 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 971, 6 June 2022 |
Welcome to this year's 23rd issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
A big part of software development is trying to make computers more useful and more friendly for the people operating them. In our News section this week we share some examples of efforts going toward making computers more accessible. The NixOS project has adopted a graphical installer which provides an alternative to the text-based configuration file NixOS users worked with in the past. The DragonFly BSD project introduces labels for network interfaces, making it easier to keep track of which network devices are used for which tasks. We also share news from the Mint team that they are switching to a more universal Bluetooth implementation and taking over maintenance of the Timeshift utility. We share details of these changes in our News section, along with a notice that Ubuntu 21.10 is nearing the end of its supported life. First though we talk about two distributions on our waiting list. The first is ChimeraOS, an Arch-based operating system for dedicated gaming computers. Do you have a dedicated gaming machine in your home? Let us know in this week's opinion poll. We also take a quick look at the Debian-based Lilidog project which strives to offer more efficient performance by running the Openbox window manager. Then, in our Questions and Answers section, we discuss changing a network interface's MAC identification. A computer's MAC address can help track a specific computer or block access to network resources and we discuss side-stepping these restrictions below. Plus we welcome the Murena project to our database. Murena provides both a de-Googled, open source implementation of Android for mobile devices and a collection of cloud services built on Nextcloud. We are also pleased to share the releases of the past week and list the torrents we are seeding. We hope you all have a fantastic week and wish you happy reading!
Content:
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| Feature Story (by Jesse Smith) |
ChimeraOS 2022.01.03
ChimeraOS is an Arch-based system for 64-bit machines that specializes in running games. It's primarily intended to be easy to set up (it automates the installation and takes over our entire hard drive). ChimeraOS then boots into a console-style interface. The project's FAQ page says it works as a portal to Steam, Epic Games Store, Flathub, and GOG.
According to the Chimera website the distribution offers virtually no install options, no desktop environment, and no traditional package manager. The distribution strives to work with common console game controllers out of the box.
Chimera is available as a 704MB ISO for 64-bit (x86_64) computers exclusively. The project's website recommends 4GB of RAM and at least 20GB of disk space. Additional space will be required for games. While Chimera is intended to be used like a living room console, the operating system requires a keyboard for the install process.
Booting from the Chimera media brings up a text installer which immediately asks which disk it should take over. We are warned that the disk will be entirely erased to make room for the new operating system. The installer then downloads a system image from somewhere. We're not told how big the system image is or where it is hosted, but it's downloaded and copied to the local disk.
In situations where the computer uses a wireless network, the system installer offers to run a network configuration tool which will assist us in connecting us to local networks before attempting the download.
Once the installer finished copying its image to the disk it offers to restart the computer. At this point I ran into a bit of a wall with this distribution.
ChimeraOS booted to a blank screen. At first it looked like there was some disk activity, but after a few minutes this died down and nothing happened. I could use the Ctrl+Alt+F keys to switch between virtual terminals. These showed me a login prompt, but I didn't know the default credentials, or even if there would be a default account set up at this point in the initial experience. The remaining virtual terminal was the blank screen which held no text, windows, or even mouse pointer.
I tried a booting a few times with various boot parameters to adjust video driver settings, but nothing got me further along in the process. Maybe the distribution just doesn't work well with my equipment because I'm running a lower end Intel video card, not one intended for mainstream gaming. Which is a shame, my system is great for playing lots of games available through Steam and Flathub, but it seems the default interface ChimeraOS uses isn't compatible with my system.
I like the approach ChimeraOS takes - the concept of a super easy, automated installer with direct access to gaming portals sounds great. Unfortunately the implementation didn't work for me.
Update: After writing this review, just three days before this was published, a new snapshot of ChimeraOS was released. I have not yet had a chance to test it to see if it overcomes the issues post-install reported in this review. I did check the website and ChimeraOS's social media accounts and found no mention of this issue being addressed.
* * * * *
Lilidog 22.04
The next distribution on my list of projects to review was Lilidog. This distribution is based on Debian with Openbox as the default window manager. The project is available in three editions. The first is a full, 64-bit edition which features Openbox along with a collection of popular open source applications. These include Firefox, Thunderbird, and the Synaptic package manager. This full edition is a 1.6GB download. There is also a 32-bit version of this edition which is also 1.6GB. The third edition is a "minimal" edition which offers the same user interface, but almost no desktop applications. We're simply provided with the Thunar file manager, the Xfce virtual terminal, and a text editor. This minimal edition is still fairly large, 1.2GB in size. I suspect not many computers are old enough to be 32-bit while still being able to run DVDs or boot from USB thumb drives, but this edition does have five downloads at the time of writing.
Live media
Booting from the Lilidog media brings up a menu asking if we'd like to start a live session or launch the system installer. The live session boots to the Openbox environment with a dark theme - most elements are grey, or dark green on a black background. I found this low contrast theme with small text makes it difficult to read prompts and menus.
Lilidog 22.04 -- Exploring the live environment
(full image size: 124kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
The system displays a brief welcome message in the middle of the screen. Over to the left we see a list of shortcut keys we can use to navigate Openbox. Across the bottom of the display is a thin panel. This panel holds a lot of items, including the application menu, quick-launch buttons, a virtual desktop widget, a task switcher, and a system tray.
The Openbox interface is light and quick. Running it on top of Debian in the live environment takes about 265MB of RAM only. The system is light and snappy. One of the few problems I ran into was that I wanted to adjust the system clock and time zone, but clicking on the clock only brought up a calendar and right-clicking the clock offers to create new timers. Adjusting the clock requires another module or a trip to the command line.
Also on the subject of the system tray there is an icon in the tray we can click to open a terminal and check for software updates. Right-clicking this same icon immediately launches the Synaptic package manager.
Included software
The Lilidog application menu is presented in a classic tree style with nested (sometimes deeply nested) categories. The items don't seem to be in alphabetical order, but rather are seemingly sorted by the length of the launcher's name. This results in sub-menus with launchers which make bell-curve style waves. This has a sort of visual appeal, but it makes it difficult to find anything. The application menu does not have a search feature and the lack of any useful approach to sorting means the user needs to spend a lot of time scanning sub-menus to find something. This is further complicated by a whole sub-menu dedicated to "Debian" software, meaning we basically have two sets of menus, but no clear indication of what qualifies software as being related to Debian versus what is specific to Lilidog.
Digging through the menu I found a lot of software, some of it popular open source applications and other, smaller programs. Firefox, Thunderbird, LibreOffice, and the Thunar file manager are included. The GNU Image Manipulation Program and a smaller image viewer are included. We are given the SMPlayer and an audio player. A text editor is available along with Network Manager.
Lilidog ships with GNU command line utilities along with manual pages and the systemd init software. Version 5.10 of the Linux kernel runs in the background.
If we dig deep into the application menu (under Utilities ->Extras) there are a bunch of icons for installing things like custom kernels, Discord, and the Steam gaming software. These launchers open a virtual terminal and offer to fetch the selected software. This seems to work, at least for the few items I tried.
Installing
I did not find a launcher for opening the system installer while running the live session. I rebooted and chose the installer from the boot menu. This opened Debian's graphical installer with Lilidog's branding and dark theme.
The installer walked me through the usual steps of selecting a region and creating a user account. Then we got to partitioning and I was offered the choice of using manual or guided partitioning. I went with the guided option, which said it would wipe the disk and set up an ext4 root filesystem with a swap partition. Accepting this arrangement caused an error message to appear saying the ext4 filesystem could not be created.
Lilidog 22.04 -- Running the system installer
(full image size: 17kB, resolution: 800x600 pixels)
I backed up and tried the manual partitioning option, setting up one root partition, formatted for ext4. Again, the installer failed to proceed, reporting the root filesystem could not be created.
Conclusions
This inability to proceed with partitioning, something which has not impacted me while using vanilla Debian, largely brought my trial to a halt. To be honest, I'm not sure I'm disappointed. There are a lot of lightweight, Debian-based distributions, including several which feature the Openbox window manager. Lilidog doesn't seem to provide anything new or engaging that isn't already covered by SparkyLinux, Star, or even Debian itself. Star even offers a similar dark theme.
In short, Lilidog doesn't seem to bring anything new to the table, no unique spin to the concept of Openbox on Debian, other than its oddly organized application menu.
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| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
NixOS adopts a graphical installer, DragonFly BSD adds network interface descriptions, Ubuntu 21.10 nears its end of life, Mint replaces its Bluetooth software
Traditionally the NixOS distribution has been installed by editing a text file which holds Nix's configuration and then running a command to implement the rules inside the configuration file. While efficient, from a technical point of view, this approach raised the barrier for new users to experiment with NixOS. One of the changes in NixOS 22.05 is the inclusion of the Calamares graphical installer. Both the Plasma and GNOME editions of NixOS can launch Calamares in order to provide a friendly, graphical install experience. The previous approach is still available and the default approach for installing NixOS from the Minimal edition's media.
* * * * *
The DragonFly BSD team has introduced a handy new feature which allows users to assign descriptions to network interfaces. This will help administrators identify which interfaces are used for specific tasks or situations without needing to refer to documentation. The announcement was brief, though enlightening: "You can now set a description for a network interface on DragonFly. Don't use ETH0, please."
* * * * *
Version 21.10 of the Ubuntu distribution, along with its community editions, will reach the end of its supported life in July. An announcement was published, letting users of Ubuntu 21.10 know it is time to upgrade: "Ubuntu announced its 21.10 (Impish Indri) release almost 9 months ago, on October 14, 2021, and its support period is now nearing its end. Ubuntu 21.10 will reach end of life on July 14, 2022. At that time, Ubuntu Security Notices will no longer include information or updated packages for Ubuntu 21.10." Upgrade instructions are provided in the Ubuntu documentation.
* * * * *
The Linux Mint team has published its monthly newsletter which outlines changes coming to the distribution. One of the key changes involves Blueman taking over from Blueberry due to changes in the way GNOME's Bluetooth support is handled. "Starting with version 42 GNOME Bluetooth is no longer compatible with Blueberry. Blueberry would need to undergo significant changes to work with it. There is also frustration upstream from the GNOME Bluetooth development team who simply does not want to have users from other desktops than GNOME and so Blueberry will probably get discontinued. Blueman on the other hand welcomes users from all desktop environments. It does not rely on GNOME Bluetooth. It's a GTK frontend for the Bluez Bluetooth stack." The newsletter also reports the Mint developers will be taking over maintenance of the Timeshift utility as its original author, Tony George, has decided to focus on other projects.
* * * * *
These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
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| Questions and Answers (by Jesse Smith) |
Changing a network interface's MAC address
A-leopard-changing-its-spots asks: Is there a way to change my MAC address every time I go on-line?
DistroWatch answers: A MAC address, for those wondering, is a unique code which identifies a network interface. A MAC address is typically tied to a specific piece of hardware (like a network card). A computer's MAC address is often used to identify the machine on a network and can be used to filter at the router which devices are allowed to join a network and which are not.
As an example, a router might be given a list of MAC addresses which are allowed to connect to its wireless network and it will ban all other devices, refusing to assign them IP addresses.
It is possible to adjust a network interface's MAC address. The easiest way to do this on Linux is probably through Network Manager, which is available on most distributions. If you open Network Manager (in most desktop environments you can right-click on the network icon and select Edit Connections) you can then select a network name. Highlight the network you will be joining and click the Settings button.
Network Manager 1.30 -- Adjusting MAC settings
(full image size: 57kB, resolution: 645x588 pixels)
In the network settings window which comes up, click the Wi-Fi tab and look near the bottom of the tab. One of the fields will be labelled "Cloned MAC address". Set this field to "Random". This will cause the interface to be assigned a random MAC address each time it connects to the wireless network.
To check the current MAC address for a device, open a virtual terminal and run the command
ip link show
The above command will display a list of active interfaces. The last line of each entry will display the connection's MAC address. The output will look like the text below. In my example the MAC address is in bold text:
$ ip link show
wlan0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc noqueue state UP mode DORMANT group default qlen 1000
link/ether c6:cc:d0:b6:40:f0 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff permaddr 30:c9:aa:c4:f4:a7
* * * * *
Additional answers can be found in our Questions and Answers archive.
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| Released Last Week |
NixOS 22.05
The NixOS team have announced the launch of NixOS 22.05, the latest version of their distribution which is built around the advanced Nix package manager. "A highlight of the release is Nix 2.8, which brings experimental flakes support for the default installed Nix version, along with tonnes of fixes, features and general improvements. Of course, these are just two things I want to highlight here. Not to mention the countless improvements, bug fixes and new features that have also gone into this release. I would like to thank every single contributor who has contributed to this release. Every NixOS release is an improvement over the previous one and I am already looking forward to the improvements of 22.11. Please remember that the new release also means that 21.11 channel is now obsolete and will only be updated for an another month." Additional information is provided in the release announcement and in the release notes.
Linux Lite 6.0
Jerry Bezencon has announced the release of Linux Lite 6.0. The distribution, which is geared toward providing a user friendly experience on an Ubuntu base, is focusing on bringing assistive technologies to users. "It's a well known fact that we target Windows users. Out of the box, Windows offers a fairly complete system. That includes tools for the hearing and sight impaired. In this release you can zoom in on the desktop, have a screen reader talk to you and complete tasks with an onscreen keyboard. We've made all of these functions highly configurable. The onscreen keyboard application is Onboard. On-screen virtual keyboard is an alternative input method that can replace a real hardware keyboard. Virtual keyboard may be a necessity in various cases. For example, your hardware keyboard is just broken; you do not have enough keyboards for extra machines; your hardware does not have an available port left to connect a keyboard; you experience difficulty in typing on a real keyboard; or you are building a touchscreen-based web kiosk. Orca is a free and open-source, flexible, extensible screen reader from the Gnome project for individuals who are blind or visually impaired." Additional information along with screenshots are available in the project's release announcement.
Linux Lite 6.0 -- Running the Xfce desktop
(full image size: 370kB, resolution: 2560x1600 pixels)
Murena 1.0
The Murena project has published version 1.0 of its /e/OS operating system for mobile devices. The project includes a new application installer and a number of new improvements and features: "We are proud to deliver the /e/OS v1.0. Enjoy all the new features and improvements it embeds. We embedded some new features! You are now able to limit your data exposure once you have installed third party apps on your devices. It allows you to manage in app trackers, IP address and location. App Lounge, the new application installer! Our new application installer lets you search and download all the applications you want directly from the smartphone. It connects you to millions of Android apps but not only. It also includes Progressive Web Apps and even open-source applications, all in one place. Safetynet test pass (/stable devices only): it allows more applications to run properly on /e/OS. You are now able to see your account details in a widget (including your aliases!) A new user interface for Mail, Message and Camera. The file synchronization now offers real time synchronization, from device to server. Improvement in BlissLauncher colors, and also a removable weather widget. Translations were improved thanks to the work of our community." Addition information is provided in the release announcement. A complete list of supported devices and associated install instructions can be found on the project's devices page.
deepin 20.6
deepin is a desktop distribution based on Debian and featuring the custom Deepin Desktop Environment. The project's latest release, deepin 20.6, features a number of updates to its software centre, disk partitioning, and search features. An English translation of the Chinese release announcement reads: "In deepin 20.6, we have developed and integrated a great number of practical features from the functional level based on the community users' feedback, synchronized with the upstream kernel version, fixed underlying vulnerabilities, upgraded the stable kernel to V5.15.34 and further improved system compatibility and security. Welcome to try it! App Store supports filtering and classifying the search results with Linux native applications, Windows applications, and Android applications distinguished directly so that you can quickly find your desired application and save time in searching and retrieving. The newly added settings and management in clearing the browser data automatically and the default encrypted cookies feature enhance your browser data security greatly. The new logical volume management feature effectively improves the scalability of the system and the convenience of disk management. You may allocate the root partition size manually as needed during full-disk installation."
* * * * *
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: 2,730
- Total data uploaded: 42.1TB
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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) |
Dedicated gaming machine
In this week's Feature Story we talked about ChimeraOS, a distribution aimed at gamers with the intention of having a dedicated, gaming operating system. Do you have a dedicated machine in your home for gaming, whether it's a PC, hand held device, or console? Let us know what devices you use for gaming in the comments.
You can see the results of our previous poll on favourite privacy-oriented distributions in last week's edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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Dedicated gaming machine
| I have a dedicated console machine: | 102 (7%) |
| I have a handheld gaming device: | 25 (2%) |
| I have a dedicated gaming PC: | 164 (11%) |
| I have a combination of the above: | 224 (15%) |
| I have none of the above: | 977 (65%) |
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| Website News |
New distributions added to database
Murena
Murena is an umbrella name for the /e/OS operating system, associated open source powered smartphones, and cloud-based services. The Murena project provides open source images for common smartphones, open source cloud-based storage, calendar, and backup solutions, and sells phones with /e/OS pre-installed. The project's operating system is based on LineageOS, itself based on Android. The Murena team removes closed source applications, trackers, and Google-specific elements of Android and replaces them with open source alternatives.
Murena -- The Murena launch screen
(full image size: 1.4MB, resolution: 1440x2960 pixels)
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DistroWatch database summary
* * * * *
This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 13 June 2022. 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.
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| Random Distribution | 
FuryBSD
FuryBSD was an open-source, desktop-oriented operating system based on FreeBSD. It was an attempt to revive the spirit of other easy-to-use FreeBSD-based projects of the past (e.g. PC-BSD and TrueOS), but it also adds additional convenience in the form of a hybrid USB/DVD image. The project provides separate live images with Xfce and KDE Plasma desktops. FuryBSD was free to use and it can be freely distributed under the BSD license.
Status: Discontinued
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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.
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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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