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1 • Systemd (by shep on 2024-05-06 00:39:35 GMT from United States)
The idea of spawning a new process to shutdown a desktop environment, maintain a wireless connection or ntp sync the desktop clock does not sound like it is going to be more efficient or secure. I also question a Microsoft employee who writes code to bloat my system when the lack of bloat is a strong reason to run Linux/OpenBSD in lieu of Windows.
2 • Placing packages in alternative locations (by Vinfall on 2024-05-06 01:48:12 GMT from Hong Kong)
The answer is so well-written and covers quite a lot of perspectives, congrats!
It's a bit over-complicated though as the question implies a few other underlying questions like misuse of NTFS filesystem, so if someone prefers a TL;DR:
1. Windows & GNU/Linux has different package management conventions and that assumption makes users think differently
2. You can use logical volume with LVM or a filesystem supporting such feature, portable packages/containers or set up install parameter for package manager
Moreover, despite the missing path or duplicating dependencies issues mentioned, the package manager method seems more straightforward if you ever compile a package from source code. Setting up things like `EPREFIX` variable in Portage (Gentoo) is no difference than passing de facto `--prefix` make install param. You can learn more about this from LFS preface (https://www.linuxfromscratch.org/lfs/view/stable/prologue/typography.html).
3 • Ubuntu 24.04 Installer (by Zacmanman on 2024-05-06 02:51:51 GMT from United States)
I decided to hop from Pop!_OS to Ubuntu 24.04. I had forgotten that I had installed Pop over ZFS. The new Ubuntu installer did not like that and *would not* install the OS on a previously created ZFS partition. Thankfully Gparted is in the live image. Unfortunately, that also hated my ZFS partition... Well, it took a while but I got it formated to Ext 4. Oof.
4 • systemd os (by systemd os on 2024-05-06 03:12:50 GMT from Singapore)
I'm seeing a systemd os coming soon.
5 • systemd run0 (by ttz on 2024-05-06 03:31:35 GMT from Bulgaria)
Another day, another metastasis grouth.
What if systemd is not the technology we initially thought its scope was, but a meticulous Microsoft's long term strategy to reshape and control Linux to its needs? Nowadays this strategy even demostratively and arrogantly being enforced by Microsoft software engineers onto the free Linux world?
6 • Ubuntu 24.04 vs. my old Nvidia graphics card (by eco2geek on 2024-05-06 04:24:49 GMT from United States)
So, I have an old Nvidia graphics card in my desktop PC and it uses the nouveau driver. For the first time, a beta version of Ubuntu didn't work properly out of the box, when running from live media. But neither did the Fedora Gnome beta, so it apparently wasn't an Ubuntu problem; it was a Gnome 46 problem. Xorg vs. Wayland didn't matter.
(Windows 10 works fine on my computer, so does Ubuntu 23.10, and although sddm is completely glitchy lately, KDE works OK, including Plasma 6.)
I was googling for a fix for the issue pretty much for the month since the Ubuntu 24.04 beta came out until the final came out. Finally, in the GTK issues page, someone described symptoms that sounded a lot like mine. The report is here:
https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gtk/-/issues/6654
Now this person has a video card even older than mine. My issue is that the menus in apps like Nautilus (aka Files), Settings, the text editor, etc, appeared as small unreadable blobs off to the left of where they should have been. And the Appearance page in Settings didn't display either the highlight colors, or the wallpaper thumbnails correctly. Often the system would end up crashing.
The fix is to set a global environment variable, e.g. in /etc/environment, either
GSK_RENDERER=gl or
GSK_RENDERER=cairo
("gl" seems to be a bit faster.) Apparently GTK used to use cairo, but GTK4 uses a newer, faster renderer called "ngl" by default. I'm ngl (see what I did there?), it doesn't like my old video card.
So if you have an old Nvidia GPU, running the nouveau driver, and Gnome has visual glitches, setting the renderer back to "gl" or "cairo" might fix your problem.
7 • systemd (by Bobbie Sellers on 2024-05-06 05:47:51 GMT from United States)
I do not for some reason think that the people at Red Hat were confused when they
adopted systemd. I think they forgot the basic principles of one function to one simple.
utililty. Also since systemd has to be learned about and I had just managed to figure
out why i should be using Grub2 rather than LiLo. I have limited energy for handling
stuff so I prefer stuff that duplicates what was handy about AmigaOS 3.9./68050 at 50 MHz.
That i understood and modified startup-sequence files in a text editor.
So Lennart Poettering is an agent of change. I am not surprised that LP went to
Microsoft. Many competent programmers have done so and AmigaOS lost a
lot of talent to programmers for Microsoft products. Well LP is coming up with
a substitute for sudo (a bad idea on Ubuntu as implemented) but he hooks his
new non-sudo to systemd and it seems like a needless complication.
(https://linuxiac.com/systemd-v256-introduces-run0/)
Just the opinion of someone who started with Commodore 64.
bliss- Dell Precision 7730- PCLOS 2024.04- Linux 6.6.30-pclos1- KDE Plasma 5.27.11
8 • Even more systemd? (by Devuan User on 2024-05-06 09:53:02 GMT from United States)
Color me surprised. For this ritual, I shall perform the sacred "I told you so" dance.
9 • Story (by Version on 2024-05-06 09:56:37 GMT from United States)
"Under the hood, 22.04 comes with the Linux kernel..."
I thought this was a review of 24.04?
10 • systemd feature creep (by 0323pin on 2024-05-06 10:21:14 GMT from Sweden)
Yet again, it's extending its tentacles and no one knows where and how the feature creep will end. Personally, I haven't used GNU-Linux-systemd for years but, it's becoming increasingly harder to avoid it. Disgraceful.
11 • Updating Ubuntu Software Center (by Dan on 2024-05-06 10:40:32 GMT from United Kingdom)
Surely a script to update the Software Center during a reboot makes sense?
12 • @10 Systemd (by kc1di on 2024-05-06 11:26:01 GMT from United States)
I'm with you and yes it is becoming harder and harder to find systemd free Linux PCLinuxOS is still one of them. Though they are talking about going to Wayland for KDE 6 Wondering how that will affect systemd free Distro?
13 • Updates (by Jesse on 2024-05-06 13:19:36 GMT from Canada)
@11: "Surely a script to update the Software Center during a reboot makes sense?"
Why would that make sense? The software centre is just another application. Updating it live and in-place doesn't affect the version currently running in memory. That's why all other Linux software managers update live.
14 • SystemD (by Otis on 2024-05-06 10:40:41 GMT from United States)
@5 and many more to come: The angst about systemD, and some of the analysis and conclusions thereof, will always influence the Linux user base (a very small base compared to Windows and Mac) proportional to each users satisfaction with their daily computing experience. Init system efficiency is NOT on the minds of most home computer users, and that is a piece of Microsoft wisdom that has spawned their strategy to subvert from within and yes take over and orchestrate Linux marketing at some future point.
That's what they do.
15 • Is systemd really that popular with users? (by picamanic on 2024-05-06 14:46:26 GMT from United Kingdom)
The "popularity" of systemd with ordinary users is supported by the headline Distrowatch Page Hit Ranking that puts 12 systemd distros above the first without it [antiX]. On this table, my favourite, Void, languishes at position 92.
Yet, buried deep into the Distrowatch site is the Visitor Supplied Rankings table which tells a different story: Void is now first, Arch second, and 4 of the top 10 avoid systemd.
I am sure that this situation did not arise from any deliberate intention to portray systemd as overwhelmingly the most popular "choice", when the evidence puts this into question.
16 • run0, storage (by Robert on 2024-05-06 15:52:13 GMT from United States)
run0 is another one of those where I read it and it sounds like a great idea, but still makes me uncomfortable because it's yet ANOTHER thing systemd is trying to take over. If it works well, I guess there isn't too much to complain about.
On storage use both LVM and ZFS. ZFS is for my data, and I even did have to expand it on my fileserver. LVM is used for the system because ZFS on root was too much work and I didn't trust Btrfs. I use that volume primarily for snapshotting in case an update goes bad. Not really any reason to shrink or expand it.
17 • @15 SystemD and Popularity (by Robert on 2024-05-06 16:07:31 GMT from United States)
Regarding systemd, there's a loud group of people who don't like it. Some people do like it. Most people probably don't care as long as it works. Which it does.
The stats you are looking at are different things. Page hit rankings are exactly that - page hit rankings. In other words, a lot of people are looking at these distros. Which presumably correlates with usage, but not the same thing. And as above, systemd likely doesn't enter the equation for most people on these distros.
Conversely, I expect a lot of non-systemd distros are used specifically because their users don't want systemd. In other words, a minority. But this minority really enjoys their chosen distros and so they rank highly in the reviews.
18 • run0 (by 2complex4u on 2024-05-06 16:08:05 GMT from Germany)
run0 sounds more complicated than any of the currently existing alternatives. How can this be a good thing? Especially when communication between processes is already known to be a security nightmare?
systemd will soon be so large and complex that it is fundamentally unauditable, if it has not already reached that stage ...
19 • Page views and popularity (by popular distro on 2024-05-06 17:31:56 GMT from The Netherlands)
@17: I do not think that page views relate to popularity. It may relate to sparking interest for what ever reason: does this distro (claim to) offer something new, do they have a different approach to something, are they focusing on a specific use case, whatever.
I look at lots of distros, and try some, but have not found any to replace what I have been using for the last 15 years or so.
20 • @12 (by Sohl on 2024-05-06 17:41:22 GMT from United States)
I've had good experiences lately with Devuan as a systemD-free distro. It has many of the same applications and whatnot that Debian & Ubuntu have like XFCE and Chromium but does not use systemD init.
21 • @15 Distros using systemd (by Chris Whelan on 2024-05-06 19:54:51 GMT from United Kingdom)
MX Linux is #1 on the DW list, and does not boot with systemd by default, so the top 11 out of 12 use systemd.
22 • systemd vs. runit (by Microlinux on 2024-05-06 21:37:59 GMT from France)
Systemd has made the life of us admins much easier. And it's also a bloated and overengineered piece of software that flies in the face of UNIX philosophy.
As far as I'm concerned, everybody should use runit like Void Linux does. Keeping it simple, extremely robust and the fastest init on the planet.
23 • systemd vs. openrc (by MonteDrago on 2024-05-07 08:14:53 GMT from Germany)
After the xz bug, I switched my production system from Manjaro (systemd) to Artix (openrc).
And this message shows me that it was the right decision.
Systemd starts slowly, is overloaded and causes problems with the shotdown from time to time, for which I cannot find a reason in the log files.
Openrc, on the other hand, starts quickly, works stably and is easy to learn.
But yes, it is increasingly difficult to find programs that do not require systemd.
And that is a bad development in Linux.
24 • Package Management/systend (by dr.j on 2024-05-07 10:43:05 GMT from Germany)
Package management: What a crazy question? Typical Windows.
If I have two hard disks (Drive C: and D:) and Drive C is running out of space, then I install my system on the larger disk D. Or swap C for a larger one. Why should I tinker with package management?
systemd: Until today, the Linux world was characterized by the fact that you could choose. The development of systemd and its widespread adoption in all major popular distributions is very worrying in this respect. Fortunately, they still exist, the systemd-free distros. In this respect, Mr. Poettering can think up some madness for years to come. That doesn't make an undesirable development any better.
25 • systemd vs. runit (by lincoln on 2024-05-07 12:09:01 GMT from Brazil)
When they say that systemd makes the life of the admin easier, it's tempting to laugh. Compare the complexity of creating or editing a Unit File (understanding its structure, types, sections, installation, all configuration directives, reserved directories, additional settings) and the run script in runit (usually two or three lines) (reference: https://smarden.org/runit/runscripts).
Another indicator of the brutal complexity of systemd compared to runit is the number of pages needed to explain both: 35 pages (Chapter 10. managing services with systemd) and 7 pages (Chapter: Services and Daemons - runit).
Another signal would be the number of individual binaries in each init system/service supervision: 9 in runit and 69 in systemd (In January 2013).
And I find it mandatory to mention the elegance of runit's implementation combining service directories, symbolic links, run scripts, and concise code ("As of version 1.0.0 of runit, the runit.c source contains 330 lines of code; the runsvdir.c source is 274 lines of code, the runsv.c source 509").
26 • @25 (by dr.j on 2024-05-07 12:34:35 GMT from Germany)
Couldn't have said it better
27 • Contrarian View (by Mike W on 2024-05-07 14:57:07 GMT from United States)
@14: Exactly. I'm just an average user, and could care less.
I get that ststemD rubs the "do one thing and do it well" advocates. But,why is systemD seemingly so much more popular, or at least more prevalent, with distro developers than the others?
28 • @22 runit and s6 (by anticapitalista on 2024-05-07 15:22:45 GMT from Greece)
runit is fast but in my tests (on antiX) s6 is even faster to boot to a desktop.
29 • uncontrarian view (by init-outit on 2024-05-07 15:34:24 GMT from Germany)
@27; Want to know why systemd is more prevalent with distro developers?
Because Redhat.
And they managed to convince Debian. Arch adopts new stuff very quickly anyway - their main reason to exist is to provide users with the newest shiny stuff as quickly as possible.
30 • systemd (by Jesse on 2024-05-07 15:35:26 GMT from Canada)
@27: "I get that ststemD rubs the "do one thing and do it well" advocates. But,why is systemD seemingly so much more popular, or at least more prevalent, with distro developers than the others?"
systemd takes on a lot of functionality that means distro developers need to do less work. They don't need to package a separate login manager, service manager, init, network name resolver, boot loader, and (now) sudo. They can just bundle up systemd with all its components.
systemd also means different distros can share unit files rather than each family of distros having their own service manager configs/scripts.
So systemd often means less work for distro developers, while making more work for upstream developers and introducing problems for (some) users who don't like the way it works - large size, security bugs, binary journal, DNS issues, etc.
31 • Systemd (by zephyr on 2024-05-07 21:46:48 GMT from United States)
The vast majority of users that just so happen to use a system(d)eath distro...just don't know any better.
32 • systemd (by ThomasAnderson on 2024-05-07 22:08:05 GMT from Australia)
GNU/Linux is dead or at the bare minimum on its death bed
Systemd imo, is anti-linux and against the philosophy of linux.
When Systemd/Linux? Better yet, when Systemd Distro with Gnome?
I commented a lot in the previous week/s on systemd. Everyone here who is calling out systemd for its complete overreach is spot on.
As for the users who don't know any better about systemd, well, these are the "windows" users of linux. Can't help them unless they want to be helped.
Perhaps when the next xz-systemd type exploit drops they will open their eyes.
If we stand idly by and do nothing, systemd will consume linux. Everyone has a choice on the distro they use.
Instead of Arch, use Artix or Obarun/Joborun
Instead of Debian use Devuan or Antix/MXLinux
Other systemd distros:
---------------------
Gentoo/Funtoo/Calculate Linux/Redcore
Slackware
Void
PClinuxOS
Alpine
Kiss
Crux
Adelei
Guix
Hyperbola
Parabola
Stay frosty.
33 • systemd by ThomasAnderson (by Jan on 2024-05-07 23:44:00 GMT from The Netherlands)
I value your (and Jesse's compact and clear) comments on systemd very much. I hope to see more of this.
I am interested in Linux, but I am not a coder and prefer UI over CLI.
I try, in the latest months, to find/decide on which distro I can best go to when I have to stop with Windows.
I want a good backed and secure/safe (multi-eyes-principle) and longer lasting distro (which runs reasonably smooth on older hardware).
The security-breaches and the comments on systemd + Flatpak + Snap + stable (so old) or bleeding-edge (so some risk) + "app-rot" show that there is no simple/easy choice.
34 • SystemD (by Mr. Moto on 2024-05-08 01:11:19 GMT from Philippines)
@31, "The vast majority of users that just so happen to use a system(d)eath distro...just don't know any better." Thank you for your enlightened comment. But maybe, just maybe, the majority of users just want to run an OS, and not join a religion or become a participant in init wars, or desktop wars. I'm a long-term Linux user, and I do know "better". I just don''t give a rodent's behind.
35 • Ubuntu and Flutter installer... (by Vukota on 2024-05-08 11:03:45 GMT from Serbia)
I wonder how hard or easy is to hack (enhance) new Flutter installer to behave differently? I know previous installer was pretty easy to hack with plane editor on live media before doing install. How about now? Do we need to rebuild whole image in order to do this now?
36 • Users issue? (by Otis on 2024-05-08 15:42:04 GMT from United States)
SystemD is reported to be about the devs wanting/needing less workload per project/task etc. The same insightful folks who report this also preach to users to "stop using systemD distros, there are many choices (fairly exhaustive list provided @32).
Would the devs who love systemD, and who have been converted away from the other inits, be affected by users en masse switching to Void, PCLinuxOS, Gentoo, et al?
It's the "en masse" that ainta gonna happen, in the first place. And even if it did it'd be years before those devs felt in necessary to only do work with the other init systems.
So, folks, do the devs see this angst among users and not give a rat's fuzzy rump. Yep. Apparently so.
37 • Shut down/boot up (by Otis on 2024-05-08 15:52:56 GMT from United States)
@36 (my own) incidentally, my shut down time on Nobara (systemD) is 2.5 to 3 seconds. Boot up is 13 seconds.
I am an advocate of ridding the Linux world of systemD because it does not seem to fit in with the perceived spirit of Linux, not because it is not efficient. It most certainly is efficient.
I live with it, but would rather not. Those non-systemD distros are okay, but I have found reasons for each of those to not remain long term on my machines and have settled on MX and Nobara.
38 • run0 (by Barnabyh on 2024-05-08 20:42:47 GMT from United Kingdom)
Yet another "solution" in search of a problem. It will not be long before the inventor has found another item that needs to be added to systemd because he is bored and self-centred and wants to show everybody what he can do.
@34: Mr Moto, that's even worse, you DO know better and you don´t even care. Although I doubt it. If you really did know better you would.
39 • systemd (by former on 2024-05-09 00:01:37 GMT from United States)
I don't use systemd.
I don't plan to ever use it.
If I have to, I will learn BSD and switch to it.
But until then, luckily there are non systemd alternatives.
40 • SystemD redux (by Mr. Moto on 2024-05-09 03:03:05 GMT from Philippines)
@38, "Mr Moto, that's even worse, you DO know better and you don´t even care. Although I doubt it. If you really did know better you would." How evangelical! I give up! Only you know The Truth, and I'm just an infidel.
41 • OpenBSD (by Midnight Sun on 2024-05-09 05:39:16 GMT from United States)
OpenBaSeD sounds like the way for a lot of us who want to avoid that festering pile of nonsense (among others).
Install Alpine Linux if not yet ready. It's at least understandable when you want some features not commonly present for OpenBSD, but at least the developers of both the Linux distro and OpenBSD are competent enough to make it happen.
P.S. For everyone else, remove sudo and install opendoas (depending on your package manager).
42 • systemd (by hulondalo on 2024-05-09 07:20:31 GMT from Hong Kong)
by the time it's done, systemd would have become an independent operating system and thank goodness linux would be getting rid of it :)
for the life of me i cannot understand this passion to replace everything that makes linux great and combine them all to create a single point of failure. change for the sake of change?
43 • @34 Mr. Moto: (by dragonmouth on 2024-05-09 12:53:08 GMT from United States)
Linux is about choice and simplicity. SystemD violates both of those tenets. If you wish to use systemD, have at it. Your choice. Others made/make other choices. Are you going to deny them those choices?
SystemD is another step towards Window-ization of Linux. If we wanted to be subject to the tyranny of systemD, we would have never switched form the tyranny of Windows.
44 • @43, dragonmouth, system D all over again (by Mr. Moto on 2024-05-09 14:24:36 GMT from Philippines)
@43, "Are you going to deny them those choices?" Where and how am I denying anyone any choices? Go to it! Use what you want. Have I stated any position either against or in favor of systemd?
Yes, I believe that the vocal minority who come out swinging at any mention of the unmentionable init are like the tree falling in the forest that no one hears. They will change nothing, and Linux will continue an prosper regardless of their predictions of doom. Some yearn for the simplicity of Unix. Why not use BSD? That's Unix. Too much trouble? So they don't just want a free sack of potatoes. They want them peeled and cooked.
Microsoft will take over? For what? Microsoft already has Linux. Are they expected to realize the miracle of monetizing the Gnu/Linux desktop, which no one has so far managed? Redhat, Canonical, Suse? They make money on support. There's that little thing called the GPL in the way.
Some who dislike systemd are actually doing something constructive, like creating Void, MX, AntiX, Artix, Devuan, et al., and there are those who contribute to those projects. Lighting a new light, so to speak. But the majority of the systemd haters just prefer to sit and complain about the darkness.
But none of those cause me to post here. The ones I answer to are the cult evangelists who insult anyone who does not share their beliefs or fears, calling them uninformed and ignorant. "Your choice." Yes, it is! And I will exercise it.
45 • Vocal minority (by MTV on 2024-05-10 07:26:52 GMT from France)
"Microsoft will take over? ... the cult evangelists who insult anyone who does not share their beliefs or fears, calling them uninformed and ignorant..." (@44)
... ironically are against freedom of choice and worship Microsoft without even realizing it.
They are for freedom of choice, but against choice (Systemd, Gnome Desktop...), and any GUI is fine for them, as long as it looks and feels like Microsoft's (the ugly KDE is a 100% copy of a Microsoft concept and together with Cinnamon, it reminds one of Windows Vista in early alpha stage).
They didn't yet discover that Linux does not exist for and because of them, nor would it be able to keep existing if it relied solely on spare-time work and their generous donations.
46 • desktop & init (by M.Z. on 2024-05-10 15:31:28 GMT from United States)
There are plenty of ways in which systemd is a sub-optimal solution, but from the end user perspective it just works & can be easily forked or modified by developers because it is open source GPL licensed software. I've used both and there is little real difference as far as I'm concerned, though it is nice that some project provide an alternative & I don't think that there are any good reasons to think you'll end up without plenty of options for Linux init systems.
@45 - yes you do have a real choice & XFCE & KDE plasma are the choices most desktop users tend to make. Kde is very powerful & flexible & can be made to look however you want it too - no need to be ugly about your preferred DE not doing theming & config as well.
47 • systemd (by ThomasAnderson on 2024-05-10 22:39:43 GMT from Australia)
@46
>>from the end user perspective it just works
Look on Github at the open issues with systemd which as of today is 2035. Top on the list is this:
Deleting "$HOME"/.identity Prevents Logging in to systemd-homed User Account
On Ubuntus systemd bug page, top on the list:
Shutdown hangs in md kworker after "Reached target Shutdown."
On Debians systemd bug page, top of the list:
Can't decrypt root device after upgrading to systemd v256 and rebuilding initramfs
Systemd has a lot of bugs. It may seem like it just works but it really doesn't.
How many open issues with sysvinit ..... 0...zero
Systemd is not just an init system. That is the main objection to systemd. If you want an init system that works, use sysvinit or others.
Number of Comments: 47
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| Archives |
| • Issue 1168 (2026-04-13): pearOS 2026.03, EndeavourOS 2026.03.06, which distros are adopting age verification, Arch adjusts its firewall packages, Linux dropping i486 support, Red Hat extends its release cycle, Debian's APT introduces rollbacks, Redox improves its scheduler |
| • Issue 1167 (2026-04-06): Origami Linux 2026.03, answering questions for Linux newcomers, Ubuntu MATE seeking new contributors, Ubuntu software centre is expanding Deb support, FreeBSD fixes forum exploit, openSUSE 15 Leap nears its end of life |
| • Issue 1166 (2026-03-30): NetBSD jails, publishing software for Linux, Ubuntu joins Rust Foundation, Canonical plans to trim GRUB features, Peppermint works on new utilities, PINE64 shows off open hardware capabilities |
| • Issue 1165 (2026-03-23): Argent Linux 1.5.3, disk space required by Linux, Manjaro team goes on strike, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA driver support and builds RISC-V packages, systemd introduces age tracking |
| • Issue 1164 (2026-03-16): d77void, age verification laws and Linux, SUSE may be for sale, TrueNAS takes its build system private, Debian publishes updated Trixie media, MidnightBSD and System76 respond to age verification laws |
| • Issue 1163 (2026-03-09): KaOS 2026.02, TinyCore 17.0, NuTyX 26.02.2, Would one big collection of packages help?, Guix offers 64-bit Hurd options, Linux communities discuss age delcaration laws, Mint unveils new screensaver for Cinnamon, Redox ports new COSMIC features |
| • Issue 1162 (2026-03-02): AerynOS 2026.01, anti-virus and firewall tools, Manjaro fixes website certificate, Ubuntu splits firmware package, jails for NetBSD, extended support for some Linux kernel releases, Murena creating a map app |
| • Issue 1161 (2026-02-23): The Guix package manager, quick Q&As, Gentoo migrating its mirrors, Fedora considers more informative kernel panic screens, GhostBSD testing alternative X11 implementation, Asahi makes progress with Apple M3, NetBSD userland ported, FreeBSD improves web-based system management |
| • Issue 1160 (2026-02-16): Noid and AgarimOS, command line tips, KDE Linux introduces delta updates, Redox OS hits development milestone, Linux Mint develops a desktop-neutral account manager, sudo developer seeks sponsorship |
| • 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 |
| • Full list of all issues |
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Trusted End Node Security
Trusted End Node Security (TENS), previously called Lightweight Portable Security (LPS), was a Linux-based live CD with a goal of allowing users to work on a computer without the risk of exposing their credentials and private data to malware, key loggers and other Internet-era ills. It includes a minimal set of applications and utilities, such as the Firefox web browser or an encryption wizard for encrypting and decrypting personal files. The live CD was a product produced by the United States of America's Department of Defence and was part of that organization's Software Protection Initiative.
Status: Discontinued
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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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