 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 1002, 16 January 2023 |
Welcome to this year's 3rd issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
People often look for ways to make their computing experience more convenient or more secure. This week we open with a look at two young projects - Vanilla OS and Nobara Project - which strive to address these goals. Vanilla OS is an immutable operating system based on Ubuntu which attempts to isolate software and make the base system more resilient against attacks and broken software updates. Meanwhile Nobara Project is built atop Fedora and strives to make the distribution easier to set up. Read on to hear first impressions of these two projects, their features, and drawbacks. Then, in our News section, we report on efforts to get the advanced HAMMER2 filesystem from DragonFly BSD running on NetBSD as well as new improvements to Haiku. In our Questions and Answers column this week we talk about downloading distribution ISO files using torrent clients and the protections torrents provide along with their limitations. Torrents are one of many ways to transfer files between computers and, in our Opinion Poll, this week we ask how you synchronize files between your devices. Below, we're pleased to share the distribution releases of the past week and share the torrents we are seeding. Plus we welcome the Br OS distribution to our database and include details on this project below. We're also happy to report we are making it easier to find immutable operating systems, such as Vanilla OS, through our Search page and we link to this feature below. We wish you all a fantastic week and happy reading!
Content:
|
| Feature Story (by Jesse Smith) |
Vanilla OS 22.10
There were two young projects which caught my attention at the start of 2023 precisely because they aimed to build on and improve upon the experiences offered by their parent distributions. The first project I'd like to talk about is Vanilla OS. Vanilla is based on Ubuntu and uses the GNOME desktop environment. Vanilla's big selling point is its immutable core upon which we can install containers for running third-party software.
Vanilla OS uses ABRoot to provide its immutable base and provides a tool called VSO to handle system maintenance. Vanilla also includes a custom package manager called Apx for handling software management.
Apx introduces a whole new paradigm in package management. The idea is to use your system only as a box for storing your files, leaving it clean of packages and limiting the risk of breaking due to incompatible, poorly constructed or conflicting packages.
It gets done by installing software inside one or more containers fully managed by Apx having restricted access to your system's resources while still being able to use the same drivers, display server, etc.
Your home directory is mapped inside the container so you can access your configuration files, preferences and other vital data needed by the installed packages, as well as being able to access your files from the installed software, e.g. by opening a file in LibreOffice.
One intriguing feature of Apx is it can reportedly pull in software from other distributions, apart from its Ubuntu base. It can also fetch software from Fedora's repositories and install software from Arch Linux's Arch User Repository. This makes Apx more flexible and allows us to use a solid, immutable base operating system with packages from a range of sources.
I originally downloaded Vanilla's first stable release, version 22.10, at the beginning of January. The 22.10 ISO was available as a 1.7GB download. I grabbed the ISO file and booted from it. The media loads a graphical environment and starts a GNOME desktop session. A window then appears and asks if we'd like to Try the live operating system or Install Vanilla OS. If we take the Try option, the window simply closes, leaving us with a fairly standard GNOME desktop. A panel is placed across the top of the screen with the Activities menu and system tray. A dock holding application launchers sits at the bottom of the display.
Vanilla OS 22.10 -- Running the Vanilla OS installer
(full image size: 29kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
Taking the Install option presents us with a series of configuration questions such as our preferred language, our keyboard layout, and our time zone. The first time through the installer. The installer window kept flicking while I was trying to interact with it and, when I reached the third screen, GNOME crashed. I was shown window saying the session had stopped working and a button which would reportedly log me out, but I was unable to click on the button. The rest of the desktop was unresponsive and I had to force a restart.
The second time through I got through the first two screens before the installer window began to flicker and then GNOME appeared to crash (the screen went blank) and then the session resumed.
The third time through I made it through the installer, despite all the screen flickering, and got as far as the fourth screen which asks us to select on which disk we will install Vanilla OS. My disk was listed as an option, but I was unable to select it. The installer seemed to be locked up.
I wondered if perhaps I had to manually set aside a partition for Vanilla ahead of time. Vanilla ships with the GNOME Disks utility which I used to format a partition for the operating system, then re-ran the installer. Once again I made it through to the disk selection screen, but was unable to pick my disk and the installer seemed unresponsive.
I decided to put aside Vanilla OS for the time being and turned my attention to another young distribution.
* * * * *
Nobara Project 36
Nobara Project is a modified version of Fedora with user-friendly fixes added to it. The distribution comes with certain features that do not ship with the regular Fedora editions, such as WINE dependencies, OBS Studio, third-party codec packages for GStreamer, NVIDIA drivers, and some package fixes. Nobara aims to fix most of those issues and offer better gaming, streaming, and content creation experiences out of the box. The project's official release comes with a custom-themed GNOME desktop, but it also offers separate editions with standard GNOME and KDE desktops.
The Official edition of Nobara ships with a GNOME desktop which has a layout and icon set designed to look like KDE Plasma. I decided to try this Official edition first which was released in December 2022 and is available as a 3.5GB download.
Nobara's media boots and displays the GNOME desktop which is presented with icons on the desktop for opening GNOME Files and launching the system installer. A thick panel sits at the bottom of the screen. On the panel we find the application menu, quick-launch buttons, and the system tray.
Nobara Project 36 -- Launching the system installer from the Official edition
(full image size: 963kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
The distribution automatically launches its system installer which is Calamares rather than Fedora's Anaconda installer. Calamares walks us through the usual steps of choosing our keyboard layout, making up a username, and picking our time zone. We're given the option of manual partitioning which is pretty easy to navigate. We can also choose various guided options to install Nobara on an existing partition or take over the disk. The installer will set up an ext4 filesystem for a /boot partition and a Btrfs volume for the root filesystem.
Once partitioning has been handled we're shown a confirmation screen which shows actions the installer will take. We can then go back to previous steps or click an Install button to proceed. When I clicked the Install button, Calamares appeared to lock up. I was unable to interact with its window. The desktop still worked, but was very sluggish in its responses. There was a lot of disk activity from the installer, so I left it running.
After a few minutes the Calamares window disappeared as though the application had crashed. Files were still copying in the background (the rsync processes were still running). When they finished and I rebooted the machine was not bootable as the installer had not finished its work. This seemed to confirm my theory Calamares had crashed.
I booted again from the live media and started the install process once more. This time I noticed disk activity was high and the desktop was slow to respond, even before I'd reached the partitioning section of the installer. Using a process monitor I discovered Nobara was running the DNF package manager to check for updates (it eventually found about 290 new packages). While this check for updates was running PackageKit was using up all available CPU and a lot of RAM. Sitting at the desktop with just the installer open and PackageKit operating took over 3GB of RAM and maxed out a CPU. I was starting to wonder if Calamares had been killed by the systemd-oomd (out of memory daemon) service on my previous install attempt. I stopped the package manager and forced PackageKit to terminate (it refused to stop on its own) and started a fresh run through of Calamares.
Once more, Calamares crashed again while rsync was copying files and once again my computer was left in an unbootable state.
Not yet deterred, I downloaded the Nobara Project's KDE edition which is 3.7GB in size. The KDE edition also boots straight into a desktop session and launches the installer. The KDE Plasma desktop was much more responsive than its GNOME counterpart in the Official edition. This may be, in part, because the KDE edition does not appear to check for package updates automatically.
Nobara Project 36 -- Calamares crashing on the KDE edition
(full image size: 536kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
The KDE edition also ships with Calamares. I made it a little further this time. After getting through the disk partitioning section, I was shown a summary of actions Calamares would take and, when I clicked the Install button, I was shown a progress summary screen. After a minute Calamares crashed.
This time I knew the installer had crashed because, while Calamares simply disappears when run from the GNOME desktop, KDE will display a crash report on the desktop, letting us know the program closed unexpectedly. I was informed Calamares crashed due to a segmentation fault (the installer trying to access memory it did not own).
As Calamares was crashing on both editions in approximately the same spot without any useful warning or useful error, I gave up on Nobara Project.
* * * * *
Vanilla OS 22.10 (revision)
Originally, I started these two reviews in early January 2023, then put my write-up of both projects aside while I explored other things for a bit. Meanwhile people continued to fill my inbox with requests to talk about Vanilla OS. I returned to the distribution's website to go through the documentation to see if there was something I could be doing better. That was when I discovered a few new revisions of Vanilla OS 22.10 had been published after the initial 22.10 release. There wasn't much in the way of information on these new revisions, other than a statement saying packages had been updated to provide a better experience.
I grabbed the latest revision of 22.10 and booted it. The installer opened automatically, as before, and asked me about my language preference and keyboard layout. The installer crashed when I got to the screen for selecting a time zone.
I launched the installer again (there is an icon conveniently located on the GNOME dock) and started the process once more. This time through I was able to get to the hard drive selection screen and successfully picked my drive. I could then click on a Configure button which opened a screen asking if I wanted to use automatic or manual partitioning. I could only select the automatic option, the manual option was greyed out and not responsive. This limitation of only providing automatic partition is a concern because Vanilla OS wants to wipe and take over the entire hard drive.
I was then asked to make up a username and password for myself. The installer confirmed my information and then began copying its files to my freshly wiped drive. The installer worked for about a minute, then crashed without warning or status message. The GNOME dock also disappeared, hiding the installer's launcher. When I restarted the computer I confirmed Vanilla's installer had wiped my disk, then crashed, leaving my system without a bootable partition.
* * * * *
Nobara Project 37
During the time I was writing up my notes on my experience with the third revision of Vanilla OS 22.10, I received a notice that Nobara Project had published its second major release in five weeks. Nobara Project 37 offered a range of software updates and I decided to give the distribution another try. I downloaded the Official edition again which is about 2.8GB in size.
The first time I tried to boot Nobara 37, the live media failed to boot. I double-checked the ISO file's hash then tried booting again. This time Nobara brought up the GNOME desktop, again themed to look like KDE Plasma. The Calamares system installer automatically launched and offered to walk me through the usual configuration steps.
The install process appears to be unchanged from Nobara 36 and I quickly took the defaults offered and allowed Nobara to take over my entire disk. I was then shown a confirmation screen with my chosen settings and I clicked the Install button.
Nobara Project 37 -- Calamares making more progress
(full image size: 1.4MB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
The Calamares installer began copying its files to my hard drive and showing a progress summary, which was a step forward compared to my experience running the Official edition of Nobara 36. However, about halfway through the file copying process the installer disappeared (crashed), leaving my system in an unbootable state. Again. The GNOME desktop was still functional and responsive, but the installer had once again failed to function properly and I gave up on getting Nobara to run.
Conclusions
Both Vanilla OS and Nobara Project have, I believe, similar goals: take a popular, solid distribution and add new tools or improvements to provide a better experience. For Nobara, the distribution is basically performing the initial setup steps most desktop users would be performing on Fedora Workstation - enabling third-party repositories, providing codecs, installing WINE, and setting up video drivers. In short, it feels like Fedora after an hour of installing common packages and performing the usual actions for a new Workstation install.
Vanilla OS is more ambitious, providing an immutable base platform, adding a custom package installer, and offering the ability to install software in containers to better isolate the software the user installs from the base system. All of this on top of an Ubuntu platform.
Both projects are doing something I appreciate. I like the idea of a version of Fedora which has most of the early configuration steps handled for me. I'm intrigued by the idea of a solid Ubuntu base running containers which can hold software from cutting edge projects such as Fedora and Arch Linux. These sound like great features.
The problem, in each case, is I'm unable to get either project to install. Both projects have replaced the system installer provided by the parent distribution and, in both cases, it has resulted in installers which crash early in the experience. I've tried both projects multiple times (I probably booted versions of Vanilla OS at least a dozen times in the span of two weeks) and both were unable to get even halfway through the install process. This is particularly frustrating to me because both Fedora and Ubuntu run on this same laptop and install successfully. It's not a hardware issue, it's not an incompatibility with the (parent) distributions' hardware support, the issues are isolated to these new child distributions.
I plan to come back to future versions of these projects, particularly Vanilla OS as I think its container-focused approach will be interesting to use. However, for now, neither project is ready in my opinion.
* * * * *
Hardware used in this review
My physical test equipment for this review was an HP DY2048CA laptop with the following
specifications:
- Processor: 11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-1135G7 @ 2.40GHz
- Display: Intel integrated video
- Storage: Western Digital 512GB solid state drive
- Memory: 8GB of RAM
- Wireless network device: Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 + BT Wireless network card
* * * * *
Visitor supplied rating
Vanilla OS has a visitor supplied average rating of: 6.3/10 from 29 review(s).
Have you used Vanilla OS? You can leave your own review of the project on our ratings page.
|
| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
HAMMER2 ported to NetBSD, Haiku shares several improvements
The NetBSD operating system may soon be getting initial support for the advanced HAMMER2 filesystem. HAMMER2 was developed for DragonFly BSD and offers a number of attractive storage features. Efforts to get read-only access for HAMMER2 on NetBSD can be found in this GitHub repository. "Initial target is read-only support, but write support is also planned once read-only support is accomplished. Tags are merely for packaging, nothing directly to do with file system version. -CURRENT aka upstream NetBSD is the only tier 1 support branch at the moment."
* * * * *
The Haiku project celebrated a rare new release last month and, since then, have continued to improve upon their lightweight operating system. The project's monthly newsletter outlines new changes and updates, including filesystem enhancements, driver fixes, and better keyboard support for shortcuts: "korli fixed Shortcuts to accept 'consumer keys' (i.e. ones outside the keymap) as shortcuts, and then added default shortcuts for the HID media keys. This means that on many systems, you can now use the volume keys to actually control the volume, though at present there will not be any visual indicator for when this happens, and it may require copying some new data files for existing installs. Clearly some polishing is required, but this is a big improvement."
* * * * *
These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
|
| Questions and Answers (by Jesse Smith) |
Verifying torrent downloads
Checking-it-twice asks: Distros usually offer direct downloads and torrents. Torrents verify downloads as they work, so is there any reason to manually verify an ISO I downloaded using the torrent option or is it a waste of time?
DistroWatch answers: On the download pages of most distributions there are usually three or four key links or pieces of information. These are:
- A direct download option to the ISO install media.
- A torrent file which can be used by a bittorrent client to download the ISO file.
- The checksum information, usually presented as a MD5 or SHA256 hash value.
- A signature file which can be used to verify who signed the ISO file or checksum.
The first two items, the direct download and the torrent file, provide methods for fetching the install media.
The checksum information, the MD5 or SHA256 value, provides a way for you to verify that the file you downloaded was not corrupted in transit. In other words, it verifies the file on the server is the same as the file on our hard drive.
The signature does double duty. It can be used to verify the ISO file was not corrupted as we downloaded it. However, the signature is more commonly used to tell us who created the file. In other words, if we have the public verification key of the developer (usually obtained from a key server or in person) then we can verify the file we downloaded was created and signed by the developer.
As the question above pointed out, a torrent file contains its own checksum value which bittorrent clients can use to confirm the ISO file we end up downloading matches the one used to make the torrent file. In other words, bittorrent clients usually verify the file we download wasn't corrupted as we were fetching it.
This makes it seem like the bittorrent client is doing all the checksum work for us and we can skip checking our ISO's hash value against the one published on the developer's website. However, I recommend manually checking the hash value of the torrent download anyway and verifying it matches the published one on the website.
Why go to the extra effort if the bittorrent client already checked its download for us? I have three main reasons I think it's a good idea to confirm the checksum of our local copy of the ISO file matches the one published on the distribution's website:
- The bittorrent client will verify the ISO we download matches the torrent's internal checksum. This protects against errors during the download of the ISO file. However, it doesn't help us if the torrent file itself is corrupted or replaced. If there was something wrong with the torrent then the ISO we end up fetching could be wrong and the bittorrent software may not catch this.
- People often fetch torrent files from websites different than the distribution's official website. Often times developers will upload their torrents to third-party hosts, such as LinuxTracker or another host, and rely on the third-party to track and share the torrent. In other words, the torrent file is in the custody of a third-party and some torrent tracking websites modify the torrents they host.
These modifications are not typically malicious, they just add information necessary to make the torrent file work with the tracker. However, it means the torrent file the developer uploads is often not identical to the torrent file users download and feed into their bittorrent software. It also means any admin with access to the torrent hosting website can alter the file after the developer is done with it. In short, it's important to note the torrent's internal data could be altered by the time we download it and we should not rely on its own checksum. We should verify the checksum against the developer's official hash.
- Some malicious hackers are lazy. There have been a few hacks in the past where a link on a website has been changed to point to a compromised ISO download, but the attacker didn't go to the effort to change the checksum file too. Or the checksum was changed, but the hacker didn't replace the torrent file too. In either of these scenarios our checksum of the ISO we acquired using the torrent option will not match the one published on the developer's website, indicating something is wrong.
In short, while it is convenient bittorrent software will perform a check to make sure it is downloading an ISO file which matches its internal checksum, this only prevents against one situation in which data could be corrupted or compromised. We should take advantage of official published checksum information and, when available, signature files, in order to confirm the ISO we end up with is both from the legitimate developer and has not been altered.
* * * * *
Additional answers can be found in our Questions and Answers archive.
|
| Released Last Week |
LibreELEC 10.0.4
LibreELEC 10.0.4, the latest stable version of the a specialist, multi-platform Linux distribution with the Kodi media centre, is now available. This release ships with an updated Kodi 19.5: "LibreELEC 10.0.4, bringing Kodi (Matrix) 19.5, has been released. Users of LibreELEC 10.x will receive an automatic update (if enabled). LibreELEC 9.2 installs are not automatically updated, and users will need to manually update. Changes since 10.0.3: update Kodi to 19.5; updated RPi firmware; AMD GPU fixes. Raspberry Pi 2 - 3 - the new video pipeline used in LibreELEC 10.x does not support enhanced HEVC software decoding, if HEVC media playback is important to you please remain on LibreELEC 9.2 releases or consider a Raspberry Pi 4 upgrade (RPi4 has native HEVC hardware decoding). Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 400 hardware supports: HDMI output up to 4kp60; H264 and H265 HW decoding; HDR output (HDR10 and HLG); HD audio; passthrough (Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD); hardware deinterlacing support (PVR/DVD); 10/12bit video output." See the complete release announcement for more information and known issues.
MX Linux 21.3
The MX Linux team have announced the release of an update to the project's 21.x series. The new version includes Xfce 4.18 and an optional updated kernel with new hardware support. "MX-21.3 is the third refresh of our MX-21 release, consisting of bugfixes, kernels, and application updates since our original release of MX-21. If you are already running MX-21, there is no need to reinstall. Packages are all available thru the regular update channel. Highlights include: Debian 11.6 Bullseye base. New and updated applications. Some highlights include: The Xfce releases now feature Xfce 4.18; Fluxbox gets a new mx-rofi-manager tool to save and manage rofi configuration; the KDE release is now a full AHS enabled release, defaulting to the 6.0 AHS kernel. The Debian Stable kernel (5.10) is still available in mx-packageinstaller." Additional details can be found in the project's release announcement.
MX Linux 21.3 -- Running the Xfce desktop
(full image size: 222kB, resolution: 2560x1600 pixels)
* * * * *
Development, unannounced and minor bug-fix releases
|
| Torrent Corner |
Weekly Torrents
The table below provides a list of torrents DistroWatch is currently seeding. If you do not have a bittorrent client capable of handling the linked files, we suggest installing either the Transmission or KTorrent bittorrent clients.
Archives of our previously seeded torrents may be found in our Torrent Archive. We also maintain a Torrents RSS feed for people who wish to have open source torrents delivered to them. To share your own open source torrents of Linux and BSD projects, please visit our Upload Torrents page.
Torrent Corner statistics:
- Total torrents seeded: 2,816
- Total data uploaded: 42.8TB
|
| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
|
Summary of expected upcoming releases
|
| Opinion Poll (by Jesse Smith) |
Sharing files between computers
There are many ways to transfer files between two computers (or devices such as smart phones) on the same network. Some people like low-level synchronization tools like rsync, others like a cloud sync service such as Nextcloud. There are also lots of secure file transfer tools such as sftp and scp. These days there are also graphical tools for sharing files across networked devices such as Warpinator and KDE Connect. What tools do you use to share files between your devices?
You can see the results of our previous poll on whether people run Arch Linux or one of its children in last week's edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
|
I transfer files between computers using...
| Bittorrent: | 37 (2%) |
| Cloud sync (Nextcloud): | 66 (4%) |
| FTP: | 76 (5%) |
| KDE Connect: | 50 (3%) |
| Network shares (Samba/NFS): | 252 (15%) |
| OpenSSH (SFTP): | 106 (6%) |
| OpenSSH (SCP): | 97 (6%) |
| Removable storage: | 516 (31%) |
| rsync: | 158 (10%) |
| Warpinator: | 82 (5%) |
| Other: | 154 (9%) |
| None: | 58 (4%) |
|
|
| Website News |
Searching for immutable distributions
Immutable Linux distributions have been gaining popularity in recent years. Once a tool relegated almost exclusively to mobile operating systems, having an immutable base operating system is becoming increasingly popular with Fedora, openSUSE, Vanilla OS, and others offering read-only, fixed core platforms.
In an effort to make it easier for our readers to find and experience immutable operating systems we have added an immutable distribution category on our search page.
* * * * *
New distributions added to database
Br OS
Br OS is a Brazilian Linux distribution based on Ubuntu and featuring the KDE Plasma desktop. It is designed as an intuitive, easy-to-use, general-purpose operating system for web navigation and content creation, providing a selection of useful applications for daily use.
Br OS 22.10-- Running the KDE Plasma desktop
(full image size: 5.6MB, resolution: 3840x2400 pixels)
* * * * *
New distributions added to waiting list
- PikaOS. PikaOS is an Ubuntu-based distribution with extra drivers and tweaked kernel for better gaming performance.
* * * * *
DistroWatch database summary
* * * * *
This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 23 January 2023. Past articles and reviews can be found through our Weekly Archive and Article Search pages. To contact the authors please send e-mail to:
- Jesse Smith (feedback, questions and suggestions: distribution reviews/submissions, questions and answers, tips and tricks)
- Ladislav Bodnar (feedback, questions, donations, comments)
|
|
| Tip Jar |
If you've enjoyed this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly, please consider sending us a tip.
(Tips this week: 1, value: US$23.80) |
|
|
|
 bc1qxes3k2wq3uqzr074tkwwjmwfe63z70gwzfu4lx  lnurl1dp68gurn8ghj7ampd3kx2ar0veekzar0wd5xjtnrdakj7tnhv4kxctttdehhwm30d3h82unvwqhhxarpw3jkc7tzw4ex6cfexyfua2nr  86fA3qPTeQtNb2k1vLwEQaAp3XxkvvvXt69gSG5LGunXXikK9koPWZaRQgfFPBPWhMgXjPjccy9LA9xRFchPWQAnPvxh5Le paypal.me/distrowatchweekly • patreon.com/distrowatch |
|
| Extended Lifecycle Support by TuxCare |
|
|
|
| TUXEDO |
TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite
Choose from a wide range of laptops and PCs in various sizes and shapes at TUXEDOComputers.com. Every machine comes pre-installed and ready-to-run with Linux. Full 24 months of warranty and lifetime support included!
Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
|
| Archives |
| • 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 |
| • Issue 1066 (2024-04-15): Fun projects to do with the Raspberry Pi and PinePhone, installing new software on fixed-release distributions, improving GNOME Terminal performance, Mint testing new repository mirrors, Gentoo becomes a Software In the Public Interest project |
| • Issue 1065 (2024-04-08): Dr.Parted Live 24.03, answering questions about the xz exploit, Linux Mint to ship HWE kernel, AlmaLinux patches flaw ahead of upstream Red Hat, Calculate changes release model |
| • Issue 1064 (2024-04-01): NixOS 23.11, the status of Hurd, liblzma compromised upstream, FreeBSD Foundation focuses on improving wireless networking, Ubuntu Pro offers 12 years of support |
| • Issue 1063 (2024-03-25): Redcore Linux 2401, how slowly can a rolling release update, Debian starts new Project Leader election, Red Hat creating new NVIDIA driver, Snap store hit with more malware |
| • Issue 1062 (2024-03-18): KDE neon 20240304, changing file permissions, Canonical turns 20, Pop!_OS creates new software centre, openSUSE packages Plasma 6 |
| • Issue 1061 (2024-03-11): Using a PinePhone as a workstation, restarting background services on a schedule, NixBSD ports Nix to FreeBSD, Fedora packaging COSMIC, postmarketOS to adopt systemd, Linux Mint replacing HexChat |
| • Issue 1060 (2024-03-04): AV Linux MX-23.1, bootstrapping a network connection, key OpenBSD features, Qubes certifies new hardware, LXQt and Plasma migrate to Qt 6 |
| • Issue 1059 (2024-02-26): Warp Terminal, navigating manual pages, malware found in the Snap store, Red Hat considering CPU requirement update, UBports organizes ongoing work |
| • Issue 1058 (2024-02-19): Drauger OS 7.6, how much disk space to allocate, System76 prepares to launch COSMIC desktop, UBports changes its version scheme, TrueNAS to offer faster deduplication |
| • Issue 1057 (2024-02-12): Adelie Linux 1.0 Beta, rolling release vs fixed for a smoother experience, Debian working on 2038 bug, elementary OS to split applications from base system updates, Fedora announces Atomic Desktops |
| • Issue 1056 (2024-02-05): wattOS R13, the various write speeds of ISO writing tools, DSL returns, Mint faces Wayland challenges, HardenedBSD blocks foreign USB devices, Gentoo publishes new repository, Linux distros patch glibc flaw |
| • Issue 1055 (2024-01-29): CNIX OS 231204, distributions patching packages the most, Gentoo team presents ongoing work, UBports introduces connectivity and battery improvements, interview with Haiku developer |
| • Issue 1054 (2024-01-22): Solus 4.5, comparing dd and cp when writing ISO files, openSUSE plans new major Leap version, XeroLinux shutting down, HardenedBSD changes its build schedule |
| • Issue 1053 (2024-01-15): Linux AI voice assistants, some distributions running hotter than others, UBports talks about coming changes, Qubes certifies StarBook laptops, Asahi Linux improves energy savings |
| • Issue 1052 (2024-01-08): OpenMandriva Lx 5.0, keeping shell commands running when theterminal closes, Mint upgrades Edge kernel, Vanilla OS plans big changes, Canonical working to make Snap more cross-platform |
| • Issue 1051 (2024-01-01): Favourite distros of 2023, reloading shell settings, Asahi Linux releases Fedora remix, Gentoo offers binary packages, openSUSE provides full disk encryption |
| • Issue 1050 (2023-12-18): rlxos 2023.11, renaming files and opening terminal windows in specific directories, TrueNAS publishes ZFS fixes, Debian publishes delayed install media, Haiku polishes desktop experience |
| • Issue 1049 (2023-12-11): Lernstick 12, alternatives to WINE, openSUSE updates its branding, Mint unveils new features, Lubuntu team plans for 24.04 |
| • Issue 1048 (2023-12-04): openSUSE MicroOS, the transition from X11 to Wayland, Red Hat phasing out X11 packages, UBports making mobile development easier |
| • Issue 1047 (2023-11-27): GhostBSD 23.10.1, Why Linux uses swap when memory is free, Ubuntu Budgie may benefit from Wayland work in Xfce, early issues with FreeBSD 14.0 |
| • Issue 1046 (2023-11-20): Slackel 7.7 "Openbox", restricting CPU usage, Haiku improves font handling and software centre performance, Canonical launches MicroCloud |
| • Issue 1045 (2023-11-13): Fedora 39, how to trust software packages, ReactOS booting with UEFI, elementary OS plans to default to Wayland, Mir gaining ability to split work across video cards |
| • Full list of all issues |
| Star Labs |
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
|
| Random Distribution | 
Grafpup Linux
Grafpup Linux was a desktop Linux operating system based closely on Puppy Linux. Its goal was to be as useful to graphic designers and other imaging professionals as possible while still remaining extremely small and fast. Grafpup was a live CD of only 75MB with current versions of GIMP, Cinepaint, Inkscape, and Scribus. Grafpup was also very user-friendly, with wizards for doing most system tasks like connecting to the internet and installing to hard disk or USB drive. There was also a powerful package management system, "pupget", with a very extensive and ever increasing list of additional packages available for easy installation.
Status: Discontinued
|
| TUXEDO |
TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite
Choose from a wide range of laptops and PCs in various sizes and shapes at TUXEDOComputers.com. Every machine comes pre-installed and ready-to-run with Linux. Full 24 months of warranty and lifetime support included!
Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
|
| Star Labs |
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
|
|
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
