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1 • Persistence (by Matt on 2022-09-19 01:35:07 GMT from Austria)
Why is persistence implemented differently on USB flash drives? A thumb drive is not really a read-only medium anyway, why do they make a read-only LiveUSB plus some writable space for persistence?
2 • Porteus (by Simon on 2022-09-19 01:38:53 GMT from New Zealand)
Oh, looks like the first legit post, as the only existing one is a ridiculous ad. Porteus sounds like a bit of a headache. I think Slax is back to basing (at least one variant of) its portable OS on Slackware... so Slax might be a better option for a portable Slackware.
3 • Dangnation (by Simon on 2022-09-19 01:39:40 GMT from New Zealand)
Foiled again! One day, Matt from Austria... one day
4 • Proteous (by SMS on 2022-09-19 02:06:04 GMT from United States)
Thanks for doing the hard job of keeping us informed of the poisnous mushrooms to avolid!
5 • Remote access to Linux desktops (by Roger in Lawrenceville on 2022-09-19 02:10:48 GMT from United States)
I use Teamviewer and Splashtop to access my Linux desktops remotely. They are proprietary commercial programs though. Both will connect to the login screen once the device is on a network.
6 • Remotely wiping a HD (by shep971 on 2022-09-19 02:17:05 GMT from United States)
How well you "wipe" a HD is a matter of degree. Making a hard drive inaccessible to low level thieves can be done quick and easily by zeroing out the boot sectors. This is how the Michelangelo Virus functioned:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelangelo_(computer_virus)
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda1 bs=512 count=100 will zero out the first 100 sectors,
You ould script this to run on a remote command or with several failed logins.
Note that newer hard drives put a backup gpt on the last sectors. gDisk, which can reside on the hard drive can also completely remove mbr/gpt boot partitions.
If you are worried about State level data retrival (GRU, FBI, CIA, G6 ....) you pretty much have to perform 2 passes of random bits like BleachBit. This can take several hours.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BleachBit
7 • Spiral Linux (by Heinrich on 2022-09-19 02:40:34 GMT from United States)
I’ve never used Spiral Linux, but Jack Wallen gave it a very positive review on ZDnet in July: https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-spiral-linux-and-why-it-could-easily-become-a-top-contender-for-users-new-to-linux/
8 • Spiral Linux - you've missed out the important bit! (by Bin on 2022-09-19 05:48:11 GMT from United Kingdom)
Spiral Linux is set up to use Debian Backports AND Debian Fasttrack by default. This means that although it is running Stable, it is also getting the latest it can have from Backports and extra goodies via fasttrack. The software selection is what you would get from the Debian installer just using the selected DE rather than Debian Desktop this makes it much lighter. You don't get loads of tweaks and tools and developer specific stuff, it just works. Heartily recommend!
9 • Shtredding (by Any on 2022-09-19 06:08:53 GMT from Spain)
It is useless to expect you could connect to your stolen laptop and delete/shred files. If encrypting is not an option then you could make a script to check at boot if a specific hardware is connected to your laptop and if not to destroy the data. For example checking for a USB drive, mouse or certain key word in a text file on the pen drive. To make things easier you could do a partition for /home and shred the entire partition. Maybe this will get around the BTRFS shred problems.
Or just use a large veracrypt container.
10 • Porteus, Kiosk edition, Slax (by eM-13 on 2022-09-19 06:28:05 GMT from Poland)
I've used Porteus few years ago. It's a nice concept to have a bloat free minimal portable Linux iso with ability to add your own customizations. I've stopped using it because it wasn't reliable. Same with other distros like Slax. They randomly forget settings after reboot. File gets corrupted or for some reason is not loaded during next boot and you are forced to start from scratch again. Very, very annoying. But my worst experience was with kiosk version. Very hard to setup. They make sure you won't be able to make your customizations like adding extensions to the browser straight from iso. No no, you have to do them hard way by remastering iso by hand from other distro. It is supposed to be a secure rolling realease distro but is distributed without latest version of browsers. Worst thing was still to come because bad sound harware initialization with max volume noise comming out of laptop speakers destroyed them in one of my laptops.
11 • Thief proofing a PC (this week's reader question). (by Greg Zeng on 2022-09-19 07:06:39 GMT from Australia)
Some comments have been made on shredding the SSD, or HDD, totally (slowly) or partially (quick). Distrowatch suggested Disk or Partition encryption (fast). Writing zeros into the first sections of the storage medium is foolproof? Comments are welcome.
Some operating systems and hardware units offer alternatives: third-party accessories (Wifi, Bluetooth, devices, connections) for immediate access, otherwise destruction of the data.
My Dell Inspiron (recent model) offers inbuilt firmware security encryption. This inbuilt security can be avoided, by the system administrator. Otherwise, various types of "standard" software encryption can be chosen, solely or with other types simultaneously. Linux and most operating systems have these encryption types.
The automatic destruction of the data (SSD, HDD, etc) upon improper entry (theft, security agencies, etc) is not possible AFAIK in most operating systems or hardware types. So "smartphones" etc claim to offer such protection. Most security investigators might physically separate the data storage units, for off-site hardware analysis of the data, rather than allow any inbuilt operating system or apps have any chance to destroy the data.
12 • remotely accesssing a stolen computer or phone (by Simon Plaistowe on 2022-09-19 07:18:10 GMT from New Zealand)
I use AnyDesk, maybe I could log into my laptop if it were stolen, but better to encrypt anything important & be sure to backup. Much easier on an Android phone with Google's built-in tracker, also I have an app which emails me photos & audio if it detects dodgy activity. Years ago a thief stole my phone off my kitchen table while I was mowing the lawn. Within half an hour I'd tracked him down. Imagine his surprise when I rocked up & threatened to shove various parts of his anatomy up various other bits. Got my phone back without any further drama. But I digress :-D
13 • Persistence in a distro (by Hank on 2022-09-19 08:09:27 GMT from Denmark)
Porteus is pretty good in a kiosk function but as noted difficult as a fully fledged live environment.
the king and queen of lightweight configureability,
speed and if wished for persistence is antiX. All the reliability of debian stable, backports can be easily added, the system remastered to keep startup fast. Change repos to sid for most up to date software. Easily,Make a snapshot and write it to usb or dvd all with included tools. Run live or if you feel like it install to disk. Configue add or remove packages Make an ISO from your installed system, as a personal backup or stripped of personal data for friends. easy peasy.
I ran antiX full runit version live on a system with no drive for months without any issues.
SysV init is just as reliable. No systemd, big plus, no dependancy chaos, no waiting minutes for a startjob to finish, no slow shutdowns, Love it.
14 • Spiral Linux (by Pete on 2022-09-19 08:33:09 GMT from United Kingdom)
I have used this distro and it seems pretty good to me. I'm no expert but it did everything I asked of it.
Very sad day here in the UK.
15 • stolen PCs (by Any on 2022-09-19 08:58:37 GMT from Spain)
@12 I assume the author of the question did not mean protection against "Most security investigators" as this implies specific knowledge and equipment and a normal user would not deserve such an attention. I think he just needs a method to destroy his data just "in case of". And destroying the data has an advantage over encrypting because of the trendy "harvest now, decrypt later" concept. A stolen today encrypted disk could be decrypted later. Better give them pain in the a.. with a shredded encrypted disk/partition. But then again a normal user should be out of scope for such time and efforts investments.
16 • SpiralLinux (by zcatav on 2022-09-19 12:23:04 GMT from Turkey)
SpiralLinux is the best Debian option for all level users.
I'm writing this comment from a laptop that SpiralLinux is installed on it. Second option is may be MxLinux.
17 • remote access (by zcatav on 2022-09-19 12:44:42 GMT from Turkey)
Simly secured ssh.
18 • SpiralLinux (by Zipslack on 2022-09-19 13:12:24 GMT from United States)
Glad to see SpiralLinux finally making it into the database. It's an excellent Debian-based KDE Plasma distro. Also be sure to check out it's "sister" distro, GeckoLinux, based on OpenSuse.
19 • Stolen data (by Friar Tux on 2022-09-19 13:29:41 GMT from Canada)
@15 (Any) My thoughts, exactly. This topic usually sends my into grumpy Grandpa mode...
Two things:- one, I NEVER keep anything of value on my machine. No matter how good you think your computer security is, anything on that machine is open to anyone with the right tools and knowledge. And most of those tools and knowledge are easily available.
Two, I have always viewed my laptop as quite personal. It rarely leaves my house. On the rare occasion that it does, it never leaves my grasp/sight. (I have a bag made just for the laptop that, once slung over my shoulder, it would require the removal of my head and one arm to get the bag, in which case I'm pretty sure I wouldn't care what happens to the laptop after that.)
20 • SpiralLinux (by zcatav on 2022-09-19 14:51:04 GMT from Turkey)
Builder edition is minimalist version with IceWM desktop. Low resource devices use it easily. Maintainer mentioned it for "advanced user" but it has only required software and IceWM (A bare KISS example). Anyone can shape it for own needs.
21 • Remote Access (by Trihexagonal on 2022-09-19 15:02:33 GMT from United States)
I don't even allow myself remote access.. I have physical access.
Nobody else could get past an empty workspace and an unplugged USB mouse with an unattended FreeBSD machine or the login screen on a Linux box.
***Free wallpapers I created available now at my updated site with many more to post.***
22 • Spiral (by Tad Strange on 2022-09-19 16:29:46 GMT from Canada)
I'm liking Spiral on an older laptop where I wanted an LTS type of distro.
I've tried Gecko in the past, but something about SuSE always fails to keep my interest. Maybe I just like the Debian ecosystem best because it was the first that I really got into.
23 • spiral linux (by man on 2022-09-19 18:11:43 GMT from Netherlands)
Fanbois here, not me it uses systemD. Yet another so called distro riding on the flexibility of debian.
See if it is around in a couple of years. My experience indicated it to be like an unripe pear. Tastless
24 • Automatic destruction of data (by Matt on 2022-09-19 18:36:06 GMT from United States)
@9, @11: Automatic wiping is a bad idea unless you back up very often. It is better to have a disk decryption key on an external device, so that in the absence of this device your data is inaccessible.
25 • Re: Persistence (by eco2geek on 2022-09-19 19:16:51 GMT from United States)
@1 "Why is persistence implemented differently on USB flash drives? A
thumb drive is not really a read-only medium anyway, why do they make a
read-only LiveUSB plus some writable space for persistence?"
Because they're making the USB stick emulate a CD/DVD, using a CD's read-only file system. The writable space is in a separate partition.
If you want a USB stick *with persistence* that doesn't require any effort, try openSUSE's live media. It automatically sets up persistent space on whatever space is left on your USB stick.(However, persistence slows the whole thing down.)
26 • SpiralLinux (by SpiralLinux on 2022-09-19 19:18:08 GMT from United States)
@23 Hi there, SpiralLinux creator here. I'm not going to try to convince you to use it, but notice that SpiralLinux is *not* a "so called distro", per the very first line of the description on its website:
> SpiralLinux is a selection of Linux spins built from Debian GNU/Linux...
Unlike many Debian-based distros that modify Debian packages and/or maintain their own supplemental repos, SpiralLinux has chosen not to do that so as to not make installed systems dependent on the SpiralLinux project (i.e. me). So SpiralLinux is effectively an alternative installation method and configuration of Debian, and the resulting installed system is entirely dependent on Debian.
@Everyone else: Thanks very much for your kind comments, glad to hear it's working well for you!
27 • SpiralLinux & systemd (by zcatav on 2022-09-19 20:03:34 GMT from Turkey)
@23
If you want SpiralLinux without systemd (Devuan based) you fallow link;
https://github.com/SpiralLinux/SpiralLinux-project/discussions/53
28 • SpiralLinux (by poiuyt on 2022-09-20 00:27:55 GMT from Australia)
@26 Thanks for your work on both Spiral and Gecko. A lot of people on this forum complain about the endless distros based on something else instead of being something new and while I don't agree with that (people should do whatever they want), I reckon you've got it right by making alternative more user-friendly installation methods of the parent distro instead.
29 • Artix Linux (by Otis on 2022-09-20 12:44:19 GMT from United States)
@27 etc... So far down the DW PHR list, and yet resolves nearly every issue brought up in this space. Artix just may be the best Linux distribution there is for non-systemd init and solid, very fast, secure computing.
30 • Stolen laptop (by dragonmouth on 2022-09-20 14:01:30 GMT from United States)
If this-hard-drive-will-self-destruct wants to protect his data he needs to encrypt it. Were I after the data on that laptop, the first thing I would do upon obtaining it is to physically separate the laptop and the drive, thus obviating any attempts at remote deletion/destruction.
Were I after the laptop itself, I would either replace the drive or do a low-level format. Then I would install an O/S. This would never give this-hard-drive-will-self-destruct a chance to try to access his stolen laptop.
31 • @19 FriarTux: (by dragonmouth on 2022-09-20 14:12:43 GMT from United States)
"I NEVER keep anything of value on my machine. "
/GRIN/
Unfortunately you NEVER know what hackers/crackers might find valuable on your machine. What you may deem innocuous, a bad actor can find useful for his purposes. Then there is the data you don't even realize is automatically collected by the software you use.
Just sayin'.
32 • SpiralLinux (by Geronimo on 2022-09-20 15:16:31 GMT from Italy)
I installed it and it seems to me a very good customization of Debian Stable: great fonts, good choice of preinstalled software, attractive appearance. The most significant difference from Debian Stable is the preinstalled Backports repository.
33 • systemd (again) (by Gary W on 2022-09-20 16:19:11 GMT from Australia)
systemd is a popular topic for discussion (@23, @27).
I often wonder, is there any practical difference between Devuan, and those widespread prescriptions for removing systemd from Debian?
Disclaimers: MX user (with a Devuan box), and I'd rather run a BSD than anything polluted with systemd.
34 • SpiralLinux (by northivanastan on 2022-09-20 22:23:04 GMT from United States)
As an avid Debian user, I never liked the options available to me (and other users) for installing the system. It's either an ancient installer with several unnecessary steps, or an unpolished live system that includes all the (mostly unnecessary) localization packages by default. So SpiralLinux makes me very happy.
There are some things I'd do differently with it. I do not like the look of the Numix+Faenza theme and there are much better themes in the Debian repo, and in my opinion Plasma and GNOME distros should stick to the vanilla layout and theme (so users can set that up themselves). But there are also some great decisions, like the default btrfs filesystem configuration, and the inclusion of both Backports and Fasttrack repos.
From now on I think I'll recommend it to new users who I'd otherwise recommend Debian and close Debian derivatives, i.e. people in need of an unchanging, secure system that can be easily customized.
35 • Remotely wiping a drive (by JeffC on 2022-09-21 03:45:05 GMT from United States)
Now imagine if it were routine to have the ability to remotely wipe the data out on a drive...
How many would be asking how to keep some bad people from erasing their drive?
36 • What hackers find... (by Friar Tux on 2022-09-21 13:38:21 GMT from Canada)
@31 (dragonmouth) "... you NEVER know what hackers/crackers might find valuable on your machine."
So true...
I use my laptop for just about everything. It is my library (books, newspapers, magazines, technical journals), recipe box, encyclopedia, writer's tool (stories, poems, articles, etc.), graphic artist's tool (painting, drawing), communications device, and much, much more. If they wish to read the same stuff I read, they are more than welcome to my "unwiped" drive. Maybe my recipes might inspire them to eat better. As for the stuff I've written/drawn, if they can stomach it, good on them. If they wish to communicate with my family, I wish them luck.
Regarding SpiralLinux, THIS is one of the things I like about Linux. Debian is a pain to install, so, in true Linux fashion, someone fixes that and the sun shines more brightly. Love it. (@26 (SpiralLinux) Keep up the good work.)
37 • systemd (again) or BSD (by zcatav on 2022-09-21 17:40:31 GMT from Turkey)
@33
If you don't need k8s and/or extra 30K additional programs then BSD will be the right choice.
38 • Artix (by zcatav on 2022-09-21 17:56:30 GMT from Turkey)
@29
I tried artix linux. Because it was a rolling distribution, it was getting very frequent and intense updates. Therefore, it was not very stable. In addition, it did not have the diversity of over 60K programs that Debian had. I couldn't find some apps I needed.
39 • Artix Linux updates (by Otis on 2022-09-21 20:01:31 GMT from United States)
@38 Artix users need not install updates until they peruse them and decide whether or not it would be prudent to do so. Artix is a clever and intuitive system, and updates are not released until they're deemed stable, unlike some other rolling release distros (OpenSuse is good at that as well, and a few others).
Artix is stable.
60 thousand Debian programs? Have fun. Love the diversity of Linux.
40 • Artix and Stability (by David on 2022-09-21 21:07:38 GMT from United States)
Arch is unstable, due to a constant barrage of (untested) software updates. Artix is based on Arch. Therefore, Artix should be unstable too.
41 • Artix and Arch Stablility (by rb on 2022-09-22 03:02:02 GMT from United States)
Arch is a cutting edge distro, as well as the derivatives by nature. As soon as a package is updated upstream, it takes very little time for it to make it to the distro. This gives you the ability to have newer kernels, newer hardware support, newest software features and bug fixes. While this is not ideal for everyone, it is definitely not unstable. When there have been rare major issues, such as with grub recently, it is easy to downgrade to fix the problem if you know what you are doing. If you need extremely stable stick with Debian, but the software is old and out of date in most cases. The kernel is also outdated and does not support a lot of newly released hardware, in my case wifi. 5.10 is not new enough to support some of my hardware. As for Debian having more software, that is definitely not true. When you combine Arch and the user repositories, Arch has just as much software as Debian. Arch Linux has the largest number of packages among all Linux distros. Debian leads by the number of non-unique packaged projects. If you did not find what you were looking for in Arch, then you must have blinked and missed it.
42 • Remote Access (by penguinx86 on 2022-09-22 03:19:26 GMT from United States)
I don't have remote access to my laptop, and I don't want anybody else to have remote access either. It's a big security hole. Remote access is the first thing I disable with my personal home laptop. In a corporate environment, I may not have a choice who has remote access. The less people, the better.
43 • @41 re "definitely not unstable" (by Simon on 2022-09-22 08:57:16 GMT from New Zealand)
Arch is definitely very unstable. You're forgetting what "stable" means (fixed in place, not easily moved) and confusing it with one of the effects of stability (applications that work without bugs/crashes/etc). You may be right that Arch works most of the time, but it's not stable, so there's no guarantee it will continue working: you just hope it will, and (according to you and many other Arch users) most of the time what you hope will happen does indeed happen.
It's different with a stable OS. The software doesn't change so you know it will keep working the same way, day after day, year after year. Stability is about minimising change: as you say, Arch is a "cutting edge" rolling release distro, so it is the opposite of a "stable" distro (like Debian stable, Red Hat, Ubuntu LTS, Slackware, or any of the others that release occasionally and then keep that platform stable, only updating it with necessary security and bug fixes).
44 • Debian vs Artix (by zcatav on 2022-09-22 11:42:59 GMT from Turkey)
@41
I don't prefer use someone else's repo (I think it called something UAR). Official repositories are the way. The following line shows my kernel version on SpiralLinux.
Linux localhost 5.18.0-0.deb11.4-amd64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Debian 5.18.16-1~bpo11+1 (2022-08-12) x86_64 GNU/Linux
As you can see Debian Backports and Debian Fasttrack by default, SpiralLinux is not same thing with vanilla Debian stable.
All of these are IMHO.
45 • for what its worth... (by tom joad on 2022-09-22 16:10:01 GMT from Greece)
I long ago discounted the idea or concept of connecting remotely to a stolen computer. Yeah, you can, maybe, but there are way to many hurdles to jump. Once the computer is gone...its bye-bye.
The path I followed is to make sure as best I can what is on the computer will never, ever be found. I use full disk encryption. Yeah, it is a pain. But the world is a dangerous place even for average folks. I employ a very long passwords, over 20+ characters of all types. Yeah, you can brute force them but it will take a while even for the feds.
Example as per GRC.com. brancHtreegauze77+round => 3,106,266,216,369,922,375,245,484,442,102,782,269,741,626,495 or 3.11 x 1045, the 45th power. That is the search space where the password is hidden. Scramble those words a bit to account for entropy and yeah, busting that will take a bit of time.
Next I do redundant back ups including real time cloud storage. And my zip drives with personal stuff on them are encrypted too.
Next, I set all of my power settings to the shortest time frame possible. For instance close my laptop and it immediately shuts down. I have tested that a few times. It works. When I leave my laptop I always 'lock' it. Yes, my user password is long too. Good luck.
Is all that a gaurontee? No. But it will keep 'them' at bay for a long time, maybe even forever.
In the real world a thief likely doesn't care about the info on your computer. All they will do is wipe it and keep it or sell it to someone else. Thieves are lazy. The Feds will attempt to crack your passwords. If that is not easy and or fast they will throw YOU on in the s*****r until you tell them the password(s). The FEDS are pretty lazy too.
That is how I look at it. But connecting to a stolen laptop to wipe it clean...Forgetaboutit!
46 • Curious... (by Friar Tux on 2022-09-22 19:24:40 GMT from Canada)
I'm just wondering... why not attack the "remote wipe" question from a different angle. A timed wipe. If you use your computer at least once in so many hours, why not set it to wipe itself if not turned on by then? Or wipe itself if not turned on with a specific USB key drive it the slot? Also, I thought I read somewhere about a distro that will wipe itself if something is entered wrong. (SuicideOS ???) Not sure. Anyway, just some ideas.
47 • Porteus Persistence (by Mitchell on 2022-09-22 23:42:47 GMT from United States)
Persistence is the easy part with Porteus. Software package management is the difficult part. Annoyances include the root file manager auto-mounting every partition on my hard drive despite booting with "noauto" in the boot configuration file along with always needing to adjust the hardware clock and system time. "noauto" only seems to work with the regular user file manager.
Anyway,persistence is achieved by simply creating a "save file".I created mine as Porteus_Save_File.dat.It's installed on an ext3 partition.Which,by the way,that partition contains a traditional install of a different distribution. Installing Porteus can be done right into / of the partition without impacting the existing install of another distribution (as long as "vmlinuz" does not already exist). The Porteus install just creates a folder in / called "porteus" and a "syslinux" folder along with "initrd.xz" and "vmlinuz" files in /boot.
For persistence,just add the context to /boot/syslinux/porteus.cfg which points to the save file. For example , the last line in my porteus.cfg entry reads : APPEND copy2ram changes=/Porteus_Save_File.dat noauto
Installed to the hard drive with existing linux,I just made a custom entry in my existing GRUB bootloader to chain-load the Porteus syslinux bootloader.
48 • Persistence, wiping (by Wally on 2022-09-23 02:56:36 GMT from Australia)
Tried Porteus back when it billed itself as an OS for kiosks. Skipping it this time, as I see no use for me. I do have a light OS live with persistence on USB: Star. Small and light on resources, Star is based on Devuan, so it should please those who break out in hives at the thought of systemd. I know it's heresy, but I use Rufus (Windows) to create the live USB. I have not found anything else as easy and reliable for Debian/Devuan/Ubuntu persistence.
@46 Friar Tux, There are varied reasons for not using a timed wipe, no need to go into it here. I question the whole "wipe" idea. AES 256 encryption is still rock solid, just ask the corporations and governments that pay large ransoms to hackers for keys to retrieve their encrypted data. Worried? Encrypt! Don't worry, your friendly neighborhood hacker most probably doesn't own a quantum computer.
In almost any case, someone who steals your computer is not after your data, they just want your hardware. (Unless you are Hunter Biden or some other high muck-a-muck with deep secrets.) If I wanted your data, I can simply boot from a live USB to access it. If that avenue is closed, I can remove the drive. But I'd still have no access if the drive is encrypted.
49 • Passwords (by Matt on 2022-09-23 23:26:03 GMT from United States)
@45: Your example password probably has about 5 * 15 = 75 bits of real entropy, or circa 10^23 search space. That's possible to crack practically, though perhaps still expensive. The generation process needs to be more random, "scrambling a bit" is not enough. 20+ characters can have 160 bits of entropy or more, just generate them randomly.
50 • Passwords (by Matt on 2022-09-23 23:52:21 GMT from United States)
@49: Well, if length is 20 and only ASCII Latin letters and digits and two punctuation symbols are allowed you can get 20 * 6 = 120 bits of entropy. I have to say that your example password is perhaps not crackable even if its entropy is relatively low because Linux LUKS disk encryption uses PBKDF2 to derive the actual key (but maybe intelligence agencies have unpublished attack methods and/or custom hardware against PBKDF2).
Number of Comments: 50
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| • 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 |
| • 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 |
| • Full list of all issues |
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Fuduntu
Fuduntu, originally Fedora-based, but later forked, was a Linux distribution that earns its name by its ambition to fit somewhere in-between Fedora and Ubuntu. It was designed to be aesthetically pleasing, and was optimized for netbook and other portable computers, as well as general-purpose desktop machines.
Status: Discontinued
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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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