 DistroWatch Weekly |
| 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$109) |
|
|
|
 bc1qxes3k2wq3uqzr074tkwwjmwfe63z70gwzfu4lx  lnurl1dp68gurn8ghj7ampd3kx2ar0veekzar0wd5xjtnrdakj7tnhv4kxctttdehhwm30d3h82unvwqhhxarpw3jkc7tzw4ex6cfexyfua2nr  86fA3qPTeQtNb2k1vLwEQaAp3XxkvvvXt69gSG5LGunXXikK9koPWZaRQgfFPBPWhMgXjPjccy9LA9xRFchPWQAnPvxh5Le paypal.me/distrowatchweekly • patreon.com/distrowatch |
|
| Extended Lifecycle Support by TuxCare |
|
|
| Reader Comments • Jump to last comment |
1 • File overwrite protection (by Otis on 2023-08-07 00:56:50 GMT from United States)
In my 25 years of using Linux I've not yet had occasion to fret about files being overwritten. If a file is overwritten it is because I've intentionally done that.
2 • File protection, Peppermint (by Andy Prough on 2023-08-07 02:39:23 GMT from United States)
I protect config files by simply backing them up. I run into this frequently as a DWM user - anytime you patch DWM the config.def.h and dwm.c files will be overwritten, so in the event that an attempted patch fails you may want to revert back to your backup copies of those files. When running the 'make' command, config.def.h overwrites config.h, so once again you may want to backup your version of config.h.
On Peppermint, my experience was better than the reviewer's. I tried Peppermint a few months ago for the first time, and I used the Devuan edition. I'm not sure why you would want to use a Debian version with bloated systemd for a minimal distro, but whatever. I disagree with the reviewer in that on a minimal distro I definitely do NOT want flatpaks and snapd setup by default, as I won't be planning to use them.
And the Appimagehub issue with poorly maintained packages is Appimagehub's fault, not Peppermint's. If that were the criteria for inclusion then no one should ever use flathub or the snap store or even the AUR either, as they all have their fair share of poorly maintained packages. Personally I wouldn't include any of these hubs and stores with their massively bloated package installations on a minimal distro, but that's just me.
3 • PeppermintOS (by Old One on 2023-08-07 05:39:12 GMT from Thailand)
I agree with Andy above
I have been using PeppermintOS , presently >Devuan, for about 11 months, nearly daily, and I had no issues.
It's fast and snappy. I use it mainly for music listening and piano learning and playing.
Besides my 8 year young Acer Desktop, I also have it installed on my two 17 year old Compaq laptops.
Also 3 member in my family have it on their 15-> 20 year old laptop with 1 only 2 Gb memory.
No one has complaints.
And on the forum, your questions are quickly replied to.
4 • Peppermint (by GrumpyGranpa on 2023-08-07 05:53:32 GMT from Australia)
I have run Peppermint Devuan for sometime. My only issues is that I really do not like xfce. I've ripped it out and installed lxde, but, it would be nice if there was a net install option made available whereby we can choose our desktop.
I use Peppermint due to the Calamares installer which is a pleasure to use. Devuan ships with its horrendous archaic installer that usually never works first time, especially partitioning.
I usually remove all the Peppermint branding and take it back to as pure Devuan as possible.
Seems like lot of work, but until Devuan gets its act together and switches to Calamares, what else is a man to do?
5 • Devuan Installer, alternative to painful setup (by Hank on 2023-08-07 06:28:01 GMT from Austria)
I agree on devuan installer, it is a horrible pain to use. Had to pre setup partitions using GParted before being able to install.
Until Devuan gets its act together and switches to Calamares, what else is a man to do?
This greybeard man who is not a fan of the system D built up a customized antiX running from a USB stick, using included remaster and live cloning of running system to a second stick until everything
was working as wanted then installed the custom setup which worked perfectly from day 1.
The usb stick is also my backup as well as a fully customized system with a choice of a recent and a legacy kernel. I carry the stick and have found it can boot and be useful many other devices with same arch. i.e. 64 bit. That included some very recent systems.
6 • Pep/Devu/MX/etc (by Sondar on 2023-08-07 07:32:52 GMT from United Kingdom)
Peppermint review was very helpful; tried it some years back - hadn't realised the passing of author. Echo the sentiments of others - do not want Flatties, sysD, snappies and co. Do like Xfce, though. Have been using Mint for many years but it has become too bloated and enamored with unnecessary tat. Will probably settle for MX despite the prospect of having to swap 20+yrs of files/data/etc and confront major reorganisation of default desktop. EASY on USB serves well for simple/transient tasks.
7 • @4 @5 Devuan Installer (by DaveT on 2023-08-07 08:36:00 GMT from United Kingdom)
Never had any problems with the Devuan installer.
Equally I am now so old I've been installing Debian and now Devuan using 'expert install' for literally decades!
Apple computers sometimes need GParted to make it play nicely before a Devuan install, but again, it never causes any problems, just a few extra steps.
8 • Peppermint (by Hoos on 2023-08-07 09:14:17 GMT from Singapore)
I haven't run Peppermint in ages, but my first thought when reading the featured review about snapd or flatpak not being preinstalled was simply that the developers were giving the user the freedom to choose what portable app format, if at all, they want on their system.
9 • @5 - alternative installers (by Uncle Slacky on 2023-08-07 09:22:09 GMT from France)
There's also the Refracta installer (also an option on EXE GNU/Linux as well):
https://refracta.org/docs/readme.refractainstaller.txt
10 • File overwrite protection (by Anthony on 2023-08-07 10:41:19 GMT from Czechia)
Since I use my own computer with no other (non-system) users, if I need to overwrite-protect a file, then setting its rights to 0600 is sufficient (by the way, my default umask is 0077), and if I do need to change the file, I can temporarily set it back to 0600. I also used chattr and the *i*mmutable option, probably just once or twice, but I don't remember when it was and why I needed it. 0400 is almost always enough for me. (And of course, important files are regularly backed up, in case I manage to erroneously delete or overwrite them.)
11 • Peppermint and others (by Nathan on 2023-08-07 12:21:41 GMT from United States)
i previously used Peppermint on several laptops which were donated to students.
All worked fine and fast.
The only issue I had was when trying to include updates during the install process.
Never worked. Borked the install.
Presently, I am running MX 23 on all three computers.
MX 23-KDE on my laptop.
MX 23-XFCE on my daily desktop.
MX23-Fluxbox on my distro hopping desktop.
As an aside, Arch based Liya linux has been the only Arch or Arch based distro
that made it through more then 4 updates without dying / locking me out / refusing to re-boot etc.
As an Arch based distro, highly recommended.
12 • PeppermintOS is a top 5 minimalist distro (by Alex on 2023-08-07 14:02:12 GMT from United States)
I run PeppermintOS on a bunch of repurposed EOL Chromebooks which come with a miniscule amount of diskspace and ram (16GB eMMC and 4GB memory). I appreciate that it does not install packages by default which IMO should be left up to user preference like office suites, photo viewers, etc.
I happily updated to the new Bookworm version a day after it was released and did not run into any problems. I recommend the distro highly.
13 • @11, including updates during install (by Andy Prough on 2023-08-07 16:12:40 GMT from Switzerland)
>"The only issue I had was when trying to include updates during the install process."
I've had problems with this on several distros. Mainly some of them take a lot of extra time during the installation to "install updates", but when I boot the fresh installation for the first time I find out I have "284 updates waiting for you". I've given up on using that option with any distro - seems like a waste of time for the most part. I think the installers don't sync to current repos, or there's some bug in Calamares or other installers. Whether it's Peppermint or any other distro, I would say the best bet is to do a normal installation and update afterwards.
14 • Preinstalled stuff (by Friar Tux on 2023-08-07 17:38:01 GMT from Canada)
Just a note from the other end of the spectrum. I appreciate preinstalled "bloat". Not too much, mind you, but enough to go right to work. I only have one program that I actually HAVE to install every time. But other than that, I like the fact that most distros preinstall software to go. I DO have my absolute favourite media player, office suite, music player, etc., but I can change those out at my leisure.
When Windows 10 forced itself onto our laptops a few years back, both The Wife and I were in the middle of working on stuff. It was to be an hour long disruption - at least that was the estimated time given - and confirmed by a friend after a phone call. I had been toying with Linux Mint/Cinnamon at the time, so I switched off the laptops and loaded Mint on both. We had a total of 20 minutes downtime due to the preinstalled programs being able to go right to work. Still using Mint 7 years later with not even so much as a hiccup in the system - even with updates and 3 or 4 version changes. Linux is great!!
15 • @14 - Preinstalled stuff (by Andy Prough on 2023-08-07 20:30:33 GMT from Switzerland)
>"Just a note from the other end of the spectrum. I appreciate preinstalled "bloat". Not too much, mind you, but enough to go right to work"
But we're talking about minimal distros, and your example of Linux Mint with Cinnamon desktop is definitely not a minimal distro by any standard. I'm sure we all sometimes use distros like Mint or MX that are full-bodied distros - I use the Trisquel distro that comes pre-loaded with lots of software. But when I'm looking for a minimal distro, especially for older hardware, I want one that lets me make most of the software choices.
16 • Peppermint OS (by Glenn Condrey on 2023-08-08 00:20:30 GMT from Canada)
I used to run Peppermint quite frequently back when it was based on Mint/Ubuntu's family line.
Everything just worked...and I never had any problems with my laptops or netbooks running it.
I installed it recently...for old times sake...and it feels kind of like System76's version of Xandros and Linspire.
Yeah they have the same name...but nothing in common with the OSes they were named after.
This feels just like that.
Whatever made Peppermint special...died with the developer, just my opinion.
17 • Missed out... (by Friar Tux on 2023-08-08 13:32:22 GMT from Canada)
@15 (Andy) I think you missed my point... "Just a note from THE OTHER END of the spectrum." My point being that while minimalism is all well and good for some, there ARE those of us who don't care for minimalism and would simply prefer to have the tools needed to do our work included in the installation, as some distros have done. Sure they may not be my chosen tools in some cases, but they get the job done and, as mentioned, I can switch out to my favourites at my leisure, later.
To add to my point, MOST PCs and laptops, these days have more than enough space for a bloatful of software. While I don't think I would want to fill that space just 'cause it's there, I do like to have my tools handy for when I need them. Just a thought from one of us bloaters floating about in my bloat.
18 • Saving one's rump is important you know.... (by tom joad on 2023-08-08 20:01:14 GMT from United States)
Those are a couple of handy commands to know and tuck away in the old brain. More arrows in the quiver is always good.
My principle method of saving my rump is...BACKUP, BACKUP and well...BACKUP!
I do that multiple ways with Timeshift being my first line of defense. Another thing I do is save my backups FOREVER. I mostly never throw anything away. Big zip drives are relatively cheap these days.
My personal directories in my home folder are the ones I save for me.Timeshift gets the rest of it. And I back up Timeshifts, too, just in case....
BTW...I guess it was just understood in Jesse's 'Tips and Tricks' that one had to be Root to execute those commands.
19 • chattr (by hulondalo on 2023-08-09 07:02:46 GMT from Hong Kong)
i use uget a lot but unfortunately the interface settings are always changed remotely by some schmuks so i just set chattr on ~/.config/uGet and problem solved:)
i think the creator of this little tool should be given a highest medal
ps: can't wait to try mx linux 23. is kernel update bug like the one in debian 12 fixed?
20 • MX 23 - Peppermint (by Albert on 2023-08-09 13:00:38 GMT from Uruguay)
@19 (hulondalo): Yes, it was fixed on MX. As a fact I'm using the Xfce version of MX 23 to write this.
As for Peppermint I share the first sentence of @6 Sondar's comment and almost fully agree with @16 Glenn Condrey to which I would like to add that the current Peppermint release (2023-07-01) was buggy. I had it installed for a month, waiting for a correcting update that didn't come so I deleted it from the disk. Before, when Peppermint was based on Ubuntu, it used to be a great system. Nowadays even Ubuntu has taken a path that doesn't please me at all. Let's see what the result of this is finally.
I don't really care too much about systemd, however I've always installed the MX version using SysVInit, just because it's snappy and it's the default init system.
I also use some five flatpaks, and on systems with systemd I add one snap too. I don't like these 'universal' packages very much; I'd rather have the original .deb applications instead; however they simply don't exist or very frequently have problems with its server (I'm talking here about Skype specifically). As I've mentioned on some other occasion I find that flatpaks and snaps take too much space on disk.
21 • "Low-resource" distribution (by why-oh-why on 2023-08-09 16:34:49 GMT from Netherlands)
Low-resource distribution is relative.
I really am not so sure if 700 MB of RAM use still falls under "low-resource distro."
This would be more on par with "MX-Fluxbox Bloatware."
A full-fledged Gnome runs with less.
https://postimg.cc/vg5DHJhJ
https://postimg.cc/n9Zrs3wC
For comparison:
https://postimg.cc/RqQQgymp
https://postimg.cc/sM4DGPCL
Also, like almost every other Xfce distribution, it comes poorly preconfigured.
The network manager will open the light panel, but all others are dark.
The battery symbol is much bigger than the other symbols, etc.
At the end, there is a too-tiny font used for the clock...
Under a fully usable "low-resource distro," I understand something like Salix 15.
It comes with all the applications that one needs, regardless of purpose.
It comes without some bloat, and it even looks good OOTB.
Or, one can get a bare-bones distribution like Bodhi Linux 7 RC, which will come with only a few applications preinstalled but will look much better and use half as many resources.
22 • The life and death of MX Linux (23-Fluxbox) (by why-oh-why on 2023-08-09 16:56:44 GMT from Netherlands)
Imagine you start the live session of MX Linux 23 Fluxbox in a VirtualBox to show it to someone or to make some screenshots of its horrible presets.
30 screenshots later, or 25 minutes later, whatever you prefer, the "live session" turns into a "dead session."
MX Linux 23 Fluxbox used all 4 GB of RAM assigned to it.
https://postimg.cc/VSLwwk5Z
This is the most peculiar thing I've ever seen in my 20+ years of "Linuxing."
23 • Linux, quo vadis? (by why-oh-why on 2023-08-09 17:12:39 GMT from Netherlands)
Ubuntu 22.04:
https://postimg.cc/tYkyM64n
https://postimg.cc/bSTX4Xpf
Are they trying to tell me that I might have some open security holes, but they won't give me an update unless I register my OS for "ESM Apps"?
Paid software in the Linux Software Store? Why not, but why yes if we talk about applications that are available for free in every other store?
The most peculiar thing about the Elementary 7 Software Center is that there is almost nothing worth downloading—not even LibreOffice.
https://postimg.cc/HjfB1vjf
https://postimg.cc/9r5tn4n2
(We are talking about "Taxi" as an example here.)
24 • Peppermint OS (by James Herkimer on 2023-08-09 20:40:28 GMT from United States)
"----it might even run on an old 32-bit Asus Eee."----
It does.
25 bull; @14, Minimal Linux (by Justin on 2023-08-09 21:30:31 GMT from United States)
I appreciate @14's distro comments. That is my criteria for a good live CD. If I need to use a live system (or VM or whatever), I want it pre-configured so that I can do whatever it is I want to do as quickly as possible.
On the flip side, I appreciate the minimal distro part where I add the pieces because on my daily driver, I'm fine taking that time.
For minimal specs, those creep over time. When I first started with Arch + Openbox, I had a full system running at 98MB. Five years later, that same system is just over 200MB with no new software, configuration, autostart, etc., only kernel and package updates. Windows XP could configured to run with like 68MB of RAM, so while Windows has definitely bloated much faster, I'm disappointed in 5 years to see barebones Linux require twice the memory it used to. It doesn't feel faster at all. In fact, my boot times on that setup have increased by probably 5s in that time (13s to now 18s full desktop).
26 • I protect files from being changed/overwritten using... (by James on 2023-08-10 11:34:18 GMT from United States)
By not being stupid.
27 • Continuing with Peppermint (by Marti on 2023-08-10 11:56:18 GMT from United States)
The first Peppermint I used was the Ice distro from 2010: cooling and blue themed. A UNIX admin friend of mine had always helped me install Linux on my desktop, but that was the first time I installed by myself onto a laptop. So simple! It was glorious enough that the wifi worked right after install.
A laptop or two later, I have the Debian Peppermint which came from a Peppermint 10 update/upgrade. My most simple needs (word processing and Internet/E-mail) are met, but I'm now stuck with 3 broken packages with a dependency that "is not installable". If Broadcom wifi still works, I'm in a sweet spot.
It did seem that the update/upgrade did take "more than a minute". I can't comment on a from-scratch install.
XFCE is fine and consistent, though as an Ancient One I still pine for LXDE.
Number of Comments: 27
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 |
| • Issue 1159 (2026-02-09): Sharing files on a network, isolating processes on Linux, LFS to focus on systemd, openSUSE polishes atomic updates, NetBSD not likely to adopt Rust code, COSMIC roadmap |
| • Issue 1158 (2026-02-02): Manjaro 26.0, fastest filesystem, postmarketOS progress report, Xfce begins developing its own Wayland window manager, Bazzite founder interviewed |
| • Issue 1157 (2026-01-26): Setting up a home server, what happened to convergence, malicious software entering the Snap store, postmarketOS automates hardware tests, KDE's login manager works with systemd only |
| • Issue 1156 (2026-01-19): Chimera Linux's new installer, using the DistroWatch Torrent Corner, new package tools for Arch, Haiku improves EFI support, Redcore streamlines branches, Synex introduces install-time ZFS options |
| • Issue 1155 (2026-01-12): MenuetOS, CDE on Sparky, iDeal OS 2025.12.07, recommended flavour of BSD, Debian seeks new Data Protection Team, Ubuntu 25.04 nears its end of life, Google limits Android source code releases, Fedora plans to replace SDDM, Budgie migrates to Wayland |
| • Issue 1154 (2026-01-05): postmarketOS 25.06/25.12, switching to Linux and educational resources, FreeBSD improving laptop support, Unix v4 available for download, new X11 server in development, CachyOS team plans server edtion |
| • Issue 1153 (2025-12-22): Best projects of 2025, is software ever truly finished?, Firefox to adopt AI components, Asahi works on improving the install experience, Mageia presents plans for version 10 |
| • Issue 1152 (2025-12-15): OpenBSD 7.8, filtering websites, Jolla working on a Linux phone, Germany saves money with Linux, Ubuntu to package AMD tools, Fedora demonstrates AI troubleshooting, Haiku packages Go language |
| • Issue 1151 (2025-12-08): FreeBSD 15.0, fun command line tricks, Canonical presents plans for Ubutnu 26.04, SparkyLinux updates CDE packages, Redox OS gets modesetting driver |
| • Issue 1150 (2025-12-01): Gnoppix 25_10, exploring if distributions matter, openSUSE updates tumbleweed's boot loader, Fedora plans better handling of broken packages, Plasma to become Wayland-only, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1149 (2025-11-24): MX Linux 25, why are video drivers special, systemd experiments with musl, Debian Libre Live publishes new media, Xubuntu reviews website hack |
| • Issue 1148 (2025-11-17): Zorin OS 18, deleting a file with an unusual name, NetBSD experiments with sandboxing, postmarketOS unifies its documentation, OpenBSD refines upgrades, Canonical offers 15 years of support for Ubuntu |
| • Issue 1147 (2025-11-10): Fedora 43, the size and stability of the Linux kernel, Debian introducing Rust to APT, Redox ports web engine, Kubuntu website off-line, Mint creates new troubleshooting tools, FreeBSD improves reproducible builds, Flatpak development resumes |
| • Issue 1146 (2025-11-03): StartOS 0.4.0, testing piped commands, Ubuntu Unity seeks help, Canonical offers Ubuntu credentials, Red Hat partners with NVIDIA, SUSE to bundle AI agent with SLE 16 |
| • Issue 1145 (2025-10-27): Linux Mint 7 "LMDE", advice for new Linux users, AlmaLinux to offer Btrfs, KDE launches Plasma 6.5, Fedora accepts contributions written by AI, Ubuntu 25.10 fails to install automatic updates |
| • Issue 1144 (2025-10-20): Kubuntu 25.10, creating and restoring encrypted backups, Fedora team debates AI, FSF plans free software for phones, ReactOS addresses newer drivers, Xubuntu reacts to website attack |
| • Issue 1143 (2025-10-13): openSUSE 16.0 Leap, safest source for new applications, Redox introduces performance improvements, TrueNAS Connect available for testing, Flatpaks do not work on Ubuntu 25.10, Kamarada plans to switch its base, Solus enters new epoch, Frugalware discontinued |
| • Issue 1142 (2025-10-06): Linux Kamarada 15.6, managing ZIP files with SQLite, F-Droid warns of impact of Android lockdown, Alpine moves ahead with merged /usr, Cinnamon gets a redesigned application menu |
| • Issue 1141 (2025-09-29): KDE Linux and GNOME OS, finding mobile flavours of Linux, Murena to offer phones with kill switches, Redox OS running on a smartphone, Artix drops GNOME |
| • Issue 1140 (2025-09-22): NetBSD 10.1, avoiding AI services, AlmaLinux enables CRB repository, Haiku improves disk access performance, Mageia addresses service outage, GNOME 49 released, Linux introduces multikernel support |
| • Issue 1139 (2025-09-15): EasyOS 7.0, Linux and central authority, FreeBSD running Plasma 6 on Wayland, GNOME restores X11 support temporarily, openSUSE dropping BCacheFS in new kernels |
| • Issue 1138 (2025-09-08): Shebang 25.8, LibreELEC 12.2.0, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, the importance of software updates, AerynOS introduces package sets, postmarketOS encourages patching upstream, openSUSE extends Leap support, Debian refreshes Trixie media |
| • Issue 1137 (2025-09-01): Tribblix 0m37, malware scanners flagging Linux ISO files, KDE introduces first-run setup wizard, CalyxOS plans update prior to infrastructure overhaul, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1136 (2025-08-25): CalyxOS 6.8.20, distros for running containers, Arch Linux website under attack,illumos Cafe launched, CachyOS creates web dashboard for repositories |
| • Issue 1135 (2025-08-18): Debian 13, Proton, WINE, Wayland, and Wayback, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, KDE gets advanced Liquid Glass, Haiku improves authentication tools |
| • Issue 1134 (2025-08-11): Rhino Linux 2025.3, thoughts on malware in the AUR, Fedora brings hammered websites back on-line, NetBSD reveals features for version 11, Ubuntu swaps some command line tools for 25.10, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA support |
| • Issue 1133 (2025-08-04): Expirion Linux 6.0, running Plasma on Linux Mint, finding distros which support X11, Debian addresses 22 year old bug, FreeBSD discusses potential issues with pkgbase, CDE ported to OpenBSD, Btrfs corruption bug hitting Fedora users, more malware found in Arch User Repository |
| • Issue 1132 (2025-07-28): deepin 25, wars in the open source community, proposal to have Fedora enable Flathub repository, FreeBSD plans desktop install option, Wayback gets its first release |
| • Issue 1131 (2025-07-21): HeliumOS 10.0, settling on one distro, Mint plans new releases, Arch discovers malware in AUR, Plasma Bigscreen returns, Clear Linux discontinued |
| • Issue 1130 (2025-07-14): openSUSE MicroOS and RefreshOS, sharing aliases between computers, Bazzite makes Bazaar its default Flatpak store, Alpine plans Wayback release, Wayland and X11 benchmarked, Red Hat offers additional developer licenses, openSUSE seeks feedback from ARM users, Ubuntu 24.10 reaches the end of its life |
| • Issue 1129 (2025-07-07): GLF OS Omnislash, the worst Linux distro, Alpine introduces Wayback, Fedora drops plans to stop i686 support, AlmaLinux builds EPEL repository for older CPUs, Ubuntu dropping existing RISC-V device support, Rhino partners with UBports, PCLinuxOS recovering from website outage |
| • Issue 1128 (2025-06-30): AxOS 25.06, AlmaLinux OS 10.0, transferring Flaptak bundles to off-line computers, Ubuntu to boost Intel graphics performance, Fedora considers dropping i686 packages, SDesk switches from SELinux to AppArmor |
| • Issue 1127 (2025-06-23): LastOSLinux 2025-05-25, most unique Linux distro, Haiku stabilises, KDE publishes Plasma 6.4, Arch splits Plasma packages, Slackware infrastructure migrating |
| • Issue 1126 (2025-06-16): SDesk 2025.05.06, renewed interest in Ubuntu Touch, a BASIC device running NetBSD, Ubuntu dropping X11 GNOME session, GNOME increases dependency on systemd, Google holding back Pixel source code, Nitrux changing its desktop, EFF turns 35 |
| • Issue 1125 (2025-06-09): RHEL 10, distributions likely to survive a decade, Murena partners with more hardware makers, GNOME tests its own distro on real hardware, Redox ports GTK and X11, Mint provides fingerprint authentication |
| • Issue 1124 (2025-06-02): Picking up a Pico, tips for protecting privacy, Rhino tests Plasma desktop, Arch installer supports snapshots, new features from UBports, Ubuntu tests monthly snapshots |
| • Issue 1123 (2025-05-26): CRUX 3.8, preventing a laptop from sleeping, FreeBSD improves laptop support, Fedora confirms GNOME X11 session being dropped, HardenedBSD introduces Rust in userland build, KDE developing a virtual machine manager |
| • Issue 1122 (2025-05-19): GoboLinux 017.01, RHEL 10.0 and Debian 12 updates, openSUSE retires YaST, running X11 apps on Wayland |
| • Issue 1121 (2025-05-12): Bluefin 41, custom file manager actions, openSUSE joins End of 10 while dropping Deepin desktop, Fedora offers tips for building atomic distros, Ubuntu considers replacing sudo with sudo-rs |
| • Issue 1120 (2025-05-05): CachyOS 250330, what it means when a distro breaks, Kali updates repository key, Trinity receives an update, UBports tests directory encryption, Gentoo faces losing key infrastructure |
| • Issue 1119 (2025-04-28): Ubuntu MATE 25.04, what is missing from Linux, CachyOS ships OCCT, Debian enters soft freeze, Fedora discusses removing X11 session from GNOME, Murena plans business services, NetBSD on a Wii |
| • Issue 1118 (2025-04-21): Fedora 42, strange characters in Vim, Nitrux introduces new package tools, Fedora extends reproducibility efforts, PINE64 updates multiple devices running Debian |
| • Issue 1117 (2025-04-14): Shebang 25.0, EndeavourOS 2025.03.19, running applications from other distros on the desktop, Debian gets APT upgrade, Mint introduces OEM options for LMDE, postmarketOS packages GNOME 48 and COSMIC, Redox testing USB support |
| • Issue 1116 (2025-04-07): The Sense HAT, Android and mobile operating systems, FreeBSD improves on laptops, openSUSE publishes many new updates, Fedora appoints new Project Leader, UBports testing VoLTE |
| • Issue 1115 (2025-03-31): GrapheneOS 2025, the rise of portable package formats, MidnightBSD and openSUSE experiment with new package management features, Plank dock reborn, key infrastructure projects lose funding, postmarketOS to focus on reliability |
| • Issue 1114 (2025-03-24): Bazzite 41, checking which processes are writing to disk, Rocky unveils new Hardened branch, GNOME 48 released, generating images for the Raspberry Pi |
| • Issue 1113 (2025-03-17): MocaccinoOS 1.8.1, how to contribute to open source, Murena extends on-line installer, Garuda tests COSMIC edition, Ubuntu to replace coreutils with Rust alternatives, Chimera Linux drops RISC-V builds |
| • Issue 1112 (2025-03-10): Solus 4.7, distros which work with Secure Boot, UBports publishes bug fix, postmarketOS considers a new name, Debian running on Android |
| • Issue 1111 (2025-03-03): Orbitiny 0.01, the effect of Ubuntu Core Desktop, Gentoo offers disk images, elementary OS invites feature ideas, FreeBSD starts PinePhone Pro port, Mint warns of upcoming Firefox issue |
| • Issue 1110 (2025-02-24): iodeOS 6.0, learning to program, Arch retiring old repositories, openSUSE makes progress on reproducible builds, Fedora is getting more serious about open hardware, Tails changes its install instructions to offer better privacy, Murena's de-Googled tablet goes on sale |
| • Issue 1109 (2025-02-17): Rhino Linux 2025.1, MX Linux 23.5 with Xfce 4.20, replacing X.Org tools with Wayland tools, GhostBSD moving its base to FreeBSD -RELEASE, Redox stabilizes its ABI, UBports testing 24.04, Asahi changing its leadership, OBS in dispute with Fedora |
| • Issue 1108 (2025-02-10): Serpent OS 0.24.6, Aurora, sharing swap between distros, Peppermint tries Void base, GTK removinglegacy technologies, Red Hat plans more AI tools for Fedora, TrueNAS merges its editions |
| • 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 | 
VyOS
VyOS is a community fork of Vyatta, a Linux distribution discontinued in 2013. It is a network operating system that provides software-based network routing, firewall and VPN functionality. VyOS is based on Debian; its features include the ability to run on both physical and virtual platforms, and support for para-virtual drivers and integration packages for virtual platforms. VyOS was completely free to download and use until the release of version 1.2.0 in January 2019 when the project turned commercial, providing the operating system with various levels of support subscriptions. Daily "rolling" images are still available for free download though.
Status: Active
|
| 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.
|
|
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
