 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 141, 6 March 2006 |
Welcome to this year's 10th issue of DistroWatch Weekly. As more and more distributions provide bootable disks containing a complete operating system, it is clear that these "live CDs", as they are often referred to, are having a huge impact on our daily computing lives; today we report on Debian Live and Mandriva One, as well as on several efforts to accelerate the boot process of KNOPPIX. Having trouble with finding all the interesting software sources for your Ubuntu installation? Then worry not, the new Ubuntu source-o-matic makes it easy. Also in this issue: Click-N-Run for Ubuntu, a new Linux web site with podcasts for Linux beginners, a couple of entertaining links for Monday laughs, and a first look at the brand new Rubix Linux 1.0. Finally, we are pleased to inform that the February 2006 DistroWatch donation has gone to FreeBSD Foundation. Happy reading!
 Listen to the Podcast edition of this week's DistroWatch Weekly in ogg (6.63MB) or mp3 (8.18MB) format (courtesy of Shawn Milo).
 Join us at irc.freenode.net #distrowatch
Content:
Miscellaneous news: Debian Live, Mandriva One, KNOPPIX on steroids, Ubuntu source-o-matic
 With the current popularity of live CDs, i.e. complete Linux or BSD operating systems on a bootable CD, it is hardly surprising that many distributions are focusing more resources on creating these convenient solutions for their users. The latest project to join this initiative is Debian GNU/Linux. Although Debian Live is not yet an official sub-project of Debian, depending on the success of this undertaking, its status might be upgraded in the future. Debian Live is still in the planning stage and there is nothing to download just yet, but the project has already set up a mailing list and Wiki pages to enable cooperation between interested parties.
 Speaking about live CDs, it is interesting to watch the progress of Mandriva's "secret project" - Mandriva Linux One. Now in beta 3, this new live CD differs from Mandriva Move, the original live CD made by the Paris-based company, in that it can be installed on a hard disk. Once the final product is released, Mandriva users will no longer need to download the usual three (or more) installation CDs; instead, they can simply get the live CD, test the hardware compatibility and, if they find the distribution to their liking, follow a simple installation wizard to give it a permanent space on their hard disks. The first test reports were slightly discouraging, but since Mandriva One is still in beta, some problems can be expected. A word of warning: if you are going to download one of the non-English language CD images, be careful to choose the right one for your region and don't just trust the name of the ISO image. With Turkish on a CD labelled as "Central Europe" and "Czech" on one labelled as "Eastern Europe", it is clear that whoever suggested the Mandriva One CD image names doesn't have much clue about the European geography!
 Last week's release of Accelerated KNOPPIX, a live CD that boots in under a minute, has attracted considerable attention. Although some reviewers have found its speed disappointing, on our test system using a 48x CD-ROM drive, the CD took just under 60 seconds to boot into text mode and under 90 seconds to boot into full KDE. Yes, Accelerated KNOPPIX is still no speed demon, but it does represent a substantial improvement over the original work by Klaus Knopper. Additionally, there is more good news. Shortly after publishing the above-mentioned announcement, we received an email from Jun Okajima, President of Digital Infra in Japan. His company's web site claims that a KNOPPIX live CD that boots in -- wait for this -- under 10 seconds, is a reality! Don't believe it? While Digital Infra has not yet released a downloadable CD image of their "super accelerated" KNOPPIX (Mr Okajima promises one "soon"), you can view a video demonstrating the boot process on the company web site. Check it out - it's nothing short of astonishing!
 Having trouble setting up your sources.list in Ubuntu Linux? Then try Ubuntu source-o-matic. This web page is designed to generate the necessary sources.list entries based on the selection you make. The list also includes non-free and proprietary software (i.e. software that can't be shipped with Ubuntu itself), Ubuntu packages created by the many user communities, backports, and even various bleeding edge packages for both Ubuntu and Kubuntu. A nicely designed wizard that collects all Ubuntu package sources and presents them on one page, Ubuntu source-o-matic is a great idea that will not only extend your favourite distribution, it will contribute towards making that other operating system on your hard disk totally obsolete ;-)
 Speaking about Ubuntu, most of you have probably read about the idea to offer Click-N-Run services for the increasingly popular African distribution. For those of you not familiar with the concept, Click-N-Run, a web-based software download and installation mechanism designed for Linux novices, is a commercial service developed by Linspire. An excellent concept, somewhat marred by the commercial nature of the service and limited to users of the relatively low-profile commercial Linux distribution formerly known as Lindows. But the growing user base of Ubuntu Linux has created a new opportunity to increase Linspire's revenue from Click-N-Run. The service offers not only a simple, one-click installation method for thousands of Debian packages, it also provides commercial software, proprietary drivers and third-party games for immediate download. See Linspire may offer Ubuntu CNR service for more information.
 If you are interested in the new Intel-based Apple computers, here is some exciting news submitted by a DistroWatch reader: "I don't know if the following will be useful to most Linux users, but nonetheless it might be inspirational. Linux becomes the first operating system, beside the native Mac OS X, to operate on the new Intel Macintosh. The Intel Macs use 'EFT' instead of BIOS for handling calls to hardware and a group of hackers calling themselves MacTel Linux have made the cut. Another Linux team, called OSXBook, using their own custom variant of KNOPPIX, have become the second Linux [distribution] to break the EFT barrier. Using this Intel Mac custom KNOPPIX package, they then proceeded to do another 'first' - they loaded VMware, which in turn loaded Windows XP. This is the first time Windows XP has run on an Intel-based Macintosh. Both teams drew inspiration and ideas from one another."
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Web sites: LinuxReality.com
Wishing to find something interesting to listen to while stuck in the rush-hour traffic? Then visit LinuxReality.com. Providing regular podcasts that will appeal to beginning and intermediate Linux users, this new web site is dedicated to spreading news and information about our favourite operating system:
"Linux Reality is a podcast aimed at the new Linux user. Our intent is to start from the beginning, and to take it slowly. We will help Windows and Macintosh users learn about the history of Linux, the importance of the principles of free and open-source software, and the exciting Linux community. We will help users understand the differences between Linux distributions and help people with choosing the right distribution with which to experiment. We will demonstrate how users can try Linux without disturbing their Windows operating system at all, and will also walk people through a Linux distribution installation for those that choose to take a more permanent step. In short, we will explain how it works — in plain, simple, and non-geek terminology."
The first three episodes, each lasting under half an hour, are now available from the LinuxReality.com web site (episode 3 also includes a review of DistroWatch.com and several other web sites). This is an interesting new way to learn about the general concepts of Linux, to listen how distribution and software package names are pronounced, and to become fluent in the terminology of open source software - all while commuting to and from work. Find out more at LinuxReality.com.
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Humour: Infectious licences, Uncyclopedia.org
Finally, a couple of fun resources to brighten up your Monday. First, here is a quote from a New Zealand law firm, which coincidentally also happens to be a Microsoft partner, advising the New Zealand government against using software released under an "open source licence":
"A 'strongly infectious' open source licence will infect any redistributed piece of software that contains or is derived from software licensed under it. It is generally very difficult to modify or integrate software licensed under a strongly infectious open source licence without the resulting product, when redistributed, becoming 'open source' on the same terms as the original. The GPL is an example of a strongly infectious open source licence."
More hilarious quotes and the analysis of the advice given by Chapmann Tripp can be found at Groklaw.net.
If you find the above quote sad rather than funny, here is an alternative link that may be more successful in reducing you to tears of laughter: Uncyclopedia.org. Here are a few quotes describing some of the popular operating systems (warning: language used on Uncyclopedia.org is not always family friendly):
- Ubuntu solves all problems: no KDE, no problem.
- Grudgingly, Fedora had to admit that as big as the Core was, Dibley's Enterprise was still bigger.
- The Debian Project was founded for the purpose of collecting and serving as a clearing house for obsolete computer software.
- Gentoo (motto: you're on your own mate!) is a Linux distribution developed by a consortium founded by Imelda Marcos, Nvidia, IBM, Pol Pot and rice boys.
- pr0 l337 5cr1pt k1dd13 h4x0rz dislike Slackware for popularizing linux. They say that "5|_4C|<W/\r3 r\/1|\|Z0R t3h h0lE |_1n\/x-5C3|\|3"
- OpenBSD (or GNU/OpenBSD) is a computer operating system. It is notoriously insecure unlike its cousin ClosedBSD, which is an operating system for bank vaults.
- What do you want to do today? Nothing? Good.
- Mac OS X is the latest version of the Mac OS operating system for Macintosh computers. The operating system was released in 2001 after complaints from users that Mac OS W was inadequate.
For more "expert insight" on Linux, distributions and operating systems, please visit this page.
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| First looks: Rubix Linux 1.0 |
Rubix Linux 1.0
 Rubix Linux. Just another distribution or the beginning of an exciting new project that will soon find many followers? Although it might be too early to guess how far the developers and community will take the project, there are signs that Rubix might appeal to certain types of users. It is not for beginners, but if you have some Linux experience, enjoy the simplicity of Slackware, expect a reasonable hardware detection from your operating system, and have heard about the speed and power of 'pacman', the package manager from Arch Linux, then Rubix Linux might be a good choice.
But let's start from the beginning. Rubix, a brainchild of Joshua Rubin, doesn't have its own installer; instead, it uses the very Slackware-like Arch Linux installation program - with a few variations. Those who prefer an alternative file system will be pleased to learn that, besides ext3 and ReiserFS, Rubix also supports JFS, Reiser4 and XFS. As with Arch, the Rubix installation program will install a minimal system only and any extra packages, including the X window system and desktop-oriented software, will have to be installed manually, with 'pacman'. Read the 'afterboot' manpage for further instructions after booting into Rubix Linux for the first time.
A somewhat less pleasant aspect of the Rubix (and Arch) installer is having to fiddle with /etc/rc.conf to set up networking and other options, and with /boot/grub/menu.lst to set up the boot loader (the automatic boot loader configuration failed on my test system).
After rebooting into the newly installed Rubix 1.0 and making sure that networking was indeed operational, it was time to get to know 'pacman'. To begin, I executed 'pacman -Syu' to synchronise the package database with that on Rubix download servers, then started installing packages. As an example, installing the complete KDE is done with a simple 'pacman -S kde', which will download and install not only KDE, but also all the required dependencies. After downloading and installing some 400MB of extra software, I issued the 'kdm' command, which took me into the KDE login manager and soon afterwards I was looking at a default KDE 3.5.1 desktop.
And this is when I started wondering about the purpose of Rubix. Having browsed through the distribution's web site during the lengthy package download process, I got an impression that Rubix is a somewhat more user-friendly Arch, perhaps with a more intuitive installer and utilities. But once installed, Rubix turned out to be a rather bare system, without any branding or custom utilities. Yes, the hardware detection is decent (the system was even capable of configuring X on the fly with correct values) and the available package set is highly up-to-date. Also, Rubix offers three kernels, including a 2.4 kernel enhanced with Grsecurity patches. The distribution has a solid web site, inclusive of user interactive areas and documentation. But that's about it. There was little else that would genuinely make me want to keep Rubix around.
Based on my first impressions, Rubix will find it difficult to attract users from either Slackware or Arch, both of which are well-established distributions with much larger user communities. But if their developers continue providing security updates, maintaining packages and fixing existing bugs, certain users might find it an attractive addition to the list of clean, stable and simple distributions.
To find out more about the project please visit RubixLinux.org.
Rubix Linux uses a simple, text-based installation program.
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| Released Last Week |
Trinity Rescue Kit 3.1
Trinity Rescue Kit (TRK) is a Mandriva-based Linux live CD aimed specifically at offline operations for Windows and Linux systems such as rescue, repair, password resets and cloning. A new version of TRK was released earlier today: "Trinity Rescue Kit version 3.1 is a fact and ready for download. Be sure not to burn it on a normal CD/R but a CD/RW. Here 's why: one of the new features in TRK 3.1 is the ability to update itself with Captive NTFS drivers and the latest antivirus + definitions. After it has done this, it will recreate itself as a new ISO file that you can burn to CD." Read the rest of the release announcement for a detailed list of changes.
Accelerated KNOPPIX 1.0
Japan's Alpha Systems has released Accelerated KNOPPIX 1.0, a fast-booting variant of the popular KNOPPIX live CD. By re-arranging the Cloop file system block and optimising the hardware detection and configuration step, the developers have succeeded in reducing the CD boot time to under 60 seconds, while maintaining the full functionality of the distribution. More details with illustrations of the technology (which, incidentally, is released under the GPL) can be found on the project's home page.
SystemRescueCd 0.2.17
SystemRescueCd 0.2.17 has been released. What's new? "Updated the kernel to Linux-2.6.15.4; updated CaptiveNtfs to 1.1.7; fixed boot from a USB stick; added Framebuffer support for Intel video chipsets (i810fb and intelfb); added Oscar (Outil Complet d'Assistance Reseau); updated the manual." See the changelog for a complete list of changes.
tinysofa classic server 2.0 Update 4
An updated version of tinysofa classic server 2.0, code name "Ceara", has been released: "tinysofa classic server 2.0 Update 4 (Ceara) is now generally available. This release focuses on bug fixes, integrates all released security fixes, and updates various packages to the more recent upstream releases. 'Ceara' features: the Linux 2.6.13 kernel, grsecurity support, APT and SmartPM for advanced package management, the next generation PHP 5 environment (5.0.4), OpenSSH 4.3, high availability features such as DRBD (0.7.14) and UCARP (1.1), the latest development tools and languages (GCC 3.4.3, Python 2.4.2), and much more." Read the full release announcement on the project's home page.
Network Security Toolkit 1.4.0
Network Security Toolkit (NST) is a Fedora-based live CD with a collection of open source network security applications. A new version is out: "We are pleased to announce the latest NST release: v1.4.0. This release is based on Fedora Core 4 using the Linux Kernel 2.6.15. Many new NST features and capabilities have been included with this distribution: time management - NTP, hardware clock and system clock management; network packet capture - an enhanced NST web-based front-end to the Tethereal network protocol analyzer; network packet capture manager - provides a means to manage network packet capture files on a NST probe; an enhanced NST web-based file system mounting page...." Read the release announcement for a complete list of new features.
StartCom Enterprise Linux 4.0.1
The developers of StartCom Enterprise Linux, a distribution created by rebuilding the Red Hat Enterprise Linux source RPMs, have released an update version 4.0.1: "The second update of the latest StartCom Enterprise Linux version AS-4.0.1 is hitting the download mirrors today! With almost 500 updated packages, this release includes many security updates and bug fixes, but also a few additions, such as smart card support from the OpenSC project. Additional features are the inclusion of pcsc-lite, openct and opensc of the OpenSC and M.U.S.C.L.E project in order to provide better support of smart cards and secure tokens on our enterprise systems." The release announcement.
Elive 0.4.2
A bug-fix update of the recently released Elive 0.4 has been completed: "Elive 0.4.2, code name 'Serenity', has been released. Changelog: all the bugs listed in the 'bugs section' are fixed; ATI works again with the 'fglrx' driver; added support for SATA hard disks; a new feature in Elpanel to configure the terminal; Firefox 1.5; better auto-launch support for Windows type CDs and auto-detection of Cedega; many minor changes." Read the release announcement and changelog for more information.
Rubix Linux 1.0
The first stable version of Rubix Linux, a distribution combining Slackware with Arch's 'pacman' package management software, has been released: "This is the inaugural release of the Rubix Linux operating system. Rubix Linux is distributed with the Linux kernel versions 2.6.15.5, 2.4.32 and 2.4.32-grsec. Rubix Linux is well equipped to serve in both desktop and server roles. Rubix has exceptional hardware detection with udev replacing hotplug for 2.6 kernels and the latest KDE desktop version 3.5.1. Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.1 and Thunderbird 1.5 are now the default web browser and email client. Rubix Linux also supports the best modern file systems including ext2, ext3, JFS, XFS, ReiserFS and now Reiser4 (with 2.6 kernels) from installation." Read the full release announcement to find out more.
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Development and unannounced releases
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| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
Updated schedule for SUSE Linux 10.1 and 10.2
The openSUSE project has published an updated development and release roadmap for the upcoming SUSE Linux 10.1 and 10.2. Due to major changes in the development of version 10.1, the product will undergo further testing before the final release, now scheduled for April 13. This will have been preceded by beta 8 on March 17 and a release candidate on March 31. The development of SUSE Linux 10.2 will officially commence on June 16 with the release of the first alpha build and the final release is expected towards the end of 2006 or beginning of 2007. For more information please read the updated SUSE Linux schedule announcement.
KNOPPIX 5.0
According to this report (in German) by Heise.de, a new major version of the popular KNOPPIX live DVD will be unveiled during this year's CeBIT show, held in Hannover, Germany, from March 9 - 15. The new release will be based on kernel 2.6 15 and will include X.Org 6.9.0, KDE 3.5.1, OpenOffice.org 2.0, and Firefox 1.5, just to name the major components. Also on the DVD will be a collection of open source applications for Windows, Linux training courses, and several specialist applications for system rescue. The DVD will be available from the Heise stand (hall 5, stand E38) and also from the Fachhochschule Kaiserslautern stand (hall 9, stand C39). Although this will not be a public release, the KNOPPIX 5.0 "CeBIT edition" ISO images are expected to be available from unofficial sources via BitTorrent.
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Summary of expected upcoming releases
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| DistroWatch.com News |
February 2006 donation: FreeBSD (US$450)
 We are pleased to announce that the DistroWatch February 2006 donation of US$450 goes to FreeBSD Foundation. One of the most trustworthy and reliable operating system in existence, FreeBSD has been responsible for powering the server hosting DistroWatch.com for over 18 months. Although it wasn't an entirely smooth ride (we had serious problems with the 5.4 release), the overall experience of running the site on the most popular BSD system was overwhelmingly positive. As such, it is only fair to reward the developers who continue to painstakingly maintain the quality of the FreeBSD kernel and userland, together with over 14,000 ports.
As always, our monthly donations programme is a joint initiative between DistroWatch, which allocates 10% of its advertising revenue, and LinuxCD.org which contributes US$50 every month. Next time you need to order your favourite Linux or BSD disks, DistroWatch recommends getting them from LinuxCD.org, which has a great selection at very reasonable prices.
This is the PayPal receipt for the donations to FreeBSD Foundation:
Dear DistroWatch.com,
This email confirms that you have paid The FreeBSD Foundation $450.00 USD using PayPal.
------------------------------
Payment Details:
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Transaction ID: 8FB90232LU0386318
Total: $450.00 USD
Item/Product Name: The FreeBSD Foundation Inc.
Buyer: DistroWatch.com
Here is the list of projects that received a DistroWatch donation since the launch of the programme:
Since the launch of the DistroWatch Donations Programme in March 2004, we have donated a total of US$7,180 to various open source software projects.
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Linux Format Issue 77
 The March 2006 issue of Linux Format is now on the shelves. If you haven't had a chance to get your copy, here is a reminder that you shouldn't miss what we consider to be the best English language Linux magazine on the market. As usual, the Linux Format's DistroWatch section covers a variety of distributions, starting with a commentary on Mandriva's acquisition plans, then continuing with a discussion on three friendly Gentoo-based projects - VLOS, RR4 Linux and Kororaa, before concluding with a brief review of Fox Desktop, a new beginner-friendly distribution from Italy. The introductory comment argues for the importance of having fixed distribution release schedules and the spread also contains a version comparison chart of several major packages in stable distributions.
Elsewhere in the magazine, the 12-page feature article deals with setting up all kinds of servers. These include BitTorrent, Icecast streaming, Jabber Instant messaging and IRC servers, together with the more mundane web, Samba and database severs. The second featured article is a 4-page introduction to FreeBSD. It discusses the pros and cons of the alternative free operating system; this is followed by an installation walkthrough and several configuration tips. Complementing the middle section of the issue is a 4-page interview with Google's Chris DiBona who talks about the delicate job of opening up some of Google's applications.
The review section rates a variety of software, including X2 by Linux Game Publishing, KDevelop 3.3, Apache 2.2, Audacity 1.3, and NetBSD 3.0. This is followed by an interesting round-up of astronomy software, hot picks and a brief introduction to Boo, a new programming language combining the power of Python and C#. The tutorial section introduces Web 2.0, or more precisely the increasingly popular phenomenon of interactive blogging, social browsing and image sharing. Designing light effects in the GIMP, creating shapes in Inkscape, and drawing 3D objects with Realsoft 3D is a trio of step-by-step tutorials for aspiring graphics designers. For more advanced users, the section also discusses some of the complex editing features in Emacs and stored processes in PHP. A 4-page tutorial on creating an Autopackage, a universal binary package that can be installed on any distribution, concludes this section.
With the usual variety of topics for every Linux user, this is another great issue coming to you from LXF Towers. Don't miss it!
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New distributions added to the waiting list
- Niktarix PPC Live CD. Niktarix is a KNOPPIX-like live CD for the PPC platform. It was built from scratch using code from KNOPPIX and KANOTIX, and includes only Debian 'sarge' binaries.
- System-7 Linux. System-7 Linux is a new distribution with a goal of supporting the installation of most major package types, including DEB, RPM and TGZ. Currently in early development, it also promises to provide a graphical installer and optimised speed and security settings for various installation classes (e.g. gaming, servers, etc.).
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DistroWatch database summary
That's all for today. The next issue of DistroWatch Weekly will be published on Monday, 13 March 2006. See you then :-)
Ladislav Bodnar
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| Archives |
| • 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 |
| • 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 |
| • Full list of all issues |
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Container Linux
Container Linux (formerly CoreOS) was a Linux-based operating system for servers. Built from the ground up and designed primarily for the modern data centre, Container Linux provides specialist tools for making the system secure, reliable and up-to-date. Some of the more interesting features of the distribution include reliable updates and patches via FastPatch, a dashboard for managing rolling updates via CoreUpdate, a docker for packaging applications, as well as support for bare metal and many cloud providers.
Status: Discontinued
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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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