 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 268, 1 September 2008 |
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Welcome to this year's 35th issue of DistroWatch Weekly! The world of Linux distribution has traditionally associated the arrival of September with the start of a grand testing period as all major projects are about to finalise their feature lists, freeze their development trees and begin fixing any remaining bugs. So what can we expect when the final products eventually hit the download mirrors? We'll take a look at the feature lists of all major distributions to see what's coming up in the next few months. In the news section, Debian announces the code name of its post-Lenny release, Novell launches SUSE Studio - a web-based tool for building custom distributions, and Linpus Technologies releases an installable Linpus Lite live CD for netbooks. Also among the interesting web links, a user reports how Xubuntu has managed to turn an OLPC into a perfect travelling companion, while the developers of FreeNAS tell us why their FreeBSD-based distribution is an excellent way of storing important files on a remote machine. All this and more in this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. Happy reading!
Content:
 Listen to the Podcast edition of this week's DistroWatch Weekly in ogg (13MB) and mp3 (13MB) formats (many thanks to Russ Wenner)
 Join us at irc.freenode.net #distrowatch
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| Feature Story |
The upcoming release season
As has been tradition in the distribution development circles, the arrival of September usually means one thing: a highly intensive testing period prior to a big flurry of distribution releases. These will start hitting the download mirrors in the following months, making the time between late September and Christmas the most eagerly anticipated period of the year by all DistroWatchers. Fancy a fresh distro full of updated packages? Enjoy discovering what new features and exciting enhancements the developers have integrated into their products? Eager to exchange the look and feel of your desktop for something fresher and crispier? Then you are at the right place. While we wait for those magic moments, let's take a brief tour of the distribution's feature lists to see what will become reality in just a few short weeks.
* * * * *
 We'll start with the world's biggest distribution - Debian GNU/Linux. While the expected release date of version 5.0 and code name "Lenny" is uncertain due to Debian's policy of "release when ready", the release team has targeted September 2008 as a month with a good chance of completing the current development. This means that, if everything goes as planned, the hundreds of developers who work on the distribution have no more than a few weeks to prepare the new stable version for public consumption. Will it arrive this month? With Debian, one never knows, but it does seem like a strong possibility, given the increased activity on the project's mailing lists and the urgency with which the release team calls for fixing the remaining critical bugs. So what are the most interesting features of the new Debian GNU/Linux 5.0?
- Linux kernel 2.6.26, glibc 2.7, GCC 4.3.1, X.Org 7.3 (xorg-server 1.4.2), GNOME 2.20, KDE 3.5.9, OpenOffice.org 2.4.1
- Over 25,000 binary packages available for installation
- Support for IPv6, NFS 4 and large files
- Switch /bin/sh to dash
- Minor installer improvements and a variety of live CDs as installation option
* * * * *
 Next on the release calendar is Mandriva Linux 2009, scheduled for arrival on 9 October 2008. Given that all of its four development builds released so far were on time, the likelihood of any delay of the final release is fairly small. All that's left to do now is to test the two upcoming release candidates, the first of which is expected later this week. As for the features, all eyes are on Mandriva's integration of KDE 4.1 into the distribution, but there are a few other surprises:
- Linux kernel 2.6.27, glibc 2.8, GCC 4.3.2, X.Org 7.3 (xorg-server 1.4.2), GNOME 2.24, KDE 4.1, OpenOffice.org 3.0
- Radically redesigned installer, both in terms of look & feel and functionality
- Switch to Fedora's system-config-printer as the default printer configuration tool
- Firefox 3.0 with the XULRunner runtime environment
* * * * *
 Three weeks after Mandriva 2009, it will be the turn of Ubuntu to showcase its latest and greatest in the all-new version 8.10 "Intrepid Ibex". No longer constrained by the need to consider long term supportability, this should be a more experimental version than the project's current stable one. At the same time, the Ubuntu base system is likely to be in a much healthier state, since it is based on a Debian tree that was rapidly converging towards a stable release at the time of branching. Following the already completed four alpha builds, the Ubuntu 8.10 development tree has now entered a feature-freeze period, so don't expect any major surprises, other than the usual testing builds - alpha 5 should arrive this week; this will be followed by alpha 6, a beta and a release candidate in roughly two-week intervals. The final release of Ubuntu 8.10 is scheduled for 30 October 2008. Expected major features:
- Linux kernel 2.6.27, glibc 2.8, GCC 4.3.2, X.Org 7.4 (xorg-server 1.5), GNOME 2.24, KDE 4.1, OpenOffice.org 3.0
- Complete theme overhaul (but brown still dominant)
- Compiz 0.7.7 with tons of new effects
- Official USB installation support for converting ISO CD image files into USB-live compatible files.
- Secret ~/Private folder with encryption
- System cleaner for removing unnecessary files and improved Network Manager with 3G support
* * * * *
 Next, it will be the time to focus our attention to Fedora, which has become one of the most bleeding-edge distributions on the market. The original release date of Fedora 10 was scheduled for the end of October, but following the recent compromise of the project's download servers, work on the distribution suffered a two-week delay. The upcoming beta has been rescheduled for 23 September, with the preview release coming at the end of October, and the final release on 18 November 2008. But what can we expect to find in Fedora 10?
- Linux kernel 2.6.27, glibc 2.9, GCC 4.3.2, X.Org 7.4 (xorg-server 1.5), GNOME 2.24, KDE 4.1, OpenOffice.org 3.0
- Web-based software installation interface for Fedora packages
- First Aid Kit - an automated recovery tool that brings together common recovery processes
- OpenChange for accessing Microsoft Exchange
- New security audit system and intrusion detection system
- Miscellaneous improvements to start-up speed, printing, web cam support and remote control systems
* * * * *
 The list of major distribution releases will be completed on 18 December 2008 with the début of the brand-new openSUSE 11.1. Given the prolonged development period and the amount of time still available, it is hardly surprising that the feature list has not been finalised, but a trickle of small announcements indicating new enhancements has been hitting the project's news page in regular intervals. Many expect openSUSE 11.1 to be more of a consolidation and bug-fix release, rather than a major build with thousands of experimental features, but its continued integration of KDE 4 into the distribution should be of interest to KDE fans. Keep an eye on the openSUSE 11.1 page for further updates prior to the release.
- Linux kernel 2.6.27/28, GNOME 2.24, KDE 4.1.1, OpenOffice.org 3.0, Firefox 3.0
- Support for SELinux as an alternative security framework
* * * * *
So which of these looks to be the most interesting release? Ubuntu 8.10 has some unusual features, such as the ~/Private folder or the new Compiz effects, but Fedora is also coming up with some notable improvements, especially in its web-based installation infrastructure and new security features. On the other hand, Mandriva seems to be concentrating on the integration of KDE 4.1 into the distribution and installer improvements, none of which seem like ground-breaking features. Debian is the same as ever - likely to be solid, stable and dependable, but hardly cutting-edge. And openSUSE? It's still a little unknown at this stage as work on the new version has barely started.
So here is the topic for this week's discussion: which distribution release do you most look forward to and why? Do you intend to do any serious testing and bug reporting during the next few months? Are there any features that you are missing from the features lists? Please discuss below.
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| Miscellaneous News |
SUSE Studio, Lenny + 1 = Squeeze, Xubuntu on OLPC, Linpus Linux Lite, interviews - openSUSE's Joe Brockmeier and FreeNAS's Olivier Cochard-Labbe and Volker Theile
Let's start the news section with an announcement about an interesting service launched recently by Novell. Called SUSE Studio and dabbed as a "Linux construction kit", this web-based interface is designed to provide a number of useful services, such as the ability to create a variety of custom openSUSE distributions tailored to one's individual needs: "What can you do with SUSE Studio? Create a tuned server appliance, containing your application and just enough operating system components; spin a live CD or DVD with just the packages and software you need; create a ready-to-run VMware or Xen virtual server appliance; create a live USB key and carry your Linux system with you wherever you go; build a hard disk image for pre-loading onto hardware; install from your live CD, DVD or USB key to your hard drive." SUSE Studio is currently looking for beta testers - if you are interested, you can sign up on the project's home page. A screencast illustrating its main features is also available.
Speaking about openSUSE, a web site called How Software Is Built has published an interview with Joe "Zonker" Brockmeier, the openSUSE community manager: "Q: What are the usual things that you do when you're putting together a distro? Where does the work of the upstream project stop and your work start? A: To illustrate one of the problems historically between a distribution and an upstream project, say you have Fedora and Ubuntu and openSUSE and all these other different distros working on something. You get lossiness when one project decides to innovate in one area or add a few patches or whatever, but those changes don't necessarily make it upstream, or they do make it upstream but after the main project has also started working on the same feature or problem in tandem. As much as possible, we try to work within the projects like GNOME or KDE that benefit us, rather than doing the patches in our own little area and then maybe submitting them back, or letting them come get them, or whatever."
* * * * *
As the Debian development team puts its finishing touches on the upcoming release -- version 5.0 and code name "Lenny" -- many people have been curious about the code name of Lenny's successor. So what will it be? According to a post published today on the debian-devel-announce list, Lenny + 1 = Squeeze: "We will continue to use Toy Story character names for Lenny's successor, which will be called "Squeeze" (three-eyed space alien)." If you've never watched the film or if you've forgotten what Squeeze looks like, here is a picture. Some of the other noteworthy updates mentioned in the above post include guidelines for package uploads during Lenny's freeze period, the upcoming release candidate for Debian Lenny Installer, the bug-squashing party scheduled for later this week, and a call for updates to the release notes.
* * * * *
  OLPC as a portable laptop for everyday work? Surely, nobody in their right mind could possibly consider the hardware designed for children in the developing world as a useful laptop for general computing tasks? Oh yes, claims James Turner, in an article entitled Hacking the OLPC. With a little tweaking and Xubuntu as the operating system running on it, it is entirely possible to use this highly durable piece of hardware for general computer work while on the road: "Within a week I had a pretty amazing little portable to carry around. Although the screen is smaller than a traditional laptop's, its resolution is higher. The XO is light and durable, has superb Wi-Fi reception, and is an eye-catcher wherever it goes. And nothing beats it as a portable Gmail reader at a conference. Even with its limited memory and economy-class processor, the XO runs browsers and remote desktop sessions as well as regular business-class laptops do. I can't wait to try it out on a plane -- no more laptop-in-the-belly syndrome, and the battery might even last the whole flight. You can keep your ASUS Eee PC. I love my Xubuntu-powered XO!"
* * * * *
 Still on the subject of "netbooks" (or ultra-portable laptop computers), a reader has emailed us about the availability of a new version of Linpus Linux Lite, a distribution specially tweaked to run on low-cost, low-resource computers. Unlike the first release of Linpus Lite in December last year, the new version can also be installed to a hard disk. The distribution comes with two user interface types - a "tabbed" one (a heavily customised Xfce), which is very similar to what the ASUS Eee PC ships with, and a standard Xfce for more advanced computer users. One click on an icon in the bottom panel is all it takes to switch between the two. Linpus Linux is based on Fedora, but one important difference between itself and its parent is the use of APT for RPM and Synaptic for package management, together with pre-configured repositories containing extra desktop and server packages. The CD image can be downloaded from here: Linpus_Lite-i386-DVD.iso (699MB, MD5). Apart from Linpus Lite, the distribution's FTP server also provides full installation DVD images for the recently released Linpus Linux 9.6.
Linpus Linux Lite - the "tabbed" desktop
(full image size: 536kB, screen resolution: 1280x800 pixels)
Linpus Linux Lite - the standard Xfce desktop
(full image size: 645kB, screen resolution: 1280x800 pixels)
* * * * *
 Finally, here is a brief interview with Olivier Cochard-Labbe and Volker Theile from the FreeNAS project. This free, specialist operating system based on FreeBSD is gaining momentum as a superb solution for anybody who needs a file-level data storage connected to a computer network: "Few recent trends in storage have had as much momentum as Network Attached Storage (NAS). A NAS device can make a network more efficient and secure by supplying file-based data storage services to networked devices, or it can be used for applications such as streaming media. FreeNAS is free, light-weight, open source network-attached storage server software, based on FreeBSD. You can find a good tutorial on how to set up a free NAS server with it here. We recently caught up with Olivier Cochard-Labbe, FreeNAS founder, and Volker Theile, project administrator." Thiele explains the purpose of FreeNAS: "Two years ago I had a hard disk crash and lost some of the data that had been stored on it - photos and documents. I began to search for a solution to store data more securely. I had some hardware components lying around in the cellar, and I searched the web for a free NAS solution. OpenFiler was a little bit too big for what I was looking for, so I came across FreeNAS. It was easy to install and use."
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| Released Last Week |
Ubuntu Christian Edition 4.0
Jereme Hancock has announced the release of Ubuntu Christian Edition 4.0: "We are excited to announce the release of Ubuntu Christian Edition 4.0. Ubuntu Christian Edition has been on hold for quite a while for various reasons, but we are back up and running. This is a 'back to the basics' release. We have discontinued most of the Windows program installers that we had in previous releases due to the difficulty in maintaining them and changes in some of the Windows programs that made it very difficult to install them automatically. We have added BibleTime as well as a bunch more resources for BibleTime and GnomeSword. We have replaced OpenOffice.org with GNOME Office to keep the ISO size below the 700 MB threshold. We have also updated the site with a cleaner web 2.0 feel." See the release announcement and changelog for further information.
Ubuntu Christian Edition 4.0 - the default desktop
(full image size: 936kB, screen resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
Beyond Linux From Scratch 6.3
Randy McMurchy has announced the release of Beyond Linux From Scratch (BLFS) 6.3, a book that provides detailed build instructions for extending a base Linux From Scratch (LFS) system with popular desktop and server packages and their libraries: "The BLFS Development team is pleased to announce the release of the 6.3 version of BLFS. Many new packages have been introduced in the 6.3 version, as well as many updates, refinements and additions to the existing packages. The BLFS book now provides build and configuration instructions for almost 500 packages. Some of the new packages introduced in this version are: Dash, ksh, D-Bus bindings, Wireshark, rxvt-unicode, Gutenprint, Pidgin, GnuTLS, Qt version 4.x, GnuPG version 2.x, and Amarok. Major updates include GNOME 2.18.3, KDE 3.5.9, Firefox 2.x, Thunderbird 2.x, and most of the mainline server packages." Read the release announcement and release notes for further information.
Turbolinux 12
Japan's Turbolinux has announced the availability of Turbolinux 12 (marketing name: Turbolinux Client 2008 Net User Package), a commercial, user-friendly desktop Linux distribution that combines the best of open source and proprietary software in one compact package. The system is based on a Linux kernel 2.6.24.7 (co-developed at Mambo-Labs in cooperation with Mandriva) and includes KDE 3.5.8 as the default desktop, ATOK X3 Japanese input method, StarSuite office suite, NVIDIA and ATI proprietary graphics drivers, a software update tool and other conveniences. The product is available from several online retailers for ¥9,800 (US$90). For more information please read the press release and visit the product pages (both links in Japanese).
Turbolinux 12 - a new desktop release by one of the world's oldest Linux companies
(full image size: 410kB, screen resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
Kiwi Linux 8.08
Jani Mosones has announced the release of Kiwi Linux 8.08, an Ubuntu-based distribution with support for multimedia codecs, encrypted DVDs, Flash and other desktop conveniences: "Kiwi Linux 8.08 is a desktop CD derivative based on Ubuntu 8.04.1 LTS for the x86 architecture. It contains packages necessary for playing restricted audio, video and Flash formats by default and supports the SpeedTouch 330 USB ADSL modem. Differences with respect to Ubuntu 8.04.1: packages up to date as of 28 August 2008; Thunderbird as the default mail client, Audacious as the default music player; Flash plugin and all GStreamer codecs; Compiz extra settings GUI; unrar and MS TrueType fonts; a graphical tool for restoring GRUB; Midnight Commander; the Medibuntu repositories enabled by default to allow installing w32codecs, Skype and Google Earth." Read the full release announcement for more details.
PC/OS 2008v2
PC/OS is a user-friendly distribution based on Xubuntu, with out-of-the-box support for popular multimedia formats, Flash and Java, and addition of packages for content creation and software development. An updated release, version 2008v2, was announced yesterday: "We are proud to announce the general availability of PC/OS 2008v2. This update brings to PC/OS all the bug fixes and distribution updates for Ubuntu 8.04.1, as well as separate application updates for some of the installed packages. Some of the highlights of the client release are: Linux kernel 2.6.24; Flock browser replaces Firefox; MPlayer and GNOME MPlayer replace Movie Player; Audacious and gtkpod replace Rhythmbox; Screenlets 1.4 are now included; for dial-up users GNOME PPP is included. We have also included Picasa for photo management and Google Gears for offline access to Google Applications." Read the rest of the release announcement for further information.
* * * * *
Development, unannounced and minor bug-fix releases
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| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
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Summary of expected upcoming releases
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| DistroWatch.com News |
August 2008 donation: Parsix GNU/Linux receives US$300.00
 We are pleased to announce that the recipient of the August 2008 DistroWatch.com donation is Parsix GNU/Linux, a Debian-based distribution and live CD. It receives US$300.00 in cash.
Parsix GNU/Linux is a desktop distribution built around Debian's testing branch, but with a custom kernel and kernel modules for improved hardware compatibility. The project's lead developer, Alan Baghumian, is an active contributor to Debian. Besides developing Parsix, he has written a number of Linux books in Persian and has co-developed an English-to-Persian dictionary and other Persian utilities. DistroWatch interviewed Alan in January 2006.
As always, this monthly donations programme is a joint initiative between DistroWatch and two online shops selling low-cost CDs and DVDs with Linux, BSD and other open source software - LinuxCD.org and OSDisc.com. These vendors contributed US$50.00 each towards this month's donation to Parsix GNU/Linux.
Here is the list of projects that received a DistroWatch donation since the launch of the programme (figures in US dollars):
- 2004: GnuCash ($250), Quanta Plus ($200), PCLinuxOS ($300), The GIMP ($300), Vidalinux ($200), Fluxbox ($200), K3b ($350), Arch Linux ($300), Kile KDE LaTeX Editor ($100) and UNICEF - Tsunami Relief Operation ($340)
- 2005: Vim ($250), AbiWord ($220), BitTorrent ($300), NdisWrapper ($250), Audacity ($250), Debian GNU/Linux ($420), GNOME ($425), Enlightenment ($250), MPlayer ($400), Amarok ($300), KANOTIX ($250) and Cacti ($375)
- 2006: Gambas ($250), Krusader ($250), FreeBSD Foundation ($450), GParted ($360), Doxygen ($260), LilyPond ($250), Lua ($250), Gentoo Linux ($500), Blender ($500), Puppy Linux ($350), Inkscape ($350), Cape Linux Users Group ($130), Mandriva Linux ($405, a Powerpack competition), Digikam ($408) and SabayonLinux ($450)
- 2007: GQview ($250), Kaffeine ($250), sidux ($350), CentOS ($400), LyX ($350), VectorLinux ($350), KTorrent ($400), FreeNAS ($350), lighttpd ($400), Damn Small Linux ($350), NimbleX ($450), MEPIS Linux ($300), Zenwalk Linux ($300)
- 2008: VLC ($350), Frugalware Linux ($340), cURL ($300), GSPCA (Linux webcam support) ($400), FileZilla ($400), MythDora ($500), Linux Mint ($400), Parsix GNU/Linux ($300)
Since the launch of the Donations Programme in March 2004, DistroWatch has donated a total of US$18,883 to various open source software projects.
* * * * *
New distributions added to database
* * * * *
New distributions added to waiting list
- iMagicOS. iMagicOS is a commercial Linux distribution based on Ubuntu. Its main features are ease of use, 3D desktop, out-of-the box support for the CNR software installation mechanism and strong compatibility with Microsoft Windows.
- Linux Tiger. Linux Tiger is an Ubuntu-based distribution that uses a new package management technology called SFS. Web site in Italian only.
Linux Tiger 1.0 - Ubuntu with SFS, a new system for software management and usage
(full image size: 1,465kB, screen resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
- Macpup. Macpup is a remastered build of Puppy Linux. It ships with the same packages as Puppy itself, but its IceWM window manager comes with a dockbar and a Mac OS X theme. This distribution is a "donationware".
- Salgix. Salgix is an Ubuntu-based GNU/Linux operating system developed by GMSI for use on its line of workstation and server computer systems. It has been developed primarily for multimedia creation and visual computing uses.
Salgix 3.5 - an Ubuntu-based distribution designed as a multimedia creation system.
(full image size: 379kB, screen resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
- ScratchLinux. ScratchLinux is a French distribution inspired by Linux From Scratch. The project's main purpose is to create a 210 MB mini live CD with a graphical interface based on GNOME, some text-mode utilities and networking tools. Web site in French only.
* * * * *
DistroWatch database summary
* * * * *
And this concludes the latest issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 8 September 2008.
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 | 
Septor
Septor is a Linux distribution which provides users with a pre-configured computing environment for surfing the Internet anonymously. It is based on Debian's "Testing" branch and it uses Privoxy, a privacy-enhancing proxy, together with the Tor anonymity network to modify web page data and HTTP headers before the page is rendered by the browser. The distribution uses KDE Plasma as the preferred desktop environment and it also includes a the Tor Browser and OnionShare for anonymous file sharing.
Status: Dormant
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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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