 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 1157, 26 January 2026 |
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Welcome to this year's 4th issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
It can be useful to have a home server, a place to store important files, coordinate family calendars, and share media. A home server usually takes a short time to set up and then gives you control over your data and accounts for ever rather than relying on a third-party company. This week Jeff Siegel begins with a look at setting up some home server functions that are quick, easy, and affordable. Also on the subject of home computing devices, in our Questions and Answers column we talk about why desktop convergence didn't catch on despite multiple companies hyping the concept. Our Opinion Poll this week asks: do you run a desktop which offers convergence? Then, in our News section, we talk about a new way malicious software is finding its way into the Snap store while postmarketOS automates tests on hardware to improve its quality assurance. Plus we talk about KDE's new login manager and its ties to systemd. This week we are also pleased to share details on recent distribution releases and list the torrents we are seeding. Finally, we say a heartfelt "thank you" to the kind souls who sent us donations this month. 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) |
Setting up a home server
Want to put together a simple home server, but don't want to deal with our overlords at Google, pony up significant cash each month to access a third-party cloud storage system, or learn about containers, Apache, or nginx?
Then consider the Linux budget home server, which will allow access to media and a shared household calendar. Plus, it can be linked to multiple PCs on your home network (even if they're running Windows), as well as to Android and Apple phones and TV platforms like Roku and Amazon Fire.
Meanwhile, the most complicated command-centric action is changing permissions for your media folders. And, if you have a reasonably modern desktop or laptop lying around that doesn't mind being left on 24 hours a day, the process doesn't cost much more than the price of a KVM switch.
In other words, dog videos anywhere and whenever you want them! And, honestly, the entire thing shouldn't take more than a rainy Sunday to set up.
Getting started
First, know that I've purposely left out such services as e-mail, doorbell cameras, baby monitors, and turning the lights on and off. The goal here is simple, and each of those -- just by themselves -- is way past that. This setup includes most of what the typical user needs in a home server - pictures and videos, audio books, the odd downloaded movie, and the ability to sync files across platforms, whether a calendar or the data for accounting software. For those who worry about their privacy, it's self-hosted, so no need for anyone at Microsoft to know what we're doing.
Second, though it's possible to do this with just one computer, letting it serve both as daily use machine and server, it saves aggravation in the long run to set up a separate server. If nothing else, a separate server will still be there if something happens to your desktop machine or vice versa.
This is when the dusty dual processor desktop in the closet or the laptop with the dead battery, but that works when it's plugged in, can be used (and I've used both in my various setups). Make sure the potential server has an Ethernet connection. Again, a home server is possible with Wi-Fi, but it's easier with Ethernet.
In either case, it's necessary to set up a permanent IP address for the server, since most routers randomly assign addresses when the box connects. This is no more difficult than opening the machine's network manager GUI, copying the current address and adding it in the IPv4 section under static addresses and then clicking save.
Setting a static IP address
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Used hardware is easy to find and remains relatively inexpensive, whether it's from sites like eBay, the local computer store, or a charity such as Goodwill in the U.S. It's not unusual to find decent quality used boxes at one-quarter to one-third the price of a new machine. I splurged a little with what I have now, buying a used Beelink Ryzen 7 3750H mini-PC on eBay with 16GB memory and a 500GB SSD. But, as noted, it's more than possible to get by with less memory and an older processor, though the requirements for hard drive size depends on how much storage you'll need.
Switching between machines
The final hardware question: Whether to use a keyboard, video and mouse switch (KVM), given that this setup uses two machines but only one monitor, keyboard and mouse? Apps like Remmina and Input Leap can control the server from the main machine, and you can even SSH into the server. And I've done each. In the end, though, it's easier to spend $15 or $20 for a quality KVM switch, since it minimizes command line work and allows actual access to the server without unhooking anything.
Connecting the physical equipment
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That's the hardware; what about the operating system? Frankly, almost any Linux distro you're comfortable with will work, since most of the software you'll need is widely available, be it Debian-, RPM-, or Arch-based. It doesn't have to be a "server" distro, either, so you're not stuck to the command line if you'd prefer a GUI. I run Xubuntu on my production machine, so that's what I use for my home server without any problems.
There are an almost infinite number of possibilities when it comes to apps for music, photos, videos, and calendars that run on the server and allow remote access to phones, other computers, and TV boxes. Again, in the interest of simplicity, I've focused on two - Nextcloud, despite its aggravations, for the backbone, and the Jellyfin media server, perhaps one of the best pieces of open-source software in the history of open source! It can make Plex, which isn't terrible, look like a Bugzilla report.
Installing Nextcloud from a software centre
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Why Nextcloud, since it's beyond complicated, its software can be buggy, and the phone app works sometimes and then doesn't for no particular reason? Because the bits of it which are necessary for a simple home server do work, especially the calendar. Meanwhile, the desktop app allows almost instant transfer of files between machines, including Windows and macOS, and Snap installation is direct and straightforward. That means no containers to set up, no Apache or SQL to mess with, and certainly no nginx.
The Nextcloud Snap installation and setup simplifies the process by handling dependencies and updates automatically:
- Install the Nextcloud Snap from the command line (by running "snap install nextcloud") or from the Software Center.
- Then open a web browser and navigate to http://IP address, the permanent address set previously via Network Manager. If you use "http://localhost", this can cause problems signing in later.
- Loading the IP address will open the Nextcloud administrative account screen; setting up the account works like most other web-based systems. It's that simple.
Signing into Nextcloud
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The Snap allows you to use the Let's Encrypt service to get a proper SSL certificate if you have a domain name. If not, you'll need to set up a self-signed certificate. This isn't difficult - we can run "sudo /snap/bin/nextcloud.enable-https self-signed" after installation - but know that self-signed certificates cause the dreaded "Your connection is not private" browser warning. This can be more than annoying when you're trying to sign in with the desktop app.
The standard browser warning when using self-signed certificates
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Nextcloud will offer to install more apps than anyone can possibly use. Needed here are those required for the file browser, most of which are installed automatically, as well as the calendar app. Also install the Nextcloud desktop app on any computer that's on the local network; it's available from most distributions' software center, as well as macOS and Windows.
Switching and syncing
One of the least obvious uses for a home server is one of the most effective - syncing data across the home network using the desktop app. Yes, sharing files, pictures and the like is the most common use, but I also use it to sync data for HomeBank, my accounting software, as well as notes, web links, and odds and ends using the well-designed Zim app. For the former, I put the HomeBank data file on the server, and then I can enter expenses, deposits, and so forth from my laptop when I'm traveling, and sync it to my production machine when I get home. Zim works the same way, as do the spreadsheets I use for work mileage and tracking goals and project. I can record miles or project completion on the laptop, and the spreadsheets, which live on the server, are updated when I turn on the production box.
Calendar sharing may be even more impressive - so simple it surprised me. Yes, there are a variety of other ways to do it, but one calendar can sync across a home network using the Nextcloud calendar app and Thunderbird through the CalDAV protocol.
Browsing synchronized folders
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The easiest way to synchronize the calendars is to export the local Thunderbird calendar to the Nextcloud calendar (there's an import button on the latter) and then use CalDAV to sync the calendar across machines on the local network. All that's necessary is to click "New Calendar" option on each Thunderbird installation and follow the prompts. Thunderbird will ask for the CalDAV URL (which is "https://IP address/remote.php/dav/", which is listed in the Nextcloud calendar settings). Anyone who has permission can add events and send invitations on the local machine, and it can also be set to update automatically. Be aware, though, that initial loading can take a long time, and even longer if it's a big calendar.
Connecting to a new calendar
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Finally, the just-buggy-enough Nextcloud phone app. When it works, you can send anything from your phone (Android or iPhone) to the server, even when you're not on the network. I also use it for recipes, sending them to a folder on the server and using the phone app to read them when I cook, sparing me the trouble of printing the recipe. When the app doesn't work (which seems to happen every six months or so), you must sign in to Nextcloud with the phone's browser and access files that way, though uploading them is more difficult. Also, consider using F-Droid if you need the Android version; Google has limited the phone app's features in the past.
Jellyfin does almost everything else, reducing the need for separate apps for photos, music files, movies, e-books, and videos. It syncs with the respective folders on the server and arranges everything in more or less alphabetical order. It's not an editing app, though; you'll need to do that locally before syncing the media to Jellyfin.
Exploring Jellyfin
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Using Jellyfin - whether playing music and creating playlists, looking at photos and making slide shows, reading e-books, or watching videos and movies - it is intuitive, nothing more than a couple of clicks. It connects seamlessly to my Roku, there are several media players to choose from to run on machines connected to the local network (if you don't want to load Jellyfin via its URL), and there's a phone app.
Browsing Jellyfin media folders
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The documentation is first rate. I know this because I've had to install it more than once. The app is maintained and updated almost ferociously, and I've rarely seen bugs or odd behavior. It just works, and in a way Plex, my first media server app, never quite did.
There's a bash script for installation for Debian-based distros that includes dependencies and sets up updates, as well as a Flatpak and detailed instructions for RPM-based distros. The bash script opens a setup wizard (be sure to use the dedicated URL, with ":8096" at the end, and not "localhost" here, too) that walks you through the process.
The only real problem is granting permission for Jellyfin to access media files. This is one of the few areas where the documentation lags, offering several complicated command line options. It's easier to right click on the respective media folders, choose the Permissions tab, and grant read/write access to "Others." Best practice calls for putting the various media folders into a new Media folder, but I've always used the standard layout without problems.
That's it. Really. So the next time you want to show off your latest dog videos, know they're as close as the Linux budget home server.
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When he is not writing about Linux and Linux distributions, Jeff Siegel can be found writing about all things related to wine at Wine Curmudgeon.
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| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
Malicious software finds a new way into the Snap store, postmarketOS automates more hardware tests, KDE's new login manager works with systemd only
Alan Pope, a former Ubuntu contributor and current Snap package maintainer, has raised a concern on his blog about attackers sneaking malicious Snap packages into Canonical's package repository. "There's a relentless campaign by scammers to publish malware in the Canonical Snap Store. Some gets caught by automated filters, but plenty slips through. Recently, these miscreants have changed tactics - they're now registering expired domains belonging to legitimate snap publishers, taking over their accounts, and pushing malicious updates to previously trustworthy applications. This is a significant escalation." Details on the attack are covered in Pope's blog post.
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The postmarketOS team have announced new steps forward in the project's automated testing processes which make it easier to confirm new software changes work across virtual machines and real hardware. "With all these things in place, it is now possible to run tests directly on hardware using our regular developer workflows. For example, whenever changes to the kernel used by the OnePlus 6T are done, CI will build the new kernel, and boot it on the device, to make sure that the device keeps booting!" According to the project's blog post, the next step will be to introduce automatic testing across additional devices to make sure new versions of software boot and run properly across supported hardware.
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At the start of the year we mentioned some distributions, such as Fedora, are planning to replace the KDE login manager (SDDM) with a new login screen called the Plasma Login Manager (PLM). The KDE team suggests the new login screen will have deeper integration with the KDE ecosystem, but it comes with some tradeoffs, as Linuxiac reports: "It does come with a few limitations, ones that users of systemd-free Linux distributions or BSD systems likely won't appreciate. Here's what it's all about. PLM is strictly systemd-native, relying on systemd-logind and systemd user services for session lifecycle management, permissions, and seat handling. These are hard dependencies, not optional features, and they form the foundation of the new login manager. Because of this, systemd-free Linux distributions cannot use Plasma Login Manager, and the same applies to all BSD operating systems, which lack systemd entirely and have no compatible substitute for the APIs PLM depends on." Other login managers will still work to launch the Plasma desktop.
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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) |
Why convergence has not become popular
Why-not-convergence asks: What happened to the idea of convergence? Lots of companies wanted to merge phones and computers, now everyone has just given up on it? What happened?
DistroWatch answers: Before we talk about why the shine has faded on the concept of convergence (using one device in multiple situations) we should talk about why convergence was once an appealing idea.
The idea of using one device in multiple roles really started to take off in the range of 10 to 15 years ago. At the time smartphones had more or less stabilized into their current forms and it was clear they were going to rapidly grow in terms of specifications and computing capabilities. It made sense to look at what new tasks or roles the young smartphone market would be able to handle.
Also at that time it was common for a lot of people, particularly people who worked in offices, to own multiple computing devices. Often times people had a personal desktop or laptop computer at home, a workstation at their office, and (if they travelled for work) they often owned a small netbook computer to take on the road. Then the smartphone entered the corporate world and it was yet another device to purchase and manage. So a lot of us had three or even four computing devices to manage and, at the time, smartphones were rapidly becoming more powerful.
Convergence was a proposed solution to streamline the situation. The idea was that - instead of having a desktop at work, a workstation at the office, and a small laptop to take on trips - the smartphone would be able to handle everything. When at home or at work people would have a small docking station the phone could sit on and people would use a keyboard and a monitor to interact with the smartphone the way they would with a desktop computer. When outdoors, people could carry their phone around in their pocket or purse and use it as a regular mobile phone. Likewise, when on the road, the smartphone would mostly act like a phone until it was plugged into a station or a projector.
In theory, a smartphone (along with a docking station or two) would be significantly less expensive than using two or three computers and a phone. Files wouldn't need to be synchronized as everything would be on one device. All that was needed was a flexible user interface that could switch back and forth between the phone's touch screen approach and a desktop layout.
A few companies tried, with limited success, to make a unified, flexible user interface. This flexible interface approach, which was often referred to as offering convergence, tended to be limiting in a desktop setting and more complicated than usual in touch screen environments. It was the usual problem associated with "one size fits all" - the solution technically worked, but was not comfortable in any one environment.
However, I don't think the awkward merger of desktop and touch interfaces is why convergence's appeal faded. I think there are several other, more important factors:
- A lot of people stopped owning multiple devices as laptops became a better option. Instead of having a desktop at home, a workstation at the office, and a travel netbook, a lot of people simply bought a single laptop and used it everywhere. Companies started embracing a more flexible "bring your own device" policy and, suddenly, instead of managing four computing devices, most people just had two: a laptop and a phone.
These days laptops are a lot lighter, faster, and less expensive than they were 15 years ago. Laptops can be used for anything from conference calls to gaming, from programming to spreadsheets. As laptops become more portable and more powerful they mostly filled the role smartphones were going to fill.
- Developers can create a flexible environment that works as both a desktop and a touch screen interface, but that doesn't mean the applications which run in the environment will be suitable. Any complex desktop application, such as an office suite, will be awkward to use on a touch screen, no matter how polished the desktop environments. There isn't much point in embracing convergence if you need to wait to get to your office or home to plug into a docking station in order to operate your main applications.
- Convergence requires a docking station at each location where you plan to treat your phone as a desktop computer. This means the user either needs to acquire two or three docking stations or travel with a dock at all times. And, if the user needs to carry around a docking station and its accessories, then it will be more convenient and (less weight) to simply carry a laptop with them at all times. Ironically, the device which fits into the user's pocket is more of a hassle to set up and use when travelling than the computer that fits into a briefcase.
- Most phones run ARM processors while most laptops and desktops (outside of new Apple products) run x86_64 processors. While there is less of a gap now than there was in the past, some software is still built for x86_64 only. I was one of the people who, ten years ago, thought I'd be running using a phone for all of my computing needs by now, but the main thing that holds me back isn't portability or hardware specifications, it's software compatibility.
- Finally, cloud computing happened. Synchronizing files between multiple devices was no longer a problem when most of the user's documents were stored in the cloud and worked on through web apps. People started using Office 365, Google Docs, and Nextcloud which meant they no longer worried about which device held their documents.
In short, convergence was a solution which was supposed to make up for the shortcomings of other technologies in that period. However, existing technologies got better, faster than convergence did and new technologies came along to fill in the gaps. Laptops and cloud computing became cheaper and more portable while the few companies working on convergence struggled to make their solutions feel smooth and convenient.
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Additional answers can be found in our Questions and Answers archive.
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| Released Last Week |
ELEGANCE 26.0.1
ELEGANCE, a French desktop distribution based on Manjaro Linux and featuring the Cinnamon desktop and a huge collection of popular open-source software, has been updated to version 26.0.1. The new release, which is also known as version 4 and has a code name of "Leanora", comes shortly after the recent update to Manjaro Linux and includes a substantial redesign of the desktop interface and menus, as well as some new applications: "ELEGANCE 4 'Leanora' with style. The desktop environment has received its update, including a new design for the icons and menus, a return to the roots for our beloved theme, where grey returns in a dark theme this time! But the historic blue remains. The base: Manjaro Linux 26.0.1, recently released; Cinnamon 6.6.3 with its new design; the Linux kernel remains at 6.12, pending the next with a long-term support; ISO image name - 26.0.1-260117-linux612. Changes to the applications: the new camera application allows you to scan codes; a basic drawing application has been added for beginners; if you need to resize images for uploads, Curtail allows it and copies them to the original image location." Here is the brief release announcement with several screenshots.
MX Linux 25.1
The MX Linux team has announced an update to the distribution's 25.x series. MX Linux 25.1 maintains the existing Debian 13.1 base and sees a return to offering a choice of init software at boot time. "Making a return as of 25.1 is a dual-init setup with both systemd and SysVInit on the same ISO image. This drastically cuts the number of builds we do and also brings back a feature that was uniquely MX and many users enjoyed. In addition to the usual bug fixes and updates, there are a few nice user-oriented changes related to the dual-init setup from our past releases. Users will be able to choose the init system from the live boot menu on first boot of the live system. The installer will set up whatever init system is running at the time of install as the default for the installed system. The other init will be in the GRUB boot menu under 'advanced', like systemd was on our MX-23 and earlier releases. The tendency for MX-23 to break polkit/dbus on logout/login cycles when systemd-shim was in operation, the main symptom being the root privilege escalation prompt would not appear, appears to not happen with the new setup." Additional information is provided in the release announcement.
deepin 25.0.10
An updated version of deepin, a Debian-based Linux distribution with a custom-built Deepin Desktop Environment, has been released. The new version 25.0.10 brings various improvements to installation, file management and interface polish: "In order to further optimize the deepin 25 system update experience and enhance stability, the deepin 25.0.10 image is now officially released. This update focuses on system installation experience, file management, system interaction and stability, optimizing multiple high-frequency usage scenarios, fixing a large number of known issues, and improving system smoothness and reliability. Key updates in this release: system installer - optimized the prompt text for data formatting during full-disk installation, now supporting the option to retain user data and reuse the original account data, configurations and files; comprehensive upgrade of file manager - added practical features such as automatic scrolling during file drag-and-drop, group display and pinned tabs, significantly improving file operation efficiency; system interaction and interface polish - optimized interaction details of the taskbar, control center, lock screen, clipboard...." Here is the full release announcement, also available in Chinese.
deepin 25.0.10 -- Running the Deepin Desktop Environment
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Guix System 1.5.0
Guix System is a Linux-based, stateless operating system that is built around the GNU Guix package manager. The project has published its first release in about three years, introducing several changes and over 10,000 new packages: "Three years is a long time for free and open source software! Enough time for 12,525 new packages and 29,932 package updates to the Guix repository. Here are the best highlights: To start, KDE Plasma 6.5 is now available with the new plasma-desktop-service-type! Screenshot of KDE Plasma with a welcome window and the About thissystem tab of system settings open. The Guix and KDE logos are visible, as well as Konqi. Continuing on desktops; GNOME has been updated from version 42 to 46 and now uses Wayland by default. The gnome-desktop-service-type was made more modular to better customize the default set of GNOME applications. Guix System is now using version 1.0 of the GNU Shepherd, which now supports timed services, kexec reboot and has new services for system logs and log rotation which are now used by Guix System instead of Rottlog and syslogd. There are around 40 new system services to choose from, including Forgejo Runner, RabbitMQ, iwd, and dhcpcd to name a few." Additional information can be found in the project's release announcement.
Liya 2.5
The Liya distribution is an Arch-based project which runs the Cinnamon desktop and features the Pamac package manager. The project has published a new snapshot which introduces integrated AI chat and improved support for connecting with Windows file shares. "Samba integration is now enabled by default in the Nemo file manager. For Windows 10 and Greater, Network and Windows shares are discoverable out of the box. For Windows 8.1 and Less, please run 'sudo use_smbv1'. Liya v2.5 "Mahi" includes Newelle, an advanced AI chatbot frontend. Newellw allows users to directly use AI models in system interface and/or run local LLM's easily. A guide to set up Newelle will be posted soon in our Wiki section. The Liya Welcome application has been included to simplify post-install setup. Graphics drivers can now be installed directly from the Welcome app. Hybrid graphics systems (such as Intel + NVIDIA or Intel + AMD) are now handled more reliably." Additional information is provided in the project's release announcement.
Liya 2.5 -- Running the Cinnamon desktop
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Skywave Linux 5.10.0
Phil C has announced the release of Skywave Linux 5.10.0, a specialist live Linux distribution configured for connecting to internet-accessible software defined radio (SDR) receivers. It is based on Debian's "Unstable" branch and uses the dwm window manager. "Skywave Linux has been upgraded to version 5.10, bringing some software changes, a kernel upgrade and bug fixes: Linux kernel 6.18.5, with the XanMod efficiency and speed tweaks; adjustments to Tor-Remote and Tor-Controller scripts; added I2P darknet access using Purple/i2pd; adjustments to the Neovim LSP configuration; Neovim plugins have been upgraded; Qtel, the Echolink client, has been removed; upgraded the dwm window manager dwm-flexipatch to version 6.6; updated satellites and transponders for Gpredict and SatDump; expanded the scope of the KiwiSDR list to include OpenWebRX sites; the theme for this upgrade cycle was 'Delegate more to systemd and reduce manual interventions'. I have cleaned out the user's dot profile and xinit files, moving environmental variables to the user's .config directory, for handling by systemd. I also deleted the code which forcefully set the screen dots per inch, based on specs detected by X11. Fonts and application windows are now more consistently sized across more diverse hardware." Continue to the release announcement for further details.
CachyOS 260124
The CachyOS team has announced the release of an updated ISO image of CachyOS, a Arch-based Linux distribution with the latest KDE Plasma as the chosen desktop on the live image. The new version 260114 comes with a reworked system installer, new Plasma login manager, and Wayland as the preferred display server: "This is our first release of the year, bringing a host of improvements to the installer, the new display manager (Plasma Login Manager), and much more. First, we have significantly reworked the installer and added many quality-of-life improvements. The bootloader selection has been moved directly into the installer, featuring a description for each option; Limine is now selected as the default bootloader. Architecture detection now happens at the very beginning of the installation process, which reduces the download size by around 1 Gigabyte. Additionally, we now pass the --needed flag to pacman to avoid reinstalling up-to-date packages. The mount options for NVMes have also been improved when Btrfs is selected, now defaulting to compression level 1. Next, the ISO has been switched to Plasma Login Manager, and the Live ISO now uses Wayland instead of X11." Read the rest of the release announcement for further information.
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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: 3,376
- Total data uploaded: 49.2TB
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| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
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Summary of expected upcoming releases
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| Opinion Poll (by Jesse Smith) |
Do you use desktops that offer convergence?
In this week's Questions and Answers column we discussed what happened to the grand plan of merging mobile and desktop interfaces to make it possible to run one desktop (and one set of applications) on any personal computing device. A decade or more ago several companies were pushing the idea of using smartphones as workstations, but that hype has mostly faded from the tech scene.
Still, there are some interfaces which strive to provide a convergence experience. The Lomiri and Phosh desktops, for example, are capable of working in both mobile and workstation environments. Do you run a desktop that is set up to work with convergence? Let us know which one in the comments?
You can see the results of our previous poll on types of system installers in our previous edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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Does your desktop support convergence?
| Yes - all of them do: | 20 (2%) |
| Yes - one of the desktops I use does: | 45 (4%) |
| No - but I want convergence: | 156 (14%) |
| No - and I do not want convergence: | 857 (79%) |
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| Website News |
Donations and Sponsors
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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, 2 February 2026. 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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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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| Archives |
| • Issue 1158 (2026-02-02): Manjaro 26.0, fastest filesystem, postmarketOS progress report, Xfce begins developing its own Wayland window manager, Bazzite founder interviewed |
| • Issue 1157 (2026-01-26): Setting up a home server, what happened to convergence, malicious software entering the Snap store, postmarketOS automates hardware tests, KDE's login manager works with systemd only |
| • Issue 1156 (2026-01-19): Chimera Linux's new installer, using the DistroWatch Torrent Corner, new package tools for Arch, Haiku improves EFI support, Redcore streamlines branches, Synex introduces install-time ZFS options |
| • Issue 1155 (2026-01-12): MenuetOS, CDE on Sparky, iDeal OS 2025.12.07, recommended flavour of BSD, Debian seeks new Data Protection Team, Ubuntu 25.04 nears its end of life, Google limits Android source code releases, Fedora plans to replace SDDM, Budgie migrates to Wayland |
| • Issue 1154 (2026-01-05): postmarketOS 25.06/25.12, switching to Linux and educational resources, FreeBSD improving laptop support, Unix v4 available for download, new X11 server in development, CachyOS team plans server edtion |
| • Issue 1153 (2025-12-22): Best projects of 2025, is software ever truly finished?, Firefox to adopt AI components, Asahi works on improving the install experience, Mageia presents plans for version 10 |
| • Issue 1152 (2025-12-15): OpenBSD 7.8, filtering websites, Jolla working on a Linux phone, Germany saves money with Linux, Ubuntu to package AMD tools, Fedora demonstrates AI troubleshooting, Haiku packages Go language |
| • Issue 1151 (2025-12-08): FreeBSD 15.0, fun command line tricks, Canonical presents plans for Ubutnu 26.04, SparkyLinux updates CDE packages, Redox OS gets modesetting driver |
| • Issue 1150 (2025-12-01): Gnoppix 25_10, exploring if distributions matter, openSUSE updates tumbleweed's boot loader, Fedora plans better handling of broken packages, Plasma to become Wayland-only, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1149 (2025-11-24): MX Linux 25, why are video drivers special, systemd experiments with musl, Debian Libre Live publishes new media, Xubuntu reviews website hack |
| • Issue 1148 (2025-11-17): Zorin OS 18, deleting a file with an unusual name, NetBSD experiments with sandboxing, postmarketOS unifies its documentation, OpenBSD refines upgrades, Canonical offers 15 years of support for Ubuntu |
| • Issue 1147 (2025-11-10): Fedora 43, the size and stability of the Linux kernel, Debian introducing Rust to APT, Redox ports web engine, Kubuntu website off-line, Mint creates new troubleshooting tools, FreeBSD improves reproducible builds, Flatpak development resumes |
| • Issue 1146 (2025-11-03): StartOS 0.4.0, testing piped commands, Ubuntu Unity seeks help, Canonical offers Ubuntu credentials, Red Hat partners with NVIDIA, SUSE to bundle AI agent with SLE 16 |
| • Issue 1145 (2025-10-27): Linux Mint 7 "LMDE", advice for new Linux users, AlmaLinux to offer Btrfs, KDE launches Plasma 6.5, Fedora accepts contributions written by AI, Ubuntu 25.10 fails to install automatic updates |
| • Issue 1144 (2025-10-20): Kubuntu 25.10, creating and restoring encrypted backups, Fedora team debates AI, FSF plans free software for phones, ReactOS addresses newer drivers, Xubuntu reacts to website attack |
| • Issue 1143 (2025-10-13): openSUSE 16.0 Leap, safest source for new applications, Redox introduces performance improvements, TrueNAS Connect available for testing, Flatpaks do not work on Ubuntu 25.10, Kamarada plans to switch its base, Solus enters new epoch, Frugalware discontinued |
| • Issue 1142 (2025-10-06): Linux Kamarada 15.6, managing ZIP files with SQLite, F-Droid warns of impact of Android lockdown, Alpine moves ahead with merged /usr, Cinnamon gets a redesigned application menu |
| • Issue 1141 (2025-09-29): KDE Linux and GNOME OS, finding mobile flavours of Linux, Murena to offer phones with kill switches, Redox OS running on a smartphone, Artix drops GNOME |
| • Issue 1140 (2025-09-22): NetBSD 10.1, avoiding AI services, AlmaLinux enables CRB repository, Haiku improves disk access performance, Mageia addresses service outage, GNOME 49 released, Linux introduces multikernel support |
| • Issue 1139 (2025-09-15): EasyOS 7.0, Linux and central authority, FreeBSD running Plasma 6 on Wayland, GNOME restores X11 support temporarily, openSUSE dropping BCacheFS in new kernels |
| • Issue 1138 (2025-09-08): Shebang 25.8, LibreELEC 12.2.0, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, the importance of software updates, AerynOS introduces package sets, postmarketOS encourages patching upstream, openSUSE extends Leap support, Debian refreshes Trixie media |
| • Issue 1137 (2025-09-01): Tribblix 0m37, malware scanners flagging Linux ISO files, KDE introduces first-run setup wizard, CalyxOS plans update prior to infrastructure overhaul, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1136 (2025-08-25): CalyxOS 6.8.20, distros for running containers, Arch Linux website under attack,illumos Cafe launched, CachyOS creates web dashboard for repositories |
| • Issue 1135 (2025-08-18): Debian 13, Proton, WINE, Wayland, and Wayback, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, KDE gets advanced Liquid Glass, Haiku improves authentication tools |
| • Issue 1134 (2025-08-11): Rhino Linux 2025.3, thoughts on malware in the AUR, Fedora brings hammered websites back on-line, NetBSD reveals features for version 11, Ubuntu swaps some command line tools for 25.10, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA support |
| • Issue 1133 (2025-08-04): Expirion Linux 6.0, running Plasma on Linux Mint, finding distros which support X11, Debian addresses 22 year old bug, FreeBSD discusses potential issues with pkgbase, CDE ported to OpenBSD, Btrfs corruption bug hitting Fedora users, more malware found in Arch User Repository |
| • Issue 1132 (2025-07-28): deepin 25, wars in the open source community, proposal to have Fedora enable Flathub repository, FreeBSD plans desktop install option, Wayback gets its first release |
| • Issue 1131 (2025-07-21): HeliumOS 10.0, settling on one distro, Mint plans new releases, Arch discovers malware in AUR, Plasma Bigscreen returns, Clear Linux discontinued |
| • Issue 1130 (2025-07-14): openSUSE MicroOS and RefreshOS, sharing aliases between computers, Bazzite makes Bazaar its default Flatpak store, Alpine plans Wayback release, Wayland and X11 benchmarked, Red Hat offers additional developer licenses, openSUSE seeks feedback from ARM users, Ubuntu 24.10 reaches the end of its life |
| • Issue 1129 (2025-07-07): GLF OS Omnislash, the worst Linux distro, Alpine introduces Wayback, Fedora drops plans to stop i686 support, AlmaLinux builds EPEL repository for older CPUs, Ubuntu dropping existing RISC-V device support, Rhino partners with UBports, PCLinuxOS recovering from website outage |
| • Issue 1128 (2025-06-30): AxOS 25.06, AlmaLinux OS 10.0, transferring Flaptak bundles to off-line computers, Ubuntu to boost Intel graphics performance, Fedora considers dropping i686 packages, SDesk switches from SELinux to AppArmor |
| • Issue 1127 (2025-06-23): LastOSLinux 2025-05-25, most unique Linux distro, Haiku stabilises, KDE publishes Plasma 6.4, Arch splits Plasma packages, Slackware infrastructure migrating |
| • Issue 1126 (2025-06-16): SDesk 2025.05.06, renewed interest in Ubuntu Touch, a BASIC device running NetBSD, Ubuntu dropping X11 GNOME session, GNOME increases dependency on systemd, Google holding back Pixel source code, Nitrux changing its desktop, EFF turns 35 |
| • Issue 1125 (2025-06-09): RHEL 10, distributions likely to survive a decade, Murena partners with more hardware makers, GNOME tests its own distro on real hardware, Redox ports GTK and X11, Mint provides fingerprint authentication |
| • Issue 1124 (2025-06-02): Picking up a Pico, tips for protecting privacy, Rhino tests Plasma desktop, Arch installer supports snapshots, new features from UBports, Ubuntu tests monthly snapshots |
| • Issue 1123 (2025-05-26): CRUX 3.8, preventing a laptop from sleeping, FreeBSD improves laptop support, Fedora confirms GNOME X11 session being dropped, HardenedBSD introduces Rust in userland build, KDE developing a virtual machine manager |
| • Issue 1122 (2025-05-19): GoboLinux 017.01, RHEL 10.0 and Debian 12 updates, openSUSE retires YaST, running X11 apps on Wayland |
| • Issue 1121 (2025-05-12): Bluefin 41, custom file manager actions, openSUSE joins End of 10 while dropping Deepin desktop, Fedora offers tips for building atomic distros, Ubuntu considers replacing sudo with sudo-rs |
| • Issue 1120 (2025-05-05): CachyOS 250330, what it means when a distro breaks, Kali updates repository key, Trinity receives an update, UBports tests directory encryption, Gentoo faces losing key infrastructure |
| • Issue 1119 (2025-04-28): Ubuntu MATE 25.04, what is missing from Linux, CachyOS ships OCCT, Debian enters soft freeze, Fedora discusses removing X11 session from GNOME, Murena plans business services, NetBSD on a Wii |
| • Issue 1118 (2025-04-21): Fedora 42, strange characters in Vim, Nitrux introduces new package tools, Fedora extends reproducibility efforts, PINE64 updates multiple devices running Debian |
| • Issue 1117 (2025-04-14): Shebang 25.0, EndeavourOS 2025.03.19, running applications from other distros on the desktop, Debian gets APT upgrade, Mint introduces OEM options for LMDE, postmarketOS packages GNOME 48 and COSMIC, Redox testing USB support |
| • Issue 1116 (2025-04-07): The Sense HAT, Android and mobile operating systems, FreeBSD improves on laptops, openSUSE publishes many new updates, Fedora appoints new Project Leader, UBports testing VoLTE |
| • Issue 1115 (2025-03-31): GrapheneOS 2025, the rise of portable package formats, MidnightBSD and openSUSE experiment with new package management features, Plank dock reborn, key infrastructure projects lose funding, postmarketOS to focus on reliability |
| • Issue 1114 (2025-03-24): Bazzite 41, checking which processes are writing to disk, Rocky unveils new Hardened branch, GNOME 48 released, generating images for the Raspberry Pi |
| • Issue 1113 (2025-03-17): MocaccinoOS 1.8.1, how to contribute to open source, Murena extends on-line installer, Garuda tests COSMIC edition, Ubuntu to replace coreutils with Rust alternatives, Chimera Linux drops RISC-V builds |
| • Issue 1112 (2025-03-10): Solus 4.7, distros which work with Secure Boot, UBports publishes bug fix, postmarketOS considers a new name, Debian running on Android |
| • Issue 1111 (2025-03-03): Orbitiny 0.01, the effect of Ubuntu Core Desktop, Gentoo offers disk images, elementary OS invites feature ideas, FreeBSD starts PinePhone Pro port, Mint warns of upcoming Firefox issue |
| • Issue 1110 (2025-02-24): iodeOS 6.0, learning to program, Arch retiring old repositories, openSUSE makes progress on reproducible builds, Fedora is getting more serious about open hardware, Tails changes its install instructions to offer better privacy, Murena's de-Googled tablet goes on sale |
| • Issue 1109 (2025-02-17): Rhino Linux 2025.1, MX Linux 23.5 with Xfce 4.20, replacing X.Org tools with Wayland tools, GhostBSD moving its base to FreeBSD -RELEASE, Redox stabilizes its ABI, UBports testing 24.04, Asahi changing its leadership, OBS in dispute with Fedora |
| • Issue 1108 (2025-02-10): Serpent OS 0.24.6, Aurora, sharing swap between distros, Peppermint tries Void base, GTK removinglegacy technologies, Red Hat plans more AI tools for Fedora, TrueNAS merges its editions |
| • Issue 1107 (2025-02-03): siduction 2024.1.0, timing tasks, Lomiri ported to postmarketOS, Alpine joins Open Collective, a new desktop for Linux called Orbitiny |
| • Full list of all issues |
| Star Labs |
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
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| Random Distribution | 
Phaeronix
Phaeronix was a Gentoo-based live CD with GNOME, Reiser4-enabled GRUB, automatic hardware detection with NVIDIA 3D support - all ready for multimedia, Internet, and Arabic.
Status: Discontinued
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| TUXEDO |
TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite
Choose from a wide range of laptops and PCs in various sizes and shapes at TUXEDOComputers.com. Every machine comes pre-installed and ready-to-run with Linux. Full 24 months of warranty and lifetime support included!
Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
|
| Star Labs |
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
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