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| Reader Comments • Jump to last comment |
1 • general thoughts (by Dave Brown on 2023-03-20 01:15:21 GMT from United States)
Looking forward to firing up my first Gentoo. Lots of new Arch based distros, and very similar to each other. And Serpent? I won't call it an OS because it is not complete. It reminds me of that distro called Solus.
2 • Serpent OS (by Marc on 2023-03-20 01:44:52 GMT from Australia)
I have been following Serpent OS since day 1 and I am loving the progress they have made lately.
I have managed to get the validation iso to boot and it is just a proof of concept / validation that it all works. But it does work.
In the last few days their build infrastructure has gone live and starting to build / update packages in the hope of a live iso :)
3 • Gentoo and a friendly derivative (by Sasi on 2023-03-20 01:57:38 GMT from India)
In my experience there can't be any better derivative of Gentoo than the Calculate Linux. It's easy to install; you enjoy the benefit of Gentoo performance and it's much simpler to maintain/upgrade.
4 • Liya Linux (by mnrv-ovrf-year-c on 2023-03-20 02:50:33 GMT from Puerto Rico)
The creators of Liya Linux need to offer the ISO on Sourceforge or another mirror. Tried downloading the 3.5GiB ISO but failed, Firefox crashed and had amnesia. This was after putting the hard disk to the near point of failure. If they expect better reception and more people to check it out and praise it, and not just rely on its being on Arch Linux, they have to get away from the place they're offering it now. Until I could download the ISO, like I could now with Debian or Slackware, which are about the same size, I don't care if it's independent and what else they do with this distro which is different from the bunch coming along lately which are "me-too".
5 • File transfer (by Trihexagonal on 2023-03-20 05:48:26 GMT from United States)
File transfers something I do often and if using FreeBSG have to work as root to do so. USB sticks and physical transfer from one machine to another is how I work, with XFE being my File Manager of choice.
Earlier today I transferred 23 single photos in a group from my smartphone to a Linux laptop using Bluetooth, which is preferable to using gmail to mail them so I can access that account from a laptop.
But I don't use any of the methods listed in the poll.
6 • Favourite transfer utility (by fenglengshun on 2023-03-20 05:59:58 GMT from Indonesia)
KDE Connect, for sure. It's just such a handy tool, it connects automatically, and sending files/url/clipboard are all instant too. My only complain is that the Send menu is a hassle requiring more clicks than I'd prefer (esp. if you have more than one devices) and without Plasma Integration some things are more annoying than they needed to be. And the GSConnect replacement, Valent, seems to still be in alpha as I had some stability issues with it.
Other than that, I use Resilio, since last I tried syncthing don't support selective file sync (unless you count manual sync rules). Works well enough to sync folders throughout my devices (including phone) and transfer files that I can't or too much of a hassle using KDE Connect.
And I guess I do use grsync from time to time, to backup files to office's shared folder network drive.
7 • File Transfer (by Any on 2023-03-20 07:30:40 GMT from Spain)
gFTP
8 • LuckyBackup (by LLL on 2023-03-20 08:52:29 GMT from Spain)
10 years using LuckyBackup (GUI for rsync). Perfect.
9 • openSUSE Leap popularity surge (by SuperOscar on 2023-03-20 09:00:11 GMT from Finland)
I wonder if the openSUSE Leap (15.4) popularity surge hasn’t something to do with the upcoming demise of the Leap platform? For the last ten years, it’s been my favourite distro; now I’m not quite sure what to use any more. More and more it seems users are forced to use rolling distros instead of stable ones. Welcome to “you have 2000+ updates” daily hell :p
10 • Data transfer (by Dr.J on 2023-03-20 10:10:40 GMT from Germany)
Almost all data transfer between all devices is done by rsync/rsyncd - mostly automated by cronjobs or scripts. For some special cases I use corresponding front-ends (grsnyc/backintime).
11 • File transfer (by James on 2023-03-20 11:27:44 GMT from United States)
Drag and drop meets my needs.
12 • File Transfer (by Marco on 2023-03-20 11:35:19 GMT from United States)
I wish more distros offered zsync for ISOs that are frequently updated.
13 • Security Onion (by Doug Burks on 2023-03-20 12:54:08 GMT from United States)
Hi Jesse,
Thanks for trying Security Onion! For first time users, we recommend following the First Time Users guide at https://docs.securityonion.net/en/2.3/first-time-users.html. If you have further questions or problems, we'd love to help you out over at https://securityonion.net/discuss. Thanks!
14 • Security Onion (by Donnie on 2023-03-20 18:51:00 GMT from United States)
@Jesse : Actually Security Onion works very well if you follow the documentation for setting it up. You'll also want to watch the tutorial videos on either their website or their YouTube channel. Security Onion is a specialty type of Linux distro, and you can't just install it the same way that you'd install any normal Linux distro.
Also, the hardware requirements actually are accurate. Everything on Security Onion runs as a Docker container, and there are lots of Docker containers. It also collects end-point log files and stores them in an Elastic Stack database, which will eventually require lots of disk space. So, just because you only have a few gigabytes worth of software in the install image doesn't mean that the extra disk space isn't needed.
Anyway, I hope that helps.
15 • Another command line tool: voted for "syncthing". (by mircea on 2023-03-20 23:26:10 GMT from Moldova)
I voted for syncthing, cause it is encrypted and has a nice web UI.
And it works with mac & windows too.
16 • openSUSE Leap popularity surge (by Daniel on 2023-03-21 12:15:10 GMT from Czechia)
I think I read somewhere about fixing openSUSE metrics. Maybe surge is just fixed metrics bug? Because I don't see any improvements in openSUSE numbers on pages like here, gamingOnLinux statistics or reddit user increase.
17 • metrics (by Glenn Dean on 2023-03-21 15:41:47 GMT from United States)
The metrics here are just a popularity contest. You need to go to Google Trends( or others) to find real metrics.
18 • File transfers (by Robert on 2023-03-21 16:12:03 GMT from United States)
Most commonly I transfer files between my desktop and file server using an NFS mount and standard mv and cp commands.
For other situations I might use scp, KDE Connect, or a USB stick, whatever is most convenient for the task at hand.
19 • file transfer utilities (by npaladin2000 on 2023-03-21 18:24:47 GMT from United States)
I use rclone. It's the most robust and yet simplest utility I've found. It acts like regular command line file handling only your source and your target can be remotes rather than local. And it can make pretty much anything a remote. Only downside is that it doesn't seem to handle transferring deltas, so for large files with small changes I do go back to rsync. But most of what I do is small files that are new or completely changed anyway.
20 • Sharing, file transfers, Liya @4, and Gentoo-based @3 (by El Gordo on 2023-03-22 03:54:35 GMT from United States)
I share little and rarely, so I just upload to Google Drive or other cloud storage any thing I want on my other devices.
@4, Liya seems to be based in New Zealand, so they use Mega for downloading. Mega downloads the whole package before asking to save it. It bypassed my download manager, but still was quick and painless. If it makes any difference, I used Chrome rather than FF. If you're looking for something different, it isn't. It quick to boot, light on resources and easy to install and looks very good, but the same can be said for EndeavourOS, except Liya is geared for non-technical users and newbies. Uses Brave browser, and Alacrity for cli. Pamac is included. They offer a free customized ISO for those unfamiliar with Linux or Arch.
@3, Gentoo derivatives. I like Redcore, based on testing, live ISO and has a GUI package manager named Sisyphus. (Odd name, Sisyphus is about unending repetitive effort with no result.)
21 • File transfer Utility (by Mike C on 2023-03-22 06:04:57 GMT from United States)
I have used NitroShare version 0.3.1 for several years on our local network. Least complicated I have tried and has never failed me.
22 • SerpentOS (by InvisibleInk on 2023-03-22 23:15:00 GMT from United States)
Serpent is the current brainchild Ikey Doherty of Solus fame. He's wound his way back around to creating an new distribution. Look forward to what it evolves into when it is ready for prime time.
23 • SerpentOS (by whatsinaname on 2023-03-23 09:03:28 GMT from Germany)
If SerpentOS is another Project of "Ikey Doherty of Solus fame", then expect it to be abandoned and possibly even completely disappeared when it becomes successful and actually useful to its users.
Number of Comments: 23
Display mode: DWW Only • Comments Only • Both DWW and Comments
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| Archives |
| • 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 |
| • 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 |
| • Full list of all issues |
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| Random Distribution | 
Zen Linux
Zen Linux was a bootable live CD distribution. Most configuration was done automatically upon boot and requires no user interaction. It includes the ability to to create remastered, personalised editions of the product.
Status: Discontinued
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