Kali Linux 2021.4, which improves support for ARM-powered devices, including Apple M1 machines and the Raspberry Pi Zero 2. "With the end of 2021 just around the corner, we are pushing out the last release of the year with Kali Linux 2021.4, which is ready for immediate download or updating. The summary of the changelog since the 2021.3 release from September 2021 is: Improved Apple M1 support. Wide compatibility for Samba. Switching package manager mirrors. Kaboxer theming. Updates to Xfce, GNOME and KDE. Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W + USBArmory MkII ARM images. More tools. Kali on the Apple M1: As we announced in Kali 2021.1 we supported installing Kali Linux on Parallels on Apple Silicon Macs, well with 2021.4, we now also support it on the VMware Fusion Public Tech Preview thanks to the 5.14 kernel having the modules needed for the virtual GPU used." Additional information is provided 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: 2,661
- Total data uploaded: 41.2TB
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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) |
Have we reached the year of the Linux desktop?
In this week's Questions and Answers column we explored the concept of "the year of the Linux desktop", a nebulous idea which means different things to different people. Do you feel Linux distribution have reached a level where they meet your criteria for "the year of the Linux desktop", or do you believe we're not there yet? Let us know what your criteria is for reaching this milestone in the comments.
You can see the results of our previous poll on running a local firewall in last week's edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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Have we reached the year of the Linux desktop?
| Yes: | 565 (33%) |
| No: | 1148 (67%) |
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| Website News |
New distributions added to waiting list
- XeroLinux. XeroLinux is an Arch-based distribution featuring the KDE Plasma desktop.
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DistroWatch database summary
* * * * *
This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 20 December 2021. Past articles and reviews can be found through our Article Search page. To contact the authors please send e-mail to:
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| 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.
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| Random Distribution | 
Lernstick
Lernstick is a mobile and secure learning and working environment for school and at home that can be installed on external storage media (e.g. USB sticks, USB hard drives, SD cards, etc.). The distribution is based on Debian's stable branch. The distribution is intended to perform so that almost every computer can be started from this storage media. Basically, a hard drive with an installed operating system is no longer required. (Optionally, the system can still be installed on the hard disk.) As a result, the learning stick is a platform for so-called Bring Your Own Device scenarios, in which students can also use their private devices for school purposes, such as exams in an secure offline/online environment.
Status: Active
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| 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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