 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 1098, 25 November 2024 |
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Welcome to this year's 48th issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
Most software grows and takes on new features, new capabilities, and new options. This makes most software packages expand to require more resources. However, some software projects seek to slow the rapid pace of growth or even reverse it, providing more efficient programs. This week we begin with a review of a distribution which strives to balance modern features with efficiency. Read on to learn more about Jeff Siegel's experiences with Linux Lite, a beginner friendly distribution in the Ubuntu family. In our News section we talk about the Arch Linux system installer getting a new, curses-based text interface which should make navigating the installer experience easier. We also report on one of Ubuntu's security tools being exploited and patches being issued to fix it. Plus we share details of a deal being offered by Murena and their Fairphone partner to try to provide sustainable and repairable mobile technologies. This week we also offer tips on backing up specific regions of a user's home directory in our Questions and Answers section. Plus we are pleased to share the recent releases from the open source community and list the torrents we are seeding. Finally, we open this week's Opinion Poll to ask if we should include desktop-specific distributions which exist only to showcase new developments in major desktop environments. Let us know what you think in the comments. We wish you all a wonderful week and happy reading!
This week's DistroWatch Weekly is presented by TUXEDO Computers.
Content:
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| Feature Story (By Jeff Siegel) |
Linux Lite 7.2
Put the word "light" - in any form, spelling, or meaning - in the name or description of a Linux distribution, and I'm ready to download the ISO (yes, even Damn Small Linux). Maybe it's because I used MS-DOS in the late 1980s, when 640KB of RAM was considered more than sufficient. Maybe it's because I'm a minimalist in much of my life, be it cars or home décor or good cheap wine. Or maybe it's because I've just never grasped the idea of desktop bling, be it intricate, character-based wallpapers or the spinning cubes of olden days.
So, not surprisingly, I was eager to review the latest release in the Linux Lite 7.0 series, 7.2. I ran it for a week, with my goal - as always, for these reviews - to see if it would work as the daily driver for my freelance writing business. Was it designed well enough to learn easily? Was it quick and snappy? Did it have the software I needed, whether installed or in its repositories, to handle writing, web research, e-mail, accounting and invoicing, music and videos, Zoom conferences, and accessing my home server? Was the package manager modern and straightforward?
And Linux Lite 7.2 delivered on almost all of that. The documentation, often a problem with independent distros, was especially impressive, on a par with Fedora and Ubuntu. There were a couple of hiccups, mostly with software and package management, but it did what I needed, as well as what it promised to do - "Linux Lite is a 'gateway operating system.' Your first simple, fast and free stop in the world of Linux."
The basics
Linux Lite 7.2 is an update from the 7.0 release in June, and it's based on Ubuntu 24.04.1 LTS and will receive five years of support. The distro comes with the Xfce 4.18 desktop and the 6.8 kernel, while the ISO is 2.9GB in size. System requirements are 1.5Ghz or better processor and a 64-bit system, 1GB of RAM, and at least 20GB for the hard dive. It also needs a screen that can handle at least 1366x768 resolution. So yes, very light. By comparison, MX Linux's Xfce version and Xubuntu each recommends 2GB of RAM, and Linux Mint Xfce recommends 4GB and requires 2GB.
As such, Linux Lite seems to occupy a space between MX's Xfce and Zorin OS Lite on the one hand and Xubuntu and Linux Mint Xfce on the other. This is neither good nor bad; rather, it speaks to the goal of each distro. In this, Linux Lite is more straightforward than MX if not quite as streamlined as Zorin, if not quite as polished as the latter two (Mint and Xubuntu). For example, Linux Lite does offer a home-made software store, but with just three dozen or so apps, it's nothing like the Ubuntu or Mint software centres. But for someone looking to switch from Windows or to experiment with Linux, it's probably sufficient.
Linux Lite 7.2 -- The Xfce desktop
(full image size: 172kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
The "Do you want to switch from Windows?" approach can be seen throughout the Linux Lite ecosystem. It's especially evident in the manual and documentation, which offers a step-by-step tutorial on downloading the ISO, using Rufus in Windows to burn the ISO to a thumb drive, and then installing the distro from the thumb drive. Almost every imaginable question is covered, complete with pictures and diagrams.
Getting started
Running a VirtualBox instance offered mixed results. The live desktop was laggy, and Chrome (the default web browser) sometimes failed to open. Clicking the help icon on the desktop didn't do anything, either. Given that, I skipped the VirtualBox installation and moved to my test machine.
The same sort of thing happened when I booted the ISO to run the live version of 7.2 on my test machine - no help after clicking the icon, sluggish behavior, and Chrome failing to open (which pointed to a distro error and probably not a VirtualBox problem). However, once I installed 7.2 (eight minutes from beginning to end, with the older Ubiquity installer) all was well.
The Linux Lite welcome screen, after the desktop appears, again seems to cover every eventuality - updates, theming, drivers, setting a restore point, plus help for hardware and booting and a link to the forums. Clicking the Drivers button brings up the Additional Drivers tab on the Software & Updates screen, which looks to be the same one that's available on Ubuntu.
Default software, besides Chrome, includes Xfce utilities (Xfburn for CDs, Catfish search, Mousepad text editor), the Shotwell photo manager, GIMP, Thunderbird for e-mail, VLC for music and videos, and the entire LibreOffice suite. There is also the Linux Mint Timeshift backup app and Red Hat's firewalld.
Linux Lite 7.2 -- The settings panel with Lite modules
(full image size: 140kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
In addition to the Lite software store, there are a variety of Lite-specific apps that aim to make specific tasks, or sets of tasks, easier. Lite Theme Manager, new this release, takes the standard Xfce theme manager and fine tunes it. Lite Sounds makes it ridiculously simple to add system sounds - just open the app and click a box. Lite Tweaks is designed for system configuration, allowing easy access to cleaning browser caches, fiddling with the kernel, and fine tuning the numlock status (among many others). The Lite Updates app has been re-written in Yad for more flexibility, but may still need some work as will be noted.
Linux Lite 7.2 -- Using Lite Tweaks to perform tasks
(full image size: 155kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
Along with Linux Lite 7.2 the project has added an AI chatbot feature to its website, which actually offers value and just doesn't regurgitate an Internet search. I used it check system requirements and how long the release would be supported, and the answers came back quickly, but not always correctly. Sometimes the chatbot offers good suggestions and troubleshooting tips, but other times it confidently produces inaccurate information.
Through all of this, as mentioned, the distro is firmly aimed at those curious about switching from Windows and to make the transition as comfortable as possible. It's as easy to install Microsoft's Edge browser as it is to install Firefox, which is hardly a priority for most Linux distros. Many of the apps have been renamed to describe what they do, which makes perfect sense given the emphasis on converting Windows users. It's much easier to figure out what an app called Backup does, instead of its actual name, Deja Dup. In addition, the Xfce Whisker menu is in the lower left-hand corner, and it pops up and looks just like the Windows 10 menu. And yes, there is a My Computer entry in the Whisker menu.
A few problems?
Ironically, given all of this, package management remains very Linux - and almost old-fashioned at that. The only GUI, save for the minimal Lite app store, is Synaptic, and I actually used APT on the command line to do a fair amount of installing and updating. Plus, neither Snap or Flathub is installed. Both need to be added using the same commands as in Ubuntu, and this includes the GNOME repository for Flathub.
In one respect, this probably eliminates a lot of confusion for new users, and the Lite app store offers a decent spread of software (Spotify, Kodi, Handbrake, and Steam among them) that seems to have much of what a Windows user might want. But it can't be used to install something - or remove it later - that isn't listed. So I had to install Nextcloud and Plank with Synaptic.
Linux Lite 7.2 -- Accessing the terminal
(full image size: 124kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
Also, the update process isn't as smooth as it could be. If you turn on the computer and try to update before the built-in Lite updater is ready, it won't update. Use the Lite updater before then - or even APT - and it just hangs. Plus, the update manager can be slow to set itself up after booting; it once took four minutes before it showed updates.
Despite the polish elsewhere, Lite 7.2 suffers from that most annoying of bugs - the CUPS "failed to connect to server" error when trying to add a printer using the GUI. Even though this is a CUPS problem, it doesn't always show up and I was hoping it wouldn't here. But no luck, so there will lots of head-scratching when a Windows user does a web search and is told to go to the browser, type "localhost:631" and then navigate the CUPS site to add a printer - when, of course, adding printers is one of the few things Windows does well.
In the end, Linux Lite 7.2 is a terrific example of what the Linux community does best - a straightforward, works out of the box distribution that is focused on a specific use and doesn't try to do too much or to be too many things to too many people. Yes, there are some annoyances, but they aren't big enough problems to make someone start pounding the keyboard and wishing they were still using Windows. And don't all of is want to avoid that?
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Hardware used for this review
My physical test equipment for this review was a Dell Latitude E7440 laptop with the following specifications:
- Processor: Intel i7-4600U
- Storage: 256 GB SSD
- Memory: 8GB of RAM
- Networking: Qualcomm Atheros AR9485
- Display: Intel HD Graphics 4400
When he is not testing out new versions of Linux distributions, Jeff Siegel can be found writing about all things related to wine at Wine Curmudgeon.
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Visitor supplied rating
Linux Lite has a visitor supplied average rating of: 8/10 from 124 review(s).
Have you used Linux Lite? You can leave your own review of the project on our ratings page.
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| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
Murena offers Fairphone perk, Arch Linux installer gets new text interface, an Ubuntu security tool patched against exploits
Murena is an organization which offers a privacy-enhanced build of Android called /e/OS. Along with /e/OS, Murena also sells phones with the operating system pre-installed. The devices Murena sell are intended to have low environmental impact and are typically either refurbished Android phones or Fairphone devices. The Fairphone series of devices are intended to be maintained for several years (offering software updates and a warranty for five years), plus the phones are both repairable and upgradable. The two organizations, Murena and Fairphone, have an unusual plan for this year's Black Friday sales event: "Rather than reducing prices, from 25th November - 2nd December the brands will be donating €40 for every Fairphone smartphone purchased through murena.com to a Fairmined-certified Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) project in Huila, Colombia." People interested in supporting Murena and Fairphone can browse the available devices in Murena's on-line store.
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The Arch Linux project has a system installer, though it rarely gets talked about and is not used often; Arch is famous for its manual install process. Still, the system installer software continues to evolve and it now offers text-based menus through the curses interface. "TUI has been reworked and now uses curses, which allows us to do more complex layouts as well as give a new but familiar look and feel." Additional details and a screenshot are available via the project's announcement.
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In an ironic twist of fate, a utility which was developed to help keep Ubuntu systems secure has been revealed to include multiple security vulnerabilities which allow local users to gain root access. The needrestart tool checks to see if the dependencies of a program have been updated, implying the program or service should be restarted. Bleeping Computer reports: "Five local privilege escalation (LPE) vulnerabilities have been discovered in the needrestart utility used by Ubuntu Linux, which was introduced over 10 years ago [and included in Ubuntu] in version 21.04. The flaws were discovered by Qualys and are tracked as CVE-2024-48990, CVE-2024-48991, CVE-2024-48992, CVE-2024-10224, and CVE-2024-11003. They were introduced in needrestart version 0.8, released in April 2014, and fixed only yesterday, in version 3.8. needrestart is a utility commonly used on Linux, including on Ubuntu Server, to identify services that require a restart after package updates, ensuring that those services run the most up-to-date versions of shared libraries." People running Ubuntu should make sure they are running the new, 3.8 version of needrestart.
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These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
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| Questions and Answers (by Jesse Smith) |
Backing up specific folders in the user's home directory
The-important-stuff asks: I'm trying to backup just important files/folders from my laptop to a workstation. I've got an rsync command which looks like this, to try and backup just key folders:
rsync -a --include='Documents/' --include='Pictures/' --include='Music/' --exclude='\*' ~/ workstation:Backups/
But when I run this it copies everything from my home to the other computer. What is the proper way to do this?
DistroWatch answers: For people who have not used the rsync command before, let's break down the process. The rsync program synchronizes or copies files and directories between two locations. The two locations can be on the same computer or on different machines.
In its simplest form, an rsync command might look like this, copying the contents of our Documents directory to a Backup directory:
rsync -a ~/Documents/ ~/Backup/
When we want to copy files to another computer over the network we can do this by specifying the name of the computer in the destination. For instance, here we copy our Documents directory to a remote computer called workstation and save our documents in the Backup directory on the remote computer. As long as the remote computer has the OpenSSH service running, this should work:
rsync -a ~/Documents/ workstation:Backup/
Individual directories can be included or added to the files rsync will work with, that's what the "--include" parameters in the original instance are doing. We can also tell rsync to skip over specific files and directories by using the "--exclude" directive. This "exclude" feature can be handy when we want to copy almost everything, but wish to skip configuration files or hidden directories.
In the above question the person is telling rsync to make sure it includes the Documents, Pictures, and Music directories while skipping anything (any file or directory) that matches "\*". When a filter matches both an "include" and an "exclude" rule, I think the "include" rule wins. So the intention here is to make sure the Documents, Pictures, and Music directories are copied to the remote machine, while excluding any other files or directories in the user's home.
In this case, the fix is fairly straight forward. In the "--exclude='\*'" section of the command, we just need to remove the backslash. The proper command ends up looking like this:
rsync -a --include='Documents/' --include='Pictures/' --include='Music/' --exclude='*' ~/ workstation:Backups/
Why is the backslash a problem? The star (or asterisk, if you prefer) is a special character that means "match with anything". In most instances, using a backslash ("\") in a shell command means "treat the next character literally, not like a special shell character". But in this case, the asterisk was already being treated literally because it was surrounded by single-quotes.
In other words, the shell saw the single-quote characters and told rsync to exclude files with the sequence "\*", a backslash followed by anything. Virtually no files or directories would have a backslash in the name, resulting in no files matching the exclude rule.
When we take the backslash out of the command, and ask rsync to just exclude the asterisk (match anything), it dutifully ignores everything that is not explicitly listed in the "include" list. In other words, the contents of Documents, Pictures, and Music are copied over to the workstation while everything else matches the "exclude" rule and is ignored.
I'd like to note that when creating rsync commands, even simple ones, it is a good idea to test them before using them in earnest. Using the "-v" flag turns on verbose output, showing us what rsync is doing. Using the "--dry-run" flag tells rsync not to actually make any changes, just to tell us what it would do. The "--dry-run" flag avoids copying or deleting any files which might be affected by the rsync command. For example, here we tell rsync to synchronize our Documents directory with the Backup directory, removing any files from Backup that are not also in the source (Documents):
rsync -av --dry-run --delete ~/Documents/ ~/Backup/
Once we have tried it and confirmed rsync is behaving properly, we can drop the "--dry-run" flag:
rsync -av --delete ~/Documents/ ~/Backup/
This is a helpful way to test scripts without risking deleting files we want to keep.
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Additional answers can be found in our Questions and Answers archive.
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| Released Last Week |
AlmaLinux OS 9.5
The AlmaLinux OS project has published a new stable release, AlmaLinux OS 9.5. The new version focuses on security improvements and performance enhancements. The release announcement states: "The AlmaLinux OS Foundation is announcing the general availability of AlmaLinux OS 9.5, code-named 'Teal Serval'. AlmaLinux 9.5 aims to improve performance, development tooling, and security. Updated module streams offer better support for web applications. New versions of compilers provide access to the latest features and optimizations that improve performance and enable better code generation. The release also introduces improvements to system performance monitoring, visualization, and system performance data collecting. Security updates are directed at strengthening cryptography, while SELinux policies enforce stricter access controls. Additionally, crypto-policies offer stronger encryption, improving the overall security of the system. You can read the full release notes for this version on the wiki, AlmaLinux OS 9.5 release notes."
Rocky Linux 9.5
Rocky Linux is a clone of Red Hat Enterprise Linux which strives to be "bug-for-bug" compatible with upstream. The project's latest release is Rocky Linux 9.5 which features updates to administrative tools such as Podman, Cockpit, and development tools. "Notable new features and changes: Podman - Rocky Linux 9.5 ships with the latest and greatest Podman version 5.0; Podman 5.0 introduces exciting new features like fast Podman machine boot times, Podman Farm for multi-platform image building, greater compatibility for volumes in podman kube play, Quadlet enhancements and a more performant default networking stack; Cockpit, the web console for easy remote server management, now provides file management capabilities via the Cockpit Files plugin, this feature requires installing the cockpit-files package; dynamic programming languages, web and database servers - Apache HTTP Server 2.4.62, Node.js 22; system toolchain - GCC 11.5, Annobin 12.70; performance tools and debuggers - GDB 14.2, Valgrind 3.23.0, SystemTap 5.1, elfutils 0.191, libabigail 2.5...." Additional information is offered through the distribution's release announcement and release notes.
Oracle Linux 9.5
Gursewak Sokhi has announced the release of Oracle Linux 9 Update 5, the latest stable release of Oracle's Linux distribution built from the source code of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). This new version updates the OpenJDK Java platform to version 17 and the .NET development platform to version 9.0. "Oracle is pleased to announce that Oracle Linux 9 Update 5 for the 64-bit Intel and AMD (x86_64) and 64-bit Arm (aarch64) platforms is now generally available. This release is packaged with the following kernel options: Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK) Release 7 Update 3, 5.15 for the x86_64 and aarch64 platforms; Red Hat Compatible Kernel (RHCK), 5.14 for the x86_64 platform. The following highlights select features, enhancements and changes introduced in this Oracle Linux 9 release: the default Oracle Linux 9 Java is changed from OpenJDK 11 to OpenJDK 17; .NET is updated to version 9.0 which enables the C#13 and F#9 programming languages; GCC Toolset 14 is available as an Application Stream in the form of a Software Collection in the AppStream repository...." See the release announcement and the release notes for further details.
Proxmox 8.3 "Virtual Environment"
The Promox Virtual Environment (VE) distribution is is a Debian-based, open source virtualisation platform for running virtual appliances and virtual machines. The project's latest release, Proxmox 8.3 Virtual Environment, improves its software-defined networking while also updating its kernel and ZFS packages. "This version is based on Debian 12.8 (Bookworm), but uses the Linux kernel 6.8.12-4 as stable default, and allows for opt-in use of kernel 6.11. The software includes updates to the latest versions of leading open-source technologies for virtual environments like QEMU 9.0.2, LXC 6.0.0 , and ZFS 2.2.6 (with compatibility patches for Kernel 6.11). Alignment of the Software-Defined Networking (SDN) stack with the firewall: The SDN technology allows users to create virtual zones and networks (VNets), enabling them to effectively manage and control complex networking configurations and multitenancy setups via the web interface of Proxmox VE. The SDN stack is now more closely integrated with the firewall, with the ability to automatically generate IP sets for VNets and virtual guests managed by the IP address management plugin. Referencing IP sets in the firewall rules simplifies their creation and maintenance. In addition, the opt-in firewall based on nftables now has the capability to filter forwarded network traffic at the host and at the virtual network (VNet) level. For example, this can be used to restrict SNAT traffic or traffic flowing from one Simple Zone to another." Additional information can be found in the project's release announcement and in the release notes.
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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: 3,116
- Total data uploaded: 45.9TB
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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) |
Should we include GNOME OS and KDE Linux?
Last week we talked about KDE Linux, an upcoming distribution which will combine an Arch Linux base with the latest KDE software. This project will provide a similar experience to KDE neon, showcasing new developments from the KDE team. The GNOME project already has its own distribution, GNOME OS, which features the latest developments in GNOME desktop software. The GNOME OS project explicitly warns that it's not intended for regular use: "This is pre-release software. Bad things may happen if you use it in production." KDE Linux, with its immutable base, is likely to be more stable, but also experimental.
Should DistroWatch list these highly specific, possibly (and intentionally) unstable projects? Or should KDE Linux and GNOME OS be considered perpetual beta testing platforms for internal use by their own communities?
You can see the results of our previous poll on running AlmaLinux OS or Debian at home in our previous edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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Should DistroWatch feature GNOME OS and KDE Linux?
| Yes - both: | 1141 (35%) |
| Just GNOME OS: | 37 (1%) |
| Just KDE Linux: | 218 (7%) |
| No - neither: | 1842 (57%) |
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| Website News |
DistroWatch database summary
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This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 2 December 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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| Reader Comments • Jump to last comment |
1 • Unstable "Beta" distros (by Brad on 2024-11-25 01:36:22 GMT from United States)
The "tag line" for this website states, "Put the fun back into computing." This tag line says (to me), "A place for Windows refugees who are frustrated with Windows".
That being said, I think it's sending the wrong message to mention or possibly support unstable Linux distros - anyone who runs across something like that and tries to work with it might end up saying to themselves, "I wish I was still using Windows." Isn't that something we are all trying to avoid? (Thanks, Jeff Siegel!)
2 • Opinion Poll (by Woodstock69 on 2024-11-25 01:53:32 GMT from Australia)
DIstroWatch. It's in the name. :-)
List both projects. Track both projects. Include the caveat that these are Alpha/Beta projects at this time. Simple.
3 • "Beta" Distributions (by Pogi Americano on 2024-11-25 02:06:54 GMT from United States)
Maybe we could start a new category under the "Latest Distributions " box and call it "Latest Beta Distributions". I'm sure there are a lot of people interested in cutting edge Linux. Do the same with the "Latest Packages" box and start a "Latest Beta Packages" box. I find beta a good place to learn and tinker. Being labeled as "beta" is not demeaning to the distribution or package, its just letting people know its a work in progress, not ready for the office.
4 • @2, and 3 (by Brad on 2024-11-25 02:26:02 GMT from United States)
I agree with both of you, but you also must realize that Linux penetration into the Windows/mac "world" is still pretty minimal - From StatCounter:
"For desktop computers and laptops, Microsoft Windows has 73%, followed by Apple's macOS at 15%, desktop Linux at 4.5%, then Google's ChromeOS at 2.25%.[3] The remaining 4.5% is unknown category (third-most popular, and thought to be actually also be Linux, which is otherwise fourth-most popular)."
Although many of us here are "true believers", the sad fact is that the vast majority of computer users are *not* Linux users. If I'm right in saying that one of the purposes of DW is to offer an "alternative", it should be an easy-to-understand, easy-to-maintain alternative. If it sounds monolithic, then that brings me to the second of the one-two punch against Linux - the "fragmentation" issue - too many distros, too many projects driven by the ego of a single maintainer/developer.
It would be much better to have projects like Lite, Zorin, Mint, etc. - projects that can draw in the refugees. After they've gotten their feet wet (so to speak), then start introducing them to other projects like Debian, Ubuntu, Arch (and derivatives) - projects where they can grow, learn, and tinker.
My $0.02.
5 • Opinion poll (by David Milovanović on 2024-11-25 02:27:47 GMT from Serbia)
I think both distributions should be listed. There are people who might be willing to test this kind of distros and to tinker with them. Why not? After all, there is always a short description about every distro on this page so potential users will be aware of its purpose.
6 • Desktop Environments (by illumos on 2024-11-25 03:20:12 GMT from Japan)
Why do lightweight distros use Xfce instead of LXqt?
In theory, LXqt is more lightweight than Xfce.
And LXqt is native support to Wayland, Xfce is not.
7 • Linux Lite (by Andy Prough on 2024-11-25 04:31:53 GMT from United States)
I noticed that Linux Lite is curiously quite popular for reviewers on Distrowatch, having gotten reviewed 4 times in the last 6 years, and 5 times in 8 years.
Oddly enough, other, more popular distros like antiX haven't been reviewed at all during that same 8 years, despite antiX being more popular in the Distrowatch Page Hit Rankings and having a higher Distrowatch Average Visitor Rating. And despite the fact that antiX is actually lightweight, whereas Linux Lite still uses the bloated technologies like systemd that take a lot more system resources to run and has software like Chrome and Microsoft Edge which are among the most bloated I can think of.
That being said, this week's review was still great, I love anything by Jeff Siegel, he's a fantastic writer. I hope he'll continue to get the opportunity to review some actual lightweight distros in the future.
8 • KDE Linux should obviously be listed (by Heinrich on 2024-11-25 05:15:59 GMT from United States)
Unlike Gnome OS, which its devs state is only a test platform and not recommended for daily use, the goal of KDE Linux is explicitly stated to “Create a bulletproof OS…that we can… recommend to users and OEMs.” It’s intended to replace—and be *more* stable than—KDE Neon, which is already the 12th most popular officially listed distro on Distrowatch and is used as a daily driver by quite a few people. KDE Linux obviously deserves to be listed when it’s released.
9 • rsync (by Dr.J on 2024-11-25 07:25:10 GMT from United Kingdom)
rsync is able to copy several folder to one backup-directory
the command is just
rsync -av /folder1 /folder2 /folder3 /workstation/backup-folder
In this case it will copy folder 1-3 (every source without trailing slash!!) to "backup-folder"
which looks like:
/workstation/backup-folder/folder1
/workstation/backup-folder/folder2
/workstation/backup-folder/folder3
So there is no need playing around with include/exclude
10 • GnomeOS and KDE Linux (by bin on 2024-11-25 09:04:48 GMT from United Kingdom)
Time after time linux distros are tested and reported on and found to be a pile of poop. The only reason they do not have an alpha or beta designation is because whoever spun it up didn't label it as such. Just look back at previous editions of DW if you don't believe me.
So, this types of single environment "distro" could well attract the attention of *pad type appliances and or give ChromeOS a run for its money.
KDE seem to be taking the more positive approach - KDE Neon can be a wold ride if you're not careful. If you want to keep up with their latest and greatest you need to be running something like Arch rather than relying on packaging systems pre Debian and so on. Gnome I find to be so stupid (since the good old days of Gnome 2) but KDE Linux done by KDE sounds good to me.
I would have thought that exposure for both via DW could only be of benefit to all concerned.
11 • GNOME OS and KDE Linux (by Kazlu on 2024-11-25 09:33:35 GMT from France)
Considering the distributions already present in Distrowatch and the goal I perceive Distrowatch is made for (but I may be wrong), I'd say include them both. There are already distros listed even though they are only a showcase for a technology piece (like NixOS) or an experimental distro (like EasyOS). As such I think it would be wrong to not include GNOME OS or KDE Linux because for those reasons. I see Distrowatch as a source of information for users with all kinds of Linux experience, with tools designed to filter the information users need. So I think the essential is here.
That being said, if the question arises, then maybe additional clarity is needed? Maybe some project need a more easy to catch "beta" or "experimental" label? At least those who claim to be experimental!
This reminds me of a discussion here a few weeks ago about distro recommendations for complete beginners. And it will echo @1 and @4 Brad's comments. I still think a "where to start" or "beginners" section that really stands out from the rest of the website would be useful. This page could redirect to the "major distributions" page, or to the search page with the "beginner" criterion ticked, or, better in my opinion, to a dedicated page where one distro is suggested, maybe with a couple of alternatives, with links to the distro's manual/guide where users can find information for installation. More experienced users will have an easier time browsing the rest of the website for more information anyway.
12 • @6 Xfce and LXQt (by Kazlu on 2024-11-25 09:36:17 GMT from France)
"Why do lightweight distros use Xfce instead of LXqt? In theory, LXqt is more lightweight than Xfce."
In theory yes, but actually, not that much. Since LXQt moved to Qt4, the difference is really not much and the weight difference will actually depend more on the implementation in a given distro than on the DE itself (you will see LXQt desktops heavier or lighter than Xfce depending on the distro you're looking at). That being said, Xfce and LXQt are more different now than they used to be. I now consider Xfce to be the standard lightweight GTK DE, while LXQt is the standard lightweight Qt DE. Both have a role here. And you're right, Wayland may also be a criterion (I do not care for it myself, but that's just me :) )
13 • @8 KDE Linux should obviously be listed (by Kazlu on 2024-11-25 09:39:08 GMT from France)
"It’s intended to replace—and be *more* stable than—KDE Neon"
Not exactly. The goal is to have a more stable KDE session to have a better KDE experience, but not to have a more stable OS altogether. The way I understand it, if the OS crashes but not because of a KDE crash, then it reached the team's goal, but it's still not a stable OS. Picking Arch as a base shows exactly that: with more up-to-date software, a very recent KDE will likely be more stable, but you are also more likely to run in some dependancy related problem somewhere in the OS sooner or later.
14 • Why the quest to dumb down linux? (by Tom Baker on 2024-11-25 09:47:19 GMT from United Kingdom)
I really get tired of everyone saying, lets make linux easier - why?
I don't get this obsession, the whole point of a gnu/linux operating system is to learn and understand and develop your own skills. If you want to be told what to do, then use windows or macosx.
15 • Opinion poll (by Vukota on 2024-11-25 09:58:37 GMT from Serbia)
How many distros are listed here and are actually a beta software? How many distros are based on Debian unstable and still listed here? Almost any rolling distro is "beta" distro, as it is rarely actually stable.
16 • Depends on stability (by uz64 on 2024-11-25 10:03:33 GMT from United States)
Plans for a project can shift through time over the course of development. GNOME's and KDE's Linux should both be monitored and decided accordingly whether their focus makes them good general-purpose end user distributions or not. DistroWatch features KDE Neon, which is an experimental/testing playground for KDE software, and it provides a version that is fine for everyday use. On the other end, you've got things like Gentoo listed; mature project, yes, but you'd have to be insane or a masochist to want run it on your everyday system.
Put simply, DistroWatch already lists a bunch of very special purpose distros that in reality are useful to almost no one--why ignore KDE's and GNOME's distros just because they are primarily used for internal testing? Their inclusion should be based on whether they evolve to be useful or not as everyday operating systems. And honestly, you have set that bar pretty low for yourselves by already including things like Gentoo.
17 • @16 (by rb on 2024-11-25 10:25:26 GMT from United States)
I'd guess that you are one of those that could never figure out how to install and get Gentoo working for you. One of the most robust, flexible distros out there -- you literally can use it to create your own OS. It has one of the most powerful, configurable package managers that exist today. Your comments about it being of use to no one are simply not true and not based in fact. Your own personal feelings and biased emotions are shining through however. It is fine for you to hate or strongly dislike Gentoo, but to try and pass off your personal opinions as matter-of-fact is wrong. A lot of good comes from the Gentoo community, including bug reports to upstream devs that help to improve software that people are using every day, as well as users and devs who are also contributors to all of that software, including the Linux kernel. Also, other distro devs including Fedora and Debian have strong relationships with Gentoo's maintainers. A lot of collaboration takes place that benefits everyone, despite what distro they are using.
18 • A distro should be evaluated... (by Keep it simple on 2024-11-25 10:27:28 GMT from Italy)
...by the ease of use and customisation, so why create one which is hard-locked with its own DE/WM?
Each distro has to offer a default one and that's fine, but if its own repositories make choose a different one an agony, better choose a main one and have it customised on their own.
19 • Should we include GNOME OS and KDE Linux? (by James on 2024-11-25 10:36:05 GMT from United States)
Should we include GNOME OS and KDE Linux?
And the winner is: No - neither: 348 (48%)
Should KDE Linux and GNOME OS be considered perpetual beta testing platforms for internal use by their own communities? YES
20 • Murena phones (by Dave Postles on 2024-11-25 11:00:48 GMT from United Kingdom)
I bought a Murena One phone directly from Murena. I've tried several SIMS from UK service providers. The phone recognizes the SIM but just warns all the time that the service is not available. Murena have not been very helpful about this. Apparently the Fairphone does not have the same issue, I'm told.
21 • KDE vs Gnome (by RestlessPenguin on 2024-11-25 12:10:32 GMT from Croatia)
13:00 CET
KDE 80 votes
the other ugly dysfunctional thing 10 votes
supporters of ugly dysfunctional uncustomisable crap 10 votes.
gnomes on life support
22 • LinuxLite (by dragonmouth on 2024-11-25 13:28:47 GMT from United States)
A distro whose ISO weighs in at 2.9 Gb has the chutzpah to call itself "Lite"?!
23 • Poll: (by dragonmouth on 2024-11-25 13:31:15 GMT from United States)
Personally, I think there are too many distros in existence. However, considering the number in DistroWatch database, what is another two. IOW, put them both in.
24 • KDE v Gnome (by kc1di on 2024-11-25 13:33:30 GMT from United States)
I voted Both should be on the list. People will download and try what they want to try. If it does not workout they will try something else. I have to admit I'm a KDE fan and have been for a long time. Never liked Gnome since gnome 2. Just tried it again via Ubuntu yesterday. Back to debian KDE.
25 • @11 Kazlu: (by dragonmouth on 2024-11-25 13:55:30 GMT from United States)
" I still think a "where to start" or "beginners" section that really stands out from the rest of the website would be useful."
Not really. Who would make the determination of what is a good "beginner" distro? Considering every poster on DW has his/her own opinion about that., there would be almost as many recommendations as there are distros. And why limit the choice to only "major" distros (*buntu, Mint, Zorin)? There are "minor" distros that would be very easy for "beginners". For example, I have never seen PCLinuxOS recommended. Back when it was still active, nobody ever recommended SimplyMEPIS, which was very "beginner-friendly".
26 • @22 LinuxLite weight (by Kazlu on 2024-11-25 14:03:08 GMT from France)
"Lightweight" is an ambiguous term. It can refer to the size of the ISO or the amount of RAM a system needs to run. One can easily be heavy on one side and light on the other (although it must be difficulty to find a RAM-heavy OS on a small ISO...). Usually, when it's not explicitly said, "lightweight" means the latter. The size of the ISO is no longer a concern for the majority of people since computer with only CD (not DVD) drives are really rare now.
27 • @25 choice for beginners (by Kazlu on 2024-11-25 14:09:14 GMT from France)
Indeed, the choice of the best distro for beginners would trigger an endless debate and probably no clear winner will emerge. However, the purpose here would not be necessarily to suggest "the best" distro for beginners, but only one that would be "good enough" for most people. If one is to address a beginner, probably a Windows refugee, there a quite a handful of choices out there which would be good enough to save them from Windows! And if the user wants more, then the whole library is still here. In the end, the choice od the OS itself is not that important. Let it be the editor's choice. And eventually add a couple of alternative choices, but honestly from that point a simple link to the search page with the "beginners" option ticked would be enough.
28 • GNOME OS and KDE Linux (by DaveT on 2024-11-25 14:19:21 GMT from United Kingdom)
Playing at the 'bleeding edge' can be fun. So as long as you know it will bite you: go for it and have fun!
29 • LinuxLite installation guide (by Kazlu on 2024-11-25 14:34:13 GMT from France)
The reviewer says: "The "Do you want to switch from Windows?" approach can be seen throughout the Linux Lite ecosystem. It's especially evident in the manual and documentation, which offers a step-by-step tutorial on downloading the ISO, using Rufus in Windows to burn the ISO to a thumb drive, and then installing the distro from the thumb drive. Almost every imaginable question is covered, complete with pictures and diagrams. "
That got me interested since I can see many projects now with an easy to handle installer, the hard part bor a beginner being creating an installation media and booting from it. I checked out the documentation of LinuxLite and found it less organised and not as well done as the Linux Mint one. Especially the advice to use Plop in case no USB boot option is available, using a dead link. The only thing it does better is advising to disable secure boot, with a video to explain it.
Otherwise, the documentation is poorer and the system is not as complete than Linux Mint Xfce, with the same software base. The OS itself seems to do well what it sets out to do, but it trails behind Linux Mint for Windows refugees.
30 • Linux Lite (by Tub O'Lard on 2024-11-25 15:19:25 GMT from Denmark)
Linux Lite is as light as a tub of lard.
I'm not saying it's worse than most distros, but light it ain't.
Weird name.
Re KDE/Gnome OS: Include both. Makes them easier to follow and probably makes more people try them and return valuable feedback to the developers. Which is nice.
Cheers.
31 • Re. 22 (by uz64 on 2024-11-25 16:06:24 GMT from United States)
I'm sure the ISO wasn't three gigs when the project was started, although I can say that I never could make any sense out of it using Ubuntu as a base--a distro known for *not* being lightweight at best, or bloated at worst--when others like Slackware and even Debian itself existed, both being notably "lighter" at the time.
I always just saw it as Ubuntu without *buntu in the name but running a lighter weight desktop environment. Trust me, you're not going to be able to make sense out of the name; it would make just as much sense if it was called ISeePurpleUnicorns Linux. In the real world, it's nonsensical.
32 • GnomeOS and KDE (by Larry on 2024-11-25 16:10:26 GMT from United States)
They should be included. One of the real beauties of linux is choice! It is not confusing at all if you just do a small amount of you're own research.There are distros designed for new comers,There are others that are not, It is quite simple to find out which are which. If you want someone else to do you're thinking for you, stick with windows or apple. If you want control of you're computer and data, learn how to use linux
33 • @22 "Lite" (by grindstone on 2024-11-25 17:20:08 GMT from United States)
+1 -- 2.9GB is not lightweight unless you were born in the last ~25 years and think now is normal. Choice, yes, fragmentation yes, but it's the waste that hurts the most. The small/lean distros are always more work yet bloat ever accelerates.
34 • KDE/Gnome distros (by Otis on 2024-11-25 22:50:01 GMT from United States)
The Linux Universe is rife with redundancies and overlapping projects; it is just a part of the open source world. Of course the KDE and Gnome distros should be included here. Disallowing them would beg that question for many other distros on the list. There is room for all of it and we're fortunate to have so much to choose from and to observe as they evolve (or die).
35 • Linux Lite (by rhtoras on 2024-11-26 00:19:34 GMT from Greece)
What's the point of linux lite ? I cannot find a reason. Small repo. Based on Ubuntu with all the mess. Usually old repo and of course systemD. And even if i liked systemD i doubt i'd used it over mint. When i was using systemD i used lit for some time till i broke it since i was installing ppa repos because it lacked software. I was new to linux back then. Nowdays i do not even think it is light at all. For a reference void xfce uses 230 mb/ram. So if you want xfce there are better options i.e MX linux or Salix. Both come with software preinstalled and are quite friendly. Now if you want something light check antix or void linux if you want light+xfce. For those interested Nomad BSD (based on freeBSD) comes with xfce lafely and btw it's a nice xfce persistent os with lot's of stuff preinstalled...but it's not Linux. Just my two cents.
Jesse reviewed Linux lite just fine btw.
36 • KDE and Gnome (by tokopan on 2024-11-26 05:31:50 GMT from Bulgaria)
In my opinion, Distrowatch is for ALL Linux users, experienced or not. So, include them both!
37 • KDE Linux and Gnome OS (by Flavianoep on 2024-11-26 13:38:33 GMT from Brazil)
I think that the question of including these distros is not a question of "if", but "when". For now, KDE Linux is just a project and Gnome OS is experimental. I think that they should be included first on the waiting list like most of distros, and be included only when they become mature and stable.
38 • Linux Lite Help (by LinusT on 2024-11-26 16:27:15 GMT from France)
There is a neat online AI chatbot for Linux Lite help (https://www.linuxliteos.com/chatai/). I'm really not into AI thingies but the outputs are clear and precise. I'm sure this could help many users that won't browse dozen of help pages to find a proper solution to some simple problems.
39 • KDE/Gnome OS (by LinusT on 2024-11-26 16:43:22 GMT from France)
None of them may reach 1.0 soon, maybe not in a year if they don't a proper team of devs actively working on it.
Also, KDE Neon has always been difficult to differentiate from Kubuntu, they're both offering an Ubuntu base with stock KDE experience. If many devs of Neon go working on KDE Linux, Neon could become obsolete, and this would be a good thing to prevent having Kubuntu/Neon/KDE Linux offering the same experience. As for now, Kubuntu gets enough popularity to stay the best Ubuntu-based KDE distro.
As for Gnone OS, it's supposed to be the default Gnome experience with all the tools that have been developed mainly for other distribution (REHL/Fedora in mind). Gnome OS may only be different to much Gnome-based distros because it's only using OSTree (even it's not the only distro using it) and flatpak.
So I'd say, wait and see in a year!
40 • elementary OS (by notiflyer on 2024-11-26 22:25:35 GMT from Chile)
Nice update to Elementary OS - providing more system info and control to the user.
Your car (or private jet for big tech) notifies u when things are wrong and need attention - like low oil, high temp, or door left open. Yet most OSs don't notify u about what is going on inside the computer (except for complicated logs) - like when someone has remotely logged in, home folder opened, or the camera accessed. So kudos to Elementary for heading in the right direction.
41 • A well-designed GNU+Linux distribution (by Clinton on 2024-11-27 13:43:59 GMT from Italy)
"Was Linux Lite designed well enough to learn easily?"
Probably it is, but GNU+Linux does not aim to dethrone Windows as the main operating system for desktop computers. A Linux distribution is well designed - in my opinion - not when it is easy to use; instead, it is well designed when it is stable, reliable, well documented in plain language, and equipped with good user manuals for all the programs available. Again - in my opinion - the problem is not taking Trisquel or Debian or Devuan and making them 'easy to use', the problem is creating a large set of manuals that adequately instruct the user about the use of GNU+Linux (and all the applications available in it). Certainly, a huge amount of work is needed, even if we limit ourselves to the English language only. The important thing is knowing how to orient the work of the GNU+Linux community in the right direction: we have the operating system, we just need the manuals.
42 • Well designed. (by Friar Tux on 2024-11-27 15:34:06 GMT from Canada)
@41 (Clinton) I would have to disagree with you on that. To me, a well designed OS is easy to use and intuitive. It COULD have a manual but one that sits in a corner and collects dust. I liken an OS to owning a car. Millions of people own a car. Cars come with manuals. HOWEVER, very few car owners actually know how a car works. They enter, turn the car on and off they go. I prefer my computer to be the same. I turn it on and go to work - no manual needed. (This is one reason I like Linux Mint so much. It works so well that I have not had any "lost time" issues in ten years (same as a Chevette I owned, many years ago - that beast just wouldn't die).
43 • GNOMEos KDE (by rhtoras on 2024-11-28 20:45:03 GMT from Greece)
Gnome OS
KDE OS
systemD
Laugh Out Loud
You are asking to include KDEos while you exclude other projects such as tribblix or OmniOS which are beneficial for a lot of people and you simply ignore them. Where are projects like EltaninOS which do not make use of Xorg or Wayland but are linux based ?
Please add THESE projects.
44 • GnomeOS KDE (by Kruger on 2024-11-29 03:06:18 GMT from Australia)
These only showcase the desktop and bring nothing else to the table. In every review, we see the desktop, it changes only a little from one cookie-cutter distro to the next, perhaps a few more extensions, maybe a few less, but anyone who wants to see Vanilla Gnome just needs to look at screenshots of Fedora.
The desktop itself tells us nothing about the distro and what lies under the hood; what significant changes have been made or not.
A different wallpaper and icon theme pack does not make a distro.
45 • Always a pleasure (by Mr B on 2024-11-29 09:41:40 GMT from United Kingdom)
Friar Tux,
You are one reason why I make a point of reading the comments section. You are always the voice of reason. I think the person who wrote post 14 should take note of what you said. His arguments hold no water whatsoever.
Keep up the good work!
46 • @42 Friar Tux: (by dragonmouth on 2024-11-29 12:13:25 GMT from United States)
When Linux has been around as long as cars, then you'll have a point. Until then, whether you approve or not, manuals will be necessary.
BTW - I wonder how much longer cars would last if the owners read their manuals every once in a while and did some basic maintenance.
47 • Thanx. (by Friar Tux on 2024-11-29 13:40:54 GMT from Canada)
@45 (Mr.B) Thank you. One of my favourite things about Linux Is the choices. And the passion. While my distro hopping days are long gone, I still try out a distro here and there. Usually I take my cue from Jesse or Jeff's reviews.
@46 (dragonmouth) Oh, I do "approve" of manuals. Obviously, they are needed, and I HAVE gotten quite a bit of help from them. (Remember the telephone sized books that came with Windows 98?) AND, I definitely agree about reading the car manual. It may even help some folks to know where the turn signals are.
48 • Dumbing Down Linux (by Otis on 2024-11-29 15:39:39 GMT from United States)
@14 Are you seriously claiming that to make something more useful to more people is to "dumb down" that project? Look around you, man. It's called civilization, and it only faintly resembles the beginnings of human development over time. Do you drive? Ride a motorcycle? Do you use a stove to cook on? I know you're on a computer of some sort, do you want to ditch that for an abacus and carrier pigeons so that you can communicate with us? ...ad infinitum..........
49 • Why The Quest? Here's Why (by Walt on 2024-11-29 16:19:34 GMT from United States)
@14: "I really get tired of everyone saying, lets make linux easier - why?
I don't get this obsession, the whole point of a gnu/linux operating system is to learn and understand and develop your own skills. If you want to be told what to do, then use windows or macosx. "
Personally, I switched to Linux more than 20 years ago, not to become a computer wizard but to get away from Windows. With a handful of exceptions, I have managed to avoid the command line for most of that time. That likely makes me a minority among Linux users, but I'm glad Linux offered a way for me to leave the Windows technosphere without having to pay the inflated cost to switch to a Mac.
50 • Command Line Use (by Otis on 2024-11-29 17:18:28 GMT from United States)
@49 "....With a handful of exceptions, I have managed to avoid the command line for most of that time. That likely makes me a minority among Linux users.."
Oh, I don't think so. I have no data, no real proof, but I'd hazard a guess that at least half of Linux distro users these days are happy to use app and other program developments with GUI tools rather than always cracking a shell.
On some distros it's called for to go into command line, so I only fool around with those now and then preferring to do work and play on Alma Linux or MX Linux, requiring no command line usage.
Indeed, look at the top 25 of this site's Page Hit Rankings and you'll see GUI based distros as the majority in popularity (at least as expressed by the PHR).
51 • @49 Walt: (by dragonmouth on 2024-11-29 19:57:39 GMT from United States)
I'm with you. If I have a choice between GUI and CLI, most of the time I will chose GUI. After all, we are in the 21st century. We don't need to hobble ourselves with CLI just to prove how hairy our chests are.
Earlier in my life I was an Assembler programmer. Not any more. Assembler allows for much finer manipulation of data. But higher level languages are much easier.
Tech writers and "experts" are the ones who try to foster the idea that CLI is where it's at. They write dozens of articles about CLI apps for each one article about a GUI application. Are they afraid that if they educate users about GUI no one will read their CLI articles?
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| • 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 |
| • Full list of all issues |
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FreedomBox
FreedomBox is a Debian-based distribution, primarily used as a server operating system for home users. FreedomBox supports point-and-click settings up a number of services ranging from a calendar or jabber server to a wiki or VPN through a web interface. Firewall, domain names, user accounts, backups, and Btrfs snapshots can also be managed through a simple web-based control centre.
Status: Active
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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!
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| 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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