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1 • My way! (by TexasJoe on 2022-10-24 01:13:48 GMT from United States)
I like to customize a distro. XeroLinux will be a challenge. I want to completely remove Flatpack.(Hate it) Then I plan to switch to the Xfce desktop. I may completely desroy Xero. Wish me luck.
2 • Calamares installer, etc ... not too well. (by Greg Zeng on 2022-10-24 01:50:56 GMT from Australia)
As usual, another distro is using the increasing popular Calamares. The old timers continue to use it. Only a few which do use it, fail to do so, properly. Improper use means avoiding GPARTED. This is the only Linux application that correctly allows full & easy adjustment of the partitions. Very few Linux systems allow easy use of a grub-customizer, even with Calamares. Most demand the installer clearly naming the Boot partition. Intelligent use of Calamaris will automatically detect the Boot (when it exists) and Swap partitions. Lite, Neon and the Mint range of operating systems use Calamaris properly.
Many users do or do not like the containers of AppImage (not many applications), snapd (more apps than AppImage) or flatpak. Using GDMAP, installation of snapd and flatpak uses so much disk space. This week's review of the Arch-based distribution as usual, avoids mentioning the disadvantage of Arch: needing to compile from source code the necessary applications; a slow & skilled process.
Why the difficulties with Calamares? So many Linux creators do not use it. When they attempt to use Calamares, they fail, imho.
The three Linux "containers" are not yet winning the hearts of Application developers. My preferred internet browser (Slimjet) is on Debian-based Linux and Windows. Like most of the good applications, it is not yet available in any of the three containers. Each container has failings & faults. Out of synchronization with user's settings, latest updates, and the brest applications not yet in their repositories.
3 • XeroLinux (by Guido on 2022-10-24 01:56:31 GMT from Philippines)
I am also using KDE at this moment. The high CPU load is probably also due to Baloo, which indexes all files. When that's done, it should fall off. A lot here reminds me of Garuda Linux. Also a spin from Arch and Manjaro.
4 • ubuntu unity (by dave on 2022-10-24 02:10:46 GMT from United States)
Figures I said something a bit ago about Ubuntu Unity not being an official Ubuntu distribution and now apparently, it is. (probably already was at the time I made the comment)
I find it sort of goofy that Canonical developed Unity, then kicked it to the curb, only to turn around and recognize its use in a derivative distro, developed by someone else. Enough to make a guy's head spin!
Or how about this-- anyone remember Unity Linux?? Even though I don't like Unity (the desktop environment) I always thought the "Unity Linux" name should've been recycled for a Unity (desktop) based distribution. If Canonical had any marketing sense, they would've taken over the monicker for use as the flagship distribution, for Unity development.. especially since they were gunning for the meme of having a 'unified' experience across desktop/laptop/tablet/phone.
..but then again, it was sort of a bad idea for a name to begin with, since there was already a popular game engine called Unity.
5 • @2, Calamares, and Xeroflash (by Justme on 2022-10-24 03:14:21 GMT from United States)
@2 Greg Zeng, I'm having trouble following you, I ran Arch-based distros for some years and never required skills to compile anything. Pacman is as capable and fast as Apt. For AUR packages, a helper like yay is like magic: Type yay -S xxxx on the terminal and go on with whatever you were doing while it does its thing. Never had issues with Calamares, and I also fail to see the connection to grub-customizer.
XeroLinux: There is "niche," and there are gimmicks. This distro seems just gimmicky. As @3 posts, Garuda does the same kind of thing, only they have options other than just flash. I remember early Compiz, when it was all about spinning cubes, wobblies, exploding windows and such. I played with it for a while for kicks, then went back to simplicity. I still like a good looking desktop, but I prefer for it to sit still and behave.
6 • rule-based firewalls (by Trihexagonal on 2022-10-24 04:34:50 GMT from United States)
I've been a fan of rule-based firewalls since using ConSeal PC Firewall on Win98 and have carried over a block port 0 rule from that ruleset into the pf ruleset I'm using right now on this FreeBSD box.
### Block to and from port 0 block quick proto { tcp, udp } from any port = 0 to any block quick proto { tcp, udp } from any to any port = 0
On Linux I use ufw and feel safe enough using it. I don't have any services running and don't allow myself remote access. If I could use pf on my Linux boxen I would, but would do a lot of things if I only could.
One thing I can do is disconnect my router and run this FreeBSD box straight from the cable modem. It's the only box I have online. That being the only factor I'll take into account leaving it set up like this and am not the least bit worried with my box facing the internet running pf.
FreeBSD is a Server so why wouldn't I? I've posted the ruleset several times and have one for people who use CUPS made from it.
7 • Xero-what?! (by Someguy on 2022-10-24 07:33:52 GMT from United Kingdom)
Don't like 'flashy', don't like KDE, don't like bloat, etc, etc. My PCs are not toys, just get tasks done fast and simply. Makes OS selection easy, more time to get back to the garden, workshop, maybe watch a bit of cricket and rugby...
8 • Ubuntu Unity (by Sven on 2022-10-24 10:03:12 GMT from Estonia)
It was 5 years ago when Ubuntu dropped Unity, with Mark Shuttleworth claiming the project was not sustainable. 5 years later, we once again have an official Ubuntu-based Unity distro, and the project is led by a 12 year old. TWELVE! Makes me feel mr. Shuttleworth really should reconsider the quality of his workforce.
9 • firewalls (by Andy on 2022-10-24 10:49:50 GMT from Czechia)
I use ufw, because that's what the distros I use (Linux Mint, RaspiOS, Debian) ship with. I used to use Gufw as well, but it turns out it can't handle rules added from ufw, and since I have to use ufw on RaspiOS (which I run without a GUI), I use ufw on my desktop machine and laptop as well.
10 • Firewall (by James on 2022-10-24 12:35:18 GMT from United States)
I use ufw as it is default on the OS's I use.
11 • Xero (by dragonmouth on 2022-10-24 13:33:35 GMT from United States)
From the review I get the impression that XeroLinux is too cute for its own good. The developers forgot the KISS principle.
12 • Firewalls (by Robert McConnell on 2022-10-24 13:35:01 GMT from United States)
My firewall is a dual-port PC running OPNsense sitting between my computers and the Spectrum cable modem. The only problem I have ever had with it is a recent update that failed to recognize. the NIC on the LAN side. I had to revert to the previous version until I can afford to replace that NIC.
13 • @8 (by dave on 2022-10-24 15:17:59 GMT from United States)
I find it difficult to believe that the lead developer is actually 12. I suppose it's possible that it's some kid-genius, but more likely that it's a LARPing adult. Of course I could be wrong, but all we have is a claim on a web page. Anybody can publish whatever they want to the web, with no proof. I'd be more likely to believe it if there was some video evidence of this supposed 12 year old demonstrating the required abilities, but even that could be faked.
14 • kid-genius (by Proba on 2022-10-24 15:44:17 GMT from Bulgaria)
@13, you should check Aaron Swartz on YouTube, if you haven't heard about him. Maybe we have another one of those... :)
15 • @13 dave, Unity and youth (by Justme on 2022-10-24 15:46:46 GMT from United States)
"difficult to believe that the lead developer is actually 12" I'd be more amazed if the developer were in his 60s or 70s. Software is a young person's game. They have the advantage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc6gGs2kM4c
You think that's something? Try this:
http://alturl.com/44aex
16 • Firewall (by Cheker on 2022-10-24 16:33:15 GMT from Portugal)
I usually go with a mixture of Gufw and just ufw. I have some rules that can't be put in place with the GUI. Firewalld is also pretty good but I seem to remember it can't configure outbound rules? That's a hell of a downside, but I assume I'm misremembering and if that's true it's just for the GUI, just like Gufw doesn't do everything either. Admittedly the common person doesn't have to configure outbound rules at all
17 • Fedora 38 proposal (by mnrv-ovrf-year-c on 2022-10-24 18:39:22 GMT from Puerto Rico)
I support this, it would only broaden the appeal, but it would also increase the criticism for having one of the best and "boring" distros. If a "version" should support persistence, ple-ease don't make it a grand fuss like "Liveslak". I already have a "frozen" install of Fedora 37 MATE on an external USB disk, maybe live mode with persistence wouldn't be an improvement anyway. I agree completely with @7 about Plasma. Installed Manjaro KDE fresh on an internal SSD on a separate computer and getting flickering menus sometimes. No fix available in searches online, how sad.
18 • Firewalls (by Crunchy on 2022-10-24 20:01:06 GMT from United States)
I've written my own iptables firewall, although I can't say I know what I'm doing. But I'm learning. nmap and nessus tell me everything seems to be blocked, at least.
I like a really tight firewall, and I find most prepackaged firewalls too open for my taste. I like to be able to turn things on and off at a finer-grained level. I also have a blocking hosts file and an ipset full of blocked IPs, and I don't know (ie, am too lazy to research) how to add that in to prepackaged firewalls. If I did, I'd probably use shorewall.
I tend not to like prepackaged, since I end up learning the syntax of that one, and not how to use the underlying network.
19 • Firewall (by Chris on 2022-10-24 22:18:31 GMT from United States)
I used to love SuSEFirewall2 until they depreciated it. Now I use OpenBSD with PF. I wish I found PF sooner since I can accomplish the same thing as SuSEfirewall2 in far fewer rules.
20 • UFW (by rb on 2022-10-24 23:03:12 GMT from United States)
I like UFW. With about 8 rules I type in the terminal, then enable the firewall in systemd, i have a VPN kill switch. All traffic is routed through the VPN tunnel. If the VPN connection drops the firewall stops all internet traffic. Much easier than setting up Cisco router or firewall which have similar syntax and command line only interface. I tried Firewalld but does the same thing and I'd have to learn new syntax. It didn't seem to offer anything new.
@2 " the disadvantage of Arch: needing to compile from source code the necessary applications; a slow & skilled process." What are you talking about? If you said Gentoo, yes. That might be true. Arch does not require compiling the source code of the necessary applications, as one commenter pointed out. The PKGBUILD file contains all the instructions for downloading and compiling the source code for anything that needs compiled and does it for you. It is a very easy process. Most applications that this would apply to compile faster than apt can sync the sources.list and download and install the binary and config files. While you may see this as a disadvantage, it is actually a strength.
21 • My pf firewall ruleset (by Trihexagonal on 2022-10-24 23:42:38 GMT from United States)
@19 "Now I use OpenBSD with PF. I wish I found PF sooner since..."
The last time I ran OpenBSD was 6.2 but I used the same ruleset I have on my FreeBSD boxen the last 17 year with a one word syntax change to use the word "egress " on the outbound rule. Looking at the OpenBSD pf manpage now it may be alright just like it is.
You might as well have it here for reference. It's the ruleset I'm running on this machine:
### Macro name for external interface ext_if = "em0" netbios_tcp = "{ 22, 23, 25, 80, 110, 111, 123, 512, 513, 514, 515, 6000, 6010, 8000, 8080 }" netbios_udp = "{ 123, 512, 513, 514, 515, 5353, 6000, 6010 }"
### Reassemble fragmented packets scrub in on $ext_if all fragment reassemble
### Default deny everything block log all
### Pass loopback set skip on lo0
### Block spooks antispoof for lo0 antispoof for $ext_if inet block in from no-route to any block in from urpf-failed to any block in quick on $ext_if from any to 255.255.255.255 block in log quick on $ext_if from { 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, 192.168.0.0/16, 255.255.255.255/32 } to any
### Block all IPv6 block in quick inet6 all block out quick inet6 all
### Block to and from port 0 block quick proto { tcp, udp } from any port = 0 to any block quick proto { tcp, udp } from any to any port = 0
### Block specific ports block in quick log on $ext_if proto tcp from any to any port $netbios_tcp block in quick log on $ext_if proto udp from any to any port $netbios_udp
### Keep and modulate state of outbound tcp, udp and icmp traffic pass out on $ext_if proto { tcp, udp, icmp } from any to any modulate state
22 • Xero Linux (by Andy Prough on 2022-10-25 02:04:45 GMT from United States)
I feel like I've read this exact same review several times over from a bunch of me-too Arch respins. Xero Linux seems like a fine project, and its devs and users are happy with it I'm sure, but I don't know that it rates any special mention on Distrowatch's front page.
It reminds me of 10-15 years ago, when everyone who had a new idea for a different colored wallpaper was doing an Ubuntu respin. What's funny is that a distro like openSUSE supports about a dozen different desktops and each one of them is at least as deserving of its own review as these Arch respins, but it will never get more than one review in a year from a major reviewer, sometimes only one review over a multiple year period. And then youtubers will say, "it seems like no one ever uses openSUSE, people only ever talk about Arch or Ubuntu". Well yes, because Arch's and Ubuntu's many different respins grab all the review headlines and soak up all the space on the Linux news sites.
23 • @22 (by rb on 2022-10-25 02:39:52 GMT from United States)
@22 I agree with your first paragraph. I don't think it deserves any attention or review on its own merits as a distro as it really is just an Arch Linux spin, using their repos, with desktop tweaks. " 'it seems like no one ever uses openSUSE, people only ever talk about Arch or Ubuntu'. Well yes, because Arch's and Ubuntu's many different respins grab all the review headlines and soak up all the space on the Linux news sites. "
I think this is a very simplified rationale for why you believe people do not use openSUSE as much as other named distros. There may be a million reasons why it does not get more attention. It does have an interesting history. In its inception it was Slackware based. It was called SUSE before Novell spun it into a free version of their Enterprise version. It was then it became known as openSUSE. Then there was the Microsoft agreement and all that drama which upset a lot of people in the FOSS and Linux communities. It has been sold many times since then.
Not everyone is keen on the features touted by openSUSE. BTRFS and snapshots for one. Admins can find Yast cumbersome and limiting. Everyday users, such as myself, may not find the software they need in their repositories. I do not find their community packages have what I am looking for and therefore not a reliable resource. IMO, it is a niche distro that appeals to a subset of users.
Since early 2000's I have always tried distros based on the page rankings on DistroWatch home page. I never tried a distro based on a review anywhere. In reality, openSUSE is number 11 for now, which is high comparatively. Ubuntu is 6 and Arch is 57.
Lastly, having different community desktop versions may actually fracture Ubuntu's rankings and muddle their true usage statistics.
24 • @14 @15 (by dave on 2022-10-25 04:50:17 GMT from United States)
"Software is a young person's game. They have the advantage."
Generally speaking, that may be true, however most 12 year olds definitely do not 'have the advantage' over an 18 or 20 year old who started to learn programming when they were 12.
'Young' is relative and there are plenty of adults within the spectrum of 'relatively young' that are well under 60. Most of the 12 year olds who are interested in programming are not competent enough to lead a project as complicated as a linux distribution and certainly not a behemoth of a desktop environment like Unity. Note that I never said it was impossible, but it is improbable.
Look at all of the major developers of desktop environments. Pretty sure most of them are middle aged and I guarantee you won't find many developers of linux distributions that are under 18. I doubt you will find any, actually. Definitely not any good ones. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the story and he's not the one maintaining/developing Unity, however just the linux distribution bit alone is tough to believe.
You're certainly free to take the story at face value, but I think a fair amount of skepticism is warranted. People do lie about their age pretty often-- especially on the internet. The meme that 'programming is a young persons game' is precisely the reason I would expect a programmer to stretch the truth about their age. After all, doesn't 12 sound much more impressive than 22 or 32?
And yes I'm familiar with Aaron Schwartz' story and that is a fair anecdote, but it doesn't exactly wash away any doubt I have in this instance, especially when you look at what Schwartz was doing when he was 12. Compare the level of complication with what we're talking about.
25 • @23 (by Andy Prough on 2022-10-25 05:40:34 GMT from United States)
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to make a compelling argument for using openSUSE which I haven't personally used for a few years. But I do know they put a lot of work into their different desktop integrations - probably more work than most respin developers. Another example is MX, Mint and Manjaro - each project puts a huge amount of work into their different desktop versions. But a major review site is then only likely to pick one desktop from each to discuss each year, while at the same time reviewing as many as a dozen Arch respins, each of which involves less work. You would be better off as a distro to promote numerous low-quality independent respins than to do a lot of hard desktop integration work yourselves in-house.
26 • @25 (by rb on 2022-10-25 06:16:00 GMT from United States)
@25 ". . .better off as a distro to promote numerous low-quality independent respins than to do a lot of hard desktop integration work yourselves" If one were hoping for a higher chance that your distro would get a review, then maybe. I don't think anyone is creating and developing a distro for reviews. I think they are likely doing it to create a working desktop environment that suits their needs and hopefully others. I also don't think reviews, positive or negative have any major impact on a distro's popularity or overall usage. A review is just an opinion, nothing more nothing less. It is not a metric by which the average user decides which distro they use on a long-term basis.
27 • @26, Unity and youth (by Justme on 2022-10-25 10:51:16 GMT from United States)
"most 12 year olds definitely do not 'have the advantage' over an 18 or 20 year old who started to learn programming when they were 12." They do if they started at age 6 or before. Coding is learning new languages, and the younger you are the easier it is. It gets progressively more difficult as you age. That's nature.Then there's nurture: There are quite a few 13 and under kids out there coming up with worthwhile inventions, getting programming certifications (as young as 6) with outstanding scores, even starting tech businesses. There's a common thread, most though not all come from Asia, specifically the Indian subcontinent. In the west, it may be "let kids be kids" but in those countries children are expected to learn and excel if possible.
"I would expect a programmer to stretch the truth about their age." Then there must be a bunch of child-like midgets out there passing themselves off. Now that would be improbable. Here are two "midgets" making presentations with more poise and erudition than shown by most adults. Many more examples out there.
https://www.disruptorawards.com/2012-honoree-blog/2017/1/19/thomas-suarez-carrotcorp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxTXZYROnd8
Attaching Ubuntu to an existing DDE, including Unity, is no herculean task. I could do that. It's maintaining and updating and upgrading that requires high coding skills. The Unity dev and 5 or 6 others with him seem to be up to that task with plenty of time for other projects. Whether they are 12 or 20 is irrelevant.
28 • Preferred Firewall (by Whattteva on 2022-10-25 14:30:15 GMT from United States)
I'm quite surprised that the BSD firewall solutions (ie. pf, IPFW, IPF) are not mentioned, especially pf, which in my opinion, is the superior solution and probably one of the most widely deployed thanks to appliance-based solutions like pfSense and OPNsense.
I personally use FreeBSD's pf since that's my OS of choice. They do run a somewhat outdated syntax compared to OpenBSD, but it's fine for my needs.
29 • XeroLinuz (by Dasher on 2022-10-25 15:37:52 GMT from Spain)
This distribution could be a bash script. And that's not a bad thing. I think these distros could benefit from being installed on top of arch. I'm sure the 5 or 6 things they added to arch could be done in AN AUR package or similar so you could install it through yum.
30 • @29 (by rb on 2022-10-25 18:51:47 GMT from United States)
@29 I agree 100. I think there needs to be a distinct line drawn between what qualifies as a distro vs a desktop theme. It definitely could be an AUR package instead of being released as a separate distro ISO file. I think the only real difference is the installer. If you already have an Arch system installed but wanted the XeroLinux setup and addons for some odd reason, you could just install it as a package. At any rate, it could be easily be modified to install on any distro for that matter. Candy for newbies IMO.
31 • firewall management (by Gazz on 2022-10-25 20:45:36 GMT from United Kingdom)
pf via the cli is my favourite fw tool. Very easy syntax
32 • XeroLinux and other Arch based distros (by Tomas on 2022-10-26 20:08:57 GMT from Czechia)
There are 23 active Arch based distros on Distrowatch. It would be interesting to have a comparison of them. My first Arch based distro was Antergos, not active anymore, but I run it after having found the way to keep it updated (removing any link to its repositories). Before that I tried to find another distro of its qualities and came to Namib (not active any more) and finally to RebornOS. If I remember well, the developers claimed it to substitute Antergos, and one of them came from that group. When I see that it is only no.73 on the popularity list, while EndeavorOS is no.2, I think that something is wrong (I did not like it). The only reason I can think of why it is so is that Distrowatch says its desktop is Gnome (only) - though the accompanying text says the live ISO boots to Gnome but the installer allows you to install almost any desktop you may wish. Who reads that? Maybe a review could help.
33 • preferred firewalls - OpenSnitch and OPNsense (by Simon Plaistowe on 2022-10-26 23:23:19 GMT from New Zealand)
On my Linux Mint desktops I use OpenSnitch. This explanation of why is as good as any... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0RRp6N6apo On my LAN perimeter I use OPNsense but I suppose I could've chosen pfSense or IPFire. I just like the OPNsense interface better.
34 • Me Too! (by penguinx86 on 2022-10-27 03:46:45 GMT from United States)
I had to laugh when I read @22. Yes, it seemed like everyone and their brother was making Ubuntu respins 10-15 years ago. I tried them all. Sometimes they were a flash in the pan that was unsupported a year later. My favorite was Commodore OS Linux, which emulated the look and feel and sound of a Commodore 64. They really did a good job with it. They even sold computers that looked like a Commodore 64 but with an x86 processor that could run Linux. Oh, the nostalgia! I really wanted to buy one, but the company folded before I could order one. But after trying the multitude of Ubuntu spins, I finally settled on Linux Mint for hardware driver compatibility (especially wifi drivers) and a better choice of desktop environments without Unity/Gnome3/Gnome Shell, without the Activities Overlay and without the permanent dock on the left side of the screen.
35 • firewall (by Birb Steppers on 2022-10-27 08:09:56 GMT from Australia)
OpenSnitch not strictly a firewall, but it suits me great!
36 • Firewalls (by Gary H on 2022-10-27 14:52:15 GMT from United States)
The Best Firewall is firewalld and firewall-config with firewall-applet. It is the best because it allows the user to select what to allow and what to block. Other firewalls fail to explain what they do, if anything.
Number of Comments: 36
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Archives |
• Issue 1037 (2023-09-18): Bodhi Linux 7.0.0, finding specific distros and unified package managemnt, Zevenet replaced by two new forks, openSUSE introduces Slowroll branch, Fedora considering dropping Plasma X11 session |
• Issue 1036 (2023-09-11): SDesk 2023.08.12, hiding command line passwords, openSUSE shares contributor survery results, Ubuntu plans seamless disk encryption, GNOME 45 to break extension compatibility |
• Issue 1035 (2023-09-04): Debian GNU/Hurd 2023, PCLinuxOS 2023.07, do home users need a firewall, AlmaLinux introduces new repositories, Rocky Linux commits to RHEL compatibility, NetBSD machine runs unattended for nine years, Armbian runs wallpaper contest |
• Issue 1034 (2023-08-28): Void 20230628, types of memory usage, FreeBSD receives port of Linux NVIDIA driver, Fedora plans improved theme handling for Qt applications, Canonical's plans for Ubuntu |
• Issue 1033 (2023-08-21): MiniOS 20230606, system user accounts, how Red Hat clones are moving forward, Haiku improves WINE performance, Debian turns 30 |
• Issue 1032 (2023-08-14): MX Linux 23, positioning new windows on the desktop, Linux Containers adopts LXD fork, Oracle, SUSE, and CIQ form OpenELA |
• Issue 1031 (2023-08-07): Peppermint OS 2023-07-01, preventing a file from being changed, Asahi Linux partners with Fedora, Linux Mint plans new releases |
• Issue 1030 (2023-07-31): Solus 4.4, Linux Mint 21.2, Debian introduces RISC-V support, Ubuntu patches custom kernel bugs, FreeBSD imports OpenSSL 3 |
• Issue 1029 (2023-07-24): Running Murena on the Fairphone 4, Flatpak vs Snap sandboxing technologies, Redox OS plans to borrow Linux drivers to expand hardware support, Debian updates Bookworm media |
• Issue 1028 (2023-07-17): KDE Connect; Oracle, SUSE, and AlmaLinux repsond to Red Hat's source code policy change, KaOS issues media fix, Slackware turns 30; security and immutable distributions |
• Issue 1027 (2023-07-10): Crystal Linux 2023-03-16, StartOS (embassyOS 0.3.4.2), changing options on a mounted filesystem, Murena launches Fairphone 4 in North America, Fedora debates telemetry for desktop team |
• Issue 1026 (2023-07-03): Kumander Linux 1.0, Red Hat changing its approach to sharing source code, TrueNAS offers SMB Multichannel, Zorin OS introduces upgrade utility |
• Issue 1025 (2023-06-26): KaOS with Plasma 6, information which can leak from desktop environments, Red Hat closes door on sharing RHEL source code, SUSE introduces new security features |
• Issue 1024 (2023-06-19): Debian 12, a safer way to use dd, Debian releases GNU/Hurd 2023, Ubuntu 22.10 nears its end of life, FreeBSD turns 30 |
• Issue 1023 (2023-06-12): openSUSE 15.5 Leap, the differences between independent distributions, openSUSE lengthens Leap life, Murena offers new phone for North America |
• Issue 1022 (2023-06-05): GetFreeOS 2023.05.01, Slint 15.0-3, Liya N4Si, cleaning up crowded directories, Ubuntu plans Snap-based variant, Red Hat dropping LireOffice RPM packages |
• Issue 1021 (2023-05-29): rlxos GNU/Linux, colours in command line output, an overview of Void's unique features, how to use awk, Microsoft publishes a Linux distro |
• Issue 1020 (2023-05-22): UBports 20.04, finding another machine's IP address, finding distros with a specific kernel, Debian prepares for Bookworm |
• Issue 1019 (2023-05-15): Rhino Linux (Beta), checking which applications reply on a package, NethServer reborn, System76 improving application responsiveness |
• Issue 1018 (2023-05-08): Fedora 38, finding relevant manual pages, merging audio files, Fedora plans new immutable edition, Mint works to fix Secure Boot issues |
• Issue 1017 (2023-05-01): Xubuntu 23.04, Debian elects Project Leaders and updates media, systemd to speed up restarts, Guix System offering ground-up source builds, where package managers install files |
• Issue 1016 (2023-04-24): Qubes OS 4.1.2, tracking bandwidth usage, Solus resuming development, FreeBSD publishes status report, KaOS offers preview of Plasma 6 |
• Issue 1015 (2023-04-17): Manjaro Linux 22.0, Trisquel GNU/Linux 11.0, Arch Linux powering PINE64 tablets, Ubuntu offering live patching on HWE kernels, gaining compression on ex4 |
• Issue 1014 (2023-04-10): Quick looks at carbonOS, LibreELEC, and Kodi, Mint polishes themes, Fedora rolls out more encryption plans, elementary OS improves sideloading experience |
• Issue 1013 (2023-04-03): Alpine Linux 3.17.2, printing manual pages, Ubuntu Cinnamon becomes official flavour, Endeavour OS plans for new installer, HardenedBSD plans for outage |
• Issue 1012 (2023-03-27): siduction 22.1.1, protecting privacy from proprietary applications, GNOME team shares new features, Canonical updates Ubuntu 20.04, politics and the Linux kernel |
• Issue 1011 (2023-03-20): Serpent OS, Security Onion 2.3, Gentoo Live, replacing the scp utility, openSUSE sees surge in downloads, Debian runs elction with one candidate |
• Issue 1010 (2023-03-13): blendOS 2023.01.26, keeping track of which files a package installs, improved network widget coming to elementary OS, Vanilla OS changes its base distro |
• Issue 1009 (2023-03-06): Nemo Mobile and the PinePhone, matching the performance of one distro on another, Linux Mint adds performance boosts and security, custom Ubuntu and Debian builds through Cubic |
• Issue 1008 (2023-02-27): elementary OS 7.0, the benefits of boot environments, Purism offers lapdock for Librem 5, Ubuntu community flavours directed to drop Flatpak support for Snap |
• Issue 1007 (2023-02-20): helloSystem 0.8.0, underrated distributions, Solus team working to repair their website, SUSE testing Micro edition, Canonical publishes real-time edition of Ubuntu 22.04 |
• Issue 1006 (2023-02-13): Playing music with UBports on a PinePhone, quick command line and shell scripting questions, Fedora expands third-party software support, Vanilla OS adds Nix package support |
• Issue 1005 (2023-02-06): NuTyX 22.12.0 running CDE, user identification numbers, Pop!_OS shares COSMIC progress, Mint makes keyboard and mouse options more accessible |
• Issue 1004 (2023-01-30): OpenMandriva ROME, checking the health of a disk, Debian adopting OpenSnitch, FreeBSD publishes status report |
• Issue 1003 (2023-01-23): risiOS 37, mixing package types, Fedora seeks installer feedback, Sparky offers easier persistence with USB writer |
• Issue 1002 (2023-01-16): Vanilla OS 22.10, Nobara Project 37, verifying torrent downloads, Haiku improvements, HAMMER2 being ports to NetBSD |
• Issue 1001 (2023-01-09): Arch Linux, Ubuntu tests new system installer, porting KDE software to OpenBSD, verifying files copied properly |
• Issue 1000 (2023-01-02): Our favourite projects of all time, Fedora trying out unified kernel images and trying to speed up shutdowns, Slackware tests new kernel, detecting what is taking up disk space |
• Issue 999 (2022-12-19): Favourite distributions of 2022, Fedora plans Budgie spin, UBports releasing security patches for 16.04, Haiku working on new ports |
• Issue 998 (2022-12-12): OpenBSD 7.2, Asahi Linux enages video hardware acceleration on Apple ARM computers, Manjaro drops proprietary codecs from Mesa package |
• Issue 997 (2022-12-05): CachyOS 221023 and AgarimOS, working with filenames which contain special characters, elementary OS team fixes delta updates, new features coming to Xfce |
• Issue 996 (2022-11-28): Void 20221001, remotely shutting down a machine, complex aliases, Fedora tests new web-based installer, Refox OS running on real hardware |
• Issue 995 (2022-11-21): Fedora 37, swap files vs swap partitions, Unity running on Arch, UBports seeks testers, Murena adds support for more devices |
• Issue 994 (2022-11-14): Redcore Linux 2201, changing the terminal font size, Fedora plans Phosh spin, openSUSE publishes on-line manual pages, disabling Snap auto-updates |
• Issue 993 (2022-11-07): Static Linux, working with just a kernel, Mint streamlines Flatpak management, updates coming to elementary OS |
• Issue 992 (2022-10-31): Lubuntu 22.10, setting permissions on home directories, Linux may drop i486, Fedora delays next version for OpenSSL bug |
• Issue 991 (2022-10-24): XeroLinux 2022.09, learning who ran sudo, exploring firewall tools, Rolling Rhino Remix gets a fresh start, Fedora plans to revamp live media |
• Issue 990 (2022-10-17): ravynOS 0.4.0, Lion Linux 3.0, accessing low numbered network ports, Pop!_OS makes progress on COSMIC, Murena launches new phone |
• Issue 989 (2022-10-10): Ubuntu Unity, kernel bug causes issues with Intel cards, Canonical offers free Ubuntu Pro subscriptions, customizing the command line prompt |
• Issue 988 (2022-10-03): SpiralLinux 11.220628, finding distros for older equipment and other purposes, SUSE begins releasing ALP prototypes, Debian votes on non-free firmware in installer |
• Issue 987 (2022-09-26): openSUSE's MicroOS, converting people to using Linux, pfSense updates base system and PHP, Python 2 dropped from Arch |
• Issue 986 (2022-09-19): Porteus 5.0, remotely wiping a hard drive, a new software centre for Ubuntu, Proxmox offers offline updates |
• Issue 985 (2022-09-12): Garuda Linux, using root versus sudo, UBports on the Fairphone 4, Slackware reverses change to grep |
• Full list of all issues |
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Overclockix
Overclockix started as a KNOPPIX-based live CD featuring a host of tools for network security, low-level hardware tweaking, burn-in applications, and distributed computing clients. It went dormant in 2005, but was revived again in 2011 as a Debian-based live CD "aimed at overclockers for stress testing, distributed computing and as a general Linux toolkit."
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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