 DistroWatch Weekly |
| Tip Jar |
If you've enjoyed this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly, please consider sending us a tip.
(Tips this week: 0, value: US$0.00) |
|
|
|
 bc1qxes3k2wq3uqzr074tkwwjmwfe63z70gwzfu4lx  lnurl1dp68gurn8ghj7ampd3kx2ar0veekzar0wd5xjtnrdakj7tnhv4kxctttdehhwm30d3h82unvwqhhxarpw3jkc7tzw4ex6cfexyfua2nr  86fA3qPTeQtNb2k1vLwEQaAp3XxkvvvXt69gSG5LGunXXikK9koPWZaRQgfFPBPWhMgXjPjccy9LA9xRFchPWQAnPvxh5Le paypal.me/distrowatchweekly • patreon.com/distrowatch |
|
| Extended Lifecycle Support by TuxCare |
|
|
| Reader Comments • Jump to last comment |
1 • using "su -" (by Bobbie Sellers on 2026-07-06 01:28:12 GMT from United States)
I hit other because on my distribution i use "su -" to get root permissions.
We have a situation where if the hyphen "-" is omitted the "su" may
put "/home" in the root permissions which requires the use of another
command "chown" to restore the users' ownership.
This is a matter to which users must pay attention when doing administrative
work on your own machine. The use of "su -" rather than "sudo" was
motivated by the very bad implementation of "sudo" on Canonical
products.
We try to avoid logging into root because it can cause so many
problems. We have requesters for the administrative tools that
can be started from the Desktop Environment in which you must
enter the proper root password.. Tools that are in everyday use
including Timeshift and DNF Package Manager.
If I want to run a root tool from the Command Line Interface we
can just click on Console then get to a root session by
entering at the prompt "su -" and then entering the un-echoed
password to arrive at the root prompt.
bliss- Dell 7730- PCLinuxOS 2026.06 Linux 6.18.38- Plasma 6.7.2
2 • FreeBSD (by Stuart on 2026-07-06 01:47:29 GMT from United States)
Regarding FreeBSD: I could find no mention of a graphic installer in the release notes.
3 • Free BSD Install Time Desktop (by BlueIV on 2026-07-06 01:49:16 GMT from United States)
I regularly read Phoronix so I knew that the desktop install option had been delayed. That's why I was momentarily confused when Jesse began his review. What I didn't know was the confusion that exists out there and the LLM nonsense. Yikes.
4 • Chaotic sudo (by Vinfall on 2026-07-06 02:30:32 GMT from Hong Kong)
It's worth noting that most Linux distros use OpenDoas implementation instead of the original OpenBSD doas (obviously), and the persist feature in OpenDoas is potentially unsafe due to missing kernel API, which also includes the security/opendoas package in FreeBSD ports.
And to use doas instead of sudo, you have to fallback to things like `doas rnano` or `doas vim` if you want sudoedit, which is no better than just using `sudo -e` or sudo-rs.
Speaking of sudo-rs, some distros also misconfigure it to explicitly require PAM files of sudo package, so technically you have to install sudo to use sudo-rs securely, which simply does not make sense.
I have not used run0 but you should be extremely careful to make sure it works and works in the same way across different distros, as package maintainers could make the same errors I mentioned above.
5 • Mageia is astrictly governed and actively developed operating system from France (by InvisibleInk on 2026-07-06 03:37:48 GMT from United States)
If you were looking for a European "Debian-like" collective to adopt for a new "U.S.A-resistant" infrastructure in support for whatever digital sovereignty issue you care is important.
Mageia looks like a path for a European operating system untouched by any trans-Atlantic governmental interference activities cooked up in Washington D.C..
6 • Great job Jesse! Fabulous review! (by claudecat17 on 2026-07-06 04:28:05 GMT from United States)
First, an apology. As a long time reader/occasional commenter here under a variety of names I've been critical of Jesse's reviews at times for being a little dry and formulaic. This review has me rethinking all that.
This review was amazing! Fantastic description of a process many of us have experienced, albeit in different and less AI-impacted ways, Trying to diagnose why something isn't working can be an adventure, especially with the less mainstream distros. I've had to dig into void Linux's docs several times just to remind myself how to make it show the correct time consistently, just as one example (chrony!).
I've experimented with various BSD options over the years and found myself lost and confused every time. It was enlightening to see that Jesse has experienced this too, even with this new version that erroneously has been purported to have an easy to install desktop option. The lengths he went to to find answers was impressive! I now know not to even think of trying this until I get the thumbs up from Jesse. I get the impression that he'll make sure it's reported accurately here as soon as possible, which is great!
Also loved the general distrust of AI, something I believe will be causing economic meltdowns worldwide for longer than necessary due to all these sicko billionaire idiots plunging some of their inane fortunes into it like they're playing Monopoly. Real people will die for real due to all this unnecessary and unregulated mayhem.
It's staggering the degree to which the poor (me, us, you) have been powerless, their lives upended while these fools continue to pile up the wealth in offshore places so they can avoid taxes. They love to plunder the US treasury, aka our tax dollars, which should be paying for health care for all instead of Elon's latest trip past Go on the Monopoly board. Is it even fixable anymore or do the bad guys have so much power and wealth that we're screwed? I wish I had an answer, though I'm not very optimistic.
Anyway, sorry for being long winded, and thanks Jesse and everyone that contributes to Distrowatch, still my home page for going on 30 years now! Keep up the great work!
7 • Review accuracy / Admin commands (by Keith S on 2026-07-06 04:48:07 GMT from United States)
Thank you, Jesse, for another great review and for going the extra mile to show the process you use to reach your conclusions. Frankly, you and Dedoimedoare the only two I bother to read these days since I have learned that you are trustworthy.
I have tried FreeBSD and a couple of derivatives several times over the years, but they have always seemed to be more complicated than necessary to get running as anything other than a server. OpenBSD is not as easy as a Linux distro to get running with a desktop environment, but it is definitely easier than the other BSDs and has much better documentation.
And this is where I learned to love doas of course, since it was created there. I use it on Void as well. On Linux I just use sudo.
Errata: In the description of the various admin commands, you have "permit :sudo as root" as an example for doas, but I believe that should read (for example) "permit user" to permit user as root (with a password) or "permit nopass :wheel" to permit any user in group wheel as root without a password.
https://man.openbsd.org/doas.conf.5
8 • FreeBSD desktop installer (by Dave on 2026-07-06 07:08:23 GMT from Australia)
I thought I saw something around this a while ago. I found this video which I watched at the time. It also references where the script comes from - or at least at that time.
you tube video id is v=vbWOLzGDa4I
9 • Precarious `sudo` (by Lieutenant Commander Data on 2026-07-06 07:33:51 GMT from United Kingdom)
I voted `sudo` but... I seem to remember that you reported how the developer of the `sudo` utility was desperately looking for support to continue its development, which does raise serious and tragic concerns about its quality and suitability going forward in an age of A.I.-enhanced bad actors, and hence questions over the future longevity of this much-used tool. Obligatory XKCD, "Dependency." https://xkcd.com/2347/
10 • FreeBSD desktop install (by Dave on 2026-07-06 07:43:32 GMT from Australia)
In case this helps. Also had screenshots, which are real but seem to be different to what Jesse was seeing. In the video this is not part of bsdinstall, but I belive this would be the intention.
https://gitlab.com/alfix/kde-installer-dialogs
11 • doas vs OpenDoas (by Jesse on 2026-07-06 10:06:04 GMT from Canada)
@4: "It's worth noting that most Linux distros use OpenDoas implementation instead of the original OpenBSD doas (obviously), and the persist feature in OpenDoas is potentially unsafe due to missing kernel API, which also includes the security/opendoas package in FreeBSD ports.
And to use doas instead of sudo, you have to fallback to things like `doas rnano` or `doas vim` if you want sudoedit, which is no better than just using `sudo -e` or sudo-rs."
This is, unfortunately, true when running most Linux distributions. If you're installing OpenDoas you are going to run into these potential security issues and lack of equivalent utilities. For some reason most Linux distributions have chosen to package the OpenDoas alternative instead of the straight doas port.
However, if you install the doas (not OpenDoas) port then the "persist" issue is patched and there is an equivalent editing tool, called doasedit. This version of doas is the default on FreeBSD and most non-Linux platforms.
12 • Don't count your chickens before they hatch (by FreeBSD... on 2026-07-06 05:55:56 GMT from Italy)
FreeBSD 15.0 promised the feature and retreated, maybe it was kind of embarrassing doing that twice. There might be several reasons for backing out, and some could be worse of silence.
13 • FreeBSD, and LLMs (by El Pingo on 2026-07-06 11:41:39 GMT from United States)
A bit of a farce, this is, but I don't see how one blames AI or LLMs. I asked Gemini: "Is freebsd offering a desktop at install time?" The answer: "No, standard FreeBSD does not provide a graphical desktop environment option during the main installation menu." Then it pointed me to the post-install script shown at a FreeBSD Foundation webpage. I asked Duck.ai (ChatGPT) and Copilot, and got pretty much the same answer and links. So, feeling brave, I downloaded the DVD ISO. On VBox, the base install was quickly done, then I followed the instructions from the BSD page, and that's when the fun began. Seemed simple. It wasn't. It may not be the worst desktop installer out there, but it's in the competition. And maybe that's why it hasn't been added to the installer.
Example: Had a problem with VBox guest-additions. The installer asked me to choose one, but no matter what I chose it told me it didn't exist. Guess where I got the solution? ChatGPT, which told me I had to force a shutdown and install a package. Then it worked. Got XFCE running, badly. And after several tries, KDE. Still hard to scroll with the mouse and it won't shut down properly, but it's not too bad.
Yes, one needs to double-check information from LLMs. But one should double-check information from any source or website, including Distrowatch. In this case, I'd say the misunderstandings and misinformation come mostly from the original source: the BSD Foundation.
The desktop installer info is here:
https://freebsdfoundation.org/resource/installing-a-desktop-environment-on-freebsd/
The screenshots seen by Jesse are from this page:
https://gitlab.com/alfix/kde-installer-dialogs/-/commit/b01d6567c7fbe4213db9fb51ce2a08cfe66badb5
14 • FreeBSD (by Dim on 2026-07-06 12:27:49 GMT from Japan)
Thanks always for straightforward reviews! Too much spam out there that may or may work.
> the post-install script
The review focuses on "an install-time desktop"; FreeBSD has ports for various desktop environments that can be installed thereafter. Not getting the point.
15 • Thanks for summary of tools for running admin commands (by David on 2026-07-06 12:47:51 GMT from United States)
Thanks Jesse for the nice summary. I really like how you provide tips and reports like that. And we can even browse the archive on distrowatch site for these. It's really a nice resource.
I have not read the FreeBSD review yet, but it's of great interest, since I do run the 3 main BSDs (Net, Free, and Open).
Best wishes to all, and thanks again!
16 • @14, FreeBSD (by El Pingo on 2026-07-06 13:38:38 GMT from United States)
"The review focuses on "an install-time desktop"" The only install-time desktop information I have seen is this script. One drops to a shell before finishing with the installer, installs the script and reboots, then chooses a desktop to install. I never got any information from LLMs or otherwise stating that the desktop installer is included with the freeBSD installer. I get that they were aiming to have it for 15.1, but I don't see or read anyone or anything claiming that it's available now. The screenshots may show how it's supposed to work, but not how it's working. There is no way, after searching and asking questions that I would have expected desktop choices to be included in the installer itself.
17 • Admin Commands (by Escaped Christchurch Mouse on 2026-07-06 20:04:16 GMT from United States)
sudo of course .. as about 80% of Linux users do (poll % as of this writing). Does the job with less risk than logging in as root or changing users to root in the terminal and does it on a job by job basis which honestly is perfect for most non tech employed distro desktop users.
18 • GhostBSD? (by Lucifer Morningstar on 2026-07-07 08:41:17 GMT from Italy)
@20 "There is already a FreeBSD with a desktop environment pre-installed. It is called GhostBSD."
That's not fully correct. GhostBSD is derived from FreeBSD, but it's not just one of its own customizations. In fact, it does not support GELI at setup, and it abandoned X.Org in favour of XLibre. I mean, should you decide to go back and forth from the former to the latter and the other way round, there would be no practical way other than full reinstall from scratch.
19 • FreeBSD 15.0 (by Черный ворон on 2026-07-07 07:00:13 GMT from Mexico)
FreeBSD 15.2 is expected to add an option in the installer to automatically install and configure a KDE Plasma desktop, making desktop setup much easier for new users.
Today, installing a desktop on FreeBSD requires several manual steps after the base installation. The new installer aims to remove much of that complexity.
This change is part of the FreeBSD Foundation's effort to improve laptop and desktop usability.
A reasonable expectation is that the easier installer will:
• attract more Linux users who want to try FreeBSD,
• reduce the number of people who give up during installation,
• make FreeBSD more appealing for laptops and workstations.
20 • GostBSD (by Rob Rickson on 2026-07-07 10:57:50 GMT from United States)
@19
“ There just aren't a lot of people looking for that kind of thing in the BSD world, and those that are looking for it have already installed GhostBSD (or even NomadBSD).”
It’s called “looking down the road”.. if Linux enshittifies with AI code added to the kernel etc the BSDs will become far more relevant.
Also, I trust FreeBSD; no idea who or what runs GhostBSD and don’t care.
21 • FreeBSD (by snapdragon on 2026-07-07 11:04:12 GMT from United States)
@20, but it is the same thing as far as a desktop-oriented, non-power user is concerned - which is exactly who a pre-installed desktop is designed for. A more technical user would not need a pre-installed desktop environment because they are technical enough to simply install one on their own. A normal/casual user who just wants a pre-installed graphical setup is not even going to be aware of the display server or GELI, let alone care about either of them. They simply want something that boots up and runs their favorite everyday programs with no fuss. GhostBSD serves that niche quite well, which is one of the reasons why other desktop-focused attempts have fallen by the wayside. I'm not against it, I just think it's strange when there is already a turnkey solution for people who are not even technical enough to understand what a display server is, and those that are technical enough would be able to follow the FreeBSD handbook to get a desktop up and running fairly quickly.
@21, Yes, indeed! I am aware of the goals of the FreeBSD foundation. The FreeBSD community itself, or at least the portion of it that interacts online, seems to hold the exact opposite goals as evidenced by some of the not so nice responses that I've witnessed in various IRC's and forums regarding desktop-focused BSD's. Personally, I'm not against it, However it's just.....unusual? There's the handbook for installing FreeBSD, and if someone doesn't want to or simply can't follow the handbook, then there is GhostBSD as a beginner-friendly turnkey solution. The former wouldn't need the desktop-installer, and the latter would not possess the knowledge or experience to appreciate the finer technical points of the OS to begin with. In the end, it's a net positive, so why not, I guess...
22 • It's not that easy (by Lucifer Morningstar on 2026-07-07 11:37:47 GMT from Italy)
@23 Your assumption is users are all framed into hard boundaries: the rookie, the normal, the aged, the expert, the guru... But the truth is, each one has a different level, knowledge, approach and habit. That's why any OS should provide a wide option list and, on top of that, detail a basic, an intermediate and an advanced procedure for setup, not just sayng "if this is too much for you, choose some other product".
GhostBSD apparently was born because there were some developers which were frustrated by the rejection of FreeBSD's community towards some easier approach to installing. Telling people you need to be a plumber even if you've got to change your shower's flexible tube makes sense just if you're a plumber...
23 • Avoiding the problem (by We all float down on 2026-07-07 12:38:14 GMT from The Netherlands)
@20 No, I already went down that road just before the BSD's first enshittified. There is no escape. Drums in the deep.
The only path forward is to accept the fact we are past Peak Linux. We can still go back, however, by letting the hot air escape instead, carefully.
24 • @21 • FreeBSD (by Nerio on 2026-07-07 12:55:36 GMT from United States)
"those that are technical enough would be able to follow the FreeBSD handbook to get a desktop up and running fairly quickly." What's technical about copying and pasting instructions? Seems to me that for some it may be an enjoyable task and for others a boring waste of time no matter how technically proficient they are. The fact that you may be an auto mechanic doesn't mean you want to buy a bunch of parts and build your own car.
"then there is GhostBSD as a beginner-friendly turnkey solution" Linux has Ubuntu, so that means you don't need Fedora or any of the others? And for those 'technical' enough there's LFS, Arch, Gentoo, Slackware, etc. Way more choices than required if all you need is one of each.
25 • TUXEDO moving from Ubuntu base to Debian (by Just4fun on 2026-07-07 13:07:29 GMT from Sweden)
Very good decision, when that version is available Tuxedo will get a test spin.
26 • FreeBSD (by snapdragon on 2026-07-07 13:16:07 GMT from United States)
@22:
I apologize for coming off that way, and I meant no offence. FreeBSD is not too difficult to install. It only requires two things: a willingness to learn, and a willingness to make an effort. The FreeBSD handbook is not difficult to follow, but it requires a user to actually be willing to read it and follow it. There are also many tutorials both on the website and on Youtube that also walk you through the entire process. I didn't mean to indicate that there are hard boundaries, that was not my intention. It was more to point out that there is already a solution available to install FreeBSD with a desktop out of the box (Or FreeBSD-like if we want to be more technical). GhostBSD is the Linux mint of the BSD world, and it is always recommended for beginners to explore the BSD world similar to how Mint and Ubuntu are recommended for newcomers to Linux. Adding a desktop installer in addition to that just seems like a duplication of effort. However, like I said, I respect their decision, and I respect the effort to make the OS more accessible to the average user. If NetBSD and OpenBSD can include the option to install X11 and a window manager right out of the box, then it is only fair that FreeBSD be permitted to include a graphical setup at install time, too. My apologies for the mix up.
27 • Who uses BSD/Linux (by Friar Tux on 2026-07-07 13:57:10 GMT from Canada)
I think we're missing a group of people, here, in the BSD discussion. A group that is actually in the majority (I think). This group doesn't give an 'at's rass about whether you're beginner, intermediate, or expert. All we want is to install an OS and get our stuff done. It doesn't matter what that involves - GUI installer, BSD, Linux, X11, Wayland, or even... ugh... SystemD. We really don't care. All that matters is that the system works, and doesn't create any "lost time" downtime. For myself, when I test an OS, I use the following criteria:- How easy is the OS to install? How quickly does it install? How much post install configuration does it require? How stable is it through updates/upgrades? What the inner workings are, I don't care, so long as it works. For me, the ideal OS installs in under 15 minutes, then lets me go right to work, and continues that way, boot, after boot, after boot... So far, I've only found one - one single OS - that can do that, consistently after a couple hundred installs. (Thanx Clem.)
28 • Poll (by Robert on 2026-07-07 14:20:05 GMT from United States)
I use sudo because that's what I've always used. No actual reason with thought behind it.
Once I learned about pkexec I thought it sounded cool and thought about switching to it. Then I read about how hard and error-prone it was to configure and thought better of the idea.
There's a chance I switch to run0, but I also don't have any real reason to do so. I just like trying the shiny new stuff.
I also use 'su - ' from time to time, generally when there are several commands I need to perform. That's easier than 'sudo this' 'sudo that' 'sudo that other thing.'
29 • freebsd INSTALLERS (by rhtoraS on 2026-07-07 14:27:59 GMT from Greece)
I doubt freebsd® would ever present a version with KDE as an option. FreeBSD based systems can do whatever they want though. In the meantime best BSD installer is the one from OPEN BSD imho. Free BSD and netBSD have similar installers with the one from freeBSD being similar to linux distributions like Slackware.
To be honest we lack a proper and in depth review on how to install a BSD with all hickups explained.
30 • @27, Who uses BSD/Linux (by Nerio on 2026-07-07 14:32:59 GMT from United States)
"For me, the ideal OS installs in under 15 minutes, then lets me go right to work, and continues that way, boot, after boot, after boot... So far, I've only found one - one single OS - that can do that, consistently after a couple hundred installs. (Thanx Clem.)" I'm sorry, but I can't resist this: Linux Mint has been around for just about 20 years. If you have installed it 200 times, that would be 10 times a year assuming you've been using it from the start. That doesn't speak well for stability now, does it?. :)
Seriously, I tried Linux Mint in 2006 and was a satisfied customer for some years. I don't use it these days because I don't like the desktops offered, otherwise I'd be happy to use it.
31 • HopScotch (by vmclark on 2026-07-07 16:52:36 GMT from United States)
Years ago I use to hop around Cassidy. Haven't done that for years.
I only use one OS, thanks Mark.
32 • LLM-copypasta (by MC Grindah on 2026-07-07 18:20:54 GMT from Denmark)
Smashing review/article this week Jesse. Hilarious too. Proper journalistic effort that was. Full marks and a slice of ham on top.
33 • Ooops (by Friar Tux on 2026-07-07 20:53:05 GMT from Canada)
@30 (Nerio) Sorry, my bad, it wasn't clear. I didn't install those "couple hundred" on my computer. I, maybe, had to reinstall Mint on my laptop about a dozen, or so, times because originally I only had one laptop so when I was trying out other distros I had to use that one single laptop. Since it was so easy to reinstall Mint, each time I was done, I just went with that route. Now, I have two laptops so I don't need to do that anymore. But there are a few folks, out there, running Mint thanks to my help.
34 • FreeBSD KDE Ports and Packages (by Poldo on 2026-07-08 00:50:18 GMT from Italy)
You can install KDE software (KDE Plasma 5 on X11, KDE Applications, and KDE Extragear applications) from both packages and ports. It's a lot faster to install from packages.
Read More:
https://community.kde.org/FreeBSD/Setup/Ports
35 • Galactic Mandate (by Arve Eriksson on 2026-07-08 04:30:10 GMT from Sweden)
Uh... I just spotted this Galactic (Galaxy?) Mandate distro on the feed, and I'm... confused. It looks fancy, but... why? Why is it a thing that someone bothered to conjure into existence?
(I can see an argument about book promotion - similar things wouldn't be unheard of *cough*Office365 integration*cough* - but that seems like an insanely high effort, in context.)
36 • @35, Galactic Mandate (by Resident Alien on 2026-07-08 10:59:45 GMT from The Netherlands)
I saw Galactic Mandate and was ready to download it, but then I spotted Hannah Montana Linux and now I'm undecided. I'll wait for a review/comparison on Distrowatch. Gotta be more exciting than BSD.
37 • GhostBSD (by Lorem Ipsum the Bashful Bunny on 2026-07-08 14:40:40 GMT from United States)
GhostBSD and FreeBSD are often dropped into the conversation when the subject of systemd free computing comes up; simply, if one wants to avoid that init start checking out BSD projects for compatibility with your machine(s)... you may be very pleasantly surprised.
One stat we very seldom see is that of number of users of a particular Linux or BSD distro. Nobody keeps such data and it'd be almost impossible to know how accurate such numbers would be. GhostBSD is one project that I think is used by quite a few, and kept as a permanent daily driver by many.
The improvements in hardware support are ongoing, and I'd say very much in line with several popular Linux distros. I have it on a two year-old Dell and a 6 yeah-old Acer. Wifi/Networking and sound and bluetooth all work perfectly now, but just three years ago were a bit of a struggle to get going.
38 • printer detection (by Ripping out Hair on 2026-07-08 22:29:14 GMT from New Zealand)
I have run Mint and also Manjaro - preferring the Arch distros over time...
except for: printing
Printer detection in Mint and most Debians is automatic and instant. It is a freaking pain in Manjaro and any Arches. Is there a way to nudge or bludgeon the Manjaro|Arch side into detecting printers as smoothly as the Mint|Debian?
Example: went to see a business about printing a document. Took 2 laptops - the one running Manjaro we could not get to say hello to anything. Embarrassing 'demo' of Linux in front of people! I then hauled out an old Mint laptop and it immediately connected and _correctly_configured_ every single printer on their network!
May I ask here for assistance, or maybe Jesse can turn this into one of those excellent articles? Thanks!
39 • printer detection ( (by Roger Brown on 2026-07-09 05:43:45 GMT from Australia)
@ 38 Like many things in Linux it's just a matter of knowing how.
Either install this https://archlinux.org/packages/extra/x86_64/system-config-printer/ OR
Create the file /etc/cups/client conf with the contents:
ServerName IP:port
40 • FreeBSD desktop option (by Microlinux on 2026-07-09 09:29:13 GMT from Austria)
About twenty years ago, there was PC-BSD which was a great and easy way to have FreeBSD with KDE working out of the box. It even came with great documentation with Dru Lavigne's book The Definitive Guide to PC-BSD.
Unfortunately PC-BSD has been improved to death by enshittification. First it moved from stable to current and had many more bugs. Then KDE was replaced by some bad joke of a brand-new window manager. And then PC-BSD went down the drain altogether.
41 • Not automatic (by Biff on 2026-07-09 11:47:03 GMT from United States)
@39 That adds the applet. While Arch attempts to automatically find the driver, it's not always correct and sometimes works the first time. I have found other distros to be more user friendly in this department.
I have an HP LaserJet and when testing Fedora and Ubuntu, the printer installation was easy and it worked. With Arch and Cachy, it could find the printer, but it routinely fails to either start printing or prints gibberish. When it inevitably fails to print, I spend a lot of time tinkering to get it working again. Thankfully, I don't print that much.
42 • Printer acquisition (by Friar Tux on 2026-07-09 16:56:27 GMT from Canada)
@38 & @41... Mint is not without it's quirks - printer-wise. I have an HP laptop running Mint. When I was living in my house (I lived in an apartment downstairs, my son lived in the house upstairs). My laptop picked up both printers in the house. When mine died, we just continued using my son's. Now I live in a condo, and my laptop can pick up a number of my neighbours' printers. My son lives 5 floors above me, but I can't pick up his printer, sadly.
(Not actually complaining. Just thought you all could use the laugh.)
43 • @40 Microlinux, PC-BSD desktop (by El Pingo on 2026-07-10 07:25:09 GMT from United States)
You took me down memory lane. I was playing with the BSDs after reading the review, and you reminded me I had tried PC-BSD and found it quite good at the time. But since memories can fool you, I went to ArchiveOS at Sourceforge and downloaded verision 10 from 2013. I now have it on VirtualBox.The installer is as simple and fast as most of today's Linux distros. Even Guest Additions is included and working. I'm typing this on KDE4 Konqueror. On release 9 they even had a live iso with choice of KDE, Gnome, LXDE or XFCE. It was never the same again, especially after the name change to TrueOS.. I suppose that BSD desktops have withered on the vine not because they are so difficult to do well, but because there's little interest in doing them.
44 • Printers (by Biff on 2026-07-10 11:59:57 GMT from United States)
@42 It's crazy how complicated printing can be. I'm in the camp that printers and projectors are some of the worst technologies one has to deal with.
45 • BSD "withered on the vine" (by Lorem Ipsum the Bashful Bunny on 2026-07-10 14:18:46 GMT from United States)
@43 (and others) I feel badly when I see reference to BSD projects characterized as "withering on the vine" or "dying off" or whatever. Yes, BSD is a sort of subset of open source operating systems, with Linux being the main player. But Eric Turgeon and the GhostBSD Team, and dedicated developers working on BSD projects are just as passionate about their offerings as any Linux team.
GhostBSD in particular, in my opinion, is as ready for desktop mass usage as any Linux project. Of course we an critisize this or that aspect of any Linux project/distro as we can BSDs, Ghost included. But I hate seeing BSD cast in a light of not being relevant when it most certainly is. If you do not like any project out there, BSD or Linux, the beauty of open source operating systems is that you can craft and shape and model that very distro to your liking.
Number of Comments: 45
Display mode: DWW Only • Comments Only • Both DWW and Comments
| | |
| NovaCustom |
NovaCustom PrivacyGuard Laptops - Escape from Big Tech
The NovaCustom PrivacyGuard Laptop is ideal for anyone who prioritizes privacy. Comes with Dasharo coreboot open source firmware and Zorin OS Pro, free from influence of Big Tech.
|
| 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.
|
| Archives |
| • Issue 1181 (2026-07-13): Artix 20260419, making migrating to Linux easier, Google locking down Android, TUXEDO switches to Debian base, Mint improves Cinnamon on Wayland, OpenMandriva recovers from repository deletion, OSNews compares Windows and Linux |
| • Issue 1180 (2026-07-06): FreeBSD 15.1 and rumours of its installer capabilities, tools for running admin commands, Asahi fixes boot issue, reasons to run Gentoo, Ubuntu reverts Rust-based copy command, Astral gets WINE port |
| • Issue 1179 (2026-06-29): PCLinuxOS 2026.05, tips for switching distros, COSMIC gets a new system monitor, Xfce tests new Wayland compositor, FreeBSD developers invite questions |
| • Issue 1178 (2026-06-22): TBLock reviewed, the AUR compromised, Fedora's growing community, reasons to avoid immutable desktop distributions, Ubuntu to get speech-to-text, Canonical updates its beta policy, highlights in Plasma 6.7 |
| • Issue 1177 (2026-06-15): TROMjaro 2026.05.08, Ubuntu MATE updates, Asahi fixes dual-boot issue with macOS 27, AUR infected with malware, setting variables across shells |
| • Issue 1176 (2026-06-08): Redcore Linux 2601, the problem with minimal system requirements, Red Hat account linked to compromised npm repositories, COSMIC to get frosted glass effect, openSUSE shows off system extension manager, Origami merges with RakuOS |
| • Issue 1175 (2026-06-01): PineTab2 with various distros, less common words of wisdom, Canonical shutting down Ubuntu's Pastebin, Murena nears 100k users, DistroWatch turns 25 |
| • Issue 1174 (2026-05-25): Solus 4.9, Linux tablets, Haiku boots on Apple M1 machines, Fedora drops Deepin packages, Mint improves Nemo performance |
| • Issue 1173 (2026-05-18): Sylve on FreeBSD, the benefit of BleachBit, Debian commits to reproducible builds, Debian publishes updated install media, Haiku introduces SMP support on ARM64 processors, Rocky Linux creates opt-in security repository, Fedora reconsiders AI tools, KDE receives generous donation |
| • Issue 1172 (2026-05-11): Fedora 44, dealing with extra fonts, Fedora plans to provide AI tools, problems with Ubuntu's new coreutils, TrueNAS extends its development cycle, postmarktetOS improves the boot splash screen, Redox ports tmux |
| • Issue 1171 (2026-05-04): Xubuntu 26.04, extending memory with VRAM, Ubuntu plans AI features, Devuan developer forks GTK2, Mint introduces hardware enablement builds, Linux running on a PlayStation 5, local kernel exploit found in Linux |
| • Issue 1170 (2026-04-27): ENux 5.2.1, picking a second distro, AlmaLinux expands CPU support, FreeBSD publishes Status Report, Ubuntu MATE skips 26.04 release |
| • Issue 1169 (2026-04-20): Lakka 6.1, free software and source-based distributions, FreeBSD Foundation publishes compatible laptop list, Debian holds Project Leader election, Haiku progresses ARM64 port, Mint to extend development cycle, Linux 7.0 released |
| • Issue 1168 (2026-04-13): pearOS 2026.03, EndeavourOS 2026.03.06, which distros are adopting age verification, Arch adjusts its firewall packages, Linux dropping i486 support, Red Hat extends its release cycle, Debian's APT introduces rollbacks, Redox improves its scheduler |
| • Issue 1167 (2026-04-06): Origami Linux 2026.03, answering questions for Linux newcomers, Ubuntu MATE seeking new contributors, Ubuntu software centre is expanding Deb support, FreeBSD fixes forum exploit, openSUSE 15 Leap nears its end of life |
| • Issue 1166 (2026-03-30): NetBSD jails, publishing software for Linux, Ubuntu joins Rust Foundation, Canonical plans to trim GRUB features, Peppermint works on new utilities, PINE64 shows off open hardware capabilities |
| • Issue 1165 (2026-03-23): Argent Linux 1.5.3, disk space required by Linux, Manjaro team goes on strike, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA driver support and builds RISC-V packages, systemd introduces age tracking |
| • Issue 1164 (2026-03-16): d77void, age verification laws and Linux, SUSE may be for sale, TrueNAS takes its build system private, Debian publishes updated Trixie media, MidnightBSD and System76 respond to age verification laws |
| • Issue 1163 (2026-03-09): KaOS 2026.02, TinyCore 17.0, NuTyX 26.02.2, Would one big collection of packages help?, Guix offers 64-bit Hurd options, Linux communities discuss age delcaration laws, Mint unveils new screensaver for Cinnamon, Redox ports new COSMIC features |
| • Issue 1162 (2026-03-02): AerynOS 2026.01, anti-virus and firewall tools, Manjaro fixes website certificate, Ubuntu splits firmware package, jails for NetBSD, extended support for some Linux kernel releases, Murena creating a map app |
| • Issue 1161 (2026-02-23): The Guix package manager, quick Q&As, Gentoo migrating its mirrors, Fedora considers more informative kernel panic screens, GhostBSD testing alternative X11 implementation, Asahi makes progress with Apple M3, NetBSD userland ported, FreeBSD improves web-based system management |
| • Issue 1160 (2026-02-16): Noid and AgarimOS, command line tips, KDE Linux introduces delta updates, Redox OS hits development milestone, Linux Mint develops a desktop-neutral account manager, sudo developer seeks sponsorship |
| • Issue 1159 (2026-02-09): Sharing files on a network, isolating processes on Linux, LFS to focus on systemd, openSUSE polishes atomic updates, NetBSD not likely to adopt Rust code, COSMIC roadmap |
| • Issue 1158 (2026-02-02): Manjaro 26.0, fastest filesystem, postmarketOS progress report, Xfce begins developing its own Wayland window manager, Bazzite founder interviewed |
| • Issue 1157 (2026-01-26): Setting up a home server, what happened to convergence, malicious software entering the Snap store, postmarketOS automates hardware tests, KDE's login manager works with systemd only |
| • Issue 1156 (2026-01-19): Chimera Linux's new installer, using the DistroWatch Torrent Corner, new package tools for Arch, Haiku improves EFI support, Redcore streamlines branches, Synex introduces install-time ZFS options |
| • Issue 1155 (2026-01-12): MenuetOS, CDE on Sparky, iDeal OS 2025.12.07, recommended flavour of BSD, Debian seeks new Data Protection Team, Ubuntu 25.04 nears its end of life, Google limits Android source code releases, Fedora plans to replace SDDM, Budgie migrates to Wayland |
| • Issue 1154 (2026-01-05): postmarketOS 25.06/25.12, switching to Linux and educational resources, FreeBSD improving laptop support, Unix v4 available for download, new X11 server in development, CachyOS team plans server edtion |
| • Issue 1153 (2025-12-22): Best projects of 2025, is software ever truly finished?, Firefox to adopt AI components, Asahi works on improving the install experience, Mageia presents plans for version 10 |
| • Issue 1152 (2025-12-15): OpenBSD 7.8, filtering websites, Jolla working on a Linux phone, Germany saves money with Linux, Ubuntu to package AMD tools, Fedora demonstrates AI troubleshooting, Haiku packages Go language |
| • Issue 1151 (2025-12-08): FreeBSD 15.0, fun command line tricks, Canonical presents plans for Ubutnu 26.04, SparkyLinux updates CDE packages, Redox OS gets modesetting driver |
| • Issue 1150 (2025-12-01): Gnoppix 25_10, exploring if distributions matter, openSUSE updates tumbleweed's boot loader, Fedora plans better handling of broken packages, Plasma to become Wayland-only, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1149 (2025-11-24): MX Linux 25, why are video drivers special, systemd experiments with musl, Debian Libre Live publishes new media, Xubuntu reviews website hack |
| • Issue 1148 (2025-11-17): Zorin OS 18, deleting a file with an unusual name, NetBSD experiments with sandboxing, postmarketOS unifies its documentation, OpenBSD refines upgrades, Canonical offers 15 years of support for Ubuntu |
| • Issue 1147 (2025-11-10): Fedora 43, the size and stability of the Linux kernel, Debian introducing Rust to APT, Redox ports web engine, Kubuntu website off-line, Mint creates new troubleshooting tools, FreeBSD improves reproducible builds, Flatpak development resumes |
| • Issue 1146 (2025-11-03): StartOS 0.4.0, testing piped commands, Ubuntu Unity seeks help, Canonical offers Ubuntu credentials, Red Hat partners with NVIDIA, SUSE to bundle AI agent with SLE 16 |
| • Issue 1145 (2025-10-27): Linux Mint 7 "LMDE", advice for new Linux users, AlmaLinux to offer Btrfs, KDE launches Plasma 6.5, Fedora accepts contributions written by AI, Ubuntu 25.10 fails to install automatic updates |
| • Issue 1144 (2025-10-20): Kubuntu 25.10, creating and restoring encrypted backups, Fedora team debates AI, FSF plans free software for phones, ReactOS addresses newer drivers, Xubuntu reacts to website attack |
| • Issue 1143 (2025-10-13): openSUSE 16.0 Leap, safest source for new applications, Redox introduces performance improvements, TrueNAS Connect available for testing, Flatpaks do not work on Ubuntu 25.10, Kamarada plans to switch its base, Solus enters new epoch, Frugalware discontinued |
| • Issue 1142 (2025-10-06): Linux Kamarada 15.6, managing ZIP files with SQLite, F-Droid warns of impact of Android lockdown, Alpine moves ahead with merged /usr, Cinnamon gets a redesigned application menu |
| • Issue 1141 (2025-09-29): KDE Linux and GNOME OS, finding mobile flavours of Linux, Murena to offer phones with kill switches, Redox OS running on a smartphone, Artix drops GNOME |
| • Issue 1140 (2025-09-22): NetBSD 10.1, avoiding AI services, AlmaLinux enables CRB repository, Haiku improves disk access performance, Mageia addresses service outage, GNOME 49 released, Linux introduces multikernel support |
| • Issue 1139 (2025-09-15): EasyOS 7.0, Linux and central authority, FreeBSD running Plasma 6 on Wayland, GNOME restores X11 support temporarily, openSUSE dropping BCacheFS in new kernels |
| • Issue 1138 (2025-09-08): Shebang 25.8, LibreELEC 12.2.0, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, the importance of software updates, AerynOS introduces package sets, postmarketOS encourages patching upstream, openSUSE extends Leap support, Debian refreshes Trixie media |
| • Issue 1137 (2025-09-01): Tribblix 0m37, malware scanners flagging Linux ISO files, KDE introduces first-run setup wizard, CalyxOS plans update prior to infrastructure overhaul, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1136 (2025-08-25): CalyxOS 6.8.20, distros for running containers, Arch Linux website under attack,illumos Cafe launched, CachyOS creates web dashboard for repositories |
| • Issue 1135 (2025-08-18): Debian 13, Proton, WINE, Wayland, and Wayback, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, KDE gets advanced Liquid Glass, Haiku improves authentication tools |
| • Issue 1134 (2025-08-11): Rhino Linux 2025.3, thoughts on malware in the AUR, Fedora brings hammered websites back on-line, NetBSD reveals features for version 11, Ubuntu swaps some command line tools for 25.10, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA support |
| • Issue 1133 (2025-08-04): Expirion Linux 6.0, running Plasma on Linux Mint, finding distros which support X11, Debian addresses 22 year old bug, FreeBSD discusses potential issues with pkgbase, CDE ported to OpenBSD, Btrfs corruption bug hitting Fedora users, more malware found in Arch User Repository |
| • Issue 1132 (2025-07-28): deepin 25, wars in the open source community, proposal to have Fedora enable Flathub repository, FreeBSD plans desktop install option, Wayback gets its first release |
| • Issue 1131 (2025-07-21): HeliumOS 10.0, settling on one distro, Mint plans new releases, Arch discovers malware in AUR, Plasma Bigscreen returns, Clear Linux discontinued |
| • Issue 1130 (2025-07-14): openSUSE MicroOS and RefreshOS, sharing aliases between computers, Bazzite makes Bazaar its default Flatpak store, Alpine plans Wayback release, Wayland and X11 benchmarked, Red Hat offers additional developer licenses, openSUSE seeks feedback from ARM users, Ubuntu 24.10 reaches the end of its life |
| • 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.
|
| Random Distribution | 
BackBox Linux
BackBox Linux is an Ubuntu-based distribution developed to perform penetration tests and security assessments. It is designed to be fast and easy to use. It provides a minimal yet complete desktop environment, thanks to its own software repositories, which are always updated to the latest stable versions of the most often used and best-known ethical hacking tools.
Status: Active
|
| 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.
|
|
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
