 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 1021, 29 May 2023 |
|
Welcome to this year's 22nd issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
Immutable distributions, operating systems which have read-only filesystems, are increasingly drawing attention in the Linux community. The immutable approach is considered beneficial for security and reliability as it maintains a consistent core operating system. This week we begin with a look at the rlxos GNU/Linux distribution, an immutable platform which focuses on the use of Flatpak packages to provide desktop applications. In our News section we link to an overview of what makes the Void project special and talk about a book which explains the powerful awk command line utility. Plus we share news that Microsoft has published its own Linux distribution, intended for use on the company's Azure cloud service. Then, if you've ever wondered why some command line programs display their output in colour and others do not, we discuss this in our Questions and Answers column. Do you have your terminal programs set up to display text in colour? Let us know in this week's Opinion Poll. Plus we are pleased to share the releases of the past week and list the torrents we are seeding. We're also grateful to be able to thank our sponsors and people who have sent us donations this month. We wish you all a terrific week and happy reading!
Content:
|
| Feature Story (by Jesse Smith) |
rlxos GNU/Linux
A project I was recently asked to explore is called rlxos GNU/Linux. This distribution is independently developed for 64-bit (x86_64) computers and it features an immutable filesystem for the operating system. Due to its immutable nature, rlxos utilizes OSTree for core operating system updates while pulling in Flatpak packages for desktop software. The distribution also ships with the Distrobox container management software for situations where we need to run desktop applications or command line programs not available as Flatpak bundles. (We have discussed Distrobox and how to use it in a previous article.)
The rlxos website also mentions the distribution ships with the GNOME desktop and offers a personal AI assistant called Bolt. We're advised that rlxos is a semi-rolling release distribution. The project's install media includes no versioning (there are no dates or version numbers associated with the install media) and updates are made available as new over the air (OTA) images.
The rlxos distribution is available in two editions: Workstation, which is for developers and 3.7GB in size; and Desktop, which is for regular users and 3.0GB in size. I decided to try out the Desktop edition.
Installing
I found rlxos was unable to boot in Legacy BIOS mode, the distribution would only start in UEFI mode in my test environments. Once I booted from the install media, a graphical environment would be displayed. There was no desktop session, just a lone graphical installer was launched.
The system installer begins by showing us a button which just says "English". Presumably additional language options will be added later. Proceeding to the next screen gives us the chance to pick our keyboard layout and we're asked on which disk we want to install rlxos. Here we can either accept automated partitioning, which will attempt to take over free space, or we can take a "manage disk" option which launched the GParted utility. We can then choose on which partition to install the operating system.
The partitioning screen doesn't offer much flexibility. I believe this is because rlxos is designed to fit on one partition. I'll talk more about the filesystem and disk layout later, but for now it's worth noting the distribution, swap space, and user data seem to be intended to fit on one partition.
The installer pauses to confirm our settings and then starts copying files. The first time the installer finished it then displayed a button labelled Restart and locked up. This posed a problem because there is no way to close the window, no desktop from which to issue shutdown commands, and the virtual terminals are protected with an undocumented password. The system does not respond to common kill signals, such as Ctrl+Alt+Del. In other words, forcing a hard shutdown was the only way to exit the installer and try out rlxos. Later attempts to install the distribution worked without the lock-up at the end.
rlxos 2023 -- The GNOME settings panel with its dark theme
(full image size: 334kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
The first time we boot into the freshly installed copy of rlxos, the distribution starts a graphical wizard to help us create a user account. We're asked to pick our language and keyboard layout again. We are then given the chance to enable/disable location services and pick our time zone. We are then asked if we want to connect any cloud accounts to our local account. Options for on-line accounts are limited to Google, Microsoft, and Nextcloud providers. We're then asked to make up a username and password for our local account. With these steps completed, the GNOME desktop loads. In the future, when we boot rlxos, the distribution will present the user with a graphical login screen.
Early impressions
When we sign into the GNOME desktop for the first time a window appears and offers to give us a feature tour. This can provide users new to GNOME with a general overview of how to navigate the desktop.
The GNOME desktop is fairly empty, with a thin panel across the top of the display which holds the Activities button, clock, and system tray. Clicking the Activities button reveals a dock at the bottom of the screen where we can access commonly used programs and an application menu. The application menu presents the user with a full screen grid of launchers and a search box.
Something that annoys me about this layout is it requires a lot of mouse movement. First, we move up to the Activities menu in the upper-left corner of the screen. Then down to the bottom-right to click the Applications button, then back to the upper-middle area of the screen to select a launcher. It would be difficult to make this process less efficient. There are shortcuts we can take. For instance, tapping the meta key and typing the name of an application we wish to launch, if we're more keyboard-oriented users. However, for people using a mouse, it's a lot of extra movement.
Shortly after I signed into my account, a notification appeared and told me there was a new version of rlxos available and I could download it from the software centre. This message seemed odd since I had just finished downloading and installing the latest version of the distribution. However, the notification simply means a new update is available, which for an immutable distribution is equivalent to a new version.
rlxos 2023 -- Checking for system updates
(full image size: 1.6MB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
Anyway, I opened GNOME Software and selected the Updates tab. Here I found a notice that a new version of the distribution was available and I could click a button to install it. No details about the new update were provided. When we click the button to fetch the update, no progress information is shown. When the software centre is finished the download we are asked to reboot the computer to apply the update. This process worked without any issues.
Software
The rlxos distribution ships with a relatively small collection of applications, all (or nearly all) of them members of the GNOME family. We're given GNOME Web for browsing the web, a document viewer, a weather app, a simple music player, the Totem video player, and the GNOME Files file browser. A terminal is included, as is the GNOME settings panel.
The distribution includes the systemd init software. We're also given the man program, though no manual pages are installed on the system. There is no compiler or Java on the Desktop edition.
I found the rlxos install media shipped with version 6.0 of the Linux kernel and GNOME 43. After an update had been installed I was upgraded to GNOME 44 while the kernel remained on Linux 6.0, though version 6.3 was available upstream by this time.
Hardware
I tested rlxos in a VirtualBox virtual machine and on my laptop. Apart from the limitation of only booting in UEFI mode, which I mentioned earlier, the distribution worked well with my environments. The system ran smoothly and played well with my hardware. The latest version of GNOME feels more responsive than it has in the past and ran well in on both test systems.
A fresh install of rlxos consumed about 5.4GB of disk space and, when logging into GNOME, the system used about 740MB of RAM. Though I noticed RAM consumption tended to rise a bit over time, even when applications had been closed. This means rlxos is slightly heavier than average in terms of resource consumption, but not by a lot.
The distribution runs on a Btrfs volume and makes use of zRAM rather than traditional swap space. This combination of zRAM and Btrfs means the distribution can fit on one partition (well, technically two when we consider the EFI partition). The operating system is set up to be read-only while our home directories are read-write.
Software management
Most software management on rlxos takes place through GNOME Software, a modern software centre divided into three tabs. I've already mentioned the Updates tab where we can check for new immutable updates which are applied as an all-or-nothing upgrade.
The Installed tab lists software already on the system. Here we can remove Flatpak packages we have installed. Applications that are part of the base system are also listed. If we try to remove one of these pre-installed programs GNOME Software will silently fail. Simply, nothing will happen and no error is displayed. Flatpaks I had already installed were removed without any problems.
rlxos 2023 -- Installing Falkon from GNOME Software
(full image size: 1.0MB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
The third tab, Explore, provides a repository of software where we can browse categories and search for new Flatpak bundles. Clicking an entry opens a full page description where we can see details about an application and click a button to install new software. Since applications are not installed as part of the operating system, no password is required. Once an application has been fetched, it can be launched from inside GNOME Software or through its icon in the application menu.
I found GNOME Software worked fairly well, apart from its silent failures when asked to remove pre-installed packages. However, if we wish to use the command line we can manage our Flatpak bundles using the flatpak program. I found Flatpak automatically connected to the Flathub repository.
Special features
Apart from being a semi-rolling, immutable distribution, rlxos's website highlights two key features. The first is Bolt, an AI chat assistant which can be accessed through the command line. We can open a terminal and run bolt, followed by a phrase or question. For instance, "bolt What is the temperature?" or "bolt What time is it?".
I played with Bolt for a while and mostly received nonsensical answers. It seemed promising at first. When I ran "bolt" on its own, with no input, the assistant introduced itself. It was also able to respond appropriately when asked, "bolt Tell me a joke". However, beyond that, Bolt failed spectacularly. When I asked what was the time, it responded with "How are you". When I asked, "bolt What is 4 + 4" it answered with "How are you". I asked "bolt What is the temperature?" and it responded with "hey". When I asked "bolt What is the weather in London?" the assistant told me it was a work in progress and provided a URL where I could learn more about training the assistant. When I opened the URL (https://rlxos.dev/wiki/bolt/), I was shown a "404 - error" page.
rlxos 2023 -- Following Bolt's suggestion to find help
(full image size: 1.2MB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
Later on, I did find documentation which includes some examples of using Bolt, but it's mostly geared toward developers who want to teach the assistant basic responses to common questions. In other words, Bolt is in its very early stages and chat bots from the 80s are generally more capable at carrying on a conversation.
The other key feature mentioned on the rlxos website is Distrobox. Distrobox is a container manager which allows us to install alternative distributions in user-managed containers and run commands in those containers as the administrator. In other words, we can install whatever software we wish and run it in a semi-isolated environment. The rlxos project doesn't offer any documentation for using Distrobox and the distribution doesn't include manual pages. Fortunately, running the distrobox command line tool with the "--help" flag will provide a summary of accepted commands.
Using Distrobox, I was able to install a guest distribution, Alpine Linux in my case, and install whatever command line or desktop applications I wanted. I could then run these utilities from within the container and have the programs appear in my terminal or on my rlxos desktop. This provides us with a wide range of functionality, inside the containers, while maintaining a fairly minimal host distribution.
Distrobox worked well for me and I had no problems with it. I feel it's a bit inconvenient to need to install and run an entirely separate distribution just to fill in functionality gaps with the main operating system. Ideally, the host distribution should, in my opinion, run most of the software I want and the container should be for one-off situations. Instead, I found rlxos was the opposite: offering a small amount of software and requiring Distrobox for a virtually all command line and applications not packaged as Flatpaks.
rlxos 2023 -- Using Distrobox to run Gwenview from an Alpine Linux container
(full image size: 1.8MB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
Conclusions
When I first began using rlxos, it soon became clear why some people would appreciate this distribution. In brief, everything is streamlined and simplified. The system installer only has three or four screens and most of them allows us to take defaults to breeze through the process. GNOME is presented with few applications and most of them are on the dock with clear names like Calendar, Weather, and Web. The software centre has a modern approach and draws almost exclusively from the Flathub repository of desktop software.
In other words, for a relatively inexperienced computer user, it's almost impossible to go astray. Everything is simplified and the distribution has a clean, modern look, helped by GNOME's uncluttered approach. We even run everything off of one partition (swap, home, and operating system in one place)!
One of the few disappointment was the Bolt assistant which is very much in its early stages and not useful in any practical way in its current state.
While rlxos offers an initial positive view by being so clean and simple to use, the distribution's streamlined nature become a problem if ever we want to venture off the narrow path it provides. For example, there is almost no documentation on the project's website, apart from a short list of features. There is no option to use a desktop on the install media, no login credentials supplied in case we want to troubleshoot something from the install media. In fact, there is no way to abort the system installer once the installer has loaded. We can move forward and backwards through its screens, but not exit the installer without performing a hard poweroff of the machine.
Also, speaking of the system installer, if we venture into its menus to seek additional information or help, we're shown a series of links to on-line support. Clicking any of these links throws an error up on the screen saying "Operation not supported."
In similar fashion, if we want to tweak the operating system we're limited by its immutable nature. If we want an alternative desktop environment, we're stuck with GNOME, if we want a feature as simple as local manual pages we need to install a whole extra distribution via Distrobox. In fact, just about any command line tool, and several desktop programs, will be available only through Distrobox containers, which often left me thinking it would be easier and more efficient to simply run the guest distribution directly rather than rlxos.
In short, rlxos makes a lot of things quick and simple. However, in doing this, it also limits us and makes anything not within the project's narrow focus unusually difficult and roundabout. People who want a simple, easy to set up system will probably find rlxos an attractive option. On the other hand, anyone wanting customization or additional options will regularly find themselves handcuffed by rlxos's approach. It's a distribution I wouldn't use for myself, but it is one I'd suggest for people who would be happy with a streamlined approach, like a more capable Chromebook.
* * * * *
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
rlxos GNU/Linux has a visitor supplied average rating of: 7.7/10 from 3 review(s).
Have you used rlxos GNU/Linux? You can leave your own review of the project on our ratings page.
|
| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
An overview of Void's features, how to use awk, Microsoft publishes a Linux distro
The Void distribution is independently developed and includes both unique tools and an unusual combination of system components. While a lot of reviews focus on what distributions can do, fewer focus on how a distribution accomplishes low level tasks. The Animesh Sahu blog shares a look at what makes the Void project special and showcases some of the project's unique features. "Ah, the released ISO is way too outdated and has a limited set of pre-installed packages. No problem! Void gives you ability to create your own ISO, with packages as latest as today! As well to add packages, directories and kernel-parameters to the ISO. Just clone the void-mklive repository, and run mklive.sh" The blog post continues on, exploring Void's tools, approach to packaging, and service management.
* * * * *
One of the more flexible and powerful command line tools is awk. The awk command is often thought of as a capable text processing tool (and it is), but it is also an entire scripting language which can be used in all sorts of situations. The basics of awk are covered in a book called Awk One-Liners Explained. The author carefully lays out basics of using awk and gradually expands on how to use the tool in practical ways. The book contains 70 examples of using awk and some samples are included on the author's website.
For people who joined the Linux community in its first decade or two of existence, we have some news that will likely feel strange. About 22 years after its CEO tried to discredit Linux and referred to it as "a cancer", Microsoft has announced the availability of the company's own distribution, called Azure Linux. "The Azure Linux container host for AKS is a lightweight, secure, and reliable OS platform optimized for performance on Azure." The distribution appears to be tied to Microsoft's Azure cloud service for the moment and not available for testing or deployment on physical hardware.
* * * * *
These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
|
| Questions and Answers (by Jesse Smith) |
Finding colours in the output of some commands
All-the-pretty-colours asks: Can you tell me why some commands, like ls and grep, display information in colour while others don't?
DistroWatch answers: Some command line programs have the option of displaying key elements of their output in colour. With the grep command this is achieved by using the "--colour" flag. When using ls the flag to enable colour is "--color". For example, this will enable colour highlighting for executable files and directories, along with a few other key file types:
ls --color=always
Not all commands support displaying in colour, but a handful do and the colour is often used to highlight important pieces of information.
As to why these colour flags are being activated on your machine, while they might not show up when using other distributions, the answer is likely the use of preconfigured aliases. A command line alias is a keyword which tells the shell to substitute in commands or text whenever certain words are used on the command line.
For instance, I am using the bash shell at the moment. If I want to see which aliases are recognized by the shell, I can run the command "alias" without any parameters. The result will look like this:
$ alias
alias ls='ls --color=always'
This means whenever I run the command "ls" the shell swaps out the text "ls" for "ls --color=always". The alias acts as a short hand, allowing me to enable the colour flag without needing to type in the full "--color=always" text.
Should I wish to disable the alias, making sure I do not see colour in my directory listings anymore, I can run the following command:
unalias ls
The next time I run the ls command, no extra flags or substitution will take place and I'll get plain output without colour. Later, if I want to add the colour back, I can recreate the alias by running:
alias ls='ls --color=always'
You will probably find command line aliases you remove or change will reset themselves each time you open a new shell. Distributions usually create aliases when the shell opens using a configuration file. For the bash shell, aliases are typically stored in the ~/.bashrc text file or in /etc/bashrc. Other shells will use different configuration files, but the concept remains the same. Removing the alias from the shell's configuration file will prevent the alias from reappearing each time you open a terminal.
* * * * *
Additional answers can be found in our Questions and Answers archive.
|
| Released Last Week |
Oracle Linux 9.2
Simon Coter has announced the release of Oracle Linux 9 Update 2, the stable version of Oracle's distribution built from the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9.2 source code but optionally using a custom-compiled "Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK)": "The latest releases of Oracle Linux enhance the user experience across on-premises, cloud and edge deployments, with a focus on operational consistency and improved efficiency, to accelerate time-to-market for critical infrastructure assets. Oracle Linux now supports offline upgrades. Offline upgrades can help protect a system during upgrades by performing package installations after a reboot and before libraries that might be affected by package updates have loaded. With this enhancement, running services won't be impacted by operating system updates. With offline upgrades, DNF does not apply the updates directly, but it notifies the systemd process that updates need to be applied." Read the release announcement and the detailed release notes for more information.
* * * * *
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: 2,871
- Total data uploaded: 43.3TB
|
| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
|
Summary of expected upcoming releases
|
| Opinion Poll (by Jesse Smith) |
Colour in terminal commands
In this week's Questions and Answers column we talked about seeing colours in the output of some command line programs. Do you have colour enabled in your terminal programs? Did your distribution set that up or did you decide to add a splash of colour to customize your experience?
You can see the results of our previous poll on running cutting-edge kernels in last week's edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
|
Colours in the terminal
| I enabled colour in my terminal commands: | 318 (30%) |
| My distro enabled colour in my terminal commands: | 477 (45%) |
| I do not see colour in my terminal commands: | 226 (21%) |
| I do not use the Linux terminal: | 49 (5%) |
|
|
| Website News |
Donations and Sponsors
Each month we receive support and kindness from our readers in the forms of donations. These donations help us keep the web server running, pay contributors, and keep infrastructure like our torrent seed box running. We'd like to thank our generous readers and acknowledge how much their contributions mean to us.
This month we're grateful for the $222 in contributions from the following kind souls:
| Donor |
Amount |
|---|
| Bruce F | $25 |
| Peter R | $20 |
| Mitchell | $50 |
| Tom K | $14 |
| Robin E | $15 |
| Josh S | $12 |
| Jonathon B | $7 |
| Sam C | $10 |
| Brian G | $5 |
| Christopher J | $5 |
| Chung T | $5 |
| Darkeugene7896 | $5 |
| Dan M | $5 |
| DuCakedHare | $5 |
| Matt | $5 |
| Gregory B | $3 |
| Joe H | $3 |
| Skye F | $3 |
| T.Flo | $3 |
| Vory | $3 |
| Casy S | $3 |
| Urs N | $3 |
| Christoph R | $2 |
| J.D. L | $2 |
| Matthias L | $2 |
| Peter M | $2 |
| c6WWldo9 | $1 |
| Stephen M | $1 |
| Ellas J | $1 |
| Pavel B | $1 |
| William E | $1 |
* * * * *
New distributions added to waiting list
- Crystal Linux. Crystal Linux is an Arch-based Linux distribution which features a customized GNOME desktop, Timeshift for creating filesystem snapshots, and an AUR software manager called Amethyst.
- Auxtral. Auxtral is a Debian-based distribution which ships free and open source software only by default. The project is available in five desktop flavours: Budgie, Cinnamon, KDE Plasma, MATE, and Xfce.
* * * * *
DistroWatch database summary
* * * * *
This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 5 June 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: 4, value: US$96.71) |
|
|
|
 bc1qxes3k2wq3uqzr074tkwwjmwfe63z70gwzfu4lx  lnurl1dp68gurn8ghj7ampd3kx2ar0veekzar0wd5xjtnrdakj7tnhv4kxctttdehhwm30d3h82unvwqhhxarpw3jkc7tzw4ex6cfexyfua2nr  86fA3qPTeQtNb2k1vLwEQaAp3XxkvvvXt69gSG5LGunXXikK9koPWZaRQgfFPBPWhMgXjPjccy9LA9xRFchPWQAnPvxh5Le paypal.me/distrowatchweekly • patreon.com/distrowatch |
|
| Extended Lifecycle Support by TuxCare |
|
|
| Reader Comments • Jump to last comment |
1 • Colour in terminal commands (by Guido on 2023-05-29 01:20:05 GMT from Philippines)
I am using fish as shell, the output is always very colorful. You can also change the color-sets within the browser.
2 • Void packaging (by Vinfall on 2023-05-29 01:41:54 GMT from Hong Kong)
I checked out the linked blog post and was surprised to find out that xdeb exists and you could install deb/rpm packages directly. Switched from Debian testing to Void-musl for 1y and still have "gotcha" from time to time.
3 • Azure Linux (by Microsoft Enemy #1 on 2023-05-29 04:03:10 GMT from Brazil)
"__ Linux is a cancer." (Steve Ballmer, former Microsoft CEO)
He told such a big lie to their customers because Linux was ever growing in importance and spreading like fire in gasoline. Along of time, Microsoft bastards did everything they could do to destroy the penguin. Now, with Azure Linux, they'll probably try to fight Red Hat, Oracle, and the rest of Linux companies aiming to implement their well known dirty plan: "Embrace, Extend, Extinguish".
Azure Linux, once released to the masses, will certainly be a platform tailored to support Microsoft's proprietary (patented) technologies, maybe intended to completely replace the Windows operating system. This is an idea I had cogitated circa 2015, when I thought to myself: "__ Someday, those rats will make a Linux distro just to shatter the competition..."
We, the real FLOSS enthusiasts, should never allow the enemy to win. So... DEATH to Microsoft and their stupid Azure Linux!
4 • Bash colours (by chris on 2023-05-29 04:09:04 GMT from South Africa)
Cannot use bash without colours. My prompt changes colour (using the PS1 setting) depending on what I am doing - root, ssh and rsyncing use different colours, so I don't forget where I am.
5 • rlxos (by Andy Prough on 2023-05-29 04:09:13 GMT from United States)
@Jesse - I wonder if you would have gotten most of the command line tools you wanted if you had tried the Workstation version instead of the Desktop version. It seems to me that the Desktop version is designed to be a kind of a kiosk system, where a non-technical user isn't likely to be able to figure out how to add much more than what they are originally presented with.
An interesting aspect about this distro is that apparently nearly everything works as it should, which seems rare for such a new distro.
6 • Colors (by fenglengshun on 2023-05-29 04:39:27 GMT from Indonesia)
There is also the rust version of terminal commands, which sometimes defaults to colors. Some distribution or config file may alias commands to their rust counterpart (for example enabling `programs.exa.enable` in Nix/home-manager would automatically alias ls to exa if it also manage your shell's rc file).
In general, I much prefer having colors. My main reason why I use rust counterparts is mostly because they're prettier, I won't lie. That said, I can't get used to fish, I prefer the middle ground of zsh with the standard "fish-ify" oh-my-zsh plugins.
7 • colors (by Dr.J on 2023-05-29 07:11:08 GMT from Germany)
Partly, my terminal output is still coloured. But in general I use colouring rather less. For me, the purpose was to make very long outputs clearer and, for example, to colour each "warning". But I get along better when I generally reduce the output to the essentials, i.e. use the usual commands (grep, cat, tail, etc.).
8 • Poll about terminal colors (by Albert on 2023-05-29 07:35:56 GMT from United States)
I answered 'My distro enabled color' just because I installed Nala in most of my distros -that brings not only a litte color but also some more speed and a different layout than Apt's.
Later I remembered that I also configure xfce4-terminals and Caja terminals to have others colors than the preset ones.
In sum, I don't make a serious effort to change this
aspect of the terminals only superficial things.
9 • Command Line Configuration (by Trihexagonal on 2023-05-29 11:07:56 GMT from United States)
I use colors in rxvt-unicode and Qterminal, usually with a transparent background to the terminal.
Kali has the option of a 1 or 2 line command line, a break between commands or not and to use the BackTrak legacy CLI.
Font is set to match the one font used in all programs onscreen and text editor
Only 1% admit to not using the terminal at this early point in tally
10 • Color (by Will on 2023-05-29 12:35:26 GMT from Spain)
I usually disable color in the terminal, not because I dislike it, but because applications misuse it. vi is the worst offender (I love vi), but color coding code results in some nearly unreadable text. I prolly oughta take the time to figure out how to turn it off for vi, now that I think about it :). I love color in a lot of other cases, but in the past I've always just killed terminal color and gone on about my business.
That said, the color scheme in linux mint for the terminal seems to work and not drive me nuts, so I've left it alone since I installed it.
11 • Terminal Usage (by Otis on 2023-05-29 14:14:35 GMT from United States)
Interesting that only 2% of DW users do not use the terminal (poll numbers as of this writing). 98% of Linux distro users are terminal users? We're geeks! ;oD
12 • Cancerous linux (by Petey on 2023-05-29 14:37:39 GMT from United States)
In a way, the existence of Azure Linux proves Ballmer right as its certainly a metastasization of sorts. Btw, where's Ballmer these days? I mean aside from on a large, private island sipping 10am cocktails.
13 • Nonsensous (by Cubehead on 2023-05-29 15:32:24 GMT from Netherlands)
@12 • Cancerous linux (by Petey from United States)
"Btw, where's Ballmer these days? I mean aside from on a large, private island sipping 10am cocktails."
Ask Linus... he wouldn't be a millionaire without Ballmer. I guess they laugh together. ;)
@3 • Azure Linux (by Microsoft Enemy #1 from Brazil)
If anything should ever die, then please everything but Microsoft.
Microsoft made some of the best SW ever made, and their 15-20-year-old software beats every "AI miracle" up to date.
"When angry, count four. When very angry, swear... over Brazilian "Mastermind."" (Mark Twain)
14 • Azure Linux (by Tony on 2023-05-29 16:18:30 GMT from United States)
I wonder if the powers that be at Microsoft are paying Linus Torvalds for the right to use the Linux Kernel. It would only be appropriate to do so. After all Microsoft is a always do right company right?. They wouldn't use others creations for there benefit without compensation now would they?. Well of course they would. The powers at Linux command should do everything they can to keep Microsoft's dirty hands away from Linux. They could very well try to control or destroy Linux thru their involvement. It would not be surprising at all.
15 • @14 • Azure Linux (by Tony United States) (by Cubehead on 2023-05-29 17:02:49 GMT from Netherlands)
Microsoft is one of those responsible for why you still have Linux.Linux doesn't exist because of the "labor of love" or YOUR donation. ;)
16 • @14 - Linux only because of Microsoft (by Will on 2023-05-29 17:25:30 GMT from Spain)
This is a ridiculous, revisionist viewpoint. Linux exists in spite of Microsoft, not because of it. Anyone who lived computers in the 1990s knows this and doesn't get confused by the rhetorical labyrinth of modern media. I was using Linux and doing business with Redmond when Microsoft was engaging in no end of FUD against Linux and outright banning the use of ANY open source on its campuses. Sheesh, unless you mean that were it not for Microsoft's antagonist stance, Linux wouldn't have fared as well? That is surely debatable. Or perhaps you mean Microsoft's later contributions, in which case, I take it you mean Linux as it exists today, again debatable, although one shouldn't minimize their contributions. However, they are not alone in significant contributions and it's pretty pointless to speculate on tangentials such as this.
17 • Microsoft (by Dave Postles on 2023-05-29 17:27:44 GMT from United Kingdom)
Makes me laugh how all these people supporting MS and decrying Linux use the internet and WWW (something which left MS behind so that it had to leverage a place in a paltry web browser). I wonder also if they have stocks and shares invested through the NYSE or LSE. Do they buy from Amazon or use Google or have Android phones? Personally, I'll avoid MS as much as possible because (like Amazon, Google and Apple) it has aggressively avoided tax in my country so that we have a rapidly decaying NHS and local government services.
18 • @16 and @17 (by Cubehead on 2023-05-29 17:57:05 GMT from Netherlands)
Despite all your hurt "Linux religion" feelings, that's why you can use your Linux free of charge: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/about/members
They develop your OS, and they are kind enough to provide you with codecs, etc.
Even Apple still exists only because of Microsoft.
19 • Linux Tornworthx (by Cubehead on 2023-05-29 18:31:43 GMT from Netherlands)
...paid by a dozen hard-core DW wanna-bees...
https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-businessmen/linus-torvalds-net-worth/
"Linus Torvalds is a Finnish software engineer ["powered" by Facebook (Meta), IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, Alibaba, Amazon, AMD, Baidu, Google, Huawei...] who has a net worth of $50 million. Torvalds is probably best known for [being "powered" by Facebook (Meta), IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, Alibaba, Amazon, AMD, Baidu, Google, Huawei...] developing the Linux kernel [because of being "powered" by Facebook (Meta), IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, Alibaba, Amazon, AMD, Baidu, Google, Huawei...] which today [still plays no role except of in products of Facebook (Meta), IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, Alibaba, Amazon, AMD, Baidu, Google, Huawei...] powers billions of mobile phones via the Android [by Torvalds sponsor Google] operating system, in addition to the corporate computers of companies like Amazon, eBay, Google and PayPal. The word "Linux" is a stylized version of ["owned" by Facebook (Meta), IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, Alibaba, Amazon, AMD, Baidu, Google, Huawei...] his first name. He is known as ["owned" by Facebook (Meta), IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, Alibaba, Amazon, AMD, Baidu, Google, Huawei...] Linux's "benevolent dictator for life". He oversees and has final say [as long as Facebook (Meta), IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, Alibaba, Amazon, AMD, Baidu, Google, Huawei... pay] over every line of code to this day. The Linux Foundation pays Linus around $1.5 million [out of Facebook (Meta), IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, Alibaba, Amazon, AMD, Baidu, Google, Huawei... money] per year to support the [interessts of Facebook (Meta), IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, Alibaba, Amazon, AMD, Baidu, Google, Huawei...] software. The foundation has a $50 million operating budget to manage thousands of programmers worldwide who make around 80,000 code fixes and additions in a given year.
Outside of his work on Linux, Linus also created Git [owned by Microsoft], a distributed version control system. In addition, Torvald is recognized as the creator of Subsurface, a scuba dive logging and planning software.
For his contributions to the world of technology, Linus Torvalds was awarded the Millennium Technology Prize in 2012 by Technology Academy Finland [sponsored by Facebook (Meta), IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, Alibaba, Amazon, AMD, Baidu, Google, Huawei?..]. Linus has been celebrated for creating an open-source operating system [paid by Facebook (Meta), IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, Alibaba, Amazon, AMD, Baidu, Google, Huawei...], and he has won a number of additional awards over the years [given by Facebook (Meta), IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, Alibaba, Amazon, AMD, Baidu, Google, Huawei...]. Torvalds is still very active in [collecting money from Facebook (Meta), IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, Alibaba, Amazon, AMD, Baidu, Google, Huawei...] the modern era, and he continues to improve [because paid by Facebook (Meta), IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, Alibaba, Amazon, AMD, Baidu, Google, Huawei...] the Linux kernel while working on a number of additional projects [in hope to earn even more money from Facebook (Meta), IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, Alibaba, Amazon, AMD, Baidu, Google, Huawei...]."
https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-businessmen/linus-torvalds-net-worth/
Plus-minus; more plus then minus...
;)
20 • No colors. (by Bob on 2023-05-29 20:00:05 GMT from United States)
I always edit my ls alias to: alias ls='ls --color=never'
Same with inxi, I turn off ALL colors.
21 • Azure Linux (by Microsoft Enemy #1 on 2023-05-29 20:54:37 GMT from Brazil)
@19
So you think Linus Torvalds is too rich to be honest? Did you know that Tim Berners-Lee is also a millionaire? Does it turn him into somebody who got money by selling the WorldWide Web to Google, Apple, IBM, Intel, etc?
You talk of Linus Torvalds as if he was a "mercenary" being paid by the whole Big Tech industry, when in reality he only works for Red Hat, the main kernel contributor. It seems to me you're a "Windows troll", or simply have never read Richard Stallman's GNU General Public License. This legal document is the true reason why the existence of Azure Linux is possible.
Yes, Microsoft had not to "bribe" the creator of the Linux kernel. His salary comes from one of the most prominent Linux companies, not from a greedy corporate mob headquartered in Redmond.
22 • Torvalds + MS (by Friar Tux on 2023-05-29 21:18:53 GMT from Canada)
Not sure if you guys know, but...
https://itsfoss.com/linus-torvalds-to-join-microsoft/#:~:text=This%20is%20big.,the%20upcoming%20Windows%209%20project.
To me, it is a moot point. If you don't like Microsoft, then don't use it. If you don't like Linux, don't use it. Use what you feel is best for you. I use Linux because I found Windows 10 unusable, and invasive. I did, however, really like XP. But each to his own.
23 • Repetitiveness (by MrSheeple on 2023-05-30 00:05:03 GMT from Australia)
Just some constructive observation about this forum.
Instead of everyone talking about the same subject matter as discussed in the opinion poll, why not use this opportunity of the forum to discuss about things or ask questions about Linux that you really want to, instead of just repeating the same talking points as everyone else?
8 posts about terminal colors....really? That is the most pressing issues everyone wants to talk about here?
It's a sad state of affairs when really interesting issues are sidelined such as package management, kernals, hardware support, wayland and xorg, rolling vs stable releases.
We can talk about anything, but ok, let's talk about color terminals......zzzzzzzzz
24 • Offtopic for 23 (by Bob on 2023-05-30 01:23:03 GMT from United States)
@22 "I did, however, really like XP."
XP. I still have one...offline, of course. I use it daily.
25 • Microsoft (by Charlie on 2023-05-30 01:46:05 GMT from Hong Kong)
@19
I must remind you that it's GitHub which is owned by Microsoft, not Git itself. Git isn't OWNED by anyone, like Linux.
That said, despite the FUD tactics from MS to Linux, that I hate in the Y2K period. I am cautiously optimistic to what have happened between MS and Linux nowadays. MS does not rely on desktop businesses anymore but shift their focus to cloud. To them, Linux is now a tool to make money instead of a threat. After all, business is business, its contribution should also be welcomed unless it breaches any terms of GPL and other open source licenses.
26 • Big-Tech (by Cubehead on 2023-05-30 04:58:20 GMT from Netherlands)
@21 Kind of: "Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are more pliable." (Mark Twain)
The usual way it works is that someone has a creative, innovative, noble, etc. idea, and at some point, either one turns into a paid "mercenary" or one moves on and concentrates on another "hobby."
I indeed never heard of a StallmanOS full-working desktop, and if there were one, it would probably miss all the things people need and use every day. The GNU General Public License is not what makes Azure Linux possible; it's Facebook (Meta), IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, Alibaba, Amazon, AMD, Baidu, Google, Huawei, etc. sharing the same interests.
https://www.linuxfoundation.org/about/members makes it possible, not the RS's GNU license.
"AFAIK, FreeBSD is making use of clang and Grand Central Dispatch, both of which were Apple-funded and released under a compatible license."
https://forums.freebsd.org/threads/freebsd-and-apple-connection.41109/
Or Apple CUPS... "The CUPS project was founded by Michael Sweet." "Then Apple bought his company and hired him."
https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/jbzd85/cups_has_been_forked_after_apple_supplied_only/
Even Mozilla (Firefox) is depending on Baidu, Google, Yahoo (MS), and Yandex...
@25 "To them (MS), Linux is now a tool to make money instead of a threat. After all, business is business..."
"MS does not rely on desktop businesses anymore but shift their focus to cloud."
Yes and no. While MS makes the most money with cloud services, Office is also a cloud service in the meantime, and Windows is running on 2/3 of all PCs that use those services. MS still makes money by licensing it to HW manufacturers.
@22 April fool jokes about LT and MS aside, in @13 I didn't even refer to OS made by MS, but actually "Microsoft made some of the best SW ever made." The whole planet is relying not only on Windows or Office but also on Visual Studio and some other stuff.
A couple of days ago, someone passed by with four lake images that no modern SW could stitch together well enough. An old and discontinued Microsoft Research program (ICE) did it in a matter of seconds. A great lake view panaroma where the water looks like water...
27 • You got me trolls (by Matt on 2023-05-30 05:04:57 GMT from United States)
The claims are that Microsoft is the reason we have Linux, Microsoft was "kind enough" to give us codecs, Microsoft is the reason Apple exists, and Microsoft has made some of the greatest software in history that puts all modern AI to shame. It is all quite absurd, of course.
I assume you are just trolling for a response, so here is mine:
1. Microsoft is not "kind". They generally treat end users as ignorant rubes who will do whatever they want them to do, and pay them money for it. They have a history of forcing customers to use their products through agreements with OEMs and bundling. Remember Internet Explorer antitrust lawsuit? Ever try installing Windows 11 without a Microsoft account? Anything Microsoft wants to push becomes part of WIndows, and you can't buy a PC from an OEM without it. What the customer wants is secondary to what Microsoft wants.
2. Microsoft has made some of the worst software in history. I know, because I was forced to use WindowsME a long time ago. I agree that Microsoft is in part responsible for the existence of Linux. Not because they donated money or code to Linux, but because they have alienated so many customers who are willing to do anything possible to break free of Microsoft's grip.
3. Microsoft does not embrace open source or standards. Instead, they try to force everyone to use whatever garbage they create. Examples: TNEF email attachments. MS Office file formats. Fonts. WIndows media format.
I do not think Microsoft is in any way charitable. They exist to make a profit of course, but they have a long history of profiting through strong arm tactics and treating end users with disdain. Microsoft is a terrible company and I would not shed a tear if they imploded and went bankrupt.
28 • @27 • You got me trolls (by Matt from United States) (by Cubehead on 2023-05-30 05:30:18 GMT from Netherlands)
Either you missed understanding what "troll" means or reality left you behind. Your choice.
What you missed here is that that's how capitalism works. Every company does care only for their own profits, and that's how you profit.
If they didn't make the profit, there would be no research and nobody to give you your "free" code.
"Today, Torvalds has contributed approximately 2% of the Linux kernel code. This is one of the largest contributions of any individual, although others are now stepping in to play a more central role. Torvalds has admitted that he doesn't do much programming anymore for Linux..."
https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-businessmen/linus-torvalds-net-worth/
Where "others" are Facebook (Meta), IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, Alibaba, Amazon, AMD, Baidu, Google, Huawei, etc.
https://www.linuxfoundation.org/about/members
29 • Auxtral (by Jim on 2023-05-30 10:02:35 GMT from United States)
Auxtral takes you to Sourceforge, but no link to download is there. They need to fix the link.
30 • MS, Linux, licencing... (by Kazlu on 2023-05-30 10:21:58 GMT from France)
Money certainly fuels Linux like many things, mostly money coming from big companies, but that does not necessarily mean that it's a bad thing. There is a huge difference between a piece of software developed and provided by *one* company looking for profit, and a piece of software funded by *dozens* of companies looking for profit (none of which having the legal power to steer the project on its own).
This is speculation at this stage, but what if a future version of Windows was actually based on GNU/Linux, with Microsoft's closed source user software on it (Office, Visual Studio, Teams, etc.) and sold for a price like Red Hat or Oracle Linux? Would that be good or bad? I cannot decide. I suppose it would help a lot other GNU/Linux users since third party software would be easier to install on a distribution that is not Windows (hello, gamers). Also, workers having to work on Windows might have a more robust OS. I can definitely see Microsoft trying to take over the Linux kernel development and other GNU software, but how could they, when they have competitors like Google, Amazon, etc. playing in the same category and that would not let it happen?
Look at the web browsers' situation: Chromium based browsers are becoming dominant, leaving Firefox and Safari based browsers on small islands. Chromium is open source... but controlled by Google only. Linux is not in that case and I doubt even Microsoft could buy all the pieces of software that make a GNU OS... I might be wrong, but can this actually be good, for once?
31 • Auxtral OS (by Albert on 2023-05-30 12:33:17 GMT from United States)
@29: I've just checked what you posted and could see that at this very moment you can download the Cinnamon and the Mate versions only -which were modified only 30 and 10 minutes ago respectively. I guess that the Budgie, Plasma and Xfce versions might be updated soon.
Personally -having read the information provided in the website- didn't find it interesting enough to me and I decided to wait for the launch of Debian 12 which will be just in a matter of days only: 2023-06-10
32 • @28 - trolling, trolling, trolling, yeehah (by Will on 2023-05-30 13:26:00 GMT from Spain)
Cubehead is trolling for sure. It's too bad too, cuz there's plenty of merit to discuss in the Linux and Microsoft realm. Silly wabbit, trix are for kidz.
33 • Big Tech and Linux (by Microsoft Enemy #1 on 2023-05-30 14:08:04 GMT from Brazil)
@28
" What you missed here is that that's how capitalism works. Every company does care only for their own profits, and that's how you profit. "
" If they didn't make the profit, there would be no research and nobody to give you your "free" code. "
This is a ridiculous statement, since Free/Libre and Open-Sorce Software existed MUCH TIME BEFORE the always greedy Big Tech managers started to embrace it and try to profit with it. Do you remember when Red Hat became a profitable Linux company? It just CONTINUED to release their "free" software as they did before, thanks to the GPL. The only radical change was the company's focus, from "community-driven development" to "business-driven development".
What's the problem with making money out of Linux, if there is no express prohibition in the GPL? Red Hat is a "relatively fair" company, not an immitation of Microsoft. It didn't hire Linus Torvals to take full control of the Linux kernel development.
------------------------------------------
@30
" I suppose it would help a lot other GNU/Linux users since third party software would be easier to install on a distribution that is not Windows (hello, gamers). "
No matter whether an eventual "Microsoft Desktop Linux" could make things easier for the average Joe and Jane who use computers at home/work, they would still have to UPGRADE their hardware frequently, just as they had to do to use Win98, then WinXP, then Win7, then Win10, then Win11. With Linux, they can continue to use ANY hardware, from a modest Intel Pentium 4 to a powerful AMD Ryzen 7.
As for gamers... In the whole world, that's a very small community, even among those who use Windows exclusively. In my country, the vast majority of computer users are casual gamers that only need a Web browser to play some lightweight Java game online. Many of them don't even have a "gaming-grade" graphics card. And there are thousands of poor people in Brazil still using Windows 7 because they had no money to make the switch to Windows 10, let alone Windows 11...
" I can definitely see Microsoft trying to take over the Linux kernel development and other GNU software "
I also believe they wanna do it. And if it ever happen, I will join the BSD community and never again touch Linux. By the way, my two PCs are home-built and have a hardware 100% compatible with GhostBSD, which I'm starting to play with just for fun. Maybe Distrowatch's Jesse Smith should explore the BSDs a little bit more in his reviews.
34 • Redmond is looking for new lands to pillage... (by tom joad on 2023-05-30 15:02:56 GMT from Norway)
I used Windows for years, mostly because I didn't know any better and partly because I was in a rut and lazy.
But over time Redmond wore out its welcome with me. I moved to Linux and never, ever looked back.
If the Redmond folks want to come over here to try to work their 'MAGIC'...fine. All of us know the folks in Redmond DO NOT play well with others.Their shenanigans won't play well over here.
However, if they produce a good product that folks like, find useful and use...good. Otherwise their stuff will be kicked to curb as we do here.
Linux folks are an independent minded lot and given to being cantankerous too. Microsoft is into dominion. This could be interesting.
35 • @33 • Just can't get it (by Microsoft Enemy #1 from Brazil) (by Cubehead on 2023-05-30 15:05:06 GMT from Netherlands)
@32 • @28 - trolling, trolling, trolling, yeehah (by Will from VPN)
As I told you, either you misunderstand what "troll" means or reality has left you behind. Your choice.
The definition of "troll" clearly states that you either can't or do it on purpose—both turn into your disadvantage. ;)
@33 • Big Tech and Linux (by Microsoft Enemy #1 from Brazil)
Brain Enemy #1? ;)
Red Hat is owned by IBM. If they didn't have a GPL license, they would make BE #1 license—as long as it fit their interests. They join if it suits them, or they would create another license. ;)
The big companies continue releasing the software under any license that suits them, and you can take it or leave it and become a BSD-ghost. ;)
And... neither you understood my writing about "Microsoft made some of the best SW ever made," nor you were able to understand the sentence "Currently, the Linux Foundation sponsors Torvalds as he works full-time on improving Linux."
(Linux Foundation sponsor === https://www.linuxfoundation.org/about/members) ;)
Maybe use Deepl Translate next time? ;)
Sooner you go, better—you'll become one of those 1% of 1% of 1% of 1% of 1% of "ghosts". ;)
As for the rest... the gamer community might be small, but thousands of times bigger than the "Linux religios fanatics on DW," which make not a 1% of 1% of 1%, while every third German is a (more or less) "gamer."
For your country, Linux is perfect, as that's the only thing that it can do—give you a free OS with a web browser that stays for days or weeks unpatched. ;)
No, Microsoft doesn't want to take over the kernel development, and if you believe that, then you are not only a "religious fanatic," but plain stupid. That would just cost them extra money, which they try to avoid by joining such "joint ventures," like being one of the biggest donors to the Linux Foundation. ;)
36 • @34 • (by tom joad, today from Norway) (by Cubehead on 2023-05-30 15:14:28 GMT from Netherlands)
The simple things are simple: your disadvantage is someone else's advantage.
You can preach "they know where you are" if the localization service runs, but the other guy tells you, "That's fine for me; I click the button and the Uber waits on me in front of my doors." ;)
To each her own—just don't preach!
37 • @33 • by Microsoft Enemy #1 from Brazil (by Cubehead on 2023-05-30 16:36:31 GMT from Netherlands)
"And there are thousands of poor people in Brazil still using Windows 7 because they had no money to make the switch to Windows 10, let alone Windows 11..."
Everybody... ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY with a legal Windows 7 license can upgrade to a Windows 10 or 11 as of today!
38 • @37 Win7 to Win10/11 (by Kazlu on 2023-05-31 08:13:44 GMT from France)
"Everybody... ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY with a legal Windows 7 license can upgrade to a Windows 10 or 11 as of today! "
No, everybody cannot. If it is true that it is *technically* possible to upgrade from Win7 to Win10, it takes some tinkering and knowledge. Easy enough when you know your way around computers, but the vast majority of people do not know how to do that and would be afraid to try because they might screw their computer and be left with nothing to work with. Win11? That is even worse!
39 • Win 7 to Win10/11 (by Dave Postles on 2023-05-31 09:06:03 GMT from United Kingdom)
I think they'll find that a PC which came with Win7 will not enough sufficient RAM to run 10/11 except sluggishly. My partner had a PC with Win7 with 2Mb RAM. She bought a new PC with 11 with more RAM. I took her old one, added 2Gb RAM, and ran MX on it. She had heard so many stories of upgrades that went awry that she didn't want to risk it. Later, I needed more space so I gave away the PC with PCLinuxOS to a single-parent family.
40 • Ballmer the embalmer and assorted FUD. (by Gordy on 2023-05-31 12:04:09 GMT from United States)
Good gracious! Here we go again. FUD is a two-way street.
Ballmer: The 2011 rant about Linux came about due to a misreading of the GPL. He believed that anything to which Linux attached had to become open-source, thus the "cancer" epithet. It turned out to be quite different. Linux and proprietary software got along quite beautifully. Ballmer acknowledged this in 2016. Since then, Microsoft has been an active user and promoter of Linux.
MS wants to take over Linux: Really! Why try to take over something which is available to you free and unlimited? MS gets the benefit of countless souls working away on open-source, creating software that they can adapt, clone or use as is. Why bring it in-house where you have to pay every developer and provide the infrastructure? Greed? I think it was Ballmer who said that the second most used desktop software is pirated Windows. Yet MS makes little effort to go after the pirates, except for some rather large and blatant ones. MS also makes little effort to make Windows harder to pirate. Yes, it's very easy, easier than learning to install Linux. Antone who has lived in Asia knows.
MS Linux. Windows has had the Linux subsystem available now for quite a while. No one has taken over anything. There is also a misconception among DW users that they represent the bulk of Linux use. In fact, the GNU/Linux desktop is a very small part of the Linux ecosystem, and in turn desktop Linux is a very small part of PC desktop use. A commenter here has said that it's the 1 percent of the 1 percent. He's right. It's as if Microsoft owned most of the world, but kept fighting greedily for a piece the size of Andorra. Not likely.
Linus Torvalds : He gets a comfortable and well-earned salary from the Linux Foundation. The LF is int urn funded by members. The 14 largest (Platinum) contributors are large corporations, Including, MS. Intel, Huawei, Red Hat (IBM), et al. Is anyone under the impression that Linux is funded by little contributions from grateful users?
It's about apps: Case in point: Huawei was on its way to dwarf Samsung and Apple in Smartphone sales. Then they got kicked out of the Google ecosystem. Outside of China they can't give their phones away. The Huawei in-house apps won't do. The GPL is a wonderful thing. It's in great part responsible for the variety and plenty that we desktop-Linux users enjoy. But it also makes it extremely difficult to monetize software directly. Developers need to eat and feed their families. Until that changes, proprietary software will rule the day, and desktop Linux will be just a small part. And please don't tell me about Wine. But there's nothing wrong with the Linux desktop market share. Grow or perish is not necessary in open-source.
@38, @39, It is a lot simpler to upgrade from 7 or 10 than to install Linux. I've done it many times. Not everyone can upgrade, but if the hardware can handle it, it's quite simple, just skip entering a key. Don't know if that's still available though. I run 32 Bit Win 10 and 64 Bit Win 11 VMs which were upgraded from 7.
41 • @38 • @37 Win7 to Win10/11 (by Kazlu from France) (by Cubehead on 2023-05-31 16:49:34 GMT from Netherlands)
"No, everybody cannot. If it is true that it is *technically* possible to upgrade from Win7 to Win10, it takes some tinkering and knowledge. Easy enough when you know your way around computers, but the vast majority of people do not know how to do that..."
"Tinkering and knowledge" were not necessary, but some preferred to call it "nag-screen."
https://www.computerworld.com/article/2993131/disable-windows-10-upgrade-nagware-on-windows-7-windows-81-computers.html
https://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-how-you-can-still-get-a-free-windows-10-upgrade/
42 • MS & Linux (by José Augusto on 2023-05-31 18:52:10 GMT from Brazil)
Would anyone please inform to me the repositories for the instalation of MS Office for linux? As far as it does not exist, MS is still MS. To paraphrase Jean Meslier, without fear of being happy, "human beings will only be free when the last Microsoft software is hanged in the code of the last moribund Apple software"
43 • @42 • MS & Linux (by José Augusto from Brazil) (by Cubehead on 2023-05-31 19:37:07 GMT from Netherlands)
P.S.
BTW, Windows 10 was always (almost) freeware—if you installed it without a license, it would continue working forever; the only thing that stops working is the customization—after 30 days.
And MS Office... you get a free MS Office light if you have a free Outlook account.
Not all functionality, but all that an average Joe or Jane needs.
No need for a repository—just a free account. ;)
44 • some people prefer freedom over "free" (by Matt on 2023-05-31 20:42:40 GMT from United States)
I pay for my email service. I don't have a "free" account, because of all the strings attached to "free".
I use LibreOffice and have donated money to support its development. I'd rather do that than use Office 365 for "free".
The only way I have used Windows in the last 15 years or so is confined to a virtual machine in order to accomplish some specific task of very limited duration.
I would not care if Windows were always "free". You could not pay me money to use it.
Maybe there is a Microsoft employee here trying to convince the readers of Distrowatch how great the company is. You are fighting a losing battle. Very few people who know anything about Linux will ever agree that Microsoft is some benevolent big brother we should all love. It is the 1984 kind of big brother that everyone should stay far away from.
45 • @42, MS & Linux (by Gordy on 2023-06-01 00:11:54 GMT from United States)
"Would anyone please inform to me the repositories for the instalation of MS Office for linux?" Don't know what you'll install it on, since it's not a desktop distro. It's a container host for the cloud. However, the source code is on GitHub.
https://github.com/microsoft/CBL-Mariner
46 • @44, Free freedom (by RobertR on 2023-06-01 01:47:59 GMT from United States)
Conspiracy theories may be fun, but they are just that. Microsoft is no benevolent big brother, or any big brother at all. They fund Linux, along with other corporations purely out of self-interest. Linux is a benefit to them and their shareholders. I take it you never read "1984".
47 • @44 • some people prefer freedom over "free" (by Matt from United States) (by Cubehead on 2023-06-01 14:28:19 GMT from Netherlands)
"I pay... I use... I would..."
One "eye" against billion plus "eye's" is 1% of 1% of 1% of 1% minus. 😉
Just because you do not need it does not mean that others have no use for it.Occasionally, it is worthwhile to take a look beyond your own nose. 😉
What you call "freedom," billions would call HandycapOS. 😉
You use some half-working stuff because there's no other choice left—you are "forced." 😉
48 • Azure Linux (by PhantomTramp on 2023-06-02 18:44:21 GMT from United States)
All I want to know is, does it give you an azure screen when it crashes?
The Tramp
Number of Comments: 48
Display mode: DWW Only • Comments Only • Both DWW and Comments
| | |
| 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 |
| • Ussye 1118 (2025-04-21): Fedora 42, strange characters in Vim, Nitrux introduces new package tools, Fedora extends reproducibility efforts, PINE64 updates multiple devices running Debian |
| • Issue 1117 (2025-04-14): Shebang 25.0, EndeavourOS 2025.03.19, running applications from other distros on the desktop, Debian gets APT upgrade, Mint introduces OEM options for LMDE, postmarketOS packages GNOME 48 and COSMIC, Redox testing USB support |
| • Issue 1116 (2025-04-07): The Sense HAT, Android and mobile operating systems, FreeBSD improves on laptops, openSUSE publishes many new updates, Fedora appoints new Project Leader, UBports testing VoLTE |
| • Issue 1115 (2025-03-31): GrapheneOS 2025, the rise of portable package formats, MidnightBSD and openSUSE experiment with new package management features, Plank dock reborn, key infrastructure projects lose funding, postmarketOS to focus on reliability |
| • Issue 1114 (2025-03-24): Bazzite 41, checking which processes are writing to disk, Rocky unveils new Hardened branch, GNOME 48 released, generating images for the Raspberry Pi |
| • Issue 1113 (2025-03-17): MocaccinoOS 1.8.1, how to contribute to open source, Murena extends on-line installer, Garuda tests COSMIC edition, Ubuntu to replace coreutils with Rust alternatives, Chimera Linux drops RISC-V builds |
| • Issue 1112 (2025-03-10): Solus 4.7, distros which work with Secure Boot, UBports publishes bug fix, postmarketOS considers a new name, Debian running on Android |
| • Issue 1111 (2025-03-03): Orbitiny 0.01, the effect of Ubuntu Core Desktop, Gentoo offers disk images, elementary OS invites feature ideas, FreeBSD starts PinePhone Pro port, Mint warns of upcoming Firefox issue |
| • Issue 1110 (2025-02-24): iodeOS 6.0, learning to program, Arch retiring old repositories, openSUSE makes progress on reproducible builds, Fedora is getting more serious about open hardware, Tails changes its install instructions to offer better privacy, Murena's de-Googled tablet goes on sale |
| • Issue 1109 (2025-02-17): Rhino Linux 2025.1, MX Linux 23.5 with Xfce 4.20, replacing X.Org tools with Wayland tools, GhostBSD moving its base to FreeBSD -RELEASE, Redox stabilizes its ABI, UBports testing 24.04, Asahi changing its leadership, OBS in dispute with Fedora |
| • Issue 1108 (2025-02-10): Serpent OS 0.24.6, Aurora, sharing swap between distros, Peppermint tries Void base, GTK removinglegacy technologies, Red Hat plans more AI tools for Fedora, TrueNAS merges its editions |
| • Issue 1107 (2025-02-03): siduction 2024.1.0, timing tasks, Lomiri ported to postmarketOS, Alpine joins Open Collective, a new desktop for Linux called Orbitiny |
| • Issue 1106 (2025-01-27): Adelie Linux 1.0 Beta 6, Pop!_OS 24.04 Alpha 5, detecting whether a process is inside a virtual machine, drawing graphics to NetBSD terminal, Nix ported to FreeBSD, GhostBSD hosting desktop conference |
| • Issue 1105 (2025-01-20): CentOS 10 Stream, old Flatpak bundles in software centres, Haiku ports Iceweasel, Oracle shows off debugging tools, rsync vulnerability patched |
| • Issue 1104 (2025-01-13): DAT Linux 2.0, Silly things to do with a minimal computer, Budgie prepares Wayland only releases, SteamOS coming to third-party devices, Murena upgrades its base |
| • Issue 1103 (2025-01-06): elementary OS 8.0, filtering ads with Pi-hole, Debian testing its installer, Pop!_OS faces delays, Ubuntu Studio upgrades not working, Absolute discontinued |
| • Issue 1102 (2024-12-23): Best distros of 2024, changing a process name, Fedora to expand Btrfs support and releases Asahi Remix 41, openSUSE patches out security sandbox and donations from Bottles while ending support for Leap 15.5 |
| • Issue 1101 (2024-12-16): GhostBSD 24.10.1, sending attachments from the command line, openSUSE shows off GPU assignment tool, UBports publishes security update, Murena launches its first tablet, Xfce 4.20 released |
| • Issue 1100 (2024-12-09): Oreon 9.3, differences in speed, IPFire's new appliance, Fedora Asahi Remix gets new video drivers, openSUSE Leap Micro updated, Redox OS running Redox OS |
| • Issue 1099 (2024-12-02): AnduinOS 1.0.1, measuring RAM usage, SUSE continues rebranding efforts, UBports prepares for next major version, Murena offering non-NFC phone |
| • Issue 1098 (2024-11-25): Linux Lite 7.2, backing up specific folders, Murena and Fairphone partner in fair trade deal, Arch installer gets new text interface, Ubuntu security tool patched |
| • Issue 1097 (2024-11-18): Chimera Linux vs Chimera OS, choosing between AlmaLinux and Debian, Fedora elevates KDE spin to an edition, Fedora previews new installer, KDE testing its own distro, Qubes-style isolation coming to FreeBSD |
| • Issue 1096 (2024-11-11): Bazzite 40, Playtron OS Alpha 1, Tucana Linux 3.1, detecting Screen sessions, Redox imports COSMIC software centre, FreeBSD booting on the PinePhone Pro, LXQt supports Wayland window managers |
| • Issue 1095 (2024-11-04): Fedora 41 Kinoite, transferring applications between computers, openSUSE Tumbleweed receives multiple upgrades, Ubuntu testing compiler optimizations, Mint partners with Framework |
| • Issue 1094 (2024-10-28): DebLight OS 1, backing up crontab, AlmaLinux introduces Litten branch, openSUSE unveils refreshed look, Ubuntu turns 20
| | • Issue 1093 (2024-10-21): Kubuntu 24.10, atomic vs immutable distributions, Debian upgrading Perl packages, UBports adding VoLTE support, Android to gain native GNU/Linux application support |
| • Issue 1092 (2024-10-14): FunOS 24.04.1, a home directory inside a file, work starts of openSUSE Leap 16.0, improvements in Haiku, KDE neon upgrades its base |
| • Issue 1091 (2024-10-07): Redox OS 0.9.0, Unified package management vs universal package formats, Redox begins RISC-V port, Mint polishes interface, Qubes certifies new laptop |
| • Issue 1090 (2024-09-30): Rhino Linux 2024.2, commercial distros with alternative desktops, Valve seeks to improve Wayland performance, HardenedBSD parterns with Protectli, Tails merges with Tor Project, Quantum Leap partners with the FreeBSD Foundation |
| • Issue 1089 (2024-09-23): Expirion 6.0, openKylin 2.0, managing configuration files, the future of Linux development, fixing bugs in Haiku, Slackware packages dracut |
| • Issue 1088 (2024-09-16): PorteuX 1.6, migrating from Windows 10 to which Linux distro, making NetBSD immutable, AlmaLinux offers hardware certification, Mint updates old APT tools |
| • Issue 1087 (2024-09-09): COSMIC desktop, running cron jobs at variable times, UBports highlights new apps, HardenedBSD offers work around for FreeBSD change, Debian considers how to cull old packages, systemd ported to musl |
| • Issue 1086 (2024-09-02): Vanilla OS 2, command line tips for simple tasks, FreeBSD receives investment from STF, openSUSE Tumbleweed update can break network connections, Debian refreshes media |
| • Issue 1085 (2024-08-26): Nobara 40, OpenMandriva 24.07 "ROME", distros which include source code, FreeBSD publishes quarterly report, Microsoft updates breaks Linux in dual-boot environments |
| • Issue 1084 (2024-08-19): Liya 2.0, dual boot with encryption, Haiku introduces performance improvements, Gentoo dropping IA-64, Redcore merges major upgrade |
| • Issue 1083 (2024-08-12): TrueNAS 24.04.2 "SCALE", Linux distros for smartphones, Redox OS introduces web server, PipeWire exposes battery drain on Linux, Canonical updates kernel version policy |
| • Issue 1082 (2024-08-05): Linux Mint 22, taking snapshots of UFS on FreeBSD, openSUSE updates Tumbleweed and Aeon, Debian creates Tiny QA Tasks, Manjaro testing immutable images |
| • Issue 1081 (2024-07-29): SysLinuxOS 12.4, OpenBSD gain hardware acceleration, Slackware changes kernel naming, Mint publishes upgrade instructions |
| • Issue 1080 (2024-07-22): Running GNU/Linux on Android with Andronix, protecting network services, Solus dropping AppArmor and Snap, openSUSE Aeon Desktop gaining full disk encryption, SUSE asks openSUSE to change its branding |
| • Issue 1079 (2024-07-15): Ubuntu Core 24, hiding files on Linux, Fedora dropping X11 packages on Workstation, Red Hat phasing out GRUB, new OpenSSH vulnerability, FreeBSD speeds up release cycle, UBports testing new first-run wizard |
| • Issue 1078 (2024-07-08): Changing init software, server machines running desktop environments, OpenSSH vulnerability patched, Peppermint launches new edition, HardenedBSD updates ports |
| • Issue 1077 (2024-07-01): The Unity and Lomiri interfaces, different distros for different tasks, Ubuntu plans to run Wayland on NVIDIA cards, openSUSE updates Leap Micro, Debian releases refreshed media, UBports gaining contact synchronisation, FreeDOS celebrates its 30th anniversary |
| • Issue 1076 (2024-06-24): openSUSE 15.6, what makes Linux unique, SUSE Liberty Linux to support CentOS Linux 7, SLE receives 19 years of support, openSUSE testing Leap Micro edition |
| • Issue 1075 (2024-06-17): Redox OS, X11 and Wayland on the BSDs, AlmaLinux releases Pi build, Canonical announces RISC-V laptop with Ubuntu, key changes in systemd |
| • Issue 1074 (2024-06-10): Endless OS 6.0.0, distros with init diversity, Mint to filter unverified Flatpaks, Debian adds systemd-boot options, Redox adopts COSMIC desktop, OpenSSH gains new security features |
| • Issue 1073 (2024-06-03): LXQt 2.0.0, an overview of Linux desktop environments, Canonical partners with Milk-V, openSUSE introduces new features in Aeon Desktop, Fedora mirrors see rise in traffic, Wayland adds OpenBSD support |
| • Issue 1072 (2024-05-27): Manjaro 24.0, comparing init software, OpenBSD ports Plasma 6, Arch community debates mirror requirements, ThinOS to upgrade its FreeBSD core |
| • Issue 1071 (2024-05-20): Archcraft 2024.04.06, common command line mistakes, ReactOS imports WINE improvements, Haiku makes adjusting themes easier, NetBSD takes a stand against code generated by chatbots |
| • Issue 1070 (2024-05-13): Damn Small Linux 2024, hiding kernel messages during boot, Red Hat offers AI edition, new web browser for UBports, Fedora Asahi Remix 40 released, Qubes extends support for version 4.1 |
| • Issue 1069 (2024-05-06): Ubuntu 24.04, installing packages in alternative locations, systemd creates sudo alternative, Mint encourages XApps collaboration, FreeBSD publishes quarterly update |
| • Issue 1068 (2024-04-29): Fedora 40, transforming one distro into another, Debian elects new Project Leader, Red Hat extends support cycle, Emmabuntus adds accessibility features, Canonical's new security features |
| • Issue 1067 (2024-04-22): LocalSend for transferring files, detecting supported CPU architecure levels, new visual design for APT, Fedora and openSUSE working on reproducible builds, LXQt released, AlmaLinux re-adds hardware support |
| • Full list of all issues |
| 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 | 
PAIPIX
PAIPIX was a compilation of free software, based on Debian Live, that was meant to be used in any environment, but with special vocation for educational use in the information and instrumentation technologies. It was developed by the College of Sciences at the University of Lisbon.
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.
|
|
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
