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1 • Unified package manager? No thanks! (by JeffC on 2024-09-30 00:59:00 GMT from United States)
A unified package manager is how a certain distro family switched Firefox from deb packages to snaps without the users being able to keep using debs.
2 • Rhino, rolling-release-model, fixed-release model and about update breakage (by RJA on 2024-09-30 01:16:37 GMT from United States)
First, about Rhino:
1: It's a major disappointment for it to fail with Intel graphics. In my experience, it's known to just work! It's not like the chaos I see with Nvidia.
2: Yep, the snapshots should be in the boot menu! I agree highly.
Now, with release-models:
If rolling-release can update without breakage almost every-other-month, then I would be less hesitant. For fixed-release, that's what I usually go for. Rolling-release, usually just isn't my jazz.
Now does anyone have problems with distro updates breaking more often than others? if so, which distros?
Usually, I see Windows updates break the most, out of any OS, more than Linux distros, it breaks with silent partial corruption, where just some files are not correct. It's frustrating to have to run sfc /scannow during every "patch-Tuesday" and prepare to run dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth, than uninstall and reinstall the cumulative update literally and see if there are unexpected errors or not, afterwards.
-Randy James Anderson
3 • Linux Jobs (by penguinx86 on 2024-09-30 02:21:17 GMT from United States)
I have the LPIC-1 and Linux Essentials certifications from the Linux Professional institute, These certifications did not help me find a Linux job in California. The only Linux job within 100 miles is at a military base and it requires an RHCE certification, a Bachelors Degree, US citizenship and a security clearance. Linux jobs are very difficult to find around here. On the other hand, there are lots of jobs in this area for Windows and Mac support, and even a few jobs supporting Chromebooks. There may be some remote telework jobs for Linux, but I haven't found any yet.
4 • Unified package managers (by Jacob Alexander Tice on 2024-09-30 02:33:07 GMT from United States)
I don't like universal package managers like Flatpak to begin with so I don't have much of a use for something that unifies it with Pacman (since I'm on Arch atm).
5 • Rolling Rhino (by Moat on 2024-09-30 02:55:39 GMT from United States)
@2 RJA;
"Now does anyone have problems with distro updates breaking more often than others?"
Not breaking *more* often, but less; I've about a 3 yr-old Manjaro (Arch, rolling) install on an old laptop and have never experienced a single update-related breakage/issue (knock on wood...!). If Rhino proves to be as solid, I'd not hesitate to use it as a daily driver.
Aack! Unified/universal menus - like overlay scrollbars, modern flat theming & full-screen application menus - are ergonomic & functional backward steps, existing in the name of fashion/style/"wow!" factor only. The less of such form-over-function GUI elements, the better (and I'm a fan of window shadowing and tastefully done skeuomorphism/gradients/shadows/etc).
6 • Arch (by RJA on 2024-09-30 03:29:20 GMT from United States)
@5 Moat;
Things have been looking better in the Linux distro world.
Arch in the very-early-2010s, OTOH, was awful, but it was just the mirrors that were bad.
It was normal for me to get not-found errors on random files during that time.
Don't know why people would knock on Manjaro, then.
-Randy James Anderson
7 • System76 support (by Jacob Kauffmann on 2024-09-30 08:42:40 GMT from United States)
> System76 sells computers with Pop!_OS pre-installed, however, as far as I can tell, I don't think the company offers official support contracts.
Just to clarify this, System76 does not offer "contracts" for software support. However, purchasers of their hardware are able to open support tickets with a team of in-house employees whose jobs are solely customer support, and they do handle software inquiries. So it's essentially what you'd expect from "commercial support," except you have to buy a computer to get it.
(Source: I used to work on the System76 support team, answering various Linux questions via text and phone, including many that had to do with third-party Linux apps/projects and were only tangentially related to Pop!_OS itself.)
8 • Unified package manager (by Vukota on 2024-09-30 09:42:47 GMT from Serbia)
Unified package manager is a recipe for disaster, used by lazy developers/maintainers to avoid having to repackage/support their native package format, update software and to address code review and security issues properly. I know flats/snaps/appimages has its own "good" sides, but it still comes down to my first conclusion.
Having less foreign packages in the distribution, usually is better.
9 • unified package manager (by bernsteinn25 on 2024-09-30 10:06:44 GMT from France)
well it eliminates a primary choice people have to make: choosing a distro based on packages available.
I understand the Linux philosophy of choice, but it shouldn't just be a user's choice to just use .deb (or .rpm or whatever) but also a developer's choice to use the format they want.
On the other hand, users don't care what format it comes in (mostly) as long as it works, so portable formats use is rising and software stores in major distros include them in their store, effectively a package manager. I'm just a little surprised this wasn't an in-between solution long ago (it was to some extent but not popular)
It does bring up the issue of efficiency, is it still possible, or even needed to have a specific format for a distro? I mean if there was a clear answer we wouldn't have various base systems.
10 • unified package manager (by WisePenguin on 2024-09-30 10:15:18 GMT from Croatia)
Today, flatpak is just one stop solution for desktop software
Canonical insists on snaps because they can deliver server solutions with snaps and that is ok. I can still run flatpaks on my kubuntu.
I feel sorry for all those dinosaurs crying that they want their debs, rpms and whatnot.
The future of linux is immutable with flatpaks and maybe snaps.
all those who are against: cry me a river
11 • freebsd (by farty_pants on 2024-09-30 10:16:40 GMT from Norway)
Perhaps some time in the bear future FreeBSD will properly support my laptops touchpad, now it partnering to improve laptop support - we can dream.
12 • Unified package managers (by Ubul on 2024-09-30 10:20:19 GMT from Czechia)
If Mint's graphical package manager counts as a unified one, then I sometimes use it. But most of the time I just run my simple shell script that updates any packages with APT, any user-installed Python packages (if applicable), any user-installed Ruby gems (if applicable), and any Flatpak packages (if applicable).
https://git.sr.ht/~solt87/homebin/tree/master/item/frall.sh
13 • @8 unified package manager (by Kazlu on 2024-09-30 10:29:50 GMT from France)
"Unified package manager is a recipe for disaster, used by lazy developers/maintainers to avoid having to repackage/support their native package format, update software and to address code review and security issues properly."
Actually, it does not come from the same people... No distro in the world can have the manpower to package every package in the world. So, users, a lot of people will eventually come across a case where the package they would like to install is not available for their distribution. It happened a little too many times for some users who decided to try to find a remedy for it, since they were not maintainers themselves. And bam, here comes your unified package manager.
14 • Unified package manager (by Kazlu on 2024-09-30 10:32:01 GMT from France)
This is interesting. Especially for updating. I would like to see it support Nix package manager though, nice middle ground between a native package format and things like Flatpak.
That being said this package manager is not worth the hassle of going back to Ubuntu, especially on a rolling-release basis! Debian/Devuan stable base for me all the way.
15 • Package managers (by Pumpino on 2024-09-30 02:48:44 GMT from Australia)
One of the things I like about Manjaro is the Pamac GUI. It handles native Arch packages, as well as the AUR and flatpaks. It may support snaps, too (I'm not sure).
Pamac also notifies the user of updates to any package format. The only other distro to include its own unified package manager (that I'm aware of) is Mint. Gnome-software and KDE Discover are slow and clunky.
When I use Xubuntu, I install package-update-indicator to notify me of native updates, and bauh to notify me about flatpak updates.
16 • not-a-gnome (by John on 2024-09-30 14:15:35 GMT from Canada)
>Another approach would be to install a commercial distribution which runs GNOME by default,
A bit of a warning. At work I am allowed to use Red Hat Workstation.
I use to use KDE on the workstation, but when we had to upgrade to a new release, RHEL v8 IIRC, KDE started having issues. Many proprietary applications we are forced to use failed under KDE, under GNOME3, they worked.
I read somewhere RHEL no longer supports KDE on their workstation. The version that I had at the time was v4 of KDE.
So, with Red Hat, you may have issues with KDE. BTW, I tried fluxbox and that to had issues on RHEL. Seems it is now GNOME3 or console with RHEL :(
17 • @13 unified package manage (by Vukota on 2024-09-30 14:30:55 GMT from Serbia)
"No distro in the world can have the manpower to package every package in the world"
Do you need a distro that has every package in the world? If there was a such, that would assume distro with every virus, trojan and malware in the world. Thanks, but I don't need that. I need only selected, well reviewed, ok maintained and from trusted sources packages.
"manpower" is the same reason, I don't think everyone should be spawning their own distro, unless you use OS as a toy. Maintaining distro properly is a very hard work and that is a reason many distros relay on other distros to do a work for them, but often times, when you try to combine work from different sources (in unified package managers like nix, pamac, etc.), chaos happens as those "packages" have antagonistic expectations that you can not meet at the same time. This doesn't even touch topic of trustworthiness of these packages you are installing.
18 • FreeBSD (by Tyler on 2024-09-30 15:36:45 GMT from Canada)
Great news for FreeBSD! I haven't had much issues with FreeBSD on my hardware, but I know its a struggle for some.
19 • @17 unified package manager (by Kazlu on 2024-09-30 17:05:39 GMT from France)
"Do you need a distro that has every package in the world? If there was a such, that would assume distro with every virus, trojan and malware in the world. Thanks, but I don't need that."
That is not what I meant. Of course, nobody needs every package in the world. Everyone needs a specific set of packages. But that set is different from your neighbour's. If a distro wants to cover the needs of everyone, meaning featuring all the sets of packages needed by everyone, well then they need every package in the world... Because every existing package is here because of the needs of someone.
Now of course that is nor possible neither desirable, for the reasons you point. This is where the position of maintaining a reasonable set of packages yourself (as a distro maintainer) while giving the possibility to users to use another system to fetch packages somewhere else is appealing.
And since I also agree with your point where mixing packages from different sources can create chaos, I want to point out that is precisely the problem Nix aims to solve by installing packages independantly from your existing, traditional packages. The same goes for Flatpaks bt the way.
20 • #12 unified package manager (by temperamental nerd on 2024-09-30 17:19:38 GMT from United States)
"most of the time I just run my simple shell script that updates any packages with APT, any user-installed Python packages (if applicable), any user-installed Ruby gems (if applicable), and any Flatpak packages (if applicable)."
Such a simple but great idea!
21 • @8 (by MCBuhl on 2024-09-30 17:32:35 GMT from United States)
This!
22 • Unified package manager (by JeffC on 2024-09-30 18:20:18 GMT from United States)
If the Linux Mint dev team can package Firefox and Chromium as debs, then why does the very much larger Ubuntu team not have the manpower and computer power to do so?
23 • Tor + Tails (by delusioneers on 2024-09-30 22:22:19 GMT from Singapore)
"Today the Tor Project and Tails have joined forces...coming together will strengthen both organizations' ability to protect people worldwide from surveillance and censorship."
Given the bashing that tech security is taking in war zones - tracking phones; supply chain attacks on pagers & walkie talkies; hacking CCTV cameras to track ppl; and even some prominent ppl forced to abandon the use of tech devices altogether - I don't think collaborations like this are going to instill much public confidence in any improvement in tech security.
24 • @ 22 • Unified package manage (by Because; reasons on 2024-09-30 23:54:12 GMT from New Zealand)
Not a Ubuntu user but likely due to Gnome being the "Default" DE.
"Web" / epiphany would be the default web-browser, so no *need* to support any other browsers.
Corporate users, being the target of Ubuntu / Canonical, have a *less is more* outlook, so less effort required to provide support for a broader range of packages converts to a better ROI for Ubuntu / Canonical.
25 • Unified Package Manager (by grindstone on 2024-10-01 00:04:46 GMT from United States)
The forces that create the needs for unified package managers would seem a sort of healthy. As a geezer, such non-native packages intrinsically become too much bloat and the whole prospect of multiple package managers chafes against my spidey stability sense. No thanks--.debs or something I can build are sufficient. When it all gets too nuts, there will still be Slackware and BSD's :)
26 • Unified package managers (by Chris Whelan on 2024-10-01 09:30:20 GMT from United Kingdom)
The in-house package manager MX Linux has could be considered as unified I guess, as it handles Flatpaks as well as Debian repos.
27 • @23: Tor+Tails (by picamanic on 2024-10-01 10:40:55 GMT from United Kingdom)
@23: Tor+Tails. I have mixed feelings about this collaboration: whilst the Tor Project is often criticised for links to US government, I believe that the development team are independent and have integritty.
Tails uses Tor Browser, but then embeds it in 1.5gb of live distro, and of course includes the systemd bloatware. Sadly, the Devuan-based alternative [heads], has not been maintained.
28 • reply to @25 (by Name (mandatory) on 2024-10-01 13:05:26 GMT from United States)
@25 "When it all gets too nuts, there will still be Slackware and BSD's" :)
I have high hopes for Redox, they are writing this new OS from ground up, with language Rust, that is fast and security oriented.
They are not making new Linux OS, but new OS, where are implementing best practices from other OS-ses. Modern microkernel, minimizing, what is happening in system space moving as much as possible into user space. Apps will be compatible with Linux and BSD.
Now, that tech companies are slowly making their way into Linux and influencing it more and more (systemD etc...), I can't wait for Redox. It will probably take few years, before it will be ready.
https://www.redox-os.org/
29 • unified package managers (by Dolphin Oracle on 2024-10-01 13:43:53 GMT from United States)
I've found from a user standpoint that as long as a unified package manager indicates what type of package is being installed, then it makes it easy for the user to avoid packages they don't want. The bug-a-boo is when packages change from one format to another without user acceptance. Good reason or not, user's hate that sort of thing.
When we added flatpaks to mx-packageinstaller, we included them on a totally separate tab so user's were 100% informed that a given application was provided as a flatpak. Now, our gui package manager just wraps a gui around the usual flatpak and apt/dpkg tools to do our package stuff (similar to rhino-pkg I guess). But it seems to work well for users and we don't get people yelling at us about doing things behind their back. Important for user faith I think. Treat user's right, and don't pull any shenanigans with their packages.
30 • Unified package manager (packagekit) (by Nicola on 2024-10-01 16:16:37 GMT from Italy)
Wikipedia wrote: "PackageKit is a free and open-source suite of software applications designed to provide a consistent and high-level abstraction layer for a number of different package management systems. PackageKit was created by Richard Hughes in 2007 and first introduced into an operating system as a default application in May 2008. The suite is cross-platform, though it is primarily targeted at Linux distributions which follow the interoperability standards set out by the freedesktop.org group. It uses the software libraries provided by the D-Bus and Polkit projects to handle inter-process communication and privilege negotiation respectively. [...] Pkcon is the official front-end of PackageKit, it operates from the command line."
So, why not PackageKit?
31 • Poll (by Otis on 2024-10-01 16:46:09 GMT from United States)
I didn't know which choice to make, until I saw "unsure."
Perfect.
But seriously, those users who DO know about all this stuff are not the ones who I admire as much as the ones who know, or at least have bit of a clue, what direction this or that choice in Linux is going to take the Linux world in general.
Is this week's poll kind of a retro/meta thinking experiment? Do I not understand something if I think that what we're calling unified package managers now is what was there at the beginnings of Linux? dpkg etc come to mind.
32 • Sidecar Universal Packaging Thank Heaven Free at Last (by Random Experienced Void User on 2024-10-01 17:21:38 GMT from United States)
I suffer no BS from any distro about an app I want. If the distro packages it *and* keeps it fresh, I use the distro package. Otherwise I look upstream. If upstream offers an AppImage, I use that; if not, I hunt a binary build from upstream to put on $PATH, which incorporates custom dirs for the purpose. Example: Void won't package Brave Browser, and Brave offers no "official" AppImage; but Brave ships regular binary builds.
Rarely must I compile, but if so, I don't "package" for my distro. I just follow build instructions and use the sidecar setup described. My own builds or upstream binaries are invoked by wrapper scripts with a final 'exec' line. The scripts first modify $HOME and $XDG_... variables so all files associated stay local.
The AppImage spec defines a local config option, https://docs.appimage.org/user-guide/portable-mode.html and if the app respects that spec, it keeps clutter out of $XDG_... folders. Some apps offer command line switches and/or environment variables to the same effect. These matters come down to taste. I like portability between machines or distro installations. Just copy a folder over, no digging in multiple system locations.
What's getting more common too are third-party package managers and repos to automate the sidecar concept. Micromamba is fantastic. I can install a world of stuff, far more than my distro, anywhere I like. I can define multiple independent environments with unique apps and versions. This method works no matter how bit-rotted the distro gets. It's much easier than chroot or container techniques. NodeJS with NPM falls into this class.
A few larger projects have their own in-house version control apps. JuliaLang.org has JuliaUp. Its complexity is needless for my use case. I always want the latest release. So I just download the binary with $JULIA_DEPOT_PATH preset to taste. When a new version ships, I wipe out the old and plop down the new. The Julia "bin" folder is on my $PATH.
A growing yet concerning trend are shady project installer scripts. You discover some neat github or codeberg project, but it says to curl an installer script and run as root. These scripts are something like universal packaging with crufty, hand-woven, system detector routines. Hoping they work across distros is using a bad language against a difficult goal. Even Rhino's "universal package manager" for .debs and .rpms might be more realistic. I don't know. If git projects want shell script, packaging for x-cmd.com might make more sense.
33 • @10 unified package manager (by Refer on 2024-10-02 02:12:28 GMT from Venezuela)
"The future of linux is immutable with flatpaks and maybe snaps.
all those who are against: cry me a river "
I am not going to cry you a river, but if I wanted an immutable system with unified packages, I would still be using Windows
34 • Windows (by Jesse on 2024-10-02 10:29:12 GMT from Canada)
@33: "if I wanted an immutable system with unified packages, I would still be using Windows"
Why? Windows does not use unified package management and is not (and has never been) immutable.
35 • Unified package manager (by Claudio on 2024-10-02 12:24:51 GMT from Italy)
@10
"Today, flatpak is just one stop solution for desktop software. Canonical insists on snaps because they can deliver server solutions with snaps and that is ok. I can still run flatpaks on my kubuntu. I feel sorry for all those dinosaurs crying that they want their debs, rpms and whatnot. The future of linux is immutable with flatpaks and maybe snaps."
A nightmare and a claim to prove.
36 • MX-KDE enormous amount of X11 sub-sub-sub forlders (by Jan on 2024-10-02 16:05:03 GMT from The Netherlands)
I found in my MX-KDE that under /bin there is an enormous amount of /X11 (sub)folders. Each X11 folder is a sub of the previous X11 folder.
I seem not to be able to delete them. Are they growing in subs?
I this nomal, so supposed to be? Is this going to consume my SSD-capacity?
37 • MX (by Jesse on 2024-10-02 16:11:08 GMT from Canada)
@36: What you are seeing are not folders, they are symbolic links. It's a way to make software available easily (under /usr/bin) using shortcuts while organizing the actual files elsewhere. Nothing is growing, it's not consuming your disk capacity.
You're not seeing sub-sub folders, you're seeing a link that circles around to the starting location in a loop.
38 • FunOs (by Brian59 on 2024-10-02 19:37:46 GMT from United States)
Great concept but several bugs noted. On fresh install, no package repository (manager) found. I Install synaptic and was able to download programs (i.e., LibreOffice, etc.) but, they do not show in the menu. Rebooted several times and the problem continued. Was able to Manually install a Debian package (Abiword) but the system theme was not adapted to the app and again, the icon could not be found in the menu.
I think this Os needs a little more work before its ready for general use. Even with all the problems, the system did run rather quickly. I like that snaps is not installed. Hopefully, the developers will work out the bugs.
In its present form, I would give it 4 out of 10. It is usable for a few route task like internet browsing via Firefox but not much more.
39 • @36 @37 MX-KDE enormous amount of X11 sub-sub-sub forlders (by Jan on 2024-10-02 20:14:58 GMT from The Netherlands)
Thanks for your explanation, a relief.
I found this through using the filemanager ZTreeWin installed under Wine (to my joy this works). It gives a very clear overview of the OS-folder-structure with its files, it learned me to understand the Windows-structure.
Without ZtreeWin I would never have found the mentioned X11-point (go to /bin and press shift and *, and all folders under /bin are displayed).
But beware, with ZtreeWin you can perform very destructive actions.
40 • @39 Addition, Use of ZtreeWi under Wine (by Jan on 2024-10-02 23:17:12 GMT from The Netherlands)
If you want to test ZtreeWin under Wine, there are a few important begin tips.
To log a drive, press l (log), then the available drive-letters are displayed, choose one, Z is the Linux-drive/installation, C contains the under Wine installed programs.
If you plug in a USB-drive, you have to try every drive-letter because Linux does not give the assigned drive-letter.
The very convinient point of ZtreeWin is that you can tag each file (with pressing t) and perform an action on the tagged files. If you choose 2 windows (F8), with different drives/directories logged, you can copy all tagged files (Ctrl C) from window 1 to window 2. Or Ctlr D at which all tagged files are deleted. The number of different actions is very many.
I have not found, in Windows or Linux, a filemanager with such clear presentation and with tagging possibilities.
41 • @30 • Unified package manager (by Kazlu on 2024-10-03 08:00:29 GMT from France)
"why not PackageKit? "
Because, acccording to the same wikipedia page, it does not support Flatpak or Pacstall, which is the objective of the devs here.
42 • @34 (by Fewt on 2024-10-03 09:38:46 GMT from United States)
Hello old friend. o/ Looking forward to seeing SteamFork rise to the top ranks! Just kidding ofc. :)
43 • FunOS @38 (by Alan on 2024-10-03 16:07:50 GMT from United Kingdom)
I believe you have to refresh the menu after adding packages.
44 • passwords (by fge00 on 2024-10-04 11:11:52 GMT from United States)
I'm not a total noob but I have one serious question that I would like answered. You build a distro. You want people to at least look at it and try it. That way they can determine whether or not they wish to install it or virtually install it. Why do you ask for a password. The thing that will stop 90% of the people who want to see it and determine if they want to use it to say, I really don't need this right now.
I don't get this, maybe I'm wrong or not informed enough to even send this email. I'd just like to know.
45 • @39 Wine, on only one distro found to work (by Jan on 2024-10-04 20:55:27 GMT from The Netherlands)
I mentioned that Wine was (mostly) working for me. That was at MX-KDE.
On my other PC's I wanted different distros, my choice is Fedora, OpenSue, Mint and MX, in the KDE or Gnome version.
I experienced that Wine could be installed on all distros, from their repository or by terminal-commands.
However only at MX (KDE) is was functining for most of the few programs I fancied (not for QMPlay2, but that is available from the repository).
At MX there is one check-mark to set, and Wine is usable.
At the other mentioned programs the Software-repository gives 3-5 items when searching for Wine, very confusing, and nothing works.
Anybody an advise?
46 • FunOS (by Pete on 2024-10-05 08:25:39 GMT from United Kingdom)
Yes there is a menu item "Reload menu" or something to that effect.
Had reason to contact developer(s) about resizing the menu and they were very helpful.
Number of Comments: 46
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| Archives |
| • 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 |
| • Issue 1044 (2023-11-06): Porteus 5.01, disabling IPv6, applications unique to a Linux distro, Linux merges bcachefs, OpenELA makes source packages available |
| • Issue 1043 (2023-10-30): Murena Two with privacy switches, where old files go when packages are updated, UBports on Volla phones, Mint testing Cinnamon on Wayland, Peppermint releases ARM build |
| • Issue 1042 (2023-10-23): Ubuntu Cinnamon compared with Linux Mint, extending battery life on Linux, Debian resumes /usr merge, Canonical publishes fixed install media |
| • Issue 1041 (2023-10-16): FydeOS 17.0, Dr.Parted 23.09, changing UIDs, Fedora partners with Slimbook, GNOME phasing out X11 sessions, Ubuntu revokes 23.10 install media |
| • Issue 1040 (2023-10-09): CROWZ 5.0, changing the location of default directories, Linux Mint updates its Edge edition, Murena crowdfunding new privacy phone, Debian publishes new install media |
| • Issue 1039 (2023-10-02): Zenwalk Current, finding the duration of media files, Peppermint OS tries out new edition, COSMIC gains new features, Canonical reports on security incident in Snap store |
| • Issue 1038 (2023-09-25): Mageia 9, trouble-shooting launchers, running desktop Linux in the cloud, New documentation for Nix, Linux phasing out ReiserFS, GNU celebrates 40 years |
| • 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 | 
ByzantineOS
ByzantineOS was a software Internet Appliance with a home entertainment bias. It was based on a networked Linux distribution/bootable system with Mozilla providing access to a range of services and applications. ByzantineOS fits on a 32MB (or 48MB) media and should work on any PC. With ByzantineOS CD-ROM, there was no need for hard-disks or floppy drives.
Status: Discontinued
|
| Tips, Tricks, Q&As | | Questions and answers: Improving manual pages, advantages of Flatpak/Snap |
| Tips and tricks: OpenSSH, pipes and file transfers |
| Questions and answers: The new Arch Linux system installer |
| Tips and tricks: Package compression compared |
| Questions and answers: Rolling releases and BSD |
| Tips and tricks: Hiding processes from other users, get geographical location of IP address |
| Questions and answers: Live distro versus installed distro performance |
| Myths and misunderstandings: Wayland, Xorg and Mir |
| Tips and tricks: Command line weather, ionice, rename files, video preview snapshot, calednar, ls colour settings |
| Questions and answers: Video drivers and Linux |
| More Tips & Tricks and Questions & Answers |
| 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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