 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 131, 19 December 2005 |
Welcome to this year's very last issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The renewed GNOME versus KDE flame war and Xen virtualisation are the two leading topics in this issue; these are followed by a few interesting links, including a timeline of Perl, which celebrated 18 years of age on Sunday. Has Ubuntu Linux been dumbed down? With omission of some of the vital utilities from the latest release, Robert Storey wonders where this increasingly popular distribution is heading. Also in this issue: an interview with Robert Tolu of the GenieOS project, an update on FreeBSD release schedule for 2006, and a handful of interesting new distributions. Happy reading!
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Content:
GNOME vs KDE, Xen, best distribution, Nexenta, 18 years of Perl
Nothing stirs the interest of open source news sites more than a good GNOME vs KDE flame war. This is a subject that everybody has an opinion about and Linus Torvalds is no different. Last week, the creator of Linux spoke his mind - in his usual, straightforward manner, which left many GNOME fans completely stunned. Is he a troll, or is this some kind of a sick joke? Well, neither, it seems, as Linus has taken a further trouble to explain himself:
"I think the KDE development process has been a lot more 'lively', and I think a lot of the reason for that has been that they haven't allowed the 'interface nazi' kind of stifling of what people feel they need to do. Read the recent KDE-3.5 release announcement with the 'visual guide to new features', and you can feel the energy. Sure, they have three different kinds of desktop choosers. So what? You don't have to use them. But the capabilities are there if you want to.
And I think that's important. It's important, because that developer energy, in the end, is what get things done. And as a side effect, you will automatically end up with a system that understands that defaults may be good, but that different people have different needs and views. Because you had a very diverse group of people that worked on it.
Linus has a valid point - open source software has evolved to become a viable competition to expensive proprietary software not just because it is cost-free, but also because it keeps attracting many open-minded developers who want to program freely, without the constraints of some arbitrary feature goals. That said, GNOME remains a very popular desktop, so it obviously suits many users perfectly well. Either way, the discussions on many news sites and forums were lively, to say the least, and it certainly created some excitement during the otherwise pretty dull week.
* * * * *
With the recent release of Xen 3.0, there has been much talk about the virtual machine monitor. Not only we have seen a growing numbers of articles about this phenomenon and noticed several web hosting companies offering "virtual" dedicated servers using Xen, some analysts go as far as suggesting that Xen is the next killer application. Given the interest, we thought that, to jumpstart a discussion in this week's forums, we ask our readers: what is your opinion about Xen? Have you used or considered using it? If so, for what purpose? And what were your results? For those who haven't had a chance to try it out, probably the best way to do so is to download one of the Xen-enabled live CDs or DVDs, such as Xenoppix (with pre-configured NetBSD and Plan9; requires 512MB of RAM) or the Xen Demo CD (with Debian "etch" and CentOS 4.1).
Running Debian and CentOS on the same desktop, courtesy of Xen
(full image size: 229kB, resolution: 1024x768 pixels)
* * * * *
What is the best Linux distribution? As always, this is something that all users have to find out by themselves, but it helps to do some reading before you plunge into highly addictive distro testing. One of the more intelligently written articles on the subject is the recently published The best Linux distribution of them all: "A few weeks back, my friend Tom asked me a question regarding Linux - that is - which is the best Linux distribution of them all. And following is the lively conversation we had about this topic which I am sharing with you." Written with Linux beginners in mind, the article gives a few Linux distribution suggestions for all types of users and explains some of the more important aspects of choosing a distribution. A good read.
* * * * *
One of the most unusual operating system born in 2005 was Nexenta. Combining the OpenSolaris kernel with GNU and Debian utilities, the project has created a controversy - after it attempted to mix two incompatible licenses in one product. But if you ignore the squabble and look at Nexenta from the point of view of its bringing us another interesting OS alternative, especially after its remarkably stable "alpha" release, then you'll agree that Nexenta is a worthwhile project. But how did it come along? Alex Ross, the distribution's creator, explains in his blog:
"I've been a Solaris user for a long time. It was love at first sight, and the feeling is still unchanged. Throughout the years I've become so accustomed to it that it's hard to do anything elsewhere. And one day, my friend pointed me to a Linux distribution called Ubuntu. So I got a hold of it, installed it and began using it. My eyes opened wide (and I swear I must have been drooling too). I thought it was the easiest and most user-friendly environment I've ever used.
'Why can't Solaris be like this!', I shouted. For a while, I went from being a 'Solaris is the best for techies' into 'Gee, my mom can use this thing called Ubuntu' person."
* * * * *
 Perl, the "Practical Extraction and Report Language", is now officially a grown-up, as it was exactly 18 years ago yesterday since the release of Perl 1.000 on 18 December 1987. Here is the description of the language from the original release announcement: "Perl is an interpreted language optimized for scanning arbitrary text files, extracting information from those text files, and printing reports based on that information. It's also a good language for many system management tasks. The language is intended to be practical (easy to use, efficient, complete) rather than beautiful (tiny, elegant, minimal). It combines (in the author's opinion, anyway) some of the best features of C, sed, awk, and sh, so people familiar with those languages should have little difficulty with it." See the PerlTimeline page for more details about the history of this popular interpreter.
* * * * *
As per tradition, DistroWatch Weekly will take a break before returning again in two week's time - on 2 January 2006. Looking back at the past 12 months, it certainly was a busy and enjoyable year, with Linux and other open source operating systems and applications making clear headways in terms of market share, deployment, and popularity. DistroWatch has grown too - from serving just over 5 million pages in January to nearly 12 million in October. We would like to thank all our readers, contributors, sponsors and the hundreds of people who submitted news, corrections and suggestions over the year. And to all of you who celebrate it: merry Christmas and a very happy and prosperous New Year! See you in 2006!
Ubuntu Breezy Badger - is it too dumbed down? (by Robert Storey)
People's characters are strengthened through struggle against difficulties; they are weakened by comfort.
- Chinese proverb
As some of our faithful readers may recall, I wrote a review of Ubuntu Breezy Badger, entitled The Ubuntu Juggernaut. It was published on 16 October 2005 which, by the fast-moving standards of Linux development, might seem like eons ago. Nevertheless, Breezy Badger is still the current release of Ubuntu - the next version (Dapper Drake) is not due out until April, 2006. Therefore, the review isn't yet obsolete. I still have Breezy Badger installed on my trusty laptop, and have been faithfully using and abusing it over the past two months.
All things considered, my Ubuntu experience has been positive, but I have noticed a few annoyances. Recently, I discovered what I consider to be one of Breezy Badger's greatest shortcomings - the "missing" gcc compiler.
I must emphasise that this deficiency lies with Breezy Badger alone - I swear that the compiler was present in Hoary Hedgehog (the cutesy nickname for the previous Ubuntu release). Which raises the question - "Is Ubuntu being dumbed down?"
Of course, some might argue that installing the gcc compiler is easy. Just apt-get install gcc - right?
If only. To get gcc working is not so intuitive. Packages I had to install included the following:
gcc-3.4
g++-3.4
make
nasm
xlibs-dev
After installing the above, I still couldn't compile anything. This was due to a bug. I finally worked out that I needed to create two symbolic links in /usr/bin/:
cd /usr/bin
ln -s gcc-3.4 gcc
ln -s g++3.4 g++
Then it all worked. However, I can't help but feel that I had to jump through too many hoops to install something that should be included in every Linux distribution. Admittedly, Ubuntu is designed with a newbie-friendly interface, and newbies are somewhat unlikely to compile apps during their first week of using Linux. However, "newbie-friendly" doesn't have to mean "oldie-hostile". Ubuntu is not just a distro for beginners - it's got enough advanced features to keep experienced Linux geeks happy. Perhaps the developers have gone too far in their attempt to "dumb down" their OS so as to make new users feel welcome.
Ideally, it would be best if the compilers and X11 development libraries were included in a default Ubuntu install. But failing that, at the very least the symbolic links should be created automatically.
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| Interview with Robert Tolu, GenieOS |
Interview with Robert Tolu, GenieOS
 GenieOS, formerly known as "Debian Pure", is essentially a single-CD Debian "sarge" with GNOME and a few popular extras, such as pre-configured browser plugins and multimedia support. Rober Tolu, the project's creator, has kindly agreed to answer a few questions about GenieOS and about his other activities. Incidentally, a new release of GenieOS, version 0.5, was made available for download on Sunday, together with a bonus release - a remastered edition of PCLinuxOS for the GNOME fans.
DW: Robert, thank you very much for your time. First, please introduce yourself. How old are you, where do you live, what do you for living? When did you start using Linux and why?
RT: You're welcome. I really appreciate this opportunity. I would also like to say that I love DistroWatch, it has made Monday mornings a treat!
I currently live in Boston, MA and work as a Finance Manager for a local non-profit organization. I'm 29 years old, married, and have no children. I'm a Harvard graduate which is where I first heard about Linux. I was in a pharmacology class some 4 years ago when I spoke with a classmate who brought Linux up. I asked him what about Linux and he gave me some information. I didn't think much about the information he gave me until one day I was in Microcenter and happened to see Red Hat Linux sitting there on the shelf. I decided to buy it and give it a try. At first I was nervous about it, but the Anaconda installer made me feel very comfortable. However, I found that the installed system was missing too many things that I enjoy like multimedia, so I decided to ditch it and try something else. My next encounter was with Mandrake and I really liked Mandrake. But it contained too many bugs for my taste. I tried more and more until I finally landed on Debian.
It took a while to figure out the right installation, but it did everything I wanted it to. And I use Debian to this day.
DW: GenieOS seems to have garnered quite a following among the DistroWatch readers even before its listing on this web site. Can you briefly describe the project and highlight the most important differences between GenieOS and Debian? What was the motivation behind developing GenieOS? Who is the target market?
RT: The initial response surprised me. I even ran out of bandwidth a couple of times, but I coughed up the cash and kept the ISO online directly until the mirrors were set up.
No differences exist between Debian and GenieOS other than the name and the fact that GenieOS includes a few plugins not derived from the Debian repositories. All I have done with GenieOS is taken the sarge installer and added pre-seeds, simple scripts, and the appropriate Debian packages. GenieOS is not a fork, rather an easy means to setup a Debian desktop.
The target market consists of all those users who enjoy the Debian derivatives, but wish they were both free and fully compatible with the Debian repositories. I created GenieOS for my own personal use, but figured why not share my installation tool with the community.
DW: GenieOS comes on a single CD so a rather large number of Debian packages are missing and whatever the user needs has to be installed later - either over the network or from Debian CDs. How do you decide packages what packages will go on the CD?
RT: Since I developed GenieOS as a personal tool, I simply include the packages I use. I like a clean desktop with one application for each task. I don't like having 10 web browsers and 5 video players. I figure a package may always be added later from the repositories. However, some people have emailed me about adding laptop packages and printing packages which I plan to do. The goal is to have a fully-functioning desktop without going overboard.
DW: GenieOS is based on Debian Sarge, which is already fairly outdated in terms of included package versions. As such, I would be reluctant to use it on my desktop, since I prefer a distribution (or branch) with more up-to-packages and more frequent releases. Any plans to change the model to track, say, Debian's testing branch or perhaps even Ubuntu?
RT: I'm strongly considering using the testing branch of Debian since it now receives regular security updates, but no plans to track Ubuntu as I wish to avoid incompatibilities with Debian repositories.
DW: The GenieOS web site seems to be rather bare, with no community resources, such as forums, mailing lists or Wikis? Any plans to change that?
RT: Not at this time. There are plenty of Debian resources available on the web and I see no need to create another. There aren't enough differences between GenieOS and Debian.
DW: How long before GenieOS 1.0 is reached? What features do you still intend to implement before you consider it feature complete? Do you have a roadmap?
RT: I'm hoping to release a 1.0 by the middle of 2006. I have no set roadmap as the Linux world changes daily and rapidly. The only issue under strong debate at this time is whether to move to Debian testing. Beyond that, anything goes.
DW: Do you use other distributions in addition to Debian and GenieOS?
RT: I currently have SUSE 10.0 and PCLinuxOS 0.92 installed. I like SUSE's hardware detection and polish. And I like PCLinuxOS for the same reasons.
I find installing packages on SUSE to be a little more difficult. I'm just spoiled with Debian, I guess. I have tried APT for SUSE, but it's just not the same. But I think this distro has real promise.
PCLinuxOS also shows real promise. It's one of the most polished and easy systems out there. My only blight with it is that it's KDE-based. I'm not saying KDE is terrible, but I just happen to be a GNOME guy.
DW: Are you working on some other projects, besides GenieOS?
RT: Currently I'm working on a remastered edition of PCLinuxOS using GNOME as the desktop. There's an ISO already available on the GenieOS site for people to download and try under the 'other stuff' tab. I've basically taken the wonderful work Texstar has done and tweaked it to suit my needs.
DW: Robert, thank you again for your time and answers and good luck with your project!
RT: I do wish to thank you again for this opportunity! I also wish to thank Josh King, Ibiblio, Brian Piorek, the Debian team, the GNOME team, and anyone else I may have forgotten to mention!
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| Released Last Week |
SchilliX 0.4
A new version of SchilliX, a live CD based on OpenSolaris, has been released. What's new? "Updated to use OpenSolaris Nevada Build 28; WLAN support added; if there is an 'open' WLAN available that supports DHCP, the related interface is automatically configured after the boot; to configure the WLAN, check the 'wificonfig' command (man page included); support is available for the following WIFI devices: Atheros 52xx chipset via the 'ath' driver, Pro/Wireless 2100 chipset via the 'ipw' driver; Pro/Wireless 2200BG/2915ABG chipsets via the 'iwi' driver; DHCP now sets /etc/resolv.conf and hostname; new Grub menu entry allows to forward to the default hard disk boot." Here is the release announcement.
Foresight Linux 0.9.3
Foresight Desktop Linux has been updated to version 0.9.3: "The other night I published ISOs for 0.9.3, it is a minor update from 0.9.2. There was a nasty bug in Anaconda that caused GRUB install problems for some users, that is fixed now. Also, system-config-display was broken, also fixed in this release. Not completely however, it fails during the firstboot process. There are also a few updated packages, the only one to note is an update tango icon set." Here is the full release announcement.
MoLinux 2.0
MoLinux 2.0 "Sancho", an Ubuntu-based distribution developed by the regional government of Castilla la Mancha in Spain, has been released. The new version is based on Ubuntu "Breezy" 5.10 and includes the following: kernel 2.6.12; GNOME 2.12; Evolution 2.4; OpenOffice.org 2.0 with support for the OpenDocument format and OpenBase database application; Firefox 1.0.7; a new system for installing packages (gnome-app-install); new artwork and bootsplash; integration of the hardware notification system from Guadalinex; new translations of some of the applications. Please refer to the release announcement (in Spanish) for further details.
pocketlinux 2.0
Version 2.0 of the Slackware-based pocketlinux distribution has been released: "This is a Christmas present to our fellows: a new version of pocketlinux. This is a major change, as we have rebuilt the complete system on Slackware 10.2. We have also added many development packages to make it easier to update KDE light using the 'SlackBuild' Scripts. This release also includes the current version of Mozilla Firefox and is the first version that comes with KDE kiosktool. This will help you to lock down the desktop. Main features: upgraded core system to Slackware 10.2; replaced KDE with the current packages from Slackware 10.2; added localised versions of 'motd' and 'login issue' to the installer...." See the release announcement for more information.
Coyote Linux Personal Firewall 3.00.37
Coyote Linux Personal Firewall has been updated to version 3.00.37: "Coyote Linux 3.00 build 37 is available for download. This release has the following changes: fix for bug#1 - changing the remote admin ACLs will now properly reload form the web admin; added a new setup interview script that is much less complex than the original. It only asks enough questions to bring up the WAN and 1 LAN interface and sets the remote admin permission for https and ssh to only be permitted from the LAN. Any remaining configuration can then be done via the console or web admin." Here is the full release announcement.
* * * * *
Development and unannounced releases
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| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
FreeBSD release schedule for 2006
Scott Long, the FreeBSD release manager, has announced a preliminary release schedule for the year 2006. If the plan is adhered to, there will be four stable FreeBSD versions - one final release in the 5.x series (in April) and three releases in the 6.x series (in March, July and December), focusing on bugfixes, performance enhancements, incremental functionality and driver additions. The developers will start preparing for FreeBSD 7.0 in June 2007. For more information please see this announcement.
* * * * *
Summary of expected upcoming releases
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| Web Site News |
 Linux Format Issue 75
The January 2006 issue of Linux Format is now on the shelves, inclusive of the DistroWatch column. It takes a look back on the major distribution releases of the last quarter of the year, the process of upgrading existing installation and introduces the Elive live CD. Lots of other stories in the magazine too, including a feature story on Mozilla Firefox 1.5, interview with Perl's Larry Wall, a guide to setting up MythTV on your computer, as well as a nice series of tutorials on GIMP, Emacs, Inkscape, PHP and Squid. See the publication's web site for the complete content of issue 75.
And if you haven't yet come up with a good Christmas present for a geek friend of family member, why not consider a gift subscription to Linux Format? Although the price of the magazine with shipping might sound a bit high, especially if you live outside of UK, remember that you'll get over 100 pages of solid content with almost no advertising. Definitely a great value for money!
* * * * *
New distributions added to the waiting list
- IBLS. IBLS (Itty Bitty Linux Server) is a compact, easy-to-use web server that can be run straight off the CD, any time, any place, even on a Pentium 133MHz with 32MB of RAM. It is designed to be simple to use, and at the same time give power users the features and performance they desire.
- KNOPPIX/Math. KNOPPIX/Math is a KNOPPIX-based Japanese live CD with focus on mathematical applications. It supports Japanese, Korean and English languages.
- Nbed-Nakooki Live CD. Nbed-Nakooki Live CD is a general-purpose GNU/Linux live CD for the x86 platform. It features Norean, a collection of tools for Linux distribution creators, and Nakooki, a demonstration and pedagogic implementation of Norean tools in the form of a small source-centric distribution, which can also be used as a start point for other distributions.
* * * * *
DistroWatch database summary
That's all for today. See you again on 2 January 2006 :-)
Ladislav Bodnar
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| Archives |
| • 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 |
| • Issue 1106 (2025-01-27): Adelie Linux 1.0 Beta 6, Pop!_OS 24.04 Alpha 5, detecting whether a process is inside a virtual machine, drawing graphics to NetBSD terminal, Nix ported to FreeBSD, GhostBSD hosting desktop conference |
| • Issue 1105 (2025-01-20): CentOS 10 Stream, old Flatpak bundles in software centres, Haiku ports Iceweasel, Oracle shows off debugging tools, rsync vulnerability patched |
| • Issue 1104 (2025-01-13): DAT Linux 2.0, Silly things to do with a minimal computer, Budgie prepares Wayland only releases, SteamOS coming to third-party devices, Murena upgrades its base |
| • Full list of all issues |
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| Random Distribution | 
P!tux Linux
P!tux Linux was an operating system of the Linux family, based on Slackware Linux distribution and on kernel 2.2.x. It can be installed both on an ext2 filesystem (on a dedicated partition) or on a DOS filesystem (as a loopback device). It can be installed from DOS, Linux, in umsdos mode or via FTP. Basic installation requires a 486 PC with 8 MB RAM and 105 MB minimum hard disk space. During the installation another 150 MB will be used.
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!
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| Star Labs |
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
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