 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 1114, 24 March 2025 |
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Welcome to this year's 12th issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
Have you ever been using your computer and noticed it was slowing down because something was writing to the storage drive? Did you ever wonder which application was writing data to the drive? In that case, this week's Questions and Answers column is for you as we discuss how to find out which processes are writing data to (or reading data from) your disk. The type of disk being used in a computer will impact how much of a performance hit we experience when large amounts of data are being transferred. Let us know in Opinion Poll below what kind of disk you use in your main computer. In our News section this week we talk about Debian's Project Leader election getting underway while the Rocky Linux project unveils a new branch for people who need a little extra security. Plus we share the new features available in the latest version of the GNOME desktop. Before we dive into all of that, we share a look at Bazzite. Ivan Sanders took this Fedora-based distribution for a test drive and reports on his experiences. Below we are also pleased to share the releases of the past week and list the torrents we are seeding. We wish you all a terrific week and happy reading!
This week's DistroWatch Weekly is presented by TUXEDO Computers.
Content:
- Review: Bazzite 41
- News: Debian Project Leader election underway, Rocky unveils new Hardened branch, GNOME 48 released, generating custom images for the Raspberry Pi
- Questions and answers: Checking what processes are writing to the disk
- Released last week: elementary OS 8.0.1, Kali Linux 2025.1a, Finnix 250, Rescuezilla 2.6, EndeavourOS 2025.03.19
- Torrent corner: elementary OS, Endeavour OS, Finnix, Kali Linux, KDE neon
- Upcoming releases: Ubuntu 25.04 Beta
- Opinion poll: What kind of storage drive is in your main computer?
- New distributions: CatOS
- Reader comments
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| Feature Story (By Ivan Sanders) |
Bazzite 41
In mid-to-late January 2025, I finally broke my OS. I was running Nobara, a Fedora-based distro aimed at gamers. I primarily use my PC for gaming on Steam, browsing the Internet, streaming (Netflix, Prime, Hulu, etc.), torrenting (and the VPN usage required for that), and using a Windows virtual desktop to access my work through a remote desktop in the Windows virtual image (OS Windows 11 on top of OS Windows 10, all running on the Linux distro of my choice). I realize it's not perfect, but it's my current workflow. I also like that Microsoft Office products are now generally available through my work account and on the web browser of my choice, while using office software like LibreOffice is easy when I'm just trying to get some thoughts down on paper. Plus, LibreOffice has come a long way in 2025!
In my journey to maximize my Linux distro's capabilities, I started using Nobara in late 2024. It markets itself as a solid (Fedora-based) gaming-centric Linux distro with third-party (non-free) repositories and NVIDIA or AMD drivers out of the box. It was very install-and-go and worked well. Unfortunately, I'm a habitual tinkerer and eventually managed to break it. SteamOS, in its current form, is Arch-based but uses an immutable image in an effort to make updates more stable. This approach is great for the Steam Deck, where users generally just play games and maybe do a bit of browsing or streaming. But for a desktop (or laptop) approach, as in my case, it probably isn't the best fit because I have no need or love for Steam's Big Picture Mode. Nevertheless, I was intrigued by the idea of running an immutable system, given how prone to breakage I am.
Immutable Linux distributions have a core system that is read-only, so once the operating system is installed, it can't be changed during regular use. Patches and system updates are applied during a reboot in a process called an atomic upgrade. This means the update is treated as a single action, so if something goes wrong, you can quickly revert to the previous state. Applications are installed using containerized formats like AppImage, Flatpak, or Snap. This approach offers several benefits, and some drawbacks.
My first foray into systems with atomic updates was doing a review here, on DistroWatch, for NixOS, in DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 712, in May of 2017. NixOS is a very cool distro, but probably isn't for everyone, and was very unique in 2017. So, I did some digging into what new distro I needed to install for my use case in 2025. SteamOS, at the time of writing this, is not available in its immutable, Arch-based form. Fedora is well-loved, and I was very familiar with it; I've installed Fedora for my spouse, who has no need for Windows, and she has had no problems transitioning to Linux. Nobara was Fedora-based and was great for my use case. After some digging, I found Bazzite.
Allow me to quote from their website:
Bazzite is designed for Linux newcomers and enthusiasts alike with Steam pre-installed, HDR & VRR support, improved CPU schedulers for responsive gameplay, and numerous community-developed tools and tweaks to streamline your gaming and streaming experience. Bazzite is atomic meaning that after every update the previous version of the operating system is retained on your machine. Should an update cause any issues, you can select the previous image at boot time. Additionally, images of the operating system are retained in our repositories for ninety days.
The project gratisly (coining that) markets itself for laptops, handhelds, home theater setups, or however you want to game and work. Bazzite comes packed with your drivers, Waydroid (for your Android gaming needs), and actually a whole lot more:
We make sure our desktop images work on ASUS Laptops, Lenovo Legion Laptops, Framework Laptops and on AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA GPUs. Out-of-the-box tools such as Distrobox, Flatpak, and package layering, you can install that one missing package like a VPN client you bought a year ago, all while keeping the benefits of an atomic operating system.
In a nutshell, Bazzite is Fedora Silverblue with the KDE desktop, gaming focused for easier access to games (third-party repositories and GPU drivers), plus a whole lot more.
Bazzite 41 -- Selecting a download option
(full image size: 379kB, resolution: 2560x1600 pixels)
When downloading Bazzite to install one first notices that the user is given a few choices. They offer desktops, handhelds, and laptops. They include images for various popular choices such as Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, Framework and Asus laptops, the list goes on (well not that long). Bazzite also offers downloads for NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel GPUs. Once the correct image and desktop environment are selected, the user can proceed to download the ISO and things proceed generally normally, but I couldn't help but notice the image was 8.3GB in size! But size isn't everything.
Bazzite 41 -- Running neofetch
(full image size: 851kB, resolution: 1280x800 pixels)
I grabbed my trusty Linux installing USB and used my normal method of dd to put the image onto the USB. A few minutes later I realized my USB was only an 8GB device. It was trusty but was a little on the older side (Hey! It's still a blue USB 3!). So I had to get a larger drive and went to install. Things proceeded generally normally from that point forward. Bazzite uses the Anaconda installer and I was doing a fresh wipe and standard install to my whole drive, so nothing really spectacular to do with the settings during the install process.
Bazzite 41 -- The Plasma desktop immediately following a fresh install
(full image size: 1.0MB, resolution: 1280x800 pixels)
First boot was very nice, seemed to take quite a while, but second boot took a normal amount of time. Everything seemed to work out of the box after logging into all my usual accounts, and games on Steam played immediately with my dedicated AMD GPU. My PlayStation 5 controller worked seamlessly like on any other distro I've tried, and my Bluetooth headphones worked at the same time as my controller, also over Bluetooth. For the record, my boot time is 27 seconds with NVMe, nothing spectacular but I find it is still fast enough.
Bazzite 41 -- Playing a game
(full image size: 1.7MB, resolution: 1280x800 pixels)
Bazzite doesn't come with office software, so I installed LibreOffice through the Discover Center. Most software is installed via Flatpak by default, and I've had almost no issues with Flatpak installations. I usually run virtual machines with VirtualBox, but it wasn't available in the software center. Searching for help on-line, I found that since Bazzite is based on Fedora Silverblue, which has a larger user base, searching Silverblue rather than Bazzite for solutions was better for troubleshooting. I also discovered Bazzite communities on Reddit. When looking for virtual machine solutions, I found that most Silverblue users rely on VirtManager and qemu for virtual desktops. After some struggles with networking and VirtManager, I fixed the issue by running it with sudo (or as root).
Bazzite 41 -- Managing virtual machines
(full image size: 856kB, resolution: 1536x960 pixels)
Once that worked, I was able to install Windows 10 in a virtual machine without issue. After this, I no longer needed root access, just a password (really the same thing, innit?). USB passthrough was a bit different in VirtManager, but was basically as seamless as VirtualBox. While VirtualBox has more features, VirtManager ultimately worked fine for all my requirements.
Bazzite 41 -- Browsing for new software in Discover
(full image size: 656kB, resolution: 1280x800 pixels)
All my other personal use cases have been smooth with Bazzite, and I haven't encountered any issues. The upgrade process (using topgrade) on Silverblue-based systems is different, and VPNs need to be installed using rpm-ostree rather than through the traditional system, but both updates and VPNs have worked fine. As of February 24, 2025, I've had no ongoing issues with Bazzite. I'll likely continue using it for 1-6 more months until my inevitable urge to tinker takes over.
Bazzite 41 -- Exploring the KDE Plasma desktop
(full image size: 706kB, resolution: 1280x800 pixels)
In conclusion, Bazzite fills a gap for users who want to use SteamOS on a system that also supports other computing tasks. It's a gaming-focused distro based on an immutable/atomic system image, which makes it a good option for gamers who want a reliable OS. While there may be some small initial learning curves, if you dedicate just a short time trying to solve any problem, I believe you will be successful.
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Hardware used for this review
- Laptop: ASUS ROG G14 GA402RJ (2022, all AMD)
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (8-core/16-thread, 16MB cache, up to 4.9GHz max boost)
- Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 6700S (8GB GDDR6)
- Storage: 4TB NVMe Crucial CT4000P3PSSD8
- Memory: 40GB
- Networking: MEDIATEK MT7922 802.11ax PCI Express Wireless Adapter (mt7921e)
- Display: 2560x1600 (16:10) @ 120Hz (Wayland, Kwin)
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Visitor supplied rating
Bazzite has a visitor supplied average rating of: 8.6/10 from 44 review(s).
Have you used Bazzite? You can leave your own review of the project on our ratings page.
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| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
Debian Project Leader election underway, Rocky unveils new Hardened branch, GNOME 48 released, generating custom images for the Raspberry Pi
The Debian project holds annual elections for the position of Debian Project Leader. The 2025 election has more candidates than usual with four people currently in the running: Gianfranco Costamagna, Julian Andres Klode, Andreas Tille, and Sruthi Chandran. People interested in learning about these candidates can see their platforms and learn more about the upcoming election on the Debian election site.
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The Rocky Linux distribution is a successor to CentOS Linux. The Rocky Linux project is experimenting with a new branch of the enterprise distribution which is called Hardened. The Hardened edition includes several security features which attempt to lock down the operating system and mitigate any exploits. "Rocky Linux from CIQ - Hardened is optimized for mission critical environments that have strict security requirements. It's delivered via a secure supply chain and gives you memory corruption detection, kernel integrity checking, stronger password polices, and SSH restrictions." FOSS Force has a more detailed look at the Hardened branch and outlines its key security enhancements.
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The GNOME project has released version 48 of the widely used, open source desktop environment. The new GNOME release offers a few new features which are highlighted in the release announcement. One of the new items is notification stacking. This causes multiple notifications from the same application to be grouped together to reduce clutter: "Notifications from the same app are grouped into stacks, each of which can be expanded to reveal individual messages. Stacking keeps the notification list organized and makes it easier to navigate. It also prevents the notification list from becoming too long."
Another new feature is called Digital Wellbeing, which can be accessed in the Settings panel. "Another exciting enhancement in GNOME 48 is the debut of new Digital Wellbeing features. Designed to empower users to maintain healthy computing habits, the features include: Screen Time Usage: view how much time you spend using the screen each day, and compare your recent usage with previous days and weeks. Screen Limits: set a daily limit for your total screen time each day. A notification is shown when the limit is reached, and there is also an option to make the screen turn black and white. Break Reminders: set reminders for yourself to take regular eyesight and movement breaks, according to standard healthcare recommendations."
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The Raspberry Pi community just gained a new tool for creating custom distributions for the popular series of single board computers. Matt Lear writes: "When it comes to software on Raspberry Pi devices, one size doesn't always fit all. Raspberry Pi OS is ideal for many applications, but we recognise that it doesn't suit every use case or deployment model, particularly in a product that has a specific purpose. If you're building an embedded system or an industrial controller, you'll need complete control over the software resident on the device, and home users may wish to build their own OS and have it pre-configured exactly the way they want. For developers and organisations that require a custom software image, a flexible and transparent build system is essential; to support these customers, we have created rpi-image-gen, a powerful new tool designed to put you in complete control of your Raspberry Pi images.
rpi-image-gen is an alternative to pi-gen, which is the tool we use to create and deploy the Raspberry Pi OS distribution. rpi-image-gen is designed to generate highly customised software images for Raspberry Pi devices, and offers a very granular level of control over file system construction and software image creation." Details on how to build a custom Raspberry Pi distribution and some samples to show off the new tool can be found in Lear's news post.
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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) |
Checking what processes are writing to the disk
Who-is-writing asks: How do I find out which apps are causing disk writes? Something is constantly accessing my disk, but I don't know what.
DistroWatch answers: I believe the tool you are looking for is iotop. This is a process monitor which shows key statistics about processes reading from, and writing to, your disk. You can launch it by running the following command:
sudo iotop
Running iotop with the default settings will show you the total amount of data currently being read from the disk, the total amount of data being written to the disk, and then a list of processes. The processes are sorted by disk I/O usage, so disk-hungry processes are on top. Processes which are not doing any reading or writing will be listed below, in order of their process ID numbers (PID).
We can filter out inactive processes (those not accessing the disk) by passing iotop the "--only" flag, like this:
sudo iotop --only
The above command will show us a list of processes which are currently accessing the disk. On a system that is mostly idle (ie. signed into the desktop and not being used for anything) there should be very few (if any) processes shown by iotop. If you start searching for a file, launch a web browser, or open a media file then you'll start to see more processes added to the list.
The iotop command shows the process ID and the name of any programs accessing the disk, making it easy to find and shutdown the application or service which is consuming your disk's bandwidth.
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Additional answers can be found in our Questions and Answers archive.
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| Released Last Week |
elementary OS 8.0.1
Danielle Foré has announced the release of elementary OS 8.0.1, an updated build of the project's beginner-friendly Linux distribution featuring a custom desktop called Pantheon. This is largely a bug-fix release; it is based on Ubuntu 24.04.2 and it ships with the Linux 6.11 kernel: "It has been a little over 100 days since elementary OS 8 was released and we're proud to announce another round of updates, including a fresh new download. ... We now properly use dark mode brand colors and dark mode screenshots. Plus, when developers provide screenshots for multiple desktop environments, we now prefer the ones intended for our desktop environment, Pantheon. We support the new 'Developer' AppStream tag. And we now support the contribute URL type. System Settings now allows configuring its notifications in System Settings, Notifications. You can turn off bubbles if you don't want to receive notifications about updates, for example. We'll also no longer automatically download updates when on metered connections and send a notification instead. Plus we no longer check for updates in Demo mode." Continue to the release announcement for more information and screenshots.
Kali Linux 2025.1a
Kali Linux is a Debian-based distribution with a collection of security and forensics tools. The project's latest release, Kali Linux 2025.1a, ships with a new theme and key desktop upgrades, including a jump to Xfce 4.20 and KDE Plasma 6. "After a long wait, we are excited to announce that Plasma 6 is finally available in Kali, specifically version 6.2. This is a major update, as the previous version included in Kali was Plasma 5.27, making the scope of changes difficult to summarize. For a more in - depth look at each release, check out the official announcements: 6.0, 6.1, and 6.2. On our end, we have updated all themes to align with the new environment, featuring refreshed window and desktop visuals. And our favorite new addition from KDE? Floating panels! Our default desktop environment, Xfce, has also had a minor software bump from 4.18 to 4.20. Two years of development has gone this, which was formally released on December 15, 2024. It is the stable series follow-up to the Xfce 4.18 release that made its debut during Christmas of 2022 (Kali 2023.1)." Additional details and screenshots can be found in the project's release announcement.
Kali Linux 2025.1a -- Running the Xfce 4.20 desktop
(full image size: 3.2MB, resolution: 2560x1600 pixels)
ReactOS 0.4.15
ReactOS is an open source operating system which seeks to be binary compatible with Microsoft Windows. The project has published a new release, version 0.4.15, which includes improvements across all aspects of the operating system. One of the key improvements is with plug and play devices: "Victor Perevertkin (Extravert-ir) has accomplished major rewrites to the Plug and Play Manager in the ReactOS kernel. With these changes, ReactOS now has the ability to run more third party drivers and to boot from USB devices. This also allows ReactOS to boot on chipsets with EHCI, OHCI, and UHCI controllers. This work is a stepping stone to ReactOS being truly compatible with vendor drivers for the Windows operating system. Johannes Anderwald (janderwald) solved an issue where the USB driver would enter an infinite loop when a USB device would not enter the ready state. Fixing this infinite loop allowed ReactOS to boot on more hardware. Thanks to the work of Oleg Dubinskiy, 0.4.15 features many audio improvements. Oleg added support for more audio formats, looped playback of wave files, higher sample rates, and multiple output channels. In addition, Victor Perevertkin imported the open source AC'97 driver from the Windows Driver Kit (WDK)." Additional information is provided in the release announcement.
Finnix 250
The Finnix distribution is a small, self-contained, bootable live Linux distribution for system administrators, based on Debian. The project's latest version is Finnix 250 which marks the project's 25th anniversary. The project's release announcement reports: "Today is a very special day: March 22 is the 25 year anniversary of the first public release of Finnix, the oldest live Linux distribution still in production. Finnix 0.03 was released on March 22, 2000, and to celebrate this anniversary, I'm proud to announce the 35th Finnix release, Finnix 250! Besides the continuing trend of Finnix version number inflation (the previous release was Finnix 126), Finnix 250 is simply a solid regular release, with the following notes: Linux kernel 6.12 (Debian 6.12.17-1); made automatic per-user shared ssh-agent functionality more reliable; added packages: util-linux-extra; Removed packages: reiserfsprogs, reiser4progs (ReiserFS removed from Linux kernel); boot initramfs now checks for build-specific media (will no longer load the first thing it sees which looks vaguely Finnix-like); htop display improvements (primarily better display of large numbers of CPU cores); upstream Debian package updates; many minor fixes and improvements."
Rescuezilla 2.6
Rescuezilla is a specialist Ubuntu-based distribution designed for system rescue tasks, including backups and system restoration. The project's latest release, version 2.6, updates the base Ubuntu operating system, offers a fix for booting on machines with Windows 11, and updates the partition management tools. "Updated the UEFI Secure Boot shim package to v1.58 after a Windows 11 update revoked older shims by incrementing the minimum 'SBAT generation'. This fixes any 'SBAT self-check failed' errors to ensure Rescuezilla continues boot on UEFI Secure Boot enabled systems which require the latest 'SBAT generation'. This also fixes the 'revoked UEFI bootloader' message warning when creating a bootable USB stick using Rufus. Replaced Ubuntu 23.10 (Mantic) and Ubuntu 22.10 (Lunar) builds with build based on Ubuntu 24.10 (Oracular) for best support of new hardware. Temporarily does not include Mozilla Firefox on Oracular release until switched to new source. Image Explorer (beta) temporarily out-of-service across variants. Fixed querying drives with the Bionic 32-bit version, which broke since Rescuezilla v2.5 due to using the --merge feature introduced in util-linux v2.34." Further details are provided in the release notes.
EndeavourOS 2025.03.19
Bryan Poerwo has announced the release of EndeavourOS 2025.03.19, a refreshed build of the Arch Linux-based distribution's "Mercury" line. The new release updates the Linux kernel to version 6.13.7 and the KDE Plasma desktop to version 6.3.3. The Calamares installer and the included NVIDIA video driver have also been brought up to their latest versions: "Our refresh release, 'Mercury Neo', is now available with updated core packages for the offline installation option and the live environment and a few bug fixes and improvements for the online installation option. 'Mercury Neo' ships with Calamares 25.02.2.1, Firefox 136.0.2, Linux kernel 6.13.7, Mesa 25.0.1, X.Org Server 21.1.16, NVIDIA 570.124.04. Bug fixes and improvements: we removed installing xwaylandvideobridge from the installation script since it is removed upstream; a bug in our install script for ranking the Arch mirrors before installation is fixed; we removed obsolete NVIDIA options from the NVIDIA boot menu; when choosing Systemd in the auto-install option, the installation process will now create a 2GB EFI partition instead of a 1GB partition, this will give the user more space and freedom to install multiple kernels and other desirable options." Here is the complete release announcement with screenshots.
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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: 3,182
- Total data uploaded: 46.9TB
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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) |
What kind of storage drive is in your main computer?
This week we talked about tracking down programs writing to storage in our Questions and Answers section. The type of storage device being used can cause constant reading to, or writing from, the device to have a greater impact. This week we'd like to hear what kind of storage is being used in your main computing device.
You can see the results of our previous poll on running computers powered by RISC-V processors in our previous edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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My main computing device uses this kind of storage:
| Spinning hard drive (HDD): | 458 (20%) |
| Solid state drive (SSD): | 1327 (58%) |
| Secure Digital Card (SD): | 2 (0%) |
| Optical (CD/DVD): | 10 (0%) |
| Flash drive (USB/Thumb drive): | 17 (1%) |
| Network boot/Cloud: | 3 (0%) |
| A combination of the above: | 464 (20%) |
| None of the above: | 12 (1%) |
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| Website News |
New distributions added to waiting list
- CatOS. CatOS is an Arch-based distribution for English and Chinese speaking users. The distribution uses the Calamares system installer and, by default, runs the KDE Plasma desktop environment.
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DistroWatch database summary
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This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 31 March 2025. 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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| Extended Lifecycle Support by TuxCare |
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| Reader Comments • Jump to last comment |
1 • iotop (by David on 2025-03-24 00:58:55 GMT from United States)
sudo: iotop: command not found
2 • Which gaming os do you prefer? (by Josh on 2025-03-24 01:03:37 GMT from United States)
Sorry if I missed this in the review, but which os would you use long term? Nobara or bazzite? Or is it apples and oranges and depends on if you want something atomic?
3 • iotop (by vmc on 2025-03-24 01:25:09 GMT from United States)
@1 "sudo apt-get install iotop", if debian type system.
4 • Storage (by Keith S on 2025-03-24 01:35:41 GMT from United States)
My laptop has all of these storage devices and I use all of them except cloud storage. I have a 512 GB NVME for root, and a 1TB spinning disk for /home. Lots of stuff goes to usb flash drives, including a 4TB backup SSD. I still burn DVDs for iso files, and the microSD is mainly for video files from several devices like dash cams. I don't use cloud services at all.
5 • 'Storage? I don't need no stinking storage...' (by tom joad on 2025-03-24 02:24:56 GMT from United States)
Actually I do.
My two systems, laptop and tower, have all kinds of storage potential. I have a CD/DVD which I rarely use. I also have a usb CD/DVD too. I have removable drive bays so I have plenty of spinning HD either in use or laying around. I have handfuls of USB drives. Worse yet, I have a usb floppy drive too but it is only for 3 1/2 floppies which aren't really floppy. The really floppy floppy disks are long gone over the horizon and in the land fill. I actively use Time Shift too.
Lastly I have cloud storage which I use on a daily basis. So I have lots of storage.
My issue is how to quickly find what I put where!
6 • M.2 NVMe SSDs (by Andy Prough on 2025-03-24 04:06:35 GMT from Switzerland)
I used to use a combination of HDD for data and a small M.2 NVMe SSD for the OS for several years, but with storage getting cheaper I've switched to just using M.2 NVMe SSD's for the past two years. I've used some of the nice Samsung EVO NVMe's, but typically I use less expensive NVMe's from a company called Silicon Power with very good overall experience.
I now use my HDD's as USB-connected backup drives, they seem to work really well and fast enough in that capacity.
7 • storage (by Josh on 2025-03-24 06:18:55 GMT from United States)
My desktops both have SSDs for the OS (Linux, duh) and HDDs for storage. They both have DVD burners, and one has a Bluray reader.
My laptops both have SSDs and DVD burners. The two old netbooks I have both have HDDs. I though about upgrading them to SSDs, but frankly they aren't worth it.
I also have a 4 bay USB enclosure with 2 6TB and 2 4TB HDDs in it, as well as a couple old 1TB drives in individual enclosures. Plus various USB thumb drives.
I don't use cloud storage, nor will I ever.
8 • Storage (by pat on 2025-03-24 06:20:26 GMT from United States)
@5-I feel as though I'm looking into a mirror! LOL
9 • Persistent Storage (by picamanic on 2025-03-24 06:56:08 GMT from United Kingdom)
I have two Lsyncd near-mirror clones for the Personal file store: one is a Samsung SSD, the other a Samsung 870 via SATA-USB adapter. I keep offline Rsync copies of the Personal and Linux system file stores as backups. In rare situations of system crash [eg power outage], I can verify that nothing important gets lost. Worst case, I can quickly install Void Linux from scratch in minutes.
10 • My Storage (by imonline on 2025-03-24 10:47:54 GMT from Canada)
My desktop has a NVMe for the OS (Linux, duh) and HDDs for storage. I have a USB CD/DVD burner
My laptop has a SSD.
I also have a 4 bay USB enclosure with 2x1TB, 1x2TB and 1x4TB HDDs in it. Plus many various USB thumb drives.
I have a small cloud storage which i barely use.
11 • Immutable/atomic operating systems (by Podog on 2025-03-24 12:38:24 GMT from Italy)
When I hear about immutable or atomic distributions... I feel a dark threat hanging over me. Something like the useless systemd. Since 1994 we have all been fine with debs and rpms: why change?
12 • Is it based on Fedora Kinoite (by Justin R. on 2025-03-24 12:38:52 GMT from United States)
Is Bazzite based on Fedora Kinoite and not Silverblue? Kinoite is already Silverblue with KDE Plasma instead of GNOME.
13 • Storage (by Robert on 2025-03-24 13:25:55 GMT from United States)
I use an nvme drive for my OS, then a mirrored pair of SATA SSDs for /home.
Stopped using USB drives ages ago, except for a single thumb drive that gets used every few years to install/reinstall one linux distro or another. Don't use cloud storage for anything.
I do wish I still had a DVD/BluRay drive, but my current case has no 5.25 bays.
14 • Storage and Gnome 48 (by penguinx86 on 2025-03-24 14:19:27 GMT from United States)
All of my computers have SSDs. 3 are m.2 NVME and 1 is SATA. I got rid of all my spinning hard drives years ago, but I do have 2 external WD Passport spinning hard drives to backup my pictures.
This is the first I've heard of Gnome 48, so I watched this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLT-WyTZHZg
I still don't like Gnome, because I don't want ANY overlays to hide my desktop. Gnome 48 is still a no-go in my opinion. I'll stick with Xfce, Cinnamon, or MATE with a real desktop instead.
15 • "Main Computer" (by Slappy McGee on 2025-03-24 14:28:34 GMT from United States)
I admit to having a bit of trouble deciding which of my machines would be my "main" one.
I spend most of my computer time on a fairly old one that is basically for messing around with Linux distros.
But I have another one that gets a lot of screen time for gaming.
And then there's this one I'm on now for everything else.
Thinkng it over, honestly I cannot designate a "main computer." One has an older SSD. One has a newer NVME SSD. And one has an NVME SSD and also a spinning HD.
16 • My storage - nvme mostly, but tons more (by thatguy on 2025-03-24 14:43:59 GMT from United States)
Over the last year or so I've made the transition from sata ssd's to nvme drives in all my machines. However, I still have all the old drives that have been retired over the years, including several usb externals and several old spinning hdd's that are now living in external usb caddies. An immense amount of storage space overall - close to 100tb! - but the most important stuff fits on my beefiest pc, equipped with dual 4tb nvme drives. I get sustained transfer speeds of well over 1gb/sec. Insane...
17 • Storage in general (by Slappy McGee on 2025-03-24 15:29:12 GMT from United States)
@16 Here, too. Stacks of old WD and Seagate HDs, some from the 1990s and of course beyone. A baggie full of SanDisk and Lexar thumb drives. I have never added up all of the storage on that stuff. The thumb drives are now used for distro ISOs, replacing the spinning discs of the olden days. I recently ran across one not marked, so stuck it in my Dell with the NVME and the HD spinner bay and there it was: SuSe 9.3 ISO. No, it did not boot. ;oD
18 • Re: Is it based on Fedora Kinoite (by Valerie on 2025-03-24 15:30:07 GMT from United Kingdom)
@12 It's based on both. Bazzite consumes both the Silverblue and Kinoite images for its GNOME and KDE images respectively.
19 • @12, @18 Bazzite base (by Wally on 2025-03-25 01:53:07 GMT from Australia)
Bazzite, along with Bluefin and Aurora, comes from a group of developers named Universal Blue. All are based on Fedora. I'm not a gamer, so I tried both Bluefin and Aurora, which have a standard and developer editions. I chose the DX or developer versions because it comes with virtualization and container tools preinstalled (Virt-Manager and distrobox), and I have very little to install with rpm-ostree. They both worked very well for me. No glitches that I could see, although I took a liking to openSUSE Kalpa. Kalpa (or Aeon) need more apps installed, which is a bit complicated but not so much as to turn me off.
I concluded that they aren't for me at this time. I like to multi-boot and none of these play well with others, if at all. I also like like the simplicity of apt, or dnf, or zypper, or pacman. Maybe in the future. Note: For those to whom it matters, RAM usage can be a quite high.
20 • @11 (by FledermausMann on 2025-03-25 03:31:01 GMT from Australia)
>>When I hear about immutable or atomic distributions... I feel a dark threat hanging over me. Something like the useless systemd. Since 1994 we have all been fine with debs and rpms: why change?
So that people don't bork their systems when "tweaking"
And apparently to stop virus/malware threats
21 • Storage (by Nifty Bottle on 2025-03-25 04:29:01 GMT from United States)
My desktop has an NVME, SATA SSD, and HDD, in addition to a CD/DVD/Blu-ray drive and an external USB HDD for backups. My laptop has an NVME drive and an SD card. I’m a pack-rat. I also have various USB thumb drives, HDDs, and SSDs floating around, not permanently attached to any one computer. Also various cloud services, for backups and things I want on more than one computer.
22 • Storage (by rhtoras on 2025-03-25 17:57:43 GMT from Greece)
i am installing my os in ssd both nvme and plain ssd
i use nosystemD linux and openbsd (but i have tried bare metal installation of net and freebsd too)
i always use Kioxia and Patriot ssd's and they have been very good on these systems
on my laptop though i am using a verbatim ssd where some people claim is not a very good ssd... well in my case it works very well... i usually use ext4 or zfs file systems and on openbsd the ffs but when i used freebsd i had ufs which is faster than zfs (especially on desktop)
p.s as for bazzite i do nto find any use case... a useless immutable fedora spin...next please...
23 • Atomic Distros (by Hank on 2025-03-25 19:38:42 GMT from Germany)
The next crazy idea, Atomic plus systemd, plus snap crap or fatpacks, no thanks I see only potential for non manageable total disaster and ever more bloat.
Good example Bazzite which will not even fit on an 8GB USB Stick despite lacking important applications..
24 • @23 atomic distros (by FledermausMann on 2025-03-25 22:48:26 GMT from Australia)
I agree that Atomics like Bazzite are way to large, unjustifiably so. However there are some atomic releases which are smaller in size out there. Vanilla OS 2 Orchid is a slim 1.9Gb in size for instance and provides the same benefits of immutability as Bazzite.
The real problem though what seems to be glossed over is the reliance on Flatpaks, Snaps and Appimages for user applications.
The issue is malware.
Even for a "normal" distro model which has repositories, malware is an issue as can be seen from the recent XZ-utils backdoor, which slipped into the repos unnoticed.
Most people don't know, but Linux distributions do not proactively scan their repositories for malware. Although attacks focus not directly on the package but usually dependencies, the attack vector is real and it is a threat.
The problem with Flatpaks, Snaps and Appimages is the same, packages are not checked for malware.
Anybody can spin up a Snap or Appimage or Flatpak from a package and post it. How do we trust any of these unofficial packages which do not come direct from the project themselves? Short answer: we can't. And it is unrealistic to go through the source code before some wise fellow makes this ludicrous suggestion.
For example, you can find an Appimage for Brave Browser which has been created by an unknown not associated in anyway with the Brave devs. Any new person coming to Linux would have no idea, and use this Appimage putting their system at risk.
"A clone of the popular 2024 game, packaged as an Ubuntu snap —a relatively new app format for Ubuntu OS. According to a GitHub user named Tarwirdur, the app contained a cryptocurrency mining application disguised as the "systemd" daemon, along with an init script that provided boot persistence."
Just because on Atomics the root is safe doesn't mean that the users /home can't be attacked.
What is the solution? Repo maintainers don't have the manpower to go and check every package for malware which is why XZ Utils slipped through.
Canonical as they are offering a "store" for Snaps should be taking responsibility for checking each app submitted for malware, but don't. Talks of This is the same for Flats and Appimages.
"Ubuntu Snap Store takes its place in the pantheon of app stores that have suffered malware infections, right next to the Chrome Web Store, the Google Play Store, the Apple App Store, and the Windows Store."
Atomics is a good solution for distros, but Snaps Flatpaks and Appimages unless provided by the actual devs are a terrible and lead only to confusion among users with the introduction of attack vectors.
25 • Snaps flatpaks etc (by Keith S on 2025-03-26 00:32:06 GMT from United States)
@24 Completely agree about the malware problem with packages that come from who knows where via snaps or flatpaks or Appimage. And I fear that it is getting worse, not better. As you said well, there are not enough resources to check every package that comes through these modes where applications can be spun up by literally anyone.
My favorite OS, OpenBSD, is sometimes ridiculed for its emphasis on security. The fact remains that it really is the most secure operating system available. Here is a snippet from what they say about their ports system:
"The ports collection does not go through the same thorough security audit that is performed on the OpenBSD base system. Although we strive to keep the quality of the packages high, we just do not have enough resources to ensure the same level of robustness and security."
Ultimately we all depend on the various devs valuing their reputations for building safe applications enough so that they will pay close attention to security for their particular domain. Snaps and flatpaks etc make it easy to package apps that might include malware but look official. These systems have basically invaded nearly the entire Linux ecosystem because they are convenient. I don't have a great solution for this problem though.
26 • atomic snaps (by rhtoras on 2025-03-26 11:11:36 GMT from Greece)
@23 YOU ARE 150% correct... and this is why i use nosystemD. Bloat bloat bloat for no reason. I use void linux for example. I never broke my system. Rolling stable model at the same time. Openbsd just like @25 said is safe. I use it too. Never broke too. I am not a pro user i am not a new user too. I am just curious what's going on. So i am suspicious and possibly carefull. The article "the real motivation behind systemD" is a must if you want to search deeper. It exists on the internet. Just search for it. It will blow your mind!!!
27 • @24: (by dragonmouth on 2025-03-26 11:47:25 GMT from United States)
"The problem with Flatpaks, Snaps and Appimages is the same, packages are not checked for malware. "
Same goes for AURs and PPAs.
28 • @24 @25 Security of Linux apps (by Jan on 2025-03-26 12:24:37 GMT from The Netherlands)
That is a bleek future for Linux/BSD.
Is then Linux+Wine + downloading Win-apps from known safe sources, a better option?
A resident Linux-security/safety app, like Win-defender, would be better?
29 • @24 @25 Security/safety of linux-apps (by Jan on 2025-03-26 02:34:40 GMT from The Netherlands)
Isn't then Linux going to pass Windows in security/safety risk?
With Windows you generally install applications from its author (though you also have to check that), or from fairly reputed sites like MajorGeeks or Softpedia.
30 • Storage and updating (by Bobbie Sellers on 2025-03-26 18:35:48 GMT from United States)
I have a 512 GB SSD in my refurbished Dell 7730.
I use PCLinux OS which is systemd free and update from the
systems repositories.
I haven't been around for a while due to a broken ankle and the surgery
to repair same called a fusion which ties with steel rods and screws
the parts back together. 12 weeks to get back on my feet at home.
When I get home I will add 1 TB SSD and 16 GB of ram to the 7730.
Where do you guys find the time to play games?
bliss
31 • @28 (by FledermausMann on 2025-03-27 00:40:58 GMT from Australia)
>>Is then Linux+Wine + downloading Win-apps from known safe sources, a better option?
If you are running an Atomic OS, the only data which is vulnerable to malware is what is on your /home. Keep that safe maybe on separate removable encrypted media, then you should be good to go regardless.
Wine + windows apps aren't any better, actually worse as the majority of Windows apps are all closed source. At you can look at the code in the Flat, Snap or Appimage you downloaded but you absolutely can't do that in windows apps (unless it is opensource too).
What I would like to see are Atomic versions of Devuan, Void, Slackware, Gentoo, Artix etc, all non-systemd distros.
32 • Atomic non-systemd OSs (by Happy_Phantom on 2025-03-27 01:51:08 GMT from United States)
@31
"What I would like to see are Atomic versions of Devuan, Void, Slackware, Gentoo, Artix etc, all non-systemd distros."
Please add notables like AntiX, PeppermintOS, and PCLinuxOS to your list of mentions.
33 • Atomic non-systemd Linux (by FledermausMann on 2025-03-27 07:57:21 GMT from Australia)
So in this regard, apparently Nitrux, is a systemd-free immutable/atomic distro based on Debian.
"Nitrux is an immutable Linux distribution, meaning no changes occur to the content of the root directory by default. We use overlayroot, which allows us to provide new distribution versions more accurately."
Although I don't like KDE Plasma, I will have to give this another try. Last time I was trying to tweak the desktop and borked it. I prefer Mate as this is what I use on my Devuan install.
I am still hoping that other systemd-free distros will adopt an atomic model.
34 • Atomic non-systemd (by rhtoras on 2025-03-27 08:20:42 GMT from Greece)
i don't like immutable linux os's BUT there are some nosystemD ones... except nitrux which is mentioned by @33 there is GNU/Guix which is libre and rlxOS where i talked to the creator
it was using sysVinit then switched to systemD then he turned back to nosystemD and was asking for alternatives in our telegram nosystemD groups... i think he was talking on Venom linux group...
35 • OS security (by mashbrain on 2025-03-27 23:05:51 GMT from Germany)
@29 "Isn't then Linux going to pass Windows in security/safety risk?"
So, is OS security like this?
* Windows: recommends running on a PC with a security chip (TPM or Pluton); has some built in security software like Defender AV and firewall; but most up-to-date security comes from 3rd party software like AV suites.
* MAC: relies on proprietary model of controlling hardware (e.g., M / T2 chips) and software (e.g., XProtect AV, firewall); but most up-to-date security comes from 3rd party software like AV suites.
* Linux / BSD: has no security chips, no 3rd party AV suites (only a few AV programs). Instead relies mostly on locking down the OS - e.g., passwords, VMs, containers, SELinux, AppArmor, Grsecurity, immutability, etc., and updates to long-existing security software, like firewalls.
36 • OS security (by Slappy McGee on 2025-03-28 13:42:02 GMT from United States)
@35 A Robot just told me this:
For overall security, Qubes OS, a Linux-based operating system that runs everything in virtual machines, is often considered the most secure, while for privacy and anonymity, Tails (The Amnesic Incognito Live System) is a strong choice.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
Qubes OS:
Security through Isolation: Qubes OS is designed to isolate different applications and activities into separate virtual machines, preventing a compromise in one area from affecting others.
Open Source: Being open-source allows for community scrutiny and rapid identification of security vulnerabilities.
Designed for Security: Qubes OS is specifically built with security as its primary focus.
User-Friendly: While designed for security, Qubes OS aims to be relatively user-friendly.
Tails:
Privacy and Anonymity:
Tails is a Debian-based Linux distribution designed for privacy and anonymity, particularly against surveillance.
Live System:
Tails is designed to be run from a USB drive or DVD and doesn't store any data on the device, ensuring no traces are left behind.
Tor Network:
Tails connects to the internet exclusively through the Tor network, which anonymizes your IP address and location.
Security Tools:
Tails includes tools for secure communication, email, password storage, and file sharing.
37 • OS Security (by picamanic on 2025-03-28 15:01:26 GMT from United Kingdom)
@36: I wouldn't touch Qubes or Tails with a barge-pole simply because they both employ a 1.7 million lines of unauditable systemd C code.
38 • Too much code! (by Slappy McGee on 2025-03-28 18:01:54 GMT from United States)
@37 Yes, most everyone has their real good reasons for avoiding, even hating, various distros and other operating systems.
In @36 I was entering a discussion about OS security.
39 • Atomic immutable (by FledermausMann on 2025-03-28 22:21:30 GMT from Australia)
Any immutable atomic linux distro, will still have better security than a "normal" linux distro, simply from their immutability standpoint.
Qubes/Tails are not easy to use as a daily driver. In special circumstances their have their niche, but as daily's they are not suitable. Tails would need encrypted persistence and additional apps need to be reinstalled on every boot. Qubes has hefty memory/cpu requirements and workflow learning curve issues.
The original issue I was bringing up for discussion was that traditional Linux distro repositories are not actively scanned for malware, and neither are Flatpaks/
Snaps and Appimages and that these are an attack vector for malware and that immutable atomic distros negate some of the dangers inherent in using these types of packages.
Now, it is preferable to have a non-systemd immutable distro, but as far as I can see, there is only Nitrux and Guix wich are being actively maintained. Rlxos has been mentioned but the last update was almost 6 months ago.
Linux security will become an even greater issue moving forward because malware threats will continue to increase. As there is no solution presented from distro maintainers about scanning for malware, and that "trust the distro and eyes on it" seems to be the only thing we users are being provided, it would seem better to switch to immutable atomic distros which provide at least some protection against the malware threat.
In that regard, I will say again, we need more non-systemd distros producing immutable atomic spins. A lot of people, myself included, do not trust systemd and don't want it on our systems.
Number of Comments: 39
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| TUXEDO |
TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite
Choose from a wide range of laptops and PCs in various sizes and shapes at TUXEDOComputers.com. Every machine comes pre-installed and ready-to-run with Linux. Full 24 months of warranty and lifetime support included!
Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
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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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