 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 1051, 1 January 2024 |
Welcome to this year's 1st issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
As we kick off a new year this seems like an appropriate time to reflect on projects explored and lessons learned in 2023. We'd like to begin 2024 with a look back at some favourite projects and interesting distributions that were enjoyed in the last dozen months - keep reading to see the highlights of the past year. We test out a lot of distributions here at DistroWatch, often more than one at a time. Do you distro-hop and, if so, do you dual-boot or hop through distributions one at a time? Let us know in this week's Opinion Poll. Then, in our Questions and Answers column, we talk about renewal - specifically refreshing shell variables and settings. In our News section we unpack several developments from major distributions. Debian is planning to phase out 32-bit install media in the future while openSUSE is gearing up to offer full disk encryption out of the box. Plus we talk about Gentoo offering a full array of binary packages. We also share news from the Fedora team where program directories under /usr are being merged and Asahi Linux's Fedora remix is running on Apple M-series processors. We also link to an overview of new developments happening with the UBports mobile platform. Plus we are pleased to share the releases of the past two weeks and list the torrents we are seeding. We wish you all a fantastic week and happy reading!
This week's DistroWatch Weekly is presented by TUXEDO Computers.
Content:
- Review: Favourite and interesting distributions of 2023
- News: UBports upgrades its components, Debian plans to phase out 32-bit x86 media, Asahi Linux releases Fedora remix for Apple M-series, Fedora plans to merge program directories, openSUSE experiments with full disk encryption, Gentoo offers more binary packages
- Questions and answers: Reloading shell settings
- Released in the last two weeks: postmarketOS 23.12, Qubes OS 4.2.0, Rhino Linux 2023.4, Zorin OS 17
- Torrent corner: KDE neon, Manjaro Linux, Tails
- Opinion poll: Do you run multiple distributions?
- New distributions: Coffee Linux, CuerdOS
- Reader comments
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| Feature Story (By Jesse Smith) |
Favourite and interesting distributions of 2023
Another year has come and gone and this past week I was in a reflective mood. In a directory on my computer I keep notes from past projects I have reviewed with thoughts I jot down on the distributions I was reviewing as I was exploring them. Most of these thoughts get fleshed out, polished during my trial with the distribution, and shared in the final review that is posted here for the public to enjoy. However, there are sometimes half-finished thoughts or musings which don't get to see the light of day. At the end of the year I like to revisit these digital breadcrumbs to see what made a distribution interesting, appealing, appalling, or worth applauding.
To be frank, the notes I scribbled at the start of 2023 did not indicate I was finding much positive to say about the projects I was exploring. A lot of the projects I was test driving in the first few months of the year were new, experimental, unpolished spins, or distributions showcasing development ideas. While a lot of these projects sounded interesting or had websites which talked up their revolutionary new features, few of them delivered a polished, useful experience for the end user.
According to my notes, it was April before I encountered a few distributions which offered a solid experience, a reasonable amount of polish, and worked passably well with my hardware. It was a few more months before I started running into distributions I felt I could recommend to Linux users with a bit of experience, some familiarity with the ecosystem - either due to the distributions' level of polish or because these projects highlighted some neat new features. It was August by the time I got to run a few distributions which I felt truly shone, which highlighted what was good and effective about running Linux as a desktop operating system.
This week, rather than diving into a new project, I'd like to look back and share my highlights of 2023, along with a few intriguing honourable mentions, with you.
* * * * *
MX Linux 23
I reviewed MX Linux 23 in August and it was, unsurprisingly, the best experience I had of 2023. The MX Linux project has, for the past several years, consistently put out fantastic releases. MX benefits from Debian's Stable package repository while adding some custom tools and backports on top, which results in a solid core running up to date desktop applications.
MX Linux 23 -- The welcome window
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The MX team provides a few desktop environments (Xfce and KDE Plasma most notably). Further, MX offers a polished user experience - I encountered no bugs during my trial. Thanks to the combination of Debian repositories and its own, custom software collections, MX provides a huge selection of software in its repositories. I'm also a fan of how much well written documentation is available to MX users, both on-line and in the local copy of the project's manual.
Further, MX Linux is lightweight and runs unusually quickly in my test environments which make it an ideal distribution, in my opinion. It's also one of the few distributions which gives users the ability to switch between init software at boot time. In fact, it may be unique in having this feature. MX may not look quite as pretty as Linux Mint or have Zorin's Windows-like style some new users enjoy. Still, I think it's hard to beat MX Linux in terms of documentation, stability, performance, and polish on the desktop.
* * * * *
Lernstick 12
The Lernstick distribution was one of the last projects I had a chance to review in 2023. This project, like MX Linux, is based on Debian. It's also one of the very few distributions I used this past year with which I encountered virtually no bugs. Almost all operating systems will throw an error or display a glitch during a week-long trial, even if the project is quite streamlined.
Lernstick is the opposite of streamlined. It offers multiple desktop environments, dozens of applications, games, learning tools, and administrative utilities. It is a distribution which includes everything and the kitchen sink. Yet, despite trying five different desktop environments, several games, and multiple applications during my time with this portable OS-on-a-stick, the experience was nearly flawless.
Lernstick 12 -- The application menu
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I hadn't even heard of Lernstick before November of 2023 and it turned out to be one of the projects which impressed me the most last year, largely due to its amazing flexibility and stability.
* * * * *
Void 20230628
The Void distribution is one I keep coming back to about once every year or two because it is just so incredibly unique and clean in its design. Void has its own package manager (XBPS), offers a fairly stable rolling release, uses runit for its init software, and supplies different flavours based on glibc and musl C. It's a project that feels surprisingly clean, slick, light on resources, and just plain interesting.
Unfortunately, any time in the past I have fired up a copy of Void I've quickly run into problems or limitations. Void historically didn't include audio controls or good sound support, had small repositories of software, and required some command line experience to keep the operating system up to date.
I'm including Void in my list of favourite projects this year for two reasons. The first is the project feels as though it has greatly improved over the past year or two. Audio worked out of the box this time and a volume control widget was installed for me. Void's smaller repositories are supplemented by Flatpak and Distrobox to provide additional desktop and command line software. Everything on Void, at least the glibc branch I tested, worked smoothly and well. In short, Void wins my "most improved" award for 2023.
Void 20230628 -- Running the Xfce desktop
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The second reason I am highlighting Void is that, as I mentioned before, the project is pleasantly unique. In a world full of Ubuntu spins and yet more "Arch Linux with the Calamares installer and Xfce" projects, it's nice to see something different. Void isn't just good at what it does, offering flexibility, rolling release software, good documentation, and one of the fastest desktop distributions available these days, it's also beautifully different. It is showcasing how well a project can work even when (or especially when, depending on your point of view) not using mainstream components like systemd, Snap, and glibc. Void is unusual and I enjoy that as much a the smooth, polished experience it provides.
Void does require command line knowledge, it's not targeting beginners. One should have a few years of Linux experience before attempting to use Void. However, once I had tasted the clean, quick environment Void offered, it was hard to go back to more mainstream, more cumbersome distributions.
* * * * *
Alpine Linux 3.17.0
At the beginning of this article I mentioned that it was April before I encountered a Linux distribution which really provided a solid experience. Alpine Linux holds the honour of being the first project to really deliver a solid experience for me in 2023. This was no surprise. Alpine has a well deserved reputation for being fast, light, and dependable. The little distribution is usually observed in containers and low-resource servers where speed and a small footprint are required.
While Alpine necessitates a lot of command line work to use and its utilities (like the apk package manager) tend to be terse, the distribution is rock solid, super fast, and lean. My only complaint, apart from all the manual typing to set up desktops and services, was that some of Alpine's documentation was out of date while I was using it in my trial. In short, Alpine is a great, server/container distribution for more advanced users.
* * * * *
openSUSE 15.5 Leap and openSUSE MicroOS
Two of the better experiences, and some of the few truly positive experiences I had with desktop-oriented distributions this year, were supplied by openSUSE. I tried out both openSUSE's 15.5 Leap branch in June and the project's MicroOS edition in December. I ran the Plasma desktop on Leap and used GNOME on MicroOS and both experiences were solid.
openSUSE MicroOS -- The software centre
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The openSUSE distribution is a bit heavy, both in its consumption of memory and of disk space, but not terribly so. Both experiences were nearly flawless; I ran into almost no bugs and no serious issues in either trial. Apart from MX Linux, this was probably the only truly remarkable, pleasant, polished, and integrated desktop distribution I had the fortune to experiment with this past year.
I will say though that openSUSE, despite its great tools, advanced technologies (like immutable filesystems and YaST), is not geared toward novice users. It expects a degree of Linux experience which makes it a good platform for power users, administrators, and veteran Linux users, but I wouldn't give it to a beginner.
* * * * *
Kumander Linux 1.0
The above five projects were the ones which stood out as being particularly good during 2023. I liked each of them and they offered pleasantly solid, mostly bug-free experiences. There were two other projects I encountered that, while they were not necessarily projects I'd recommend, they were unusually interesting.
Kumander Linux is another Debian-based project and one which caught my attention for trying to be everything most Linux distributions try not to be. Kumander mimics Windows 7 in its Xfce desktop theme and seems bound to try to imitate the Windows experience in other ways. Kumander 1.0 ships with sudo set up for passwordless authentication, meaning virtually everything can be run as the root user without a password. The default web browser is the proprietary Chrome browser. While package management is often one of the key selling points in Linux distributions, Kumander's graphical software centre was unable to fetch updates during my trial.
Kumander Linux 1.0 -- The application menu
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In short, running Kumander felt like a very Windows-like experience, without the menu ads, annoying pop-ups, and anti-virus bogging down the system. Which I think is the point. I believe Kumander's developers are trying to position the distribution as an alternative to Windows while making the environment feel familiar for those migrating. Unfortunately, to my way of thinking, the inclusion of closed source software and the lack security mean new users are also bringing their bad habits over from Windows to Linux.
In short, I have mixed feelings about Kumander. It seems to be trying to bridge the gap to make it easier for users to transition from Windows to Linux, but it also engages in some questionable practises to make beginners feel at home. This might be good, and I think the effect works, but I personally wouldn't want to use a system that makes Linux feel like Windows.
* * * * *
rlxos
The second intriguing project to catch my attention this year was rlxos (sometimes written RLXOS or rlxos GNU/Linux). While several of the projects on my list are more conservative or minimalist distributions, rlxos strives for a more modern style. Like the Alpine, openSUSE, and Void projects mentioned above, rlxos is an independently developed distribution. The rlxos project features the Xfce desktop (earlier versions used GNOME) and relatively few applications.
rlxos 2023.11 -- The settings panel
(full image size: 1.2MB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
What sets rlxos apart from most other distributions is its immutable filesystem. The rlxos project uses Flatpak packages and Distrobox to supply additional desktop and low-level software, not unlike openSUSE's MicroOS. While rlxos is a younger project and still finding its niche, I think it is off to a good start. I revisited rlxos at the end of the year and was impressed with the progress the distribution is making. It is getting smaller, more efficient, and seemingly more polished. It's too soon in the project's life for me to recommend it to most people, but I think this is going to be a distribution worth watching. If any distribution is going to make immutable platforms appealing to a wider audience, this one might be it.
* * * * *
The above were my favourite projects of 2023 - and this probably says as much about me and my preferences as it does about the distributions featured in this list. Which was your favourite distribution of 2023? Let us know in the comments which project stood out and why.
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| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
UBports upgrades its components, Debian plans to phase out 32-bit x86 media, Asahi Linux releases Fedora remix for Apple M-series, Fedora plans to merge program directories, openSUSE experiments with full disk encryption, Gentoo offers more binary packages
The UBports team have been collaborating with other projects working on mobile Linux operating systems and have they have made progress on multiple fronts: Outside contributors such as Luca from postmarketOS have added a lot of changes to components which we use. New compilers, new libraries. In particular that makes us more ready for the future. We use some non-standard AppArmor calls and Oliver from Canonical has updated those, to our benefit, they will work now across all the systems that use AppArmor, not only Ubuntu!
Ratchanan has been very busy. One of the most notable ones are is that ADB prompt is now working again and it was pulled out of the indicator onto its own components. It now asks for permission before an ADB (Android Debug Bridge) connection. You can use ADB to initiate SSH sessions and similar." Additional details and plans for future versions of UBports can be found in the project's blog post.
* * * * *
The Debian project is planning to gradually phase out support for 32-bit x86 install media. In an announcement titled "A future for the i386 architecture" Paul Gevers outlined how Debian is going to handle 32-bit systems: "Insofar as they still do, we anticipate that the kernel, d-i and images teams will cease to support i386 in the near future. Following that, there are two routes into running i386: 1. as a multi-arch option on an otherwise amd64 system; 2. as an i386 chroot on another architecture system. We're not planning to make i386 a partial architecture in the way Ubuntu has, arch:any will still contain i386 so everything builds by default." In other words, it looks like Debian will continue to supply 32-bit packages, the project will just phase out install media for the aging architecture. Distributions based on Debian will be able to continue releasing 32-bit editions.
* * * * *
The Asahi Linux project strives to get a fully functional GNU/Linux distribution running on Apple M-series computers. The Asahi Linux project partnered with Fedora in August of 2023 and that partnership is now bearing fruit. It's now possible to install Fedora Asahi Remix on Apple's M-series devices that are currently running macOS. "With Fedora's excellent 64-bit ARM support and mature development process, you can expect a solid and high-quality experience without any unwanted surprises. Fedora Asahi Remix is based on Fedora Linux 39, the latest Fedora Linux release with the newest software versions across the board. All M1 and M2 series MacBook, Mac Mini, Mac Studio, and iMac devices are supported." The project ships with KDE Plasma running on a Wayland session, though other desktop environments, including GNOME, are available.
There is a proposal put forward for Fedora 40 which would merge the /usr/sbin directory into /usr/bin. "The /usr/sbin directory becomes a symlink to bin, which means paths like /usr/bin/foo and /usr/sbin/foo point to the same place. /bin and /sbin are already symlinks to /usr/bin and /usr/sbin, so effectively /bin/foo and /sbin/foo also point to the same place. /usr/sbin will be removed from the default $PATH." This is a different, though similar, issue from merging root directories (such as /bin) into /usr/bin.
* * * * *
The openSUSE distribution is experimenting with full disk encryption enabled by default and booting using systemd-boot instead of GRUB: "openSUSE Tumbleweed and MicroOS are now delivering an image that is using systemd-boot as boot loader and full disk encryption based also on systemd. The unlock of the encrypted device can be done via the traditional password, a TPM2 (a crypto-device that is already present in your system) that will attach the device if the system is in good health, or a FIDO2 key that will validate the ownership of a token." Additional details can be found in the project's announcement.
* * * * *
The Gentoo project is famous for providing a source based distribution where users are expected to build their software from source code. While Gentoo has provided some binary packages too, these have mostly provided for large applications which will take a long time to build. Gentoo is rounding out their binary support to make it easier for users to run the distribution without building packages from source code. "You probably all know Gentoo Linux as your favourite source-based distribution. Did you know that our package manager, Portage, already for years also has support for binary packages, and that source- and binary-based package installations can be freely mixed? To speed up working with slow hardware and for overall convenience, we're now also offering binary packages for download and direct installation! For most architectures, this is limited to the core system and weekly updates - not so for amd64 and arm64 however." Additional details are available in the project's announcement.
* * * * *
These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
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| Questions and Answers (by Jesse Smith) |
Reloading shell settings
Reset-the-shell asks: Is there a way to reload a shell config without closing the terminal and relaunching it? I tried running "bash" and that reset everything, but then I ended up with a bunch of bash processes running. Is there a better way?
DistroWatch answers: Typically when we want to change our shell's environment variables or configuration we edit our user's copy of its start-up script. For bash, the default shell on many Linux distributions, this usually means editing our user's .bashrc file in our home directory. This file is a plain text file and can be altered in your favourite text editor.
When you are already running a shell, for example in a virtual terminal window, this presents us with an interesting problem. The shell we are already using will not automatically apply the changes from its configuration file while it is still running. We have a few options in this situation.
Perhaps the cleanest and most simple approach is to exit our current shell (or close the terminal window) and then start a fresh terminal window. This kills the old shell and gives us a new window in which to work, with our configuration changes applied. There isn't anything wrong with this approach (it just takes a few mouse clicks), but if you're making frequent changes to your shell's configuration file, closing and re-opening the terminal window may become tedious.
In most situations we can tell bash to reload its configuration file and apply changes by running the following command:
source ~/.bashrc
The source command tells bash to load and run the instructions in the given file, in this case the .bashrc configuration file in our home directory. This approach works in most scenarios, but not all. If we're making simple changes, like adjusting the prompt variable or adding an alias, using the source command will work. Some more complex changes, such as removing a variable we no longer want, will not work since the instructions in the configuration file will not know to remove data already in use by the shell. In other words, using the source approach is good for changing variables and adding new instructions, but not removing old ones.
When we are dealing with more complex changes and do not wish to manually close and relaunch a virtual terminal, we can execute a command from within the running shell which replaces the running shell with a new copy, without leaving the original running. This gives us a fresh start and avoids cluttering the system with old copies of our shell. In bash we can achieve this by running the following command:
exec bash
Normally, when we run a command, the shell continues to run in the background and spawns a new, separate process to execute the command we've typed. The exec command tells the shell to replace itself with the new program we've asked it to run. In effect, bash is overwriting itself with a new copy of the shell, rather than creating a whole new process. The new copy of the shell loads its configuration file, giving us a fresh start. This is probably the best, fastest, cleanest option available for getting the shell to reload its configuration file without cluttering up the system.
* * * * *
Additional answers can be found in our Questions and Answers archive.
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| Released Last Week |
postmarketOS 23.12
postmarketOS is an Alpine-based Linux distribution for mobile devices. The project offers four user interfaces (GNOME, Plasma, Phosh, and Sxmo) across 45 supported devices. postmarketOS 23.12 introduces support for 14 new devices (up from 31 in the middle of 2023) and introduces a number of useful updates: "Unlocking of encrypted installations is now done with unl0kr by default, the successor to osk-sdl. The default USB networking gadget was changed from RNDIS to NCM. The default image viewer in Phosh and GNOME is now Loupe, instead of previously Eye of GNOME (EoG). The release upgrade process has been made more robust. There are additional safety checks for a too small boot partition and for having hardcoded versions or packages installed via mrtest. Additionally a bug was fixed that caused Alpine mirrors without /alpine/ in the URL to not get properly replaced during the upgrade." Additional details and a list of known issues can be found in the project's release announcement.
Qubes OS 4.2.0
Qubes OS is a security-focused operating system which isolates system components and applications to minimialize the damage which can be done do to a security breech in any one aspect of the platform. The project's latest release, Qubes OS 4.2.0, offers both Debian and Fedora templates and shifts the default desktop from GNOME to Xfce. "Dom0 upgraded to Fedora 37. Xen upgraded to version 4.17. Default Debian template upgraded to Debian 12. Default Fedora and Debian templates use Xfce instead of GNOME. SELinux support in Fedora templates. Several GUI applications rewritten, including: Applications Menu (also available as preview in R4.1); Qubes Global Settings; create New Qube Qubes Update; Unified grub.cfg location for both UEFI and legacy boot; PipeWire support; fwupd integration for firmware updates; optional automatic clipboard clearing; Official packages built using Qubes Builder v2; Split GPG management in Qubes Global Settings; Qrexec services use new qrexec policy format by default (but old format is still supported)." Additional information is offered in the project's release announcement and in the release notes.
Rhino Linux 2023.4
Rhino Linux is an Ubuntu-based distribution which offers a rolling-release upgrade approach. The project's latest release updates the distribution's desktop experience enabling the ability to auto-tile application windows. The project's package manager also introduces some new clean-up features. "After a long development period we're ready to finish off the year with a stellar release, as well as inform you, the community, of what to expect in 2024. Unicorn 39 has finally been merged, bringing optional auto-tiling to Unicorn. After updating and rebooting, a new applet will appear in the top right section of the panel. To kick start your tiling window experience, you can select the new applet, which will bring up a toggle to enable/disable tiling mode. uLauncher now appears more rounded, and has a slightly different background colour. If Nala is installed, rhino-pkg update no longer auto-removes packages by default. To clean up unneeded packages or broken dependencies on a system, users can run the new rhino-pkg cleanup command. Beginning with Pacstall 4.3.0, packages may now use Debian's priority flag." Additional details can be found in the project's release announcement.
Zorin OS 17
Zorin OS is an Ubuntu-based Linux distribution designed especially for newcomers to Linux. It has a Windows-like graphical user interface and many programs similar to those found in Windows. The project's latest version, Zorin OS 17, places a focus on performance. "Speed has been a top focus in Zorin OS 17, so the desktop runs dramatically snappier on a wide range of hardware, old and new. Performance optimizations have been made at every level of the operating system, from the kernel to the desktop environment. Apps open faster, animations are smoother, and loading times are reduced so you can spend more time being productive. Thanks to these optimizations, we've also been able to lower the minimum system requirements of Zorin OS from 2.0GB of RAM to only 1.5GB of RAM. This makes it the perfect option to extend the life of old and low-spec computers, saving you money on upgrades and helping the environment. As the starting point of your Zorin OS experience, the Zorin Menu has been overhauled to make it even faster for you to get where you want. Search for files, calendar appointments, contacts, apps from the Software store, world clocks, and even use the menu search as a calculator." Additional information is provided in the project's release announcement.
Zorin OS 17 -- Running the GNOME desktop
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LibreELEC 11.0.4
The developers of LibreELEC, a project that develops a multi-platform Linux distribution featuring the Kodi media centre, have released the final build of the 11.x series. Version 11.0.4 updates Kodi to version 20.2: "The final stable version of LibreELEC 11.0.4 has been released, bringing Kodi (Nexus) 20.2 with additional fixes. With the final release of LibreELEC 11 we are adding experimental RPi 5 support. The focus of RPi 5 development is on Kodi 21, which will be released in early 2024. The only known issue so far is that updating the EEPROM is not yet supported in the LE setting (run rpi-eeprom-update -a from the shell). Changes since 11.0.3: Kodi updated to 20.2 with additional fixes; Linux kernel updated to 6.1.68. Raspberry Pi - 50/60fps H264 HW decoding may need force_turbo=1 or core_freq_min=500 in config.txt to avoid AV-sync-issues/skipping. Kodi at RPi4 runs in 4096x2160 instead of 3840x2160 on 4k TVs after fresh installation. Configure Kodi as described at the Wiki and optionally add hdmi_enable_4kp60=1 to config.txt and enable HDMI UltraHD Deep Color in your TV's HDMI port configuration to get 4kp60 modes." See the release announcement and the changelog for more information.
Nobara Project 39
Nobara Project is a modified version of Fedora Linux with user-friendly fixes added to it. The distribution comes with certain features that do not ship with the regular Fedora. The project's latest release is version 39 which streamlines a few features: "We've removed the codec installer and instead integrated it as part of the 'Update System' app. The goal here was to streamline package updates into one place and give less popups for the user on clean installation. Now, when a user performs a new installation they will receive one pop-up informing them they should update the system. Upon updating they will then be asked a few questions, including updating media codec packages, updating Flatpaks, and updating snaps. There is still a popup for nvidia drivers if the user decides to change GPUs and/or did not install using an NVIDIA ISO and has an NVIDIA GPU. The layout picker has been removed as it was based around GNOME, and we are no longer focusing on GNOME as our primary desktop." Additional information is provided in the distribution's changelog.
Nobara Project 39 -- Running the Official desktop flavour
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wattOS R13
wattOS is a fast desktop Linux distribution based on Debian. Using the lightweight Openbox window manager as its default user interface, the distribution strives to be as energy-efficient as possible. The project's latest release, version R13, is based on Debian 12. The project's release announcement lists the details: "wattOS R13 has been released with Debian 12 Bookworm as the basis for the OS. Giving you a stable and reliable foundation. Based on Debian 12 Bookworm - Stable release. LXDE as a lightweight desktop. Kernel 6.1 for 64bit PC installation. Much better hardware support out of the box. Calamares as the installer for a simple streamined install from a live session. Inclusion of gdebi ease install of .deb packages. Additional configuration to enhance the out of the box experience. Minimal in nature so you can install and build as you like." Download: wattOS-R13.iso (1,476MB, SHA256, pkglist).
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Development, unannounced and minor bug-fix releases
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| 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: 2,944
- Total data uploaded: 43.9TB
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| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
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Summary of expected upcoming releases
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| Opinion Poll (by Jesse Smith) |
Do you run multiple distributions?
The Linux ecosystem offers several unique distributions with interesting features, various approaches to package management, and optimizations. Some people settle into using just one distribution at a time, others hop from one platform to another to sample what is available. Others may choose to run multiple distributions at a time, either by dual-booting or running a virtual machine. We'd like to hear about your approach. Do you stick with one tried and true distribution or do you like to distro-hop? Let us know what you're currently running in the comments.
You can see the results of our previous poll on quickly switching between directories in a command line shell in our previous edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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Do you distro-hop?
| I stick with one distro: | 849 (45%) |
| I hop from one distro to another (serial hopping): | 287 (15%) |
| I multi-boot (parallel hopping): | 482 (26%) |
| I run multiple distros with virtual machines (parallel hopping): | 255 (14%) |
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| Website News |
New distributions added to waiting list
- Coffee Linux. Coffee Linux provides a live KDE Plasma desktop experience and a custom installer to facilitate setting up an Arch Linux-based distribution with optional access to many popular applications and desktop environments.
- CuerdOS. CuerdOS is a Debian-based distribution which is offered in two editions. The CuerdOS Standard edition features the i3 and Sway window managers while the Legacy edition uses the Xfce desktop.
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DistroWatch database summary
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This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 8 January 2024. 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)
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| Archives |
| • Issue 1099 (2024-12-02): AnduinOS 1.0.1, measuring RAM usage, SUSE continues rebranding efforts, UBports prepares for next major version, Murena offering non-NFC phone |
| • Issue 1098 (2024-11-25): Linux Lite 7.2, backing up specific folders, Murena and Fairphone partner in fair trade deal, Arch installer gets new text interface, Ubuntu security tool patched |
| • Issue 1097 (2024-11-18): Chimera Linux vs Chimera OS, choosing between AlmaLinux and Debian, Fedora elevates KDE spin to an edition, Fedora previews new installer, KDE testing its own distro, Qubes-style isolation coming to FreeBSD |
| • Issue 1096 (2024-11-11): Bazzite 40, Playtron OS Alpha 1, Tucana Linux 3.1, detecting Screen sessions, Redox imports COSMIC software centre, FreeBSD booting on the PinePhone Pro, LXQt supports Wayland window managers |
| • Issue 1095 (2024-11-04): Fedora 41 Kinoite, transferring applications between computers, openSUSE Tumbleweed receives multiple upgrades, Ubuntu testing compiler optimizations, Mint partners with Framework |
| • Issue 1094 (2024-10-28): DebLight OS 1, backing up crontab, AlmaLinux introduces Litten branch, openSUSE unveils refreshed look, Ubuntu turns 20
| | • Issue 1093 (2024-10-21): Kubuntu 24.10, atomic vs immutable distributions, Debian upgrading Perl packages, UBports adding VoLTE support, Android to gain native GNU/Linux application support |
| • Issue 1092 (2024-10-14): FunOS 24.04.1, a home directory inside a file, work starts of openSUSE Leap 16.0, improvements in Haiku, KDE neon upgrades its base |
| • Issue 1091 (2024-10-07): Redox OS 0.9.0, Unified package management vs universal package formats, Redox begins RISC-V port, Mint polishes interface, Qubes certifies new laptop |
| • Issue 1090 (2024-09-30): Rhino Linux 2024.2, commercial distros with alternative desktops, Valve seeks to improve Wayland performance, HardenedBSD parterns with Protectli, Tails merges with Tor Project, Quantum Leap partners with the FreeBSD Foundation |
| • Issue 1089 (2024-09-23): Expirion 6.0, openKylin 2.0, managing configuration files, the future of Linux development, fixing bugs in Haiku, Slackware packages dracut |
| • Issue 1088 (2024-09-16): PorteuX 1.6, migrating from Windows 10 to which Linux distro, making NetBSD immutable, AlmaLinux offers hardware certification, Mint updates old APT tools |
| • Issue 1087 (2024-09-09): COSMIC desktop, running cron jobs at variable times, UBports highlights new apps, HardenedBSD offers work around for FreeBSD change, Debian considers how to cull old packages, systemd ported to musl |
| • Issue 1086 (2024-09-02): Vanilla OS 2, command line tips for simple tasks, FreeBSD receives investment from STF, openSUSE Tumbleweed update can break network connections, Debian refreshes media |
| • Issue 1085 (2024-08-26): Nobara 40, OpenMandriva 24.07 "ROME", distros which include source code, FreeBSD publishes quarterly report, Microsoft updates breaks Linux in dual-boot environments |
| • Issue 1084 (2024-08-19): Liya 2.0, dual boot with encryption, Haiku introduces performance improvements, Gentoo dropping IA-64, Redcore merges major upgrade |
| • Issue 1083 (2024-08-12): TrueNAS 24.04.2 "SCALE", Linux distros for smartphones, Redox OS introduces web server, PipeWire exposes battery drain on Linux, Canonical updates kernel version policy |
| • Issue 1082 (2024-08-05): Linux Mint 22, taking snapshots of UFS on FreeBSD, openSUSE updates Tumbleweed and Aeon, Debian creates Tiny QA Tasks, Manjaro testing immutable images |
| • Issue 1081 (2024-07-29): SysLinuxOS 12.4, OpenBSD gain hardware acceleration, Slackware changes kernel naming, Mint publishes upgrade instructions |
| • Issue 1080 (2024-07-22): Running GNU/Linux on Android with Andronix, protecting network services, Solus dropping AppArmor and Snap, openSUSE Aeon Desktop gaining full disk encryption, SUSE asks openSUSE to change its branding |
| • Issue 1079 (2024-07-15): Ubuntu Core 24, hiding files on Linux, Fedora dropping X11 packages on Workstation, Red Hat phasing out GRUB, new OpenSSH vulnerability, FreeBSD speeds up release cycle, UBports testing new first-run wizard |
| • Issue 1078 (2024-07-08): Changing init software, server machines running desktop environments, OpenSSH vulnerability patched, Peppermint launches new edition, HardenedBSD updates ports |
| • Issue 1077 (2024-07-01): The Unity and Lomiri interfaces, different distros for different tasks, Ubuntu plans to run Wayland on NVIDIA cards, openSUSE updates Leap Micro, Debian releases refreshed media, UBports gaining contact synchronisation, FreeDOS celebrates its 30th anniversary |
| • Issue 1076 (2024-06-24): openSUSE 15.6, what makes Linux unique, SUSE Liberty Linux to support CentOS Linux 7, SLE receives 19 years of support, openSUSE testing Leap Micro edition |
| • Issue 1075 (2024-06-17): Redox OS, X11 and Wayland on the BSDs, AlmaLinux releases Pi build, Canonical announces RISC-V laptop with Ubuntu, key changes in systemd |
| • Issue 1074 (2024-06-10): Endless OS 6.0.0, distros with init diversity, Mint to filter unverified Flatpaks, Debian adds systemd-boot options, Redox adopts COSMIC desktop, OpenSSH gains new security features |
| • Issue 1073 (2024-06-03): LXQt 2.0.0, an overview of Linux desktop environments, Canonical partners with Milk-V, openSUSE introduces new features in Aeon Desktop, Fedora mirrors see rise in traffic, Wayland adds OpenBSD support |
| • Issue 1072 (2024-05-27): Manjaro 24.0, comparing init software, OpenBSD ports Plasma 6, Arch community debates mirror requirements, ThinOS to upgrade its FreeBSD core |
| • Issue 1071 (2024-05-20): Archcraft 2024.04.06, common command line mistakes, ReactOS imports WINE improvements, Haiku makes adjusting themes easier, NetBSD takes a stand against code generated by chatbots |
| • Issue 1070 (2024-05-13): Damn Small Linux 2024, hiding kernel messages during boot, Red Hat offers AI edition, new web browser for UBports, Fedora Asahi Remix 40 released, Qubes extends support for version 4.1 |
| • Issue 1069 (2024-05-06): Ubuntu 24.04, installing packages in alternative locations, systemd creates sudo alternative, Mint encourages XApps collaboration, FreeBSD publishes quarterly update |
| • Issue 1068 (2024-04-29): Fedora 40, transforming one distro into another, Debian elects new Project Leader, Red Hat extends support cycle, Emmabuntus adds accessibility features, Canonical's new security features |
| • Issue 1067 (2024-04-22): LocalSend for transferring files, detecting supported CPU architecure levels, new visual design for APT, Fedora and openSUSE working on reproducible builds, LXQt released, AlmaLinux re-adds hardware support |
| • Issue 1066 (2024-04-15): Fun projects to do with the Raspberry Pi and PinePhone, installing new software on fixed-release distributions, improving GNOME Terminal performance, Mint testing new repository mirrors, Gentoo becomes a Software In the Public Interest project |
| • Issue 1065 (2024-04-08): Dr.Parted Live 24.03, answering questions about the xz exploit, Linux Mint to ship HWE kernel, AlmaLinux patches flaw ahead of upstream Red Hat, Calculate changes release model |
| • Issue 1064 (2024-04-01): NixOS 23.11, the status of Hurd, liblzma compromised upstream, FreeBSD Foundation focuses on improving wireless networking, Ubuntu Pro offers 12 years of support |
| • Issue 1063 (2024-03-25): Redcore Linux 2401, how slowly can a rolling release update, Debian starts new Project Leader election, Red Hat creating new NVIDIA driver, Snap store hit with more malware |
| • Issue 1062 (2024-03-18): KDE neon 20240304, changing file permissions, Canonical turns 20, Pop!_OS creates new software centre, openSUSE packages Plasma 6 |
| • Issue 1061 (2024-03-11): Using a PinePhone as a workstation, restarting background services on a schedule, NixBSD ports Nix to FreeBSD, Fedora packaging COSMIC, postmarketOS to adopt systemd, Linux Mint replacing HexChat |
| • Issue 1060 (2024-03-04): AV Linux MX-23.1, bootstrapping a network connection, key OpenBSD features, Qubes certifies new hardware, LXQt and Plasma migrate to Qt 6 |
| • Issue 1059 (2024-02-26): Warp Terminal, navigating manual pages, malware found in the Snap store, Red Hat considering CPU requirement update, UBports organizes ongoing work |
| • Issue 1058 (2024-02-19): Drauger OS 7.6, how much disk space to allocate, System76 prepares to launch COSMIC desktop, UBports changes its version scheme, TrueNAS to offer faster deduplication |
| • Issue 1057 (2024-02-12): Adelie Linux 1.0 Beta, rolling release vs fixed for a smoother experience, Debian working on 2038 bug, elementary OS to split applications from base system updates, Fedora announces Atomic Desktops |
| • Issue 1056 (2024-02-05): wattOS R13, the various write speeds of ISO writing tools, DSL returns, Mint faces Wayland challenges, HardenedBSD blocks foreign USB devices, Gentoo publishes new repository, Linux distros patch glibc flaw |
| • Issue 1055 (2024-01-29): CNIX OS 231204, distributions patching packages the most, Gentoo team presents ongoing work, UBports introduces connectivity and battery improvements, interview with Haiku developer |
| • Issue 1054 (2024-01-22): Solus 4.5, comparing dd and cp when writing ISO files, openSUSE plans new major Leap version, XeroLinux shutting down, HardenedBSD changes its build schedule |
| • Issue 1053 (2024-01-15): Linux AI voice assistants, some distributions running hotter than others, UBports talks about coming changes, Qubes certifies StarBook laptops, Asahi Linux improves energy savings |
| • Issue 1052 (2024-01-08): OpenMandriva Lx 5.0, keeping shell commands running when theterminal closes, Mint upgrades Edge kernel, Vanilla OS plans big changes, Canonical working to make Snap more cross-platform |
| • Issue 1051 (2024-01-01): Favourite distros of 2023, reloading shell settings, Asahi Linux releases Fedora remix, Gentoo offers binary packages, openSUSE provides full disk encryption |
| • Issue 1050 (2023-12-18): rlxos 2023.11, renaming files and opening terminal windows in specific directories, TrueNAS publishes ZFS fixes, Debian publishes delayed install media, Haiku polishes desktop experience |
| • Issue 1049 (2023-12-11): Lernstick 12, alternatives to WINE, openSUSE updates its branding, Mint unveils new features, Lubuntu team plans for 24.04 |
| • Issue 1048 (2023-12-04): openSUSE MicroOS, the transition from X11 to Wayland, Red Hat phasing out X11 packages, UBports making mobile development easier |
| • Issue 1047 (2023-11-27): GhostBSD 23.10.1, Why Linux uses swap when memory is free, Ubuntu Budgie may benefit from Wayland work in Xfce, early issues with FreeBSD 14.0 |
| • Issue 1046 (2023-11-20): Slackel 7.7 "Openbox", restricting CPU usage, Haiku improves font handling and software centre performance, Canonical launches MicroCloud |
| • Issue 1045 (2023-11-13): Fedora 39, how to trust software packages, ReactOS booting with UEFI, elementary OS plans to default to Wayland, Mir gaining ability to split work across video cards |
| • Full list of all issues |
| Star Labs |
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
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| Random Distribution | 
Zentyal Server
Zentyal Server (formerly eBox Platform) is a unified network server that offers easy and efficient computer network administration for small and medium-size businesses. It can act as a gateway, an infrastructure manager, a unified threat manager, an office server, a unified communication server or a combination of them. These functionalities are tightly integrated, automating most tasks, avoiding mistakes and saving time for system administrators. Zentyal Server is available in free (Development) and commercial editions. Zentyal is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL) and runs on top of Ubuntu.
Status: Active
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| 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.
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