 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 187, 29 January 2007 |
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Welcome to this year's 5th issue of DistroWatch Weekly! The first test build of the newly revamped Fedora Project's version 7 is scheduled for release on Tuesday. This will mark the start of a new and long development period that many popular distributions launch around this time and don't complete until the promised new features are implemented and most known bugs squashed several months later. In the meantime, Linspire has announced an expanded CNR software installation service for popular distributions, Mandriva has launched a new live CD with the Metisse 3D desktop, a Debian developer has investigated the usability of Debian Etch, and the PC-BSD team has answered questions about their recently released version 1.3. In the review section we'll take a quick look at Foresight Linux 1.0, the project's first stable release after nearly two years of development. Happy reading!
Content:
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| First Look |
First look at Foresight Linux 1.0
Have you noticed how Linux desktops are getting more and more beautiful? Until a few years ago, we were lucky if our distributions came with anything other than a bland wallpaper and default KDE or GNOME theme, but in recent years much effort has been spent on delivering breathtaking graphics to our desktops in order to create that favourable first impression. Custom bootsplash graphics, login screens, wallpapers, icon sets, colour schemes and window decorations have become an essential part of many projects, even those without the money to employ professional graphics artists.
Foresight Linux is one of those pretty distributions. This is especially true when compared to rPath Linux, a project it is based on and which, like Slackware Linux or FreeBSD, comes with no custom branding at all. Luckily, the developers of Foresight pride themselves in delivering a Linux desktop that is not only functional, but also includes the latest bells and whistles - both technical and visual.
First, a warning: if you don't like GNOME, you won't like Foresight Linux. This distribution has embraced the popular GTK+ desktop like no other - it uses GNOME and GTK+ applications almost exclusively and was one of the first projects to include the growing number of Mono-based software packages, such as Beagle, F-Spot or Tomboy. In the past the project often released a test build of Foresight Linux on the day when a new stable version of GNOME was unveiled to the public, which makes it an ideal distribution on which to check out the latest GNOME features. Although the project has hinted at a possibility of creating a KDE edition of Foresight Linux in the future, for now it breathes GNOME and GNOME only.
The Foresight Linux desktop
(full image size: 460kB, screen resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
The long awaited version 1.0 was finally released over the weekend. After downloading the 1.1 GB ISO image, I burnt it to a DVD and started the installation, expecting to be able to admire the new release in a few minutes. This, however, wasn't meant to be. Firstly, the installation with (an older version of) Anaconda took a long time, much longer than I'd expect from a distribution of a similar size. Secondly, when it came to booting the newly installed product, I found that the GRUB bootloader wouldn't cooperate as it froze without giving a clue as to what went wrong. I had installed Foresight Linux on /dev/hda26, which could have been the problem - some distributions don't expect a hard disk to have more than a handful of partitions and end up with misconfigured bootloaders if they do.
Being under all sorts of deadline pressures, I decided to re-install Foresight Linux on the second hard disk rather than attempting to fix the GRUB problem. This went better and finally I had a bootable system. There was still one more problem, however - Foresight Linux refused to complete its initial screen configuration and hanged - until I killed the X window and re-configured the screen resolution manually.
Fortunately, these were the only two problems I encountered during my brief session with Foresight Linux 1.0. After the system was finally up and running, I found it a pleasure to use and look at, and I enjoyed the experience of having the very latest GNOME and Mono applications available on the desktop. Beagle was active by default and my (wired) Internet connection was also detected automatically. The GNOME panel's system tray included an icon to activate "GL desktop" with Compiz for those users who enjoy wobbly windows and other 3D effects (the latest NVIDIA and ATI proprietary graphics drivers are available in the rPath repositories).
On the application side, Foresight Linux 1.0 comes with the F-Spot photo manager 0.3.1, Firefox 2.0.0.1 (with Flash, Java and several media plugins installed by default) and Epiphany 2.17.90 web browsers, and OpenOffice.org 2.0.3. Other GTK+ applications, such as GIMP (2.3.13), Inkscape (0.44.1) or GnuCash (2.0.4) are also present, while Banshee Music Player and Totem Movie Player are available from the Sound & Video menu folder. GNOME is the very latest 2.16.2, but Mono is the older 1.1.18 version.
One innovative feature of Foresight Linux is the Foresight System Manager. This Webmin-like application provides the ability to configure various aspects of the computer, including networking or time zone, as well as users, services and packages. The package management features are particularly useful, since they offer a simple way to perform automatic security updates or search for packages, and even allow for subscribing to package updates via an RSS feed. This is a solid, intuitive application that should provide even new users with all they need to set up and manage their computers.
The Foresight System Manager
(full image size: 80kB, screen resolution: 980x681 pixels)
While on the subject of packages and package management, it's worth mentioning that many other applications are available online in the rPath repositories, both the official and the "contrib" ones. One can search for them in the Foresight System Manager and install them with a few clicks or use the "conary" command in a terminal window. In fact, it is the little known Conary package management system which is the star feature of Foresight Linux and which is being developed by a number of ex-Red Hat engineers who founded rPath Linux in 2003.
Overall, despite a few early glitches while installing Foresight Linux 1.0, this distribution has turned out to be very usable system with an excellent package management utility and a unique, web based system configuration manager. It is clearly designed for users who enjoy GNOME and Mono software on their desktops or those who want to try the latest versions of these applications. Its user community is rather small, but the project has just launched a new discussion forum where users can exchange ideas and help each other if they get stuck. The presence of browser plugins is a welcome bonus for new Linux users, while the ability to load a 3D desktop with a single mouse click is an interesting idea I haven't seen elsewhere. Foresight Linux is likely to generate favourable reviews, especially for its system management features and the user-friendliness of the distribution.
For more information about Foresight Linux please visit the project's web site at ForesightLinux.org.
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| Miscellaneous News |
Linspire's expanded CNR, Mandriva Metisse, Debian usability, PC-BSD interview, Solaris
 Linspire, a company which develops the Linspire and Freespire family of Linux distributions, has announced that its one-click download and installation software repository will be made available to users of several other distributions. Known as Click 'N Run (or CNR), this web-based applications has been a flagship feature of Linspire and a major attraction for many newcomers to Linux. CNR offers a wide range of features, but its main characteristic, the one-click installation of software packages, is considered to be one of the simplest and most intuitive ways of installing new applications in any Linux distribution.
The service will now expand to cover Debian GNU/Linux, Fedora, OpenSUSE and Ubuntu. CNR itself is a free service, but the company generates income by providing many commercial applications in its repositories, including a licensed DVD player for Linux. Technical details about the expanded service have not been announced, but CNR promises to deliver a number of popular non-free applications to Linux users, such as the Flash player plugin, or the Opera browser, while maintaining the original attraction of CNR - the one click installation procedure. As for free software, it's not yet clear whether Linspire will package these by themselves, but given the enormity of task, it's more likely that the company will simply integrate the packages that are available elsewhere on the Internet into its CNR service.
For more information about the expanded CNR, please read the official press release, as well as this commentary by Linux.com and this interview with Kevin Carmony by DesktopLinux.com.
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 It is always a pleasure to report about distributions that don't just follow the latest fads, but implement their own ideas for a good-looking and functional desktop. Last week it was the turn of Mandriva which demonstrated a new 3D desktop in its new live CD called Mandriva One 2007 "Metisse" edition. The difference between Metisse and other 3D desktops available today, such as Compiz or Beryl, is that Metisse does not focus solely on eye candy (although there is plenty of that too), but tries to implement useful features that would increase one's productivity on the desktop. The 9-window pager idea, the folding of top windows when selecting text from the bottom one, and some of the keyboard shortcuts have the potential to speed up many common operations. As with any other software, Metisse requires a fair amount of learning and practice, but those who make the effort will be rewarded with an interesting and productive desktop environment.
Mandriva One 2007 "Metisse" with a new 3D desktop
(full image size: 2,052kB, screen resolution: 1680x1050 pixels)
What do the DistroWatch readers think? Have you tried the new Mandriva Metisse? If so, what were your impressions and experiences? Please discuss below.
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 Have you ever tried to convert a less technical friend or family member to Linux? Lars Wirzenius, a Debian developer, reports about "Project Ummikko", which he used as an experiment to test the usability of Debian GNU/Linux and GNOME on a female friend. Some six month later he summarises the experiences in his blog: "I was pleasantly surprised by the results. I had expected much worse problems, but I'm happy to report now that Linux really does seem ready for the average Windows user." That's not to say that the transition went completely without problems. In the words of the newly converted user: "The things that make me want to return to Windows are gaming, flash and other multimedia, and a feeling of helplessness. I want to play Alpha Centauri and adventure games I can borrow from friends. Flash doesn't work, and installing software from Debian via Synaptic is difficult, I'm not comfortable with it." Read the entire report here.
Still on the subject of Debian GNU/Linux, Computerworld has published an interview with the current Debian Project Leader Anthony Towns about Dunc-Tank, the project's controversial experiment intended to fund the most critical parts of the distribution whenever necessary. On the subject of Debian Etch not being released in December as originally planned, Towns gives specific technical reason (delays with the removal of certain firmware from the kernel and problems with the Debian Installer), but also hints at increased "bug-finding" activity by some developers who disliked the Dunc-Tank idea and which caused further delays. This is a good, honest interview about the Dunc-Tank experiment and its effect on the release of Debian Etch. Read it here: Dunc-Tank: Success or failure?
* * * * *
 Speaking about interviews, FreeBSD's Dru Lavigne has invited the leading developers of PC-BSD -- Kris Moore, Andrei Kolu and Charles Landemaine -- to talk about their work and the recently released PC-BSD 1.3: "The biggest portion of our coding went into the new system installer. Our old installer was the original one I wrote back for 0.3 beta and was really showing its age. This new installer has been written from scratch in C++/Qt, and offers many new features over the previous version. One of the features is the ability to setup all your preferences before the actual install takes place. This includes setting up multiple users, firewall settings, network settings, and more. The new installer also has the ability to search for previous PC-BSD installations and upgrade them to 1.3." Read the rest of the interview in ONLamp's Inside PC-BSD 1.3.
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 Finally, here is something for those readers who enjoy a good operating system fight. In Seven ways Solaris can beat Linux Infoworld's Neil McAllister argues that Solaris has a good chance of winning over Linux users if Sun Microsystems follows a simple, 7-step plan: "Solaris has been open source for two years now, and Sun is slowly but surely moving its entire software portfolio to an open source model. And yet, all the momentum still seems to be behind Linux. True, Solaris is the technologically superior OS, but plainly that's not enough. If Solaris wants to win back the market share it enjoyed in the 1990s, it needs to make a splash. Here are a few ideas for how Sun can woo Linux customers back into the fold." Read the rest of the article here.
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| Released Last Week |
gNewSense 1.1
Brian Brazil has announced the release of gNewSense 1.1, an Ubuntu-based distribution containing Free Software only: "I am pleased to announce the 1.1 release of the gNewSense distribution and tools. This release brings a number of improvements: support for arbitrary meta packages; added optional support for updates and backports; added support for multiple live CDs; produce torrent files for live CDs; support for tracking mirror freshness; KDE variant live CD; fixed NTPL issue; enabled eepro100 driver (e100 was non-free); recompiled and re-branded Firefox so we could disable the offering of non-free plugins; new artwork; various other minor fixes and improvements." Read the rest of the release announcement for further information.
Finnix 89.0
Ryan Finnie has announced a new release of Finnix, a Debian-based, bootable Linux CD distribution for system administrators: "Today marks the release of version 89.0 for the x86 (and now AMD64), PowerPC, and UML/Xen platforms. Finnix 89.0 features Linux 2.6.18, a new 'finnix64' AMD64 boot profile, netboot support with a built-in netboot setup wizard, MD RAID and LUKS crypt auto-detection. An AMD64 kernel is now included on the Finnix x86 CD. While the Finnix userland is still 32-bit, using an AMD64 kernel on a supported platform yields several advantages: more than 4GB memory can be utilized natively; statically-compiled AMD64 applications can be executed; you can chroot into native 64-bit AMD64 file systems." See the release announcement and release notes for additional details.
Astaro Security Gateway 7.0
Astaro Security Gateway 7.0 has been released: "Astaro is pleased to announce the availability of the Astaro Security Gateway V7 GA. Version 7 contains a huge number of advanced features and enhancements, like transparent e-mail encryption, SSL VPN, active/active clustering and control of instant messaging, and peer-to-peer file sharing traffic. Key features of this latest release include: enhanced GUI and usability improvements; end user portal; customizable end user messages; configurable alerts; improved reporting; improved packet filter logging; active/active high availability (cluster); VoIP optimized QoS support...." Read the full release announcement for more information.
Mandriva One 2007 "Metisse"
Mandriva has announced the availability of a new live CD edition with a unique 3D desktop environment - Mandriva One 2007 "Metisse": "Metisse is a window manager developed by the In Situ project. Available under the General Public Licence exclusively for Linux, Metisse differs from a classic 3D desktop ('the cube') in the way that it offers innovative windows interactions, thus enforcing work efficiency." Originally released to the members of the Mandriva Club only, the CD image with GNOME and Metisse is now available for free download from Mandriva mirrors. For more information please visit the Metisse product pages to see screenshots and download videos of Metisse in action.
ParallelKnoppix 2.3
Michael Creel has announced the release of ParallelKnoppix 2.3: "Version 2.3 is released. This version synchronises all packages to current Debian unstable and fixes some bugs. In particular, the annoying hang at boot time that sometimes occurred has been solved. Also, the compute nodes can be booted using copies of the CD. This is useful if you can't get PXE boot to work for some reason and your cluster is not too large." Read the brief release announcement on the project's home page.
BinToo GNU/Linux 2007.1
BinToo GNU/Linux is a Gentoo-based Linux distribution designed for the desktop. A new version was released a few days ago, but we delayed the announcement until the installation DVD image starts showing up on download servers. From the release announcement: "I am pleased to announce the 3rd release of BinToo GNU/Linux - BinToo 2007.1 and the new installation method. In this release: new installation method contains 4 profiles for installation (full, basic desktop, minimal or server, and custom); kernel 2.6.18; glibc 2.5; GNOME 2.16.2; KDE 3.5.5; OpenOffice.org 2.0.4; Firefox 2.0...." Read the rest of the release announcement for further details, installation instructions and known issues.
openSUSE 10.2 Live DVD
Adrian Schröter has announced the release of the live DVD edition of openSUSE 10.2: "openSUSE 10.2 live DVD available. The last piece of the openSUSE 10.2 distribution got released today. The Live DVD image has a size of 1.7 GB and can be used on every x86 compatible system with at least 512 MB of memory. It contains a base desktop system (KDE and GNOME) with applications for office, multimedia and Internet usage." Here is the brief release announcement.
Foresight Linux 1.0
Ken VanDine has announced the release of Foresight Linux 1.0, the first stable release of the rPath-based desktop Linux distribution after nearly two years of development: "Foresight Linux is a desktop-focused Linux system that just works. Our mission is to provide a truly useful desktop system that is friendly for the novice user, as well as flexible for the power user. Foresight comes with the GNOME desktop, Banshee for your music, F-Spot for your photos, and OpenOffice.org for your office needs. Great attention has been paid to making things simple and integrated. For example, NetworkManager makes it simple to connect to wireless access points. Foresight System Manager handles keeping your system updated." Read the rest of the release announcement for more details.
Nonux 4.1
Nonux, a Dutch Linux distribution based on Slackware with Dropline GNOME and optimised for desktop use in Dutch business environments, has reached version 4.1. What's new? Upgraded the Linux kernel to version 2.6.18.6; upgraded Mozilla Firefox to 2.0.0.1; upgraded OpenOffice.org to 2.1.0; replaced WiFi Radar with NetworkManager, which simplifies network detection and configuration considerably; several small upgrades of Slackware and GNOME packages. Users with Nonux 4.0 installed on their hard disk can upgrade to version 4.1 directly from the live CD. Please visit the project's news page (in Dutch) to read the full release announcement.
* * * * *
Development and unannounced releases
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| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
openSUSE 10.3
The openSUSE project has announced that the first alpha build of openSUSE 10.3 will be released on 15 February, with the final product expected some 7 months later - at the end of September 2007: "Next version Thursday, February 15: openSUSE 10.3 Alpha 1. The 10.3 schedule is still discussed. Subsequent alpha releases are planned every four weeks. As for the date of the final release of openSUSE 10.3 the end of September is considered." Please visit the openSUSE roadmap page for more information.
Linux Mint 2.2
Linux Mint continues its fast development cycle. According to this announcement, the upcoming version 2.2, code name "Bianca", will go into beta testing later this week, while the final release is expected on 20 February: "Here's the release schedule for Bianca (Linux Mint 2.2): BETA release: 01/02/2007, FINAL release: 20/02/2007. We encourage people who want to help to download and install the BETA as soon as it is released. With your feedback and the 20 days gap between the two releases we have an opportunity to find issues and bugs and to tackle them the best we can to make the final release of Bianca one of the best distributions there is."
* * * * *
Summary of expected upcoming releases
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| DistroWatch.com News |
DistroWatch in Tamil
Many thanks to Thangaraj Karuppuswamy who helped translating the DistroWatch menus and common phrases that appear in distribution tables into Tamil. Tamil now joins Bengali and Hindi as the third Indian language DistroWatch has been translated into. If any readers with the knowledge of other Indian languages are willing to help translating the roughly 200 phrases into their language, please contact us (see the bottom of this page for contact details). Your help would be much appreciated!
* * * * *
New distributions added to database
- JackLab Audio Distribution. JackLab Audio Distribution is an openSUSE-based Linux distribution designed for musicians, producers and media creators. It is based on a low-latency, real-time Linux kernel and features the Jack Audio Connection Kit (JACK) for professional audio/midi controlling interface. The distribution uses Enlightenment 17 as its default desktop.
- sidux. sidux is a desktop-oriented distribution and live CD based on the unstable branch of Debian GNU/Linux. It was originally created by a group of developers who split from the KANOTIX project and launched their own distribution.
* * * * *
New distributions added to waiting list
- Gamix. Gamix, a product of the Pennsylvania-based Gamix, Inc, is a Mandriva-based distribution that facilitates the creation of boot CDs so developers may create Gamix versions of their original software. Gamix has been established to provide an open gaming alternative to proprietary platforms such as Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft Xbox.
- uL (Microlinux). uL (Microlinux) is a tiny Linux distribution providing essential command line utilities. It fits in a few megabytes and can be installed on the smallest USB pen drive or on older hard disks.
- UBERYL. UBERYL is a new Spanish distribution based on Ubuntu.
* * * * *
DistroWatch database summary
And this concludes our latest issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 5 February 2007. Until then,
Ladislav Bodnar
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| Archives |
| • 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 |
| • 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 |
| • Full list of all issues |
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FunOS
FunOS is an Ubuntu-based Linux distribution which features the JWM graphical user interface. The project is intended to be more lightweight than official Ubuntu community editions while providing the same application compatibility and hardware support.
Status: Active
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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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