 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 983, 29 August 2022 |
Welcome to this year's 35th issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
Sometimes people ask why there are so many Linux distributions, hundreds of them. One of the reasons is there are so many different possible ways of doing things, so many different styles of computing which suit people, and so many different priorities on which people want to focus. This week we talk about a wide range of projects and priorities, starting with the Qubes OS platform. The Qubes project creates a platform which isolates components and tasks from each other, securing elements of an operating system from exploit from other parts. We also talk about Alchg Linux, an Arch-based project designed to use a small amount of resources while being run from removable media. In our News section we explore how some distributions, such as Quarkos, are adopting classic desktop environments like Trinity (a fork of KDE's legacy version 3.x series). Meanwhile, the Debian project is considering how to best handle firmware, specifically non-free firmware, in future versions of the distribution. We also report on an issue with Arch-based distributions which can prevent systems from booting. Plus we share background on immutable operating systems, what they are and why people use them. We're also pleased to share the releases of past week and list the torrents we are seeding. We wish you all a fantastic week and happy reading!
Content:
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| Feature Story (by Jesse Smith) |
Qubes OS 4.1.1
Qubes OS is an unusual project which strives to perform two difficult tasks in parallel. First, it attempts to isolate various tasks and elements of the operating system to prevent the compromising of one component from affecting other components. Second, it attempts to make this experience virtually seamless for desktop users.
The idea here is that the user should be able to use their applications in a way which allows each application (or a group of applications) to be isolated from the rest of the system. If our web browser is hijacked it shouldn't give access to our office documents, for example.
I downloaded the latest version of Qubes OS, which is provided as a 5.4GB ISO for 64-bit (x86_64) computers. Booting from this ISO displays a boot menu where we can immediately launch the system installer or run a self-check on the media and then start the install process. There is no option to launch a live desktop environment.
By default, Qubes runs Fedora software. This includes getting up and running using the Anaconda system installer. The installing experience is virtually identical to setting up Fedora 36 Workstation with the exception the default software selection uses the Xfce desktop instead of GNOME.
The Anaconda installer presents the steps we take to set up the operating system as a series of modules we can access in the order of our choosing from a hub screen. After going through the modules and (mostly) taking the defaults, the installer refused to continue. At the bottom of the page a message informed me that I'd need to complete all the steps currently marked with an alert icon. The problem was none of the modules was marked with an icon.
I went through the modules again and ran into the same warning without the ability to continue. I restarted the computer and tried again. This time I took all the defaults. This caused the partitioning module to complain, saying the automated partition layout wouldn't work. I set up partitions for booting, swap, and root. Then returned to the hub screen where I was shown the same warning about completing all marked modules before continuing, despite no modules being marked.
I attempted another reboot and tried again. This time trying to take the defaults, apart from changing the disk layout to a Btrfs volume. Once again all modules showed clear and yet the installer refused to continue to proceed, reporting I had to address errors first.
At this point I gave up. There are few things worse than inaccurate error messages when trying to troubleshoot problems and I figured my time would be better spent elsewhere. To my mind this experience really highlights just how bad the notorious Anaconda installer is. It's inconsistent, slow, and (in this case) just plain buggy. I think it calls into question both why Fedora continues to use it and why Qubes insists on using the fast-moving Fedora as its default platform for software packages.
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Alchg Linux
I decided to move on to one of the relatively young projects on the DistroWatch waiting list. Alchg Linux is an Arch-based Linux distribution which reportedly provides a minimal desktop environment which runs from a live disc. The operating system is intended to perform simple desktop tasks on 64-bit machines (an experimental 32-bit build is in testing at the time of writing). The distribution reportedly requires less than 1GB of RAM and is distributed as a 1.4GB ISO.
Early impressions
I found Alchg will boot in both Legacy BIOS and UEFI modes on my laptop. When starting in BIOS mode the system displays the Arch Linux boot screen with options to load the live desktop or load the whole operating system into RAM before launching the live desktop. When booting in UEFI mode the system displays a similar menu with less branding. The countdown timer on the menu is accompanied by a loud beeping sound from the speaker which will quickly draw attention (and anger) from anyone nearby.
When the system finished booting it presented me with the Openbox window manager which places a panel across the bottom of the screen to display the application menu, task switcher, and system tray. The user interface, I was surprised to find, used the Japanese language in most places. The application menu and most graphical tools displayed Japanese characters while the terminal (QTerminal) displayed most information using English.
This surprised me as the project's website, boot menu, and status messages during boot had been in English. I went back and restarted the system to discover that, during the boot process, a menu quickly appears and asks us to press "1" for Japanese or "2" for English. The default is to use Japanese after a few seconds if we do not manually make a selection.
Alchg Linux 2022.06.25 -- A mixture of English and Japanese text
(full image size: 143kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
This language selection prompt posed a problem when I was using my laptop because my keyboard was not yet initialized when the menu was displayed, meaning I could not make a selection before the menu timed out, resulting in the system using Japanese. When I booted the system in VirtualBox I could make the language selection. When I did this most of the desktop would display English menus and graphical components used English. However, whenever I visited websites in the default web browser (Vivaldi), any international websites such as YouTube, Google, and DistroWatch would be directed to display text in Japanese. This meant, despite me selecting English at boot time, I still ended up viewing many websites in Japanese. I suspect this is a bonus for people fluent in Japanese, but I am not among their number and it was frustrating to not have my language selection respected by the web browser.
Included software
As already mentioned, Alchg uses the Openbox window manager to provide its graphical user interface and the Vivaldi web browser. It also ships with the QTerminal for accessing a command line. There are a few other programs for configuring Openbox and a couple of applications which are buried in the application menu. They can be accessed by going to the Application menu -> Config -> Alchg -> All Applications. Some of the launchers work and some do not. The ones which do provide access to an image viewer and a remote desktop tool, and some configuration options.
Digging deeper we find manual pages for the command line tools, the systemd init software, and version 5.15 of the Linux kernel.
Additional software can be installed using the pacman command line package manager. To install new packages we need root access which is granted using the su command and the password "root". The sudo utility is installed, but does not appear to be set up to work with the default user.
I found it interesting that when I installed alternative web browsers, such as Firefox, they displayed international pages in English, while Vivaldi displayed these pages in Japanese.
Hardware
When running Alchg in a VirtualBox instance the system ran smoothly. It worked well, though did not integrate with the VirtualBox host. When running on my laptop Alchg mostly worked well. It could detect my wireless card, sound worked, and the system ran quickly. However, the keyboard did not initialize quickly enough to respond to the language selection prompt. As previously mentioned, booting in UEFI mode caused five loud beeps to accompany the boot menu countdown. I also discovered my laptop's media keys were not recognised when running Alchg.
The distribution is fairly light and runs a minimal window manager. This results in both fast performance and a small memory footprint of about 200MB.
Conclusions
Alchg Linux is still a young project and some rough edges are to be expected. In this case though there are a lot of rough edges. The basic functionality of a live medium is present. The distribution boots, can connect to local networks, and browse the web. However, that is about all it does and it does even these limited functions with some caveats. The language support is minimal and (on my laptop) buggy and, in the case of the Vivaldi browser, inconsistent. The loud beeping at boot time and the lack of support for media keys is unfortunate. The application menu is a bit disorganized.
Most of these problems are not deal breakers, but they are pretty standard bits of functionality which other live distributions usually handle gracefully. I think Alchg needs another few releases to get these items sorted out before I'd suggest using it. Though I will say that the lightweight Openbox environment is small and fast, making it an appealing feature of this project.
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Visitor supplied rating
Qubes OS has a visitor supplied average rating of: 8.8/10 from 36 review(s).
Have you used Qubes OS? You can leave your own review of the project on our ratings page.
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| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
Canonical offers Wayland implementations through Mir, Quarkos introduces new Trinity edition, Debian considers non-free firmware stance, Arch-based systems encounter GRUB issue
One of the in-house projects to appear in Canonical's line-up over the years is Mir, a display server which attempted to address issues with X.Org in a similar fashion to Wayland: by replacing it. Over time, Mir shifted focus from its own protocol, which was used in Ubuntu's Unity 8 interface, to being a more flexible display server. Mir is now capable of being a Wayland implementation and may provide key building blocks for developers of desktop environments which want to implement Wayland's protocol, but who lack the time or resources to start from scratch. Alan Griffiths explains: "The Mir project provides libraries for creating Wayland compositors. The design is intended to make it easy build something simple and easy to customize the compositor in a number of ways. Within the Mir codebase there are four different Wayland compositors each demonstrating a different behaviour. There are additional compositors maintained and written by the Mir team in a number of Snaps. Most notably, Ubuntu Frame. Outside the Mir codebase there are at least four compositors based on Mir that support different uses."
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It might seem unlikely for any young Linux distributions to adopt a classic desktop environment which has been mostly static for over a decade. However, that is what the Quarkos (previously Quark) project is doing. Quarkos is introducing a new edition featuring the classic Trinity desktop, a fork of KDE 3, which will complement its existing KDE Plasma desktop. "At the occasion of the completely new Quarkos release, we have made a few important changes to the project. The project and operating system name has been slightly modified, it is no longer Quark, now Quarkos. New official dedicated Trinity desktop live media is now available too, so there are two download options for Quarkos, Ubuntu based Trinity 14.0.12 desktop and the still default Plasma desktop live media." The announcement offers details and download links.
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The Debian project takes a strong stance in favour of open source and free software, choosing to avoid the use of software or firmware that is proprietary or not freely licensed. While beneficial in some ways, Debian's approach means there is no non-free firmware on the official Debian media. Since non-free firmware is often used to make wireless networking cards function, this effectively blocks many users from being able to get on-line. The project currently maintains unofficial install media with the non-free firmware included and many people use this alternative media, but it is not always obvious this alternative approach exists. The project is currently considering how best to approach the use and distribution of non-free firmware by way of a general resolution.
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The EndeavourOS project is reporting on an issue users of Arch-based systems are facing. According to the Endeavour project, many people running distributions based on Arch Linux are running into a problem where their systems will no longer boot. "Since the recent grub issue has impacted a lot of people, we wanted to provide full transparency based on the information we have so far. The situation with this package is still evolving and we will update this post with more information as it becomes available. After updating to grub 2.06.r322 many users reported that their machines could fail to boot or booted directly into the BIOS or another OS." Details on what caused the issue and links to tips on fixing the problem are provided in the news post. At the time of writing no news post addressing the problem has appeared on the Arch Linux website, however there is a bug report filed against the issue.
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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) |
All about immutable operating systems
No-desire-to-change asks: What is an immutable operating system and what benefits would one achieve by using such an OS? Would this be appropriate for the average desktop environment, or is it better suited to servers and containers? Other than Fedora Silverblue and openSUSE MicroOS what other distributions use this approach? Are security updates allowed with an immutable OS?
DistroWatch answers: In practical terms, an immutable operating system is one where the base system (the core of the operating system) is fixed and unchanging. The underlying operating system is not altered and the root filesystem is typically read-only, meaning you can't edit its files.
Rather than editing the core of the operating system to change its configuration or upgrade packages, changes to services, applications, and data files are added on top of the base operating system. Imagine the core of the operating system as an unchanging foundation and any customizations or new programs we run on it are layers we stack on top of the base.
The Fedora Silverblue project sums up the concept as follows:
Unlike other operating systems, Silverblue is immutable. This means that every installation is identical to every other installation of the same version. The operating system that is on disk is exactly the same from one machine to the next, and it never changes as it is used.
Silverblue's immutable design is intended to make it more stable, less prone to bugs, and easier to test and develop. Finally, Silverblue's immutable design also makes it an excellent platform for containerized applications as well as container-based software development. In each case, applications (apps) and containers are kept separate from the host system, improving stability and reliability.
The idea here is that, since the base operating system doesn't change, we can upgrade to a new version by simply overwriting the old copy with a new one. The base system gets swapped out, but the layers (our files, configuration, containerized services, and customizations) live in separate layers and are not mixed into the base operating system.
What is achieved by such a system? In theory there is an added layer of security since the core operating system is read-only. It's also easier to test and develop, in some aspects, because my copy of the immutable core should be identical to your copy of the immutable core. There are no blurred edges between the original operating system and changes I made to my copy because my changes are in a separate layer.
In theory this also makes updates a more simple concept because instead of checking each package for changes and then trying to upgrade them in place, we can throw away the old core layer and replace it with a new one.
Would this be appropriate for a desktop environment? Some people think so. Fedora Silverblue is intended to look and act very similar to Fedora's Workstation edition. Again, quoting from the Silverblue website: "Silverblue is a variant of Fedora Workstation. It looks, feels and behaves like a regular desktop operating system, and the experience is similar to what you find with using a standard Fedora Workstation."
While it is intended to work the same for most tasks, people who try Silverblue need to get used to doing some things a little differently. Package management and configuration changes are handled differently than on a traditional operating system. These differences are covered in the Silverblue documentation.
The openSUSE MicroOS team takes a different stance. openSUSE's immutable platform is intended specifically for servers and container platforms:
Installing openSUSE MicroOS you get a quick, small environment for deploying containers, or any other workload that benefits from transactional updates.
Which other distributions use this approach? I don't think there are many Linux distributions which run immutable operating systems. There is more of a draw to do this sort of thing on commercial platforms than community ones, probably in part due to the reduced variation between systems and associated support costs. Some NAS systems, like TrueNAS, tend to act like immutable operating systems (intending to act like a fixed platform), even if they are not entirely read-only, immutable platforms. Android and other mobile operating systems, such as Murena, are typically immutable. If you have an Android phone and look at its mount points you'll see its root filesystem is read-only and the base operating system is updated as a fixed image. Likewise, UBports, by default, uses a read-only filesystem though it is possible to override this and make changes to the underlying operating system.
Immutable operating systems can be applied anywhere, but they tend to be used in situations where people want a small, unchanging base operating system that will run containers or portable packages (like AppImages or Flatpaks) on top of the core operating system. This makes immutable platforms ideal for servers that run containers, mobile devices, and embedded devices.
As to whether an immutable operating system can receive updates, they can and typically do. The difference is, with a classic operating system the individual components or packages are updated. With immutable operating systems you'll typically get the entire base system updated as one big piece. Then the containers or portable packages you installed on top of the immutable base are updated separately. If you've ever updated an Android phone you will have experienced this where the apps are updated as separate components, but the base system is updated as one big change.
This process probably feels more familiar to people in the BSD communities as projects like FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and NetBSD (while not immutable) draw a distinct line between the core operating system and third-party packages which are added on top of the system. The base operating system is upgraded separately from the third-party programs which run on it.
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Additional answers can be found in our Questions and Answers archive.
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| Released Last Week |
Tails 5.4
The Amnesic Incognito Live System (Tails) is a Debian-based Linux live DVD/USB with the goal of providing complete Internet anonymity for the user. The project's latest release, Tails 5.4, introduces an updated kernel with newer hardware support, along with some kernel-related security hardening. This release also disables forced HTTPS connections to make it easier for users to connect to wi-fi networks where a sign-in is required. "Harden several aspects of our Linux kernel. Disable HTTPS-only mode in the Unsafe Browser to make it easier to sign in to Wi-Fi networks. Update Tor Browser to 11.5.2. Update tor to 0.4.7.10. Update the Linux kernel to 5.10.136. This should improve the support for newer hardware: graphics, Wi-Fi, and so on. It will also fix an important vulnerability. For more details, read our changelog." Additional information can be found in the project's release announcement.
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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: 2,762
- 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) |
Do you run an immutable operating system?
This week we talked about immutable operating systems in our Questions and Answers column. An immutable operating system can provide a number of benefits when it comes to security, stability, and testing. To date most immutable systems have been used on mobile devices and container servers, but they are slowly expanding to more servers and desktop systems. Do you currently run an immutable operating system on your laptop or desktop computer? If you are, let us know which one in the comments.
You can see the results of our previous poll on getting notifications about security updates in last week's edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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Running immutable operating systems
| I run an immutable system on my laptop/workstation: | 60 (4%) |
| I run an immutable system on my phone: | 155 (10%) |
| I run an immutable system on both: | 18 (1%) |
| I do not run any immutable systems: | 1163 (76%) |
| I do not know if my systems are immutable: | 129 (8%) |
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| Website News |
Donations and Sponsors
Each month we receive support and kindness from our readers in the forms of donations. These donations help us keep the web server running, pay contributors, and keep infrastructure like our torrent seed box running. We'd like to thank our generous readers and acknowledge how much their contributions mean to us.
This month we're grateful for the $1,514 in contributions from the following kind souls:
| Donor |
Amount |
|---|
| Anonymous | $1426 |
| Edgar C | $23 |
| Brian K | $11 |
| Kevin W | $10 |
| Sam C | $10 |
| Eric G | $9 |
| Adiel A | $5 |
| Chung T | $5 |
| DuCakedHare | $5 |
| Matt | $5 |
| J.D. L | $2 |
| PB C | $2 |
| Stephen M | $1 |
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New distributions added to waiting list
- Metis Linux. Metis Linux is a fork of Artix Linux which strives to be more minimal and resource efficient.
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DistroWatch database summary
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This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 5 September 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 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 |
| • Issue 1044 (2023-11-06): Porteus 5.01, disabling IPv6, applications unique to a Linux distro, Linux merges bcachefs, OpenELA makes source packages available |
| • Issue 1043 (2023-10-30): Murena Two with privacy switches, where old files go when packages are updated, UBports on Volla phones, Mint testing Cinnamon on Wayland, Peppermint releases ARM build |
| • Issue 1042 (2023-10-23): Ubuntu Cinnamon compared with Linux Mint, extending battery life on Linux, Debian resumes /usr merge, Canonical publishes fixed install media |
| • Issue 1041 (2023-10-16): FydeOS 17.0, Dr.Parted 23.09, changing UIDs, Fedora partners with Slimbook, GNOME phasing out X11 sessions, Ubuntu revokes 23.10 install media |
| • Issue 1040 (2023-10-09): CROWZ 5.0, changing the location of default directories, Linux Mint updates its Edge edition, Murena crowdfunding new privacy phone, Debian publishes new install media |
| • Issue 1039 (2023-10-02): Zenwalk Current, finding the duration of media files, Peppermint OS tries out new edition, COSMIC gains new features, Canonical reports on security incident in Snap store |
| • Issue 1038 (2023-09-25): Mageia 9, trouble-shooting launchers, running desktop Linux in the cloud, New documentation for Nix, Linux phasing out ReiserFS, GNU celebrates 40 years |
| • 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 | 
Amber Linux
Amber Linux was a Latvian Linux distribution based on Debian GNU/Linux. It aims at being the first business desktop Linux distribution that was tailored specifically to the needs of Latvian users. Features include automatic hardware detection and storage device mounting; GNOME as the default desktop environment; OpenOffice.org as the default office applications suite; Hansa Financials accounting software.
Status: Discontinued
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| Tips, Tricks, Q&As | | Questions and answers: Testing multiple hardware devices quickly |
| Questions and answers: Removing sudo's password requirement |
| Questions and answers: Clearing up Clonezilla |
| Questions and answers: Why distros offer custom builds of packages |
| Questions and answers: Locating portable packages |
| Tips and tricks: Find common words in text, find high memory processs, cd short-cuts, pushd & popd, record desktop |
| Tips and tricks: Command line weather, ionice, rename files, video preview snapshot, calednar, ls colour settings |
| Tips and tricks: Running Android applications on GNU/Linux with Anbox |
| Tips and tricks: GRUB Customizer |
| Tips and tricks: OpenSSH, pipes and file transfers |
| More Tips & Tricks and Questions & Answers |
| TUXEDO |
TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite
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| Star Labs |
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
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