 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 981, 15 August 2022 |
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Welcome to this year's 33rd issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
Constructing a good computing experience involves balancing a lot of elements. Developers need to make choices between convenience and security, accessibility and clutter, performance and features. Finding the right balance between these aspects for a wide range of people is a challenge and one which is especially critical in desktop operating systems. This week we begin with a look at one distribution which attempts to find the right mixture of all these variables: Linux Lite. Ivan Sanders takes the latest version of Linux Lite for a test drive and reports on how this Ubuntu-based, desktop distribution performs. In our Questions and Answers column we continue to talk about performance versus features as we discuss the various components of a desktop and what the difference is between a desktop environment and a window manager. Do you run a plain window manager? Let us know about your setup in this week's Opinion Poll. In our News section we discuss Linux Mint providing an upgrade process for existing users who want to run the new Linux Mint 21 release. We also share updates and reports of ongoing work happening the FreeBSD project. Plus we are pleased to share the releases of the past week along with the torrents we are seeding. We wish you all a wonderful week and happy reading!
Content:
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| Feature Story (by Ivan Sanders) |
Linux Lite 6.0
It has been two years since a DistroWatch review of Linux Lite. There are at least 93 distros on DistroWatch that support the Xfce desktop environment, but the out-of-the-box configuration of Linux Lite is pleasing, simple to use, and straightforward to most computer users. Linux Lite describes itself as, "... a 'gateway operating system'. Your first simple, fast and free stop in the world of Linux." Does it meet the muster? Can it truly be a strong first stop in the world of Linux?
Installation
Linux Lite 6.0, code name Fluorite, was released on 31 May 2022 at 16:23 (it's unclear if that was local time for me or for the server). The installation process is very simple, and it uses one of the most straightforward installation wizards. Even a completely new Linux user could likely click their way through a Linux Lite install. The live environment boots to a Lite Welcome splash screen with such options as Install Updates, Install Drivers, Set a Restore Point, etc. While some of these features may be useful, the most obvious choice is Install Now, thus beginning the installation process. WiFi worked out of the box, which is always good news. The installer then gives the user the option to download updates while installing and we can opt to install third-party software for WiFi and graphics drivers.
Linux Lite 6.0 -- Partitioning the disk from the system installer
(full image size: 164kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
For the purpose of this review, I've installed Linux Lite on my main machine and agreed to follow the simplest option of erasing my disk and allowing the installer to take over. I did, however, want this to be a fair and impartial review, so I selected advanced features. I was impressed and surprised with the option to erase the disk and use ZFS, complete with full disk encryption for security. As disk encryption is my preferred method of installing Linux (however usually LUKS with ext4 or Btrfs) I decided to try out ZFS which is an advanced and very well developed file system. During my usage of Linux Lite I had no issues with ZFS.
Daily usage
I have used Linux Lite almost daily for more than a month. It is an extremely fine distro. The branding is one of the most outstanding features of the distro. The Linux Lite feather logo, background, the website, everything is very well designed. It may prove useful to compare Linux Lite to Xubuntu. The two distros are, after all, 99% identical. Both distros use Xfce as the default desktop environment, and both are based on Ubuntu. Xubuntu is the official Xfce version of Ubuntu, but out of the box I find Xubuntu lacks any cohesive theme (which may well be the point). Linux Lite fills the void left by Xubuntu by providing a well themed Xfce version of Ubuntu out of the box.
Linux Lite 6.0 -- The welcome window
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The Linux Lite website boasts, "Just 2 clicks to update your system. An update system that will save you hours versus Windows updates." It was true, it was just two clicks to update my system (plus my password and then a reboot, technically a third click). For a while it appeared the updates were hanging, but eventually the downloads and updates went through and the system prompts offering a reboot arrived. Unlike with other operating systems, my update and reboot were not forced and I could continue working before I chose to reboot.
Included in the software is a powerful, albeit complicated, firewall, some other useful utilities such as backup tools and system restore tools, and (most importantly) LibreOffice.
Linux Lite 6.0 -- Accessing common applications
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Checking out the GUI software installer, it allows the user to install my favorite browser: Firefox. But this comes with a cost - that this will require installing Snap and using Firefox as a Snap package. I have many issues with this, but this is not an article about Canonical's Snap packages or the APT package manager. Linux Lite comes pre-installed with Google's Chrome web browser, easily the most popular browser in the world. The Linux Lite team has decided this is the best course of action because they want people to be comfortable using Linux straight away. If Chrome is not pre-installed, many brand new Linux users may become confused as to how to install their favorite browser. Unfortunately I consider Chrome to be spyware created by one of the largest companies on the planet. Ubuntu provides the user with a method to remove Snap and add the Firefox PPA, or Personal Package Archive. So I removed the ability for the operating system to install Snap packages and enabled the proper PPAs I wanted. It's not an ideal setup, and I am frustrated that Ubuntu is pushing their Snap packages so hard, but I'm glad there is still a work-around. (The Linux Lite 6.0 announcement web page actually provides the instructions for installing Firefox through a PPA!)
I am not a programmer or a fancy black hat, I use Linux because I love using it. I primarily use my computer for web browsing, e-mail, gaming, and streaming content. As a regular Linux user, I have had no trouble using Linux Lite to stream popular services such as Netflix and other streaming services.
The NVIDIA drivers installed without any issue and were useful upon rebooting. NVIDIA support was very good, as can be expected from an Ubuntu based operating system. Even on an Optimus setup (two graphics cards, one integrated and one heavy duty card usually used for gaming), I had no issues utilizing my NVIDIA video card to play games through Steam. In fact, with Linux Lite, I enjoyed the same NVIDIA support and Steam gameplay experience as through Ubuntu or any of Ubuntu's derivative operating systems. Even with my four year old graphics card, I could actually still play some very demanding games through Linux Lite.
Linux Lite 6.0 -- Gaming with the NVIDIA card
(full image size: 2.1MB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
The System Monitor application is incredible. From their announcement, "We've forked the new System Monitoring Centre to provide more specific information regarding Linux Lite... With System Monitoring Centre, you get information about your CPU, RAM, Disk, Network and GPU. You also get Performance, Processes, Startup, Services and System tools and information in one easy to use, highly configurable application. This is one of the nicest, most sensible applications I have seen in the free software world for a long time, and we are lucky to have it." I agree. It is such a breath of fresh air. It is a very useful tool.
Linux Lite 6.0 -- Monitoring resource usage
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Some small issues: I found the default mouse acceleration to be very aggressive, but this is an easy fix in the mouse / touchpad settings. When I right-clicked to remove a launcher from the panel, this action caused the entire panel to crash. After bringing back up the Xfce panel, I was able to right-click, go through panel preferences, and then to the items tab to remove and add launchers.
Conclusions
Out of the box, Linux Lite is an easy step into the world of Linux computing. It has useful features, it is not overly bloated with unnecessary software, it has great defaults that a user coming from another operating system could learn to love. With the help of Internet searching, any specific issues with Linux Lite can be easily solved. Would I recommend Linux Lite to a user coming from a different operating system? Yes, I might. If the user was coming from Windows and was very apprehensive about using unfamiliar interfaces, Linux Lite has a great theme and a very solid base.
Additional details
After unlocking the LUKS ZFS file system, it took 23 seconds to boot to the login page. This is a little long but definitely faster than other operating systems.
The system used 1,621 MB of RAM upon booting up, with NVIDIA drivers installed. Minimum recommended RAM is 768 MB, but I don't think you would get much Chrome browsing done with that small amount of RAM.
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Hardware used for this review
Laptop - Lenovo Legion Y530
- Processor: Intel Core i7-8750H CPU @ 2.20GHz x 6
- Storage: 256GB NVMe SSD Samsung and 1TB HDD
- Memory: 16GB
- Networking: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411
- Display: 1920x1080 @ 60Hz
- Graphics: Intel Corporation UHD Graphics 630, NVIDIA Corporation GP106M [GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile w/6GB VRAM]
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Visitor supplied rating
Linux Lite has a visitor supplied average rating of: 7.9/10 from 129 review(s).
Have you used Linux Lite? You can leave your own review of the project on our ratings page.
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| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
Mint releases upgrade tool, FreeBSD publishes quarterly status report
Last week we shared a review of Linux Mint 21, the latest release of the popular, desktop distribution. The Mint team has since published upgrade instructions for people running older versions of the Mint distribution. The instructions make use of a tool called Mint Upgrade which automates most of the process. The team also suggests taking one's time with the upgrade: "Read all the instructions and take the time to understand them, ask for help if you're stuck. The instructions will ask you to be up to date and to prepare system snapshots. Don't rush into upgrading and do not take shortcuts."
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The FreeBSD project has published its quarterly status report in which details on work going into the project's operating system, third-party ports, and infrastructure are summarized. The newsletter talks about efforts to allow the makefs utility to create ZFS volumes, improvements to the pf firewall service, and an upgrade to OpenSSH: "OpenSSH, a suite of remote login and file transfer tools, was updated from version 8.8p1 to 9.0p1 in the FreeBSD base system. It has not yet been merged to the stable/13 and stable/12 branches. I anticipate doing so in July. Note: OpenSSH 9.0p1 switches scp(1) from using the legacy scp/rcp protocol to using the SFTP protocol by default. The -O flag is available to use the previous protocol instead." Additional information is provided in the status report.
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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) |
Defining parts of the user interface
Picking-up-the-pieces asks: What is the difference between a window manager and desktop environment?
DistroWatch answers: A window manager, as the name suggests, is a piece of software which manages application windows in a graphical environment. In particular, a window manager handles the movement, placement, and behaviour of an application window. If you're placing one window in front of another one or minimizing a window then you're making use of a window manager.
A desktop environment is less strictly defined. Typically a desktop environment includes several pieces of what we consider a graphical user interface. A desktop environment usually includes a window manager, an application menu, and either a panel or a dock. Most desktops have a small collection of applications which will adjust settings, along with a terminal, file manager, and a text editor.
You may have heard some people say that they don't run a full desktop environment, such as KDE Plasma, GNOME, Cinnamon, or Xfce. Instead they just run a window manager in an effort to use a minimal amount of system resources. This can be useful, especially on low resource machines or in situations where performance is key.
What people who take the "just running a window manager" approach often end up doing is adding more components along with the window manager. These may include a dock or panel and some convenience tools and a status monitor. Most people who are running minimal window managers basically end up creating an unofficial desktop environment from various parts.
A simple way to think about it is a window manager is what handles placing and moving applications windows. A desktop environment is a window manager plus the common tools most people use in their graphical environment to make the experience of configuring and exploring the interface more convenient.
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Additional answers can be found in our Questions and Answers archive.
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| Released Last Week |
Rescuezilla 2.4
Rescuezilla is a specialist Ubuntu-based distribution designed for system rescue tasks, including backups and system restoration. The project's latest release updates its Ubuntu base, improves support for Btrfs, and sidesteps the Firefox Snap package by using a personal package archive (PPA). "Replaces Ubuntu 21.10 (Impish) build with build based on Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy) for best support of new hardware. Builds latest version of partclone from source code v0.3.20, instead of OS package. This fixes 'unsupported feature' error for users of compressed BTRFS filesystems (such as Fedora Workstation 33 and newer). Removed old partclone v0.2.43 used to maximize legacy Redo Backup compatibility (modern partclone still provides good backwards compatibility). Fixed execution of Clonezilla EFI NVRAM script to better correctly handle reboot on EFI systems. Switched Firefox to using the Mozilla Team PPA repository, because new Snap packaging is incompatible with Rescuezilla's build scripts. Added ability to compress images using bzip2 algorithm." The project's release notes offer further details.
Rescuezilla 2.4 -- Guided backup and restore options
(full image size: 150kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
Kali Linux 2022.3
Kali Linux is a Debian-based distribution with a collection of security and forensics tools. The project's latest release is Kali Linux 2022.3 which includes a number of new tools. "In light of 'Hacker Summer Camp 2022' (BlackHat USA, BSides LV and DEFCON) occurring right now, we wanted to push out Kali Linux 2022.3 as a nice surprise for everyone to enjoy. With the publishing of this blog post, we have the download links ready for immediate access, or you can update any existing installation. It would not be a Kali release if there were not any new tools added. A quick rundown of what has been added (to the network repositories): BruteShark - network analysis tool; DefectDojo - open-source application vulnerability correlation and security orchestration tool; phpsploit - stealth post-exploitation framework; shellfire - exploiting LFI/RFI and command injection vulnerabilities; SprayingToolkit - password spraying attacks against Lync/S4B, OWA and O365. There have been numerous packages updates as well." Additional information, including infrastructure changes and documentation updates, can be found in the project's release announcement.
YunoHost 11.0.9
YunoHost, a lightweight, Debian-based distribution for servers and featuring a web-based system administration tool, has been upgraded to version 11.0.9: "Following these last months of alpha and beta testing, we are glad to announce the release of YunoHost 11.0, running on Debian 11 'Bullseye'. This comes along with the latest version of the 4.4 series which includes a Buster-to-Bullseye migration tool to upgrade as simply as possible. Versions 4.x are not expected to receive any upgrades any more (except for important security fixes or migration fixes). Changelog: various tweaks for Python 3.9, PHP 7.4, PostgreSQL 13 and other changes related to Buster-to-Bullseye ecosystem; moved MySQL, PHP and Metronome from 'Depends' to 'Recommends'; apt - add sury by default; MySQL - drop super old MySQL configuration, it now relies on Debian's default; regenconf/helpers - better integration for PostgreSQL; rework repository code architecture; rework where YunoHost files are deployed; try to implement a smarter self-upgrade mechanism to prevent/limit API downtime and related UX issues...." Read the rest of the release announcement for more information.
Ubuntu 22.04.1
Canonical has announced the release of an update to their Ubuntu 22.04 series along with updated official community editions. The new version, 22.04.1, include minor updates, fixes, and improved RISC-V support. "The Ubuntu team is pleased to announce the release of Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS (Long-Term Support) for its Desktop, Server, and Cloud products, as well as other flavours of Ubuntu with long-term support. As usual, this point release includes many updates, and updated installation media has been provided so that fewer updates will need to be downloaded after installation. These include security updates and corrections for other high-impact bugs, with a focus on maintaining stability and compatibility with Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. 22.04.1 also brings new RISC-V platform support, providing fresh images for the Allwinner Nezha and VisionFive StarFive boards." The release announcement and release notes offer additional information.
SparkyLinux 6.4
SparkyLinux is a lightweight, Debian-based distribution which provides a wide range of editions and development branches. The project's latest release is SparkyLinux 6.4 which is based on Debian 11 "Bullseye". "It is a quarterly updated point release of Sparky 6 'Po Tolo' of the stable line. Sparky 6 is based on and fully compatible with Debian 11 'Bullseye'. Changes: system upgraded from Debian and Sparky stable repos as of August 11, 2022; PC: Linux kernel 5.10.127 (5.19.1 and 5.15.60-ESR can be installed from Sparky unstable repos); ARM: Linux kernel 5.15.32-v7+; Firefox 91.11.0.0esr (103.0.2 and 102.1.0esr Mozilla builds can be installed from Sparky repos as the 'firefox-sparky' and 'firefox-esr-sparky' packages, but they use a new user profile, so your bookmarks, passwords, settings have to be synchronized from the Mozilla account); Thunderbird 91.10.0; VLC 3.0.17; LibreOffice 7.0.4; LXQt 0.16.0; Xfce 4.16; Openbox 3.6.1; KDE Plasma 5.20.5; small improvements." The release announcement offers further details and upgrade instructions.
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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: 2,757
- Total data uploaded: 42.4TB
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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) |
Reasons to run a plain window manager
In this week's Questions and Answers column we talked about window managers. A window manager is a key component of any desktop environment, but window mangers (such as Openbox, Fluxbox, and i3) can be run on their own. Running a plain window manager, without the extra components which come with a full featured desktop environment, provides a lighter and simpler graphical environment. We would like to hear from our readers who run plain window managers what their reasons are for preferring a plain window manager over more feature rich desktop environments.
You can see the results of our previous poll on using sandboxing software in last week's edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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Why do you run a plain window manager?
| Avoiding clutter: | 69 (3%) |
| Customization: | 51 (2%) |
| Educational purposes: | 15 (1%) |
| Performance/Resource usage: | 243 (11%) |
| Other: | 23 (1%) |
| All of the above: | 134 (6%) |
| A combination of the above: | 240 (11%) |
| I do not run a plain window manager: | 1439 (65%) |
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| Website News |
DistroWatch database summary
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This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 22 August 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)
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| Archives |
| • Issue 1122 (2025-05-19): GoboLinux 017.01, RHEL 10.0 and Debian 12 updates, openSUSE retires YaST, running X11 apps on Wayland |
| • Issue 1121 (2025-05-12): Bluefin 41, custom file manager actions, openSUSE joins End of 10 while dropping Deepin desktop, Fedora offers tips for building atomic distros, Ubuntu considers replacing sudo with sudo-rs |
| • Issue 1120 (2025-05-05): CachyOS 250330, what it means when a distro breaks, Kali updates repository key, Trinity receives an update, UBports tests directory encryption, Gentoo faces losing key infrastructure |
| • Issue 1119 (2025-04-28): Ubuntu MATE 25.04, what is missing from Linux, CachyOS ships OCCT, Debian enters soft freeze, Fedora discusses removing X11 session from GNOME, Murena plans business services, NetBSD on a Wii |
| • Issue 1118 (2025-04-21): Fedora 42, strange characters in Vim, Nitrux introduces new package tools, Fedora extends reproducibility efforts, PINE64 updates multiple devices running Debian |
| • Issue 1117 (2025-04-14): Shebang 25.0, EndeavourOS 2025.03.19, running applications from other distros on the desktop, Debian gets APT upgrade, Mint introduces OEM options for LMDE, postmarketOS packages GNOME 48 and COSMIC, Redox testing USB support |
| • Issue 1116 (2025-04-07): The Sense HAT, Android and mobile operating systems, FreeBSD improves on laptops, openSUSE publishes many new updates, Fedora appoints new Project Leader, UBports testing VoLTE |
| • Issue 1115 (2025-03-31): GrapheneOS 2025, the rise of portable package formats, MidnightBSD and openSUSE experiment with new package management features, Plank dock reborn, key infrastructure projects lose funding, postmarketOS to focus on reliability |
| • Issue 1114 (2025-03-24): Bazzite 41, checking which processes are writing to disk, Rocky unveils new Hardened branch, GNOME 48 released, generating images for the Raspberry Pi |
| • Issue 1113 (2025-03-17): MocaccinoOS 1.8.1, how to contribute to open source, Murena extends on-line installer, Garuda tests COSMIC edition, Ubuntu to replace coreutils with Rust alternatives, Chimera Linux drops RISC-V builds |
| • Issue 1112 (2025-03-10): Solus 4.7, distros which work with Secure Boot, UBports publishes bug fix, postmarketOS considers a new name, Debian running on Android |
| • Issue 1111 (2025-03-03): Orbitiny 0.01, the effect of Ubuntu Core Desktop, Gentoo offers disk images, elementary OS invites feature ideas, FreeBSD starts PinePhone Pro port, Mint warns of upcoming Firefox issue |
| • Issue 1110 (2025-02-24): iodeOS 6.0, learning to program, Arch retiring old repositories, openSUSE makes progress on reproducible builds, Fedora is getting more serious about open hardware, Tails changes its install instructions to offer better privacy, Murena's de-Googled tablet goes on sale |
| • Issue 1109 (2025-02-17): Rhino Linux 2025.1, MX Linux 23.5 with Xfce 4.20, replacing X.Org tools with Wayland tools, GhostBSD moving its base to FreeBSD -RELEASE, Redox stabilizes its ABI, UBports testing 24.04, Asahi changing its leadership, OBS in dispute with Fedora |
| • Issue 1108 (2025-02-10): Serpent OS 0.24.6, Aurora, sharing swap between distros, Peppermint tries Void base, GTK removinglegacy technologies, Red Hat plans more AI tools for Fedora, TrueNAS merges its editions |
| • Issue 1107 (2025-02-03): siduction 2024.1.0, timing tasks, Lomiri ported to postmarketOS, Alpine joins Open Collective, a new desktop for Linux called Orbitiny |
| • Issue 1106 (2025-01-27): Adelie Linux 1.0 Beta 6, Pop!_OS 24.04 Alpha 5, detecting whether a process is inside a virtual machine, drawing graphics to NetBSD terminal, Nix ported to FreeBSD, GhostBSD hosting desktop conference |
| • Issue 1105 (2025-01-20): CentOS 10 Stream, old Flatpak bundles in software centres, Haiku ports Iceweasel, Oracle shows off debugging tools, rsync vulnerability patched |
| • Issue 1104 (2025-01-13): DAT Linux 2.0, Silly things to do with a minimal computer, Budgie prepares Wayland only releases, SteamOS coming to third-party devices, Murena upgrades its base |
| • Issue 1103 (2025-01-06): elementary OS 8.0, filtering ads with Pi-hole, Debian testing its installer, Pop!_OS faces delays, Ubuntu Studio upgrades not working, Absolute discontinued |
| • Issue 1102 (2024-12-23): Best distros of 2024, changing a process name, Fedora to expand Btrfs support and releases Asahi Remix 41, openSUSE patches out security sandbox and donations from Bottles while ending support for Leap 15.5 |
| • Issue 1101 (2024-12-16): GhostBSD 24.10.1, sending attachments from the command line, openSUSE shows off GPU assignment tool, UBports publishes security update, Murena launches its first tablet, Xfce 4.20 released |
| • Issue 1100 (2024-12-09): Oreon 9.3, differences in speed, IPFire's new appliance, Fedora Asahi Remix gets new video drivers, openSUSE Leap Micro updated, Redox OS running Redox OS |
| • 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 |
| • Full list of all issues |
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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 | 
Archie Live CD
Archie was a complete live Arch linux system to be run from a CD/USB, built with the KISS philosophy in mind. No packages have been removed to provide a full Arch linux system, yet it delivers the fastest performance with no excessive bloat. Archie uses its own hardware detection tool (lshwd) ideally to support wide range of hardware with low detection time. Archie also provides extended features such as multi-lingual capabilities, nesting capabilities, and hard disk install.
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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