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1 • openSUSE MicroOS (by Sam Crawford on 2022-09-26 01:01:34 GMT from United States)
Today I tried to reinstall Tumbleweed onto a box that normally has it installed. I had the same issues as Jessie did with programs I installed, such as Edge, Skype, Zoom, Insync and Vuescan not showing up on the KDE menu.
I'm not sure if it is a problem with the current version of the openSUSE installer as I've never experienced this before. This was with Tumbleweed, not MicroOS.
I'm going to wait a few days and try again with a newer installer. Maybe Jessie is dealing with the same issue?
2 • MicroOS (by gekxxx on 2022-09-26 01:06:01 GMT from Belgium)
Distros like MicroOS and Fedora Silverblue are nice and safe, but a pain in the ass once it comes to installing drivers like hplip. Even if hplip would be possible, then hp-plugin is not. Hp-plugin install inside the OS, and as this OS is not writable...No, immutable linux distros are a good idea, but not on the desktop yet.
3 • Migrating to Linux (by Wedge009 on 2022-09-26 01:09:14 GMT from Australia)
The introductory process described by Jesse in this week's Q&A happened to be exactly the approach I took with myself over the course of several years. Long before I adopted Linux as my primary OS, I had already made a concerted effort to find and use FOSS replacements for proprietary, Windows-specific applications I was previously using - including the Thunderbird, VLC and LibreOffice projects mentioned. So when I decided to take the step to running Linux as my main OS most of the hard work was already done.
Perhaps a similar approach will make it easier for others to encourage their family/friends to take that step too, someday.
4 • ChromeOS (by Pumpino on 2022-09-26 01:32:41 GMT from Australia)
Would ChromeOS be considered immutable, given linux is in a container? It would be interesting to see a review of ChromeOS on DW, given it's Linux at its core.
5 • MicroOS (by Charlie on 2022-09-26 02:14:10 GMT from Hong Kong)
MicroOS is a total different concept than a traditional Linux system, you need to adopt to it but saw many people in Reddit complaining about it doesn't perform like the traditional OS but it's supposed not to.
For installing software, I doubt if Jesse didn't install the Flatpak version but instead the package (zypper/rpm) version, coz Flatpak software doesn't need a reboot to show up in the desktop menu, and only packages installed on an immutable OS need a reboot to show changes. Make sure Discover has enabled Flathub as a source of software. That's also why KDE is in Alpha stage on MicroOS whgile GNOME is RC, coz GNOME software enables Flathub automatically.
@2 You can actually install packages like the old way but it's encouraged only to do so on drivers and system software. sudo transactional-update is what you are looking for, it can add packages to system like zypper. I did so in order to install Chinese and Japanese input in my use case.
All in all, I found MicroOS is actually more out-of-box than Silverblue actually, but you should understand the quirks and workarounds before using it as a daily OS.
6 • Linux migration (by DaveW on 2022-09-26 02:25:59 GMT from United States)
The gradual conversion to linux is pretty much what I did. I had been running WinXP for a few years, and didn't want to buy a new copy of Microsoft Office, found OpenOffice and started using that. Then I installed Thunderbird and VLC. XP got kind of old and slow, so I installed Ubuntu; used both dual-booting for a while. Now I'm 100% Linux Mint and loving it.
7 • micro os (by jay coeli on 2022-09-26 02:26:24 GMT from United States)
sorry all...
but don't believe "micro" should be measured in multiple gb, especially when cf product like dsl, matrix, slitax, or even puppy...
jc
8 • micro os (by jay coeli on 2022-09-26 02:30:38 GMT from United States)
another sorry...
damn awtoe korrekt: last should read mitrax!
jc
9 • @7 (by Charlie on 2022-09-26 02:43:00 GMT from Hong Kong)
@7
The term "micro" doesn't mean small in disk space usage, just as the term "free" usually doesn't mean free in charge in the FOSS world ;)
10 • microOS & wrong checksums (by pengxuin on 2022-09-26 05:29:07 GMT from New Zealand)
yep, $#!+ happens.
as you had so many initial errors, and that each cleared after a retry, a possible cause is the update mirror updating the packages while you were downloading them to update your system.
given that microOS KDE version is in alpha likely means that the packages are in a state of rapid rebuild /update
11 • @1 (by Jan on 2022-09-26 08:05:28 GMT from Germany)
@1 maybe you need to install xdg-desktop-portal-kde
12 • Telling other people about Linux (by omar on 2022-09-26 09:02:39 GMT from Indonesia)
Lesson i learned.
This doesn't work : Pick people i love, tell them about Linux, hope they migrate soon.
This worked: Just let friends know that i'm Linux user. Friends who interested in Linux came to me eventually.
13 • Converting to Linux (by luvr on 2022-09-26 10:10:47 GMT from Belgium)
I'm not evangelizing Linux in any way, but every now and then, people come to me and tell me they have this old laptop running a no longer supported Windows version.
If they ask me if they really need to buy a new computer, then I tell them that if they want to continue to run Windows, then, yes, it's time for a new computer. Otherwise, they can try out Linux on their laptop and see if it works for them; then, if it doesn't, they can still look for a new computer.
Some will eventually get a new laptop anyway, but with the current economic situation, more and more people are prepared to take a proper look at Linux and to keep using it.
14 • MicroOS (by Zauser on 2022-09-26 11:30:11 GMT from Germany)
If the energy of many good programmers goes into systems like MicroOS, then it will probably work very well. Currently, that's just not the case yet. For people who depend on reliability, a system like Leap, Debian or Ubuntu LTS is the measure of all things; maybe Timeshift for good measure.
15 • MicroOS GNOME (by traveler on 2022-09-26 11:32:02 GMT from United States)
Since MicroOS KDE is an alpha state, and MicroOS GNOME is at RC state, I would think using GNOME would give a better experience.
16 • Suse MicroOS (by Otis on 2022-09-26 13:15:14 GMT from United States)
After the many times over the years I've tried Tumbleweed and Leap (and SuSe in the old days) I confess to never having heard of MicroOs. I also confess to thinking I was about to read a review of a phone OS done by openSuse when I saw the name. Great to see it's a rather refined version in some ways of openSuse, and that they're serious enough about it to plan on deploying it as enterprise at some point in the future.
This whole thing speaks well of the evolution of Suse in general. I'm only hoping for prolific driver development to broaden the range of the target user base.
17 • Praise be to Linux! (by Friar Tux on 2022-09-26 14:28:42 GMT from Canada)
@13 (luvr) My sentiments exactly. While the toughest customer I had was The Wife, she quickly ASKED to be switched when, in the middle of a job she was doing, Window decided to do an hour long, unauthorized upgrade from Windows 7 to 10. She waited patiently for the hour and, when it was done, her machine froze. She got a lot of "[Program] Not Responding". At that point, she asked me to "DO something". I scrubbed the hard drive, loaded on Linux Mint/Cinnamon and made it look as close to Win 7 as possible. This was about 7 years ago and she hasn't had an issue since.
@14 (Zauser) Regarding Timeshift... that is the first thing I remove when I install a distro. I find it a waste of time and resources as it does not work as well as advertised - at least not for me. When things go south, access to the Timeshift backups isn't always available for various reasons. It is much quicker to just re-install the OS and restore my files from my external backups. I DO think there is a possibility to really make Timeshift shine. If it could be put on a USB key, with a small OS, to be bootable on startup, and THEN have the option of over-writing the damaged OS (but leaving to "Home" directory intact), that would be great. It would need a sub-directory to store the Timeshift backups, but also have the ability to update to the latest backup.
18 • From Windows to Linux (by Otis on 2022-09-26 15:19:30 GMT from United States)
Within the first year of my computer journey back in the mid 90s I came to realize I was going to have to try alternatives. Windows 95 did not always work and play well. So, off I went into the Linux journey, which I'm still on.
But, even though like many others I've said something like "..and I never looked back..," I did in fact go back to Windows and still have Windows on a machine, not Windows 95 of course, as well as a Mac.
The Linux journey is about Linux distros (and the occasional BSD in a very similar computing category). And computing itself is a big world, no need (for me) to narrow it to only a Linux distro or three that I like. The concerns and cares one has going on the internet are just as true for Linux/BSD as they are for Windows or Mac.
19 • wandered into linux... (by tom joad on 2022-09-26 15:23:14 GMT from Germany)
I was using XP when I first dipped my toe into Linux.
Now days, like then, Linux doesn't come up much. When someone asks me a question about 'that other major OS' I shrug and say I use Linux. Either they walk away, change the subject or ask 'What?' If they ask what I raise the learning curve a bit. I tell them it is an OS that is free, secure and pretty stable. If they are still curious I tell them Linux is free to give to anyone. That generally gets them because that is a big no-no with the other OS. But I am honest with them; there is a learning curve and it takes time to learn. And there is both of those. We all know that. Nope, that is just too much work for them and they are gone. If they hang around I keep raising the bar.
But Jesse nailed with the line ..."Most folks don't regard computers as something they are emotionally invested in." That is not me and I suspect most of us here. We pop the hood. We swap out this and that. We want to know how 'it' works, what makes it go. We are into the 'car' but we are into ALL of it. We are not the 'get in, turn the key and drive off folks.' We are the 'jacked up in the drive and underneath the car' most days folks.
We are Linux. They will likely never be. And that is fine.
Linux is like religion. Folks who want it will find it. Mean time the world keeps spinning.
Lastly, I suspect that other "OS" drives more folks to Linux than we ever convert.
20 • BuzzwordOS (by Trihexagonal on 2022-09-26 15:54:27 GMT from United States)
I have never used MicroOS and have no intention of doing so.
I like using FreeBSD and Kali Linux, and they like using me, too.
How many package managers come bundled with MicroOS? 5? 6?
How many does one person need? 2 each will do for me.
apt and apt-get, ports and pkg.
Making something incapable of change does not make me want to change either.
21 • Converting People to Linux (by bittermann on 2022-09-26 16:25:05 GMT from United States)
I have a hard enough time convincing People that LibreOffice is perfectly fine for what they need. You know the ones that have the "deer in the headlights look" when you ask them for the Office Key and have no clue..."you mean I have to pay for MS office now"!
22 • Converting other people to using Linux (by Carlos Moreira on 2022-09-26 17:53:53 GMT from Brazil)
Nice tips on this subject, I always struggled to find a good reason to make a person start using Linux, and now I know how to approach this matter.
23 • Timeshift... that is the first thing I remove (by rb on 2022-09-26 18:03:26 GMT from United States)
I have no issues with Timeshift. It has worked great for me on Kubuntu, Arch and Gentoo. As a cron job, It backs up system files and hidden files in home once per day like clockwork. I use it with EXT4 not btrfs. I back up to a separate drive. I keep 5 daily rotating backups available. I have had to restore a few times when I clucked something up in configs. I think it is the best thing to happen to the distros in a long time. Most often, I just copy the config file over from the backup and things are back to the way they were. Restore takes less than 3 or 4 minutes tops and the system reboots back to the way it was. Never has it failed me or let me down. It gives me great peace of mind knowing I can get my stuff back if I have issues.
The best part is I have tried installing other distros for a few days, and then restored my previous install of the first distro in a few minutes as if it never happened.
24 • converting people to Linux is hard (by Matt on 2022-09-26 18:44:52 GMT from United States)
Converting a computer to Linux is easy, but convincing a person to convert to Linux is almost impossible.
25 • Converting people to Linux (by dragonmouth on 2022-09-26 21:15:41 GMT from United States)
You can't force people to be happy against their wishes. If they cling to Windows like a drunk clings to a lamp post, ain't no way you're going to get them to try Linux, let alone switch.
26 • Converting to Linux (by Bryan on 2022-09-26 22:26:42 GMT from United States)
I am not a developer, just a regular user. I prefer Windows because it comes with far fewer issues than any version of Linux I have tried. All those horror stories about Windows updates borking the system and BSODs? They never happen to me. The last BSOD I came across was while running Windows 98. All versions since: no issues. Arch has failed to boot on three different occasions after a system update, but Windows has never given me problems. I enjoying tinkering with Linux and have a few programs that my tinkering centers around, but all the bugs are just too frustrating for a daily driver when Windows runs way smoother (a version of Xubuntu I am currently running sometimes has no start menu icon upon boot up and asks for a keyring password whenever I open the browser, for example). The only time I recommend Linux is when the machine is old and can no longer run Windows. I have installed distros on those machines for friends to make the hardware last a bit longer, but no one for whom I did this has expressed being impressed with the result and fairly quickly just bought a new computer. I know Windows-bashing is a steadfast part of the Linux ecosystem, but it is hard for me to take seriously when I have been using both OSes for 15 years (Windows longer than that), and when it comes to user experience, there is no comparison which OS comes with less fiddling, bugs, and headaches. I do like Linux very much and appreciate its existence, but I cannot recommend it to someone who has used Windows for the last 10 years and won't be equipped to deal with all the inevitable and frustrating quirks they are going to encounter.
27 • Converting to Linux (by Pogi Americano on 2022-09-27 00:11:54 GMT from United States)
To be honest, I started using Linux because it was free, as in dollars and cents. My first distro was Slackware. It was about '94 I think. It took me a while to download it and even longer to get it working to the point I could use it for my daily work. A few years later I got a Red Hat CD with a book and tried that. Things were and are still constantly evolving. Even though it was hard to get working on a daily basis in the early days, I stuck with it, mainly because I didn't have to pay for it. Now in the last few years I found a new reason to like Linux. I can not only look at but also change source code (it took a while for me to learn). Try that with Microsoft or Apple! I don't try to push Linux on anyone, my wife still uses Windows. When Windows locks up or doesn't work in some other way, I just tell her to give me what she has to do and I'll get it done on my 10 year old PC running the latest Kubuntu. If I leave it alone it never stops. I have a 15 year old that I try all kinds of stuff on. I end up re-installing that one a lot...But I learn a lot too.
28 • Converting to ... (by zcatav on 2022-09-27 11:18:05 GMT from Turkey)
The best OS is the one you know well and enjoy using. But doesn't hurt to try new OSes, may be make you wiser.
The best OS for me is Debian.
29 • Since I don't like being the Free IT Guy... (by Tad Strange on 2022-09-27 19:45:08 GMT from Canada)
I tell people to just buy a chromebook.
Unless they have a proprietary app tied to Windows.
I'm not about to evangelise software like a Jehovah at the door or that one vegan cousin at a family dinner.
30 • Alternatives (by Thomas on 2022-09-27 20:12:17 GMT from Luxembourg)
@29: sometimes it is better to just do nothing. Staying with Windows is better than buying a Chromebook garbage. If you are unwilling to help people please don't mislead them to one of the worst possible alternatives.
31 • Converting uther people to use Linux (by penguinx86 on 2022-09-28 04:33:13 GMT from United States)
I made an effort to switch io Linux about 12 years ago. It took me about 2 months to stop using mainstream products that start with M or W. Free apps like LibreOffice made the transition easier. But I'm an IT professional, and my job is to make stuff work. I even passed the LPIC-1 certification exam last year. Sure, I made the switch to Linux work for myself. But from a customer support point of view, other users might not have the patients or desire to go through the same learning curve. My mom and dad are good examples. They can barely figure out the M and W stuff that they've used for uver a decade. Heck, they can barely figure out how to call me using a Smartphone. While I really like usung Linux, it may not be for everybody. You can't teach an old dog new tricks?
32 • teaching new tricks (by zcatav on 2022-09-28 07:49:56 GMT from Turkey)
@31
Learning something new protects older people against Alzheimer's. In your example this might be GNU/Linux.
And it's all about habits.
33 • Converting (by Friar Tux on 2022-09-28 14:15:41 GMT from Canada)
@31 (penquinx86) I think it depends on the distro you use to introduce them. When I switch someone over to Linux from a MS product, I pick a distro that quite closely resembles, and works, like the MS product they are leaving. I try to take muscle memory into account. (By the way, this can also be done with folks leave an Apple OS.)
Muscle memory is really quite important in work productivity so I try to accommodate the user by setting up their computer as close to what they're used to as possible. I've even set up one person to Linux Mint/Cinnamon with a Window 3.11 style theme and icons. Boy were they happy. ("I started with Windows 3.11, and it was nice. I don't know why they had to go and change it.")
I realize the old "but Windows isn't Linux, so if you're going to use Linux, learn to do it the Linux way" argument. Yes, I get it. But HUMANS don't work that way, and we're trying to help HUMANS.
34 • @33 Friar Tux: (by dragonmouth on 2022-09-28 16:44:31 GMT from United States)
If the distro mimics Windows too much, it will take the user much longer to learn. IMO, a distro like PCLinuxOS or MX is much better than Zorin to start learning Linux.
35 • Newbies & Chromebook (#30) (by Tomposter on 2022-09-28 17:34:07 GMT from United States)
Providing assistance to a newbie can be like pouring your time down the drain.
M$ has given Linux opportunities to compete in the desktop arena. The non-commercial Linux community has failed to provide a fully competitive option.
Criticism of Chromebook often fails to acknowledge that tens of millions of users with limited needs, granddaughters to grandmothers, are satisfied with Chromebook. Users with a need for a more powerful PC often choose to spend more money on a Mac, which is more secure and user-friendly than Windows.
My granddaughter and 2 of her friends recently worked on a school project together at my house, using their Chromebooks. They were totally unaware of that they were using "garbage". Chromebooks have been satisfying their needs. For years.
Windows of course has its place. Lots of people are satisfied with it. But it isn't necessarily the best system for someone who has been happy with a Chromebook. Of course, any comparison would be misleading without at least mentioning the total cost of ownership, including hardware capable of providing a responsive experience, malware protection, and the software that Windows users need to purchase/rent to be productive, as well as the future requirement to buy a more powerful replacement system to upgrade to the next version of Windows which may or may not be capable of using existing software and peripherals (these are the software and peripherals which are the reason all computer users supposedly "need" Windows).
Chromebooks show how user-friendly a computer experience based upon Linux can be. Movement of Linux desktop development in that user-friendly direction might be a good thing.
36 • Other repositories/software not installing openSUSE (by Sam Crawford on 2022-09-28 18:00:06 GMT from United States)
Regarding my comment in post #1, I tried to install openSUSE Tumbleweed, KDE again and still have the same issue not being to add external, non-suse, repositories and install software from them.
Upon further experimenting I was able to install the Cinnamon Desktop in openSUSE and external repositories could be added and programs installed and run.
Jessie, I'm thinking your inability to install software might be a KDE issue?
37 • MS, GNU/Linux and Chromebooks (by Thomas on 2022-09-28 19:25:12 GMT from Austria)
Of course, one can be satisfied and even get the job done using a conceptually crippled product. Regarding the "opportunities to compete": MS has used various anti-competitive tactics against alternative desktop OSes, it has been proven in courts. GNU/Linux is user-friendly. What is not user-friendly in Mint, for example?
38 • @3 Tomposter: (by dragonmouth on 2022-09-28 20:40:43 GMT from United States)
"Providing assistance to a newbie can be like pouring your time down the drain."
Weren't you a "newbie" at one time? Apparently someone "poured their time down the drain" to assist you.
39 • Newbies and OSes (by Justme on 2022-09-29 03:20:11 GMT from United States)
@35, I'll agree that Chromebooks are not garbage. My wife could probably get along with one and never need anything else. However, the online software used with Chromebooks can be used with Windows or Linux. All you need is the browser. The reverse is not true. If you need apps that reside in your computer, Chromebooks are useless. It's also not true that using Windows is so much more costly. Aside from being able to do much more on Linux/Windows than you can't do on Chrome OS, cheap Chromebooks are just that: cheap. It's not just the power of the CPU, it's things such as hinges, keyboards, durability of the case, and a bunch of other things. They also tend to have small screens. Not all Chromebooks are equal. Some can be as expensive as Windows laptops, but they still lack the functionality of Windows or Linux.
"Providing assistance to a newbie can be like pouring your time down the drain." It can be in some cases. I no longer install Linux for anyone, except on my wife's laptop. It grated when people whose PCs I had installed Linux on, years later were still pronouncing it like the kid in Peanuts, and they still had made no effort to get familiar with the OS. There was a guy I hadn't seen in a few years, came to ask me if I would install Linux on his new laptop. Years of use, and he still couldn't install the OS. I said 'no!' Jesse is right. You have to be prepared to be the eternal support person.
But not all newbies are equal either. There are those who find and want to use Linux, and need a helping hand. I spent years on various forums, sometimes staying with new people with problems over days or weeks. I don't do forums anymore. These days, more information is available with a query on Google than in most forums, many times including detailed videos. That's what I do when I run into a problem myself: I google.
40 • Converting to Linux (by Mac on 2022-09-29 12:15:24 GMT from Portugal)
I would start by preparing checklists for hardware and software, organized by magnitude of importance. If Linux thick most of your top items, there's a good chance it may be for you.
For this and for next steps there's a learning curve. So, as mentioned @39 new users will need an helping hand to install and set up. But that's the same with Windows, Mac, Android, aso.
41 • the success of chromebooks (by dave on 2022-09-29 23:33:37 GMT from United States)
ChromeOS achieving wide mainstream acceptance is due mainly to the same reason as Windows; it is preinstalled on the system and these products are often purchased in bulk, for institutional use. Probably the majority of Chromebooks in use today are supplied by schools and employers. I'm not suggesting that people don't buy them for personal use, nor that the OS is inadequate for basic tasks, but it's not really fair to compare this with the landscape of more traditional Linux distributions. If Chromebooks used Ubuntu all these years, it'd have the same level of acceptance among the 'uninitiated'.
There have been Linux distributions that provide similar functionality to ChromeOS for many years, but they aren't marketed to schools and businesses by a billion dollar corporation. That's the main difference.
42 • @41, Chromebook non-success (by Justme on 2022-09-30 02:52:41 GMT from United States)
While pre-installation may be an advantage, there's no wide or even narrow mainstream acceptance for Chromebooks. They are mostly bought by education entities to give to students. High usage in schools, but nowhere else. Very few buy it for personal use. Per Net Applications, which follows internet usage: for desktop OSes Chrome OS has only .4%. Linux has 2.87%. Mac has 9.75%. The rest is Windows.
43 • Chromebooks would be more useful with a better choice of apps (by Ted H in Minnesota on 2022-09-30 14:08:48 GMT from United States)
Chromebooks would be better with a better choice of apps.
Chromebooks are fine as far as they go: small and light, inexpensive, good for email and cruising the internet. - I have several of them, and am keying in this comment on one.
But, for me, their main limitation is poor choice of apps to include (their Google Docs that cannot save a file in Word format (Abiword would have been a better choice, I think), and an overly complicated spreadsheet instead of a small, simple yet powerful one like SpreadCE, which runs on my chromebook)... and also what they don't include (a simple effective text editor, like Caret).
Ted H in Minnesota
44 • @43, Chrome OS apps (by Justme on 2022-09-30 15:59:02 GMT from United States)
"Google Docs that cannot save a file in Word format" You can use Word online, also Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote. Can be done on Linux too.
Number of Comments: 44
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| • Issue 1133 (2025-08-04): Expirion Linux 6.0, running Plasma on Linux Mint, finding distros which support X11, Debian addresses 22 year old bug, FreeBSD discusses potential issues with pkgbase, CDE ported to OpenBSD, Btrfs corruption bug hitting Fedora users, more malware found in Arch User Repository |
| • Issue 1132 (2025-07-28): deepin 25, wars in the open source community, proposal to have Fedora enable Flathub repository, FreeBSD plans desktop install option, Wayback gets its first release |
| • Issue 1131 (2025-07-21): HeliumOS 10.0, settling on one distro, Mint plans new releases, Arch discovers malware in AUR, Plasma Bigscreen returns, Clear Linux discontinued |
| • Issue 1130 (2025-07-14): openSUSE MicroOS and RefreshOS, sharing aliases between computers, Bazzite makes Bazaar its default Flatpak store, Alpine plans Wayback release, Wayland and X11 benchmarked, Red Hat offers additional developer licenses, openSUSE seeks feedback from ARM users, Ubuntu 24.10 reaches the end of its life |
| • Issue 1129 (2025-07-07): GLF OS Omnislash, the worst Linux distro, Alpine introduces Wayback, Fedora drops plans to stop i686 support, AlmaLinux builds EPEL repository for older CPUs, Ubuntu dropping existing RISC-V device support, Rhino partners with UBports, PCLinuxOS recovering from website outage |
| • Issue 1128 (2025-06-30): AxOS 25.06, AlmaLinux OS 10.0, transferring Flaptak bundles to off-line computers, Ubuntu to boost Intel graphics performance, Fedora considers dropping i686 packages, SDesk switches from SELinux to AppArmor |
| • Issue 1127 (2025-06-23): LastOSLinux 2025-05-25, most unique Linux distro, Haiku stabilises, KDE publishes Plasma 6.4, Arch splits Plasma packages, Slackware infrastructure migrating |
| • Issue 1126 (2025-06-16): SDesk 2025.05.06, renewed interest in Ubuntu Touch, a BASIC device running NetBSD, Ubuntu dropping X11 GNOME session, GNOME increases dependency on systemd, Google holding back Pixel source code, Nitrux changing its desktop, EFF turns 35 |
| • Issue 1125 (2025-06-09): RHEL 10, distributions likely to survive a decade, Murena partners with more hardware makers, GNOME tests its own distro on real hardware, Redox ports GTK and X11, Mint provides fingerprint authentication |
| • Issue 1124 (2025-06-02): Picking up a Pico, tips for protecting privacy, Rhino tests Plasma desktop, Arch installer supports snapshots, new features from UBports, Ubuntu tests monthly snapshots |
| • Issue 1123 (2025-05-26): CRUX 3.8, preventing a laptop from sleeping, FreeBSD improves laptop support, Fedora confirms GNOME X11 session being dropped, HardenedBSD introduces Rust in userland build, KDE developing a virtual machine manager |
| • 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 |
| • Full list of all issues |
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| Random Distribution | 
Linvo GNU/Linux
Linvo GNU/Linux was a Slackware-based distribution and live CD/DVD. Some of its more interesting features include a careful selection of applications for every-day use, installable to hard disk from the live medium, use of software modules for extensive customisation of the live CD, availability of the GNOME desktop, applications installed and managed on a per-user basis, and out-of-the-box support for most multimedia formats.
Status: Discontinued
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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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