DistroWatch Weekly |
DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 473, 10 September 2012 |
Welcome to this year's 37th issue of DistroWatch Weekly! This has been another exciting week in the world of Linux. The openSUSE project has release version 12.2 of its distribution. The new release comes after a two-month delay to fix bugs and add polish to the latest version of the popular distro; time will tell if the new release was worth the wait. Another fascinating release comes from the Qubes OS project which attempts to improve desktop security through the increased isolation of different tasks. Read more about both of these distribution releases below. Also in this edition of DistroWatch Weekly we talk about Debian's most popular architecture and which versions of the Linux kernel receive long-term support, and we also link to a talk regarding Google's custom desktop distribution. Plus we are happy to announce that the Slackware project is putting together a vast collection of knowledge with the help of its community members - get all the details below. This week Jesse Smith tells us about a book which tries to teach people how to use the Linux command line; read on to find out how well the book works as an educational tool. As usual we will take a look back at the distributions released over the past week and look forward to those soon to come. Finally, do not miss our roundup of reviews, podcasts and newsletters from all around the web. Until next time, we wish you a pleasant week and happy reading!
Content:
Listen to the Podcast edition of this week's DistroWatch Weekly in OGG (38MB) and MP3 (35MB) formats
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Feature Story (by Jesse Smith) |
Meeting, exploring and mastering the command line
I used to work at a company which had its own custom pens. You know the sort with the company's name and address or website printed on them? These pens were unusual in a number of ways. For instance, they were pointy at the top, rather than at the bottom, they had no visible click-top, no visible cap and no apparent seams. When handed one of these pens people would often spend a minute or more turning them around, pressing parts of them, trying to turn pieces, trying (in vain) to figure out how to expose the writing tip. The trick, oddly enough, was to grasp either end and simply pull, causing the pen to "break" into its two halves, the cap and the pen proper. Once the pen's secret was known it was a simple matter to open it and writing with them was a dream. They were fine, high-quality pens, easy to hold, hard to damage and they lasted for ages.
The reason I bring up these company pens is because people tended to fall into one of two camps when exposed to them. Either the person would become frustrated and toss aside the pen or they would see the puzzle as a bonus, an interesting quirk and (possibly) a source of amusement when new people came into the office. I suspect when you read the above description of the pen you had a reaction similar to one of those two groups. Is the pen needlessly complex in a world of clicky-tops and Bics, or is the beauty, strength and quality of the pen enhanced by the puzzle? Chances are if you fall into the latter camp then you will enjoy the book I wish to share with you this week, "The Linux Command Line" by William E. Shotts, Jr.
Exploring the Linux command line can be a difficult journey for several reasons. Command line interfaces are not as discoverable by trial and error as their graphical counterparts, plus a lot of commands are typed in short hand making their function difficult to understand at first glance. "The Linux Command Line" is the ideal guidebook into the world of the Linux (and UNIX and BSD) command line. The book tries to be distribution (and even operating system) neutral as much as possible, though the author is up front about the examples contained in the text being tested on Fedora and some commands or scripts may produce slightly different results on other systems. The book is divided into four main parts: an introduction to the command line and shells, configuring the shell, performing common tasks such as backups and searching for files, and the final section is on writing scripts to automate tasks.
Something which grabbed my attention right away is the book has two tables of contents. The first one lays out the sections listed above and gives a brief overview of the chapters. The second, more detailed table, gives an almost page-by-page description of what is covered and this makes the book an easy-to-use reference. Let's say we want to look up the section on pausing and resuming system processes, we can go to the first table and find "Chapter 10: Processes", then go to the detailed table of contents and find "Chapter 10: Processes -- Controlling Processes ... Stopping (Pausing) a Process, page 102". Also to aid in navigation of the book there is a detailed index at the back of the text allowing the reader to find specific examples of commands based on their name. This is helpful if we have heard of a command called "grep" and want to see how it is used. The index lets us know there are three pages with "grep" examples on them.
Let's move on to the heart of the book which, as previously mentioned, is divided into four parts. "The Linux Command Line" is laid out as a text book in that it begins very simply, laying a basic foundation and then slowly building up. We start off with a few commands to move into a directory and see what is in that directory. We learn how to find out what part of the file system we are looking at and then we move on to displaying files, creating directories and making links. Each chapter slowly expands upward and outward from the previous chapter making for a very gentle learning curve. The book begins by assuming we know very little about the command line or even Linux in general and, by the end of the text's first part, we are able to tackle some regular expressions, browse through files, redirect output, manage links and manipulate permissions on files and folders.
The second section of the book teaches us a bit more about the environment, how to customize it and how to use the vi text editor. The third section is where we get into the interesting stuff, processing and sorting large amounts of text, managing packages, configuring our network connection, transferring files between computers and making use of secure shell connections. Part 3 also covers compiling software, performing backups and searching for specific files. The book's final section deals with scripting and automation. Being able to create a script to perform tasks is a culmination of everything up to this point and the book does a fine job of introducing us to getting input, setting up basic logic steps, using loops and managing variables.
"The Linux Command Line" appears to be written with two styles in mind. It functions both as a step-by-step teacher, taking us from the bare bones basics and slowly walking us through until we're capable of performing complex tasks (and then automating them). The book also works well as a reference. After a person has read through the book once it's easy to flip to the index, find a specific command or concept and review that piece on its own. The text, while it builds from the ground up, does so in a way that allows each sub-chapter to stand on its own. I really enjoy and admire the skill with which these separate modules are fit together like building blocks, complimentary, but independent. Another thing I like is that each concept, each command introduced, has an example. We are not simply told about a command and its functionality, we are shown. The example text in each chapter gives us the whole picture with the console prompt, the command entered and the resulting output. It makes following along with the examples easy and makes it feel as though the author is actually showing us something on his screen, rather than just talking about it.
Another thing I appreciated about this book is that, even after over a decade of using the Linux command line, the text was still able to present me with some new material. Perhaps not so much the commands themselves, but in the method of problem solving. I think we all develop habits, certain ways of looking at problems and methods of solving them. "The Linux Command Line" demonstrates many solutions for common problems and I was happy to find the author took different (but equally effective) approaches to problems I had seen presented in other text books and tutorials. Even if you've been around the command line for years this book may still be able to introduce you to new methods of solving your system administration puzzles. And one final thing I like about "The Linux Command Line" is the occasional aside. I think most of us, when first learning how to use the command line, wonder, "Why would they design it that way?" This text adds a few foot notes here and there which give the reader some perspective as to why certain conventions and traditions exist. These additional notes help round out the experience and, I found, put some of the quirks of the Linux operating system into context.
Obviously with a name like "The Linux Command Line" we can assume this book is aimed squarely at the GNU/Linux crowd (and it is). However, this book should also be useful to people running other operating systems in the UNIX/Linux family, including those running any of the BSDs, OpenIndiana or OS X. A few of the commands won't work the same way and the naming conventions for devices won't always be the same, but a majority of the book will still be relevant.
Really, I don't think I have anything negative to say about this book. It starts off light, builds nicely on itself, works as a reference guide and a large portion of the text is dedicated to examples and little projects where the reader can learn by doing. Warnings are given in sections where anything risky is attempted, which is rare, and concepts are explained in context. The book is practical and covers a good deal of ground and does so without veering off topic (which would be easy to do, especially in the networking section). Whether you are just starting out or looking for a refresher course, I think you will enjoy "The Linux Command Line", I certainly did.
- Book Title: The Linux Command Line
- Author: William E. Shotts, Jr -- Copyright 2012
- Length: 480 pages
- ISBN-10: 1-59327-389-4
- ISBN-13: 978-1-59327-389-7
- Publisher: William Pollock
- Available from No Starch Press, Amazon.com and other booksellers.
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Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
Slackware's new documentation project, Debian's most popular architecture, changes to Ubuntu's ISO images, look at Google's desktop
Fans of the oldest surviving Linux distribution will probably recognize the name Eric Layton, or at least his handle, "Nocturnal Slacker". He writes to us at DistroWatch with some good news for his fellow slackers. "The Slackware Linux Documentation Project is born! The project has the blessing of Slackware's BDFL Patrick Volkerding. It is currently being designed and staffed and is live now. It is using the DocuWiki wiki software. This is a worldwide, multi-language (English as primary) community project. Your help is needed. Please come join us in creating what we hope will be the largest single source of Slackware Linux knowledge on the Net." The new Slackware Documentation Project wiki is now up and running. People wishing to join the project should consider subscribing to the SlackDocs mailing list.
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For almost as long as 64-bit computers for consumers have been available there has been debate as to whether a 32-bit or 64-bit operating system is preferable. Proponents of 64-bit systems point to faster number crunching, access to larger amounts of memory and the availability of more registers. Fans of 32-bit systems will point out the lack of need in their lives for larger amounts of memory, the benefit of smaller packages and wider developer support. With this in mind it may be interesting to note that, for the first time, amd64 has become the primary architecture of Debian users in terms of number of submissions via the popularity-contest statistics. It is also interesting to note that amd64 overtaking i386 does not appear to be a result of i386 usage declining, but rather of amd64's install base slowly increasing, Graphs and exact numbers are available on the Debian popcon website.
Still on the subject of the world's largest GNU/Linux distribution, the Debian project has announced the availability of the second beta of Debian Installer for "Wheezy": "The Debian Installer team is pleased to announce the second beta release of the installer for Debian 7.0 'Wheezy'. Improvements in this release of the installer: espeakup - fix voice path according to multi-arch switch, This fixes the failure to switch languages; grub-installer - fix /proc mounting code to use linprocfs on GNU/kFreeBSD, this fixes the failure to find a GRUB device on those systems; mountmedia - fix hang due to trying to mount extended partitions; Linux kernel - updated from 3.2.21-3 to 3.2.23-1; netcfg - list available ESSIDs, improve support for s390 and s390x; silo - fix ext4 support, fix timeout-related crashes on sparc (Niagara - sun4v); udev - fix qcontrol/LED/beeper support on arm, fix persistent-net-generator on s390 and s390x; win32-loader - switch to the 'Joy' theme; default to the graphical installation for all kernels...." Interested beta testers can download the new Debian Installer images from the project's download page.
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The Canonical development team is looking at streamlining the installation ISO images they offer. The ISOs currently on the chopping block are the small "Alternative" CDs which feature a flexible text-based installer and the 32-bit Server edition. To insure users still have access to the same install-time features the Canonical developers are in the process of merging LVM, RAID and full disk encryption support into the standard Ubiquity installer. While fans of the Alternative images will feel a loss, this means increased flexibility for people using the more commonly used Desktop edition of Ubuntu.
It's no secret that Google uses a lightly customized version of Ubuntu for their in-house development. The special spin, called Goobuntu, is essentially Ubuntu LTS with some minor tweaks. Thomas Bushnell, a member of the group which manages and distributes Goobuntu internally, recently took time to talk about Google's desktop strategy. Bushnell made some interesting comments about desktop environments, alternative operating systems and why the company chose Ubuntu for their desktop computers: "Bushnell was asked why Ubuntu instead of say Fedora or openSUSE? He replied: 'We chose Debian because packages and APT [Debian's basic software package programs] are light-years ahead of RPM (Red Hat and SUSE's default package management system.]' And, why Ubuntu over the other Debian-based Linux distributions? 'Because its release cadence is awesome and Canonical [Ubuntu's parent company] offers good support.'"
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Questions and Answers (by Jesse Smith) |
The Linux kernel and long-term support
Looking-for-a-kernel-of-support asks: Could you tell me what Snowlinux 3 long-term support Linux kernel 3.2.0 LTS is? The information about Snowlinux states that Snowlinux 3 is Debian-based, but I couldn't find an LTS kernel in Debian.
DistroWatch answers: The Snowlinux website is a bit vague on a few points. The website mentions that Snowlinux is based on Debian 6 "Squeeze", but claims to come with the 3.2 version of the Linux kernel. This seems odd as "Squeeze" shipped with the 2.6.32 version of the kernel. The Snowlinux team also has Ubuntu editions which can make navigating the world of Snowlinux and its packages a little confusing.
I suspect what the Snowlinux team has done is import the Linux 3.2 package from Debian's Backports repository. The Debian developers maintain a repository of newer packages which users of Debian's Stable branch can optionally access. This would allow Snowlinux to use packages which are, strictly speaking, built for Debian Squeeze, but which do not appear in the standard Debian repositories. As for the LTS label on the Snowlinux kernel, some Linux kernels are quietly marked for long-term support, even if the packages are not labeled as such in the repositories. If you visit the kernel.org website, where the vanilla Linux kernel source code is available for download, you will find there are several entries listed as "stable". The older stable kernels are long-term support kernels and are usually the ones chosen for inclusion in distributions with longer release cycles. Red Hat, Ubuntu and Debian typically use kernels that are long-term support kernels. You can find a helpful table with the history of LTS kernels on Wikipedia.
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Released Last Week |
Slackel KDE-4.8.5
Dimitris Tzemos has announced the release of Slackel KDE-4.8.5, a Slackware-based desktop Linux distribution: "Slackel KDE-4.8.5, installation DVD images, 32-bit and 64-bit are immediately available. A new wallpaper theme image is included in this release. Slackel 'current' includes the latest 'current' tree of Slackware Linux and the latest KDE 4.8.5 accompanied by a rich collection of KDE-centric software. The Firefox 15.0 web browser, KMail and KTorrent are the main networking applications included in this release, followed by Akregator, an RSS reader for KDE, Kopete, the KDE instant messenger and more. Wicd is used for setting up your wired or wireless networking connections. In the multimedia section, Bangarang 2.1, Clementine 1.0.1, K3b 2.0.2 included." See the full release announcement for additional details.
SystemRescueCd 3.0.0
François Dupoux has announced the release of SystemRescueCd 3.0.0, a live CD containing a large number of data rescue and disk management utilities, based on Gentoo Linux. What's new? "Added support for loading extra SRM module files (System Rescue Modules); added support for UEFI booting from the CD-ROM on x86_64 using GRUB 2.00 (efi.img); updated standard kernels to long-term supported Linux kernel 3.2.28 (rescuecd + rescue64); updated alternative kernels to long-term supported Linux kernel 3.4.9 (altker32 + altker64); the rescuecd kernel image has been renamed rescue32 for better consistency; configured isolinux to automatically use the 64-bit kernel if CPU is capable; automatically use 64-bit version of FSArchiver and memtester if CPU is capable; reorganized and updated isolinux configuration and help messages; updated e2fsprogs to 1.42.5, GParted to 0.13.1, Partclone to 0.2.50." Here is the complete changelog.
Qubes OS 1.0
Joanna Rutkowska has announced the release of Qubes OS 1.0, a Fedora-based security distribution for the desktop with a number of isolated domains implemented as lightweight virtual machines running under Xen: "After nearly three years of work, I have a pleasure to announce that Qubes OS 1.0 has finally been released. Qubes OS is an advanced tool for implementing security by isolation on your desktop, using domains implemented as lightweight Xen virtual machines. It tries to marry two contradictory goals: how to make the isolation between domains as strong as possible, mainly due to clever architecture that minimizes the amount of trusted code, and how to make this isolation as seamless and easy as possible. Again, how the user is going to take advantage of this isolation is totally left up to the user." Read the release announcement and visit the project's security goals page to learn more.
openSUSE 12.2
openSUSE 12.2 has been released: "Dear users, developers, and geekos around the world -- openSUSE 12.2 is ready for you! Two months of extra stabilization work have resulted into a stellar release, chock-full of goodies, yet stable as you all like it. The latest release of the world's most powerful and flexible Linux distribution brings you speed-ups across the board with a faster storage layer in Linux 3.4 and accelerated functions in glibc and Qt, giving a more fluid and responsive desktop. The infrastructure below openSUSE has evolved, bringing in mature new technologies like GRUB 2 and Plymouth and the first steps in the direction of a revised and simplified UNIX file system hierarchy. Users will also notice the added polish to existing features bringing an improved user experience all over." See the release announcement and release notes for further information.
openSUSE 12.2 - the default KDE desktop (full image size: 966kB, screen resolution 1280x1024 pixels)
Kiwi Linux 12.08
Jani Mosones has announced the release of Kiwi Linux 12.08, an Ubuntu-based desktop Linux distribution with many popular extras, such as browser plugins, media codecs, archiving tools, etc, included by default: "After exactly two years of neglect I released a new version of the Ubuntu remix with Romanian, Hungarian, German and English languages included by default. It is based on Ubuntu 12.04.1, and keeping in line with the traditional goals of the project, it targets Linux newbies who find some of the standard Ubuntu applications lacking or who are taken aback by anything too unfamiliar. It also targets lazy people who would otherwise change about the same things on a vanilla Ubuntu install. So it features the Classic GNOME 2 desktop, Chromium, VLC, Pidgin, Flash, multimedia codecs and the rar and p7zip archive format handlers." Read the rest of the release announcement for a few more details.
Ubuntu Christian Edition 12.04
Jereme Hancock has announced the release of Ubuntu Christian Edition 12.04, an Ubuntu-based desktop Linux distribution designed for Christians, as well as churches, Bible study schools and other religious organisations: "Ubuntu CE 12.04 has been released. What's new? Built of Ubuntu 12.04.1 LTS; system management (dconf tools, Synaptic package manager, BleachBit, gAlternatives, gnome-tweak-tool with advanced settings, ubuntu-tweak); daily usage (WINE and WineTricks, Google Chrome, VLC, MyUnity, terminator, Nautilus scripts for better file management); Bible software (Quelea, Bibledit, Verse, Xiphos, OpneLP). Customizations ranging from artwork, themes and icons along with the PPAs added to enable more artwork installation. UCE also comes with the award-winning DansGuardian web content filter configured to block pornography and other questionable content." See the release announcement for more information.
Network Security Toolkit 2.16.0-4104
Ronald W. Henderson has announced the release of an updated build of Network Security Toolkit (NST), a Fedora based live DVD with a good collection of open-source network security applications: "We are pleased to announce the latest NST release: version 2.16.0-4104. This release is based on Fedora 16 using Linux kernel 3.4.9. This is a interim release which includes all of the NST and Fedora 16 package updates since 2012-02-27 rolled into a fresh ISO image. If you are building your own NST yum repository or have a subscription to the NST PRO yum repository, you may not need this ISO image as you should be able to simply 'yum update' you NST system(s). The NST project team has worked with the CloudShark folks to facilitate uploading and viewing network packet captures generated by an NST system to either CloudShark.org or a CloudShark Appliance. A new CloudShark Upload Manager tool was created and embedded within the NST WUI to accomplish this." Visit the project's home page to read the full announcement.
PCLinuxOS 2012.09 "KDE FullMonty"
A new maintenance release of the PCLinuxOS "KDE Full Monty" edition, the project's Linux distribution with a special desktop layout and a large number of applications, is ready: "PCLinuxOS KDE FullMonty 2012.09 is now available for download. This is a 32-bit DVD image which can also be installed on 64-bit computers. KDE FullMonty is a regular PCLinuxOS KDE installation with special desktop layout and many applications and drivers pre-installed. FullMonty applies a new concept: activity-focused virtual desktop layout, which is designed to address typical user needs and tasks. KDE FullMonty features: Linux kernel 3.2.18, KDE 4.8.3 with many applications; all kinds of drivers and applications to deal with any kind of external hardware, like cell-phones, scanners, printers, webcams, TVs, Bluetooth devices, iPods, radios, etc; six activity-focused virtual desktop layouts, each with task-related desktop launchers of popular applications." See the brief release announcement and read the more detailed product description's page for further info and screenshots.
Arch Linux 2012.09.07
Pierre Schmitz has announced the availability of a new Arch Linux installer image, version 2012.09.07: "As is customary by now there is a new install medium available at the beginning of this month. The live system can be downloaded from the download page and used for new installs or as a rescue system. In addition to a couple of updated packages and bug fixes the following changes stand out: first medium with Linux kernel 3.5 (3.5.3); the script boot parameter works again; when booting via PXE and NFS or NBD the ISO image will be copied to RAM to ensure more stable usage; the live medium contains usb_modeswitch and wvdial which allows to establish a network connection using an UMTS USB dongle. Furthermore the newest versions of initscripts, systemd and netcfg are included." Here is the brief release announcement.
Chakra GNU/Linux 2012.09
Anke Boersma has announced the release of Chakra GNU/Linux 2012.09, an updated build of the project's distribution featuring the new KDE 4.9.1 desktop: "The Chakra project team is proud to announce the second 'Claire' release. After the release of 2012.08 well over a thousand packages were updated, including a new sound stack, updated Poppler, OpenJPEG and OpenAl group, KDE 4.9.1, latest Calligra and LibreOffice. Because of all these changes, and to get back to having a release schedule that follows closely to the schedule KDE is using, 2012.09 is following the first 'Claire' ISO image rather quickly. It also gives us a chance to fix some issues found in that first release. Chakra is making the switch to PulseAudio as default with this release." See the complete release announcement for more details and a brief list of main features.
PureOS 6.0
Marc Poirette has announced the release of PureOS 6.0, a desktop Linux distribution with GNOME 3 based on Debian's "testing" branch: "PureOS 6.0 is a multilingual live CD/USB based on Debian 'testing' with GNOME. Supported locales: FR (France, Belgium, Canada, Switzerland), EN (USA, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, India), others (Brazil, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey). Main features: Linux kernel 3.5.3 and GNOME 3.4.2 (GNOME Shell + GNOME Classic). Internet: Chromium 21.0 with Flash player. Multimedia: GNOME MPlayer. Graphics: Evince and Eye of GNOME. System: GParted, smxi/sgfxi scripts, scripts for modules management: activate, debs2lzm, debs2lzm-file, dir2lzm, lzm2dir and find2lzm." The release announcement includes the full package list and a list of download mirrors.
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Development, unannounced and minor bug-fix releases
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Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
Summary of expected upcoming releases
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Around The Web (by Jesse Smith) |
Latest reviews
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Latest podcasts
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Latest newsletters
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DistroWatch.com News |
New distributions added to database
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New distributions added to waiting list
- Jondo Live-CD. Jondo Live-CD offers a secure, pre-configured environment for anonymous surfing and more. It is based on Debian GNU/Linux. The live system contains proxy clients for JonDonym, Tor and I2P.
- Mozillux. A live Linux distribution designed to provide Mozilla software, such as Firefox and Thunderbird, to the end user without requiring any installation.
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DistroWatch database summary
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This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 17 September 2012. To contact the authors please send email to:
- Jesse Smith (feedback, questions and suggestions: distribution reviews, questions and answers, tips and tricks)
- Ladislav Bodnar (feedback, questions, suggestions and corrections: news, donations, distribution submissions, comments)
- Bruce Patterson (feedback and suggestions: podcast edition)
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Archives |
• Issue 1096 (2024-11-11): Bazzite 40, Playtron OS Alpha 1, Tucana Linux 3.1, detecting Screen sessions, Redox imports COSMIC software centre, FreeBSD booting on the PinePhone Pro, LXQt supports Wayland window managers |
• Issue 1095 (2024-11-04): Fedora 41 Kinoite, transferring applications between computers, openSUSE Tumbleweed receives multiple upgrades, Ubuntu testing compiler optimizations, Mint partners with Framework |
• Issue 1094 (2024-10-28): DebLight OS 1, backing up crontab, AlmaLinux introduces Litten branch, openSUSE unveils refreshed look, Ubuntu turns 20 |
• Issue 1093 (2024-10-21): Kubuntu 24.10, atomic vs immutable distributions, Debian upgrading Perl packages, UBports adding VoLTE support, Android to gain native GNU/Linux application support |
• Issue 1092 (2024-10-14): FunOS 24.04.1, a home directory inside a file, work starts of openSUSE Leap 16.0, improvements in Haiku, KDE neon upgrades its base |
• Issue 1091 (2024-10-07): Redox OS 0.9.0, Unified package management vs universal package formats, Redox begins RISC-V port, Mint polishes interface, Qubes certifies new laptop |
• Issue 1090 (2024-09-30): Rhino Linux 2024.2, commercial distros with alternative desktops, Valve seeks to improve Wayland performance, HardenedBSD parterns with Protectli, Tails merges with Tor Project, Quantum Leap partners with the FreeBSD Foundation |
• Issue 1089 (2024-09-23): Expirion 6.0, openKylin 2.0, managing configuration files, the future of Linux development, fixing bugs in Haiku, Slackware packages dracut |
• Issue 1088 (2024-09-16): PorteuX 1.6, migrating from Windows 10 to which Linux distro, making NetBSD immutable, AlmaLinux offers hardware certification, Mint updates old APT tools |
• Issue 1087 (2024-09-09): COSMIC desktop, running cron jobs at variable times, UBports highlights new apps, HardenedBSD offers work around for FreeBSD change, Debian considers how to cull old packages, systemd ported to musl |
• Issue 1086 (2024-09-02): Vanilla OS 2, command line tips for simple tasks, FreeBSD receives investment from STF, openSUSE Tumbleweed update can break network connections, Debian refreshes media |
• Issue 1085 (2024-08-26): Nobara 40, OpenMandriva 24.07 "ROME", distros which include source code, FreeBSD publishes quarterly report, Microsoft updates breaks Linux in dual-boot environments |
• Issue 1084 (2024-08-19): Liya 2.0, dual boot with encryption, Haiku introduces performance improvements, Gentoo dropping IA-64, Redcore merges major upgrade |
• Issue 1083 (2024-08-12): TrueNAS 24.04.2 "SCALE", Linux distros for smartphones, Redox OS introduces web server, PipeWire exposes battery drain on Linux, Canonical updates kernel version policy |
• Issue 1082 (2024-08-05): Linux Mint 22, taking snapshots of UFS on FreeBSD, openSUSE updates Tumbleweed and Aeon, Debian creates Tiny QA Tasks, Manjaro testing immutable images |
• Issue 1081 (2024-07-29): SysLinuxOS 12.4, OpenBSD gain hardware acceleration, Slackware changes kernel naming, Mint publishes upgrade instructions |
• Issue 1080 (2024-07-22): Running GNU/Linux on Android with Andronix, protecting network services, Solus dropping AppArmor and Snap, openSUSE Aeon Desktop gaining full disk encryption, SUSE asks openSUSE to change its branding |
• Issue 1079 (2024-07-15): Ubuntu Core 24, hiding files on Linux, Fedora dropping X11 packages on Workstation, Red Hat phasing out GRUB, new OpenSSH vulnerability, FreeBSD speeds up release cycle, UBports testing new first-run wizard |
• Issue 1078 (2024-07-08): Changing init software, server machines running desktop environments, OpenSSH vulnerability patched, Peppermint launches new edition, HardenedBSD updates ports |
• Issue 1077 (2024-07-01): The Unity and Lomiri interfaces, different distros for different tasks, Ubuntu plans to run Wayland on NVIDIA cards, openSUSE updates Leap Micro, Debian releases refreshed media, UBports gaining contact synchronisation, FreeDOS celebrates its 30th anniversary |
• Issue 1076 (2024-06-24): openSUSE 15.6, what makes Linux unique, SUSE Liberty Linux to support CentOS Linux 7, SLE receives 19 years of support, openSUSE testing Leap Micro edition |
• Issue 1075 (2024-06-17): Redox OS, X11 and Wayland on the BSDs, AlmaLinux releases Pi build, Canonical announces RISC-V laptop with Ubuntu, key changes in systemd |
• Issue 1074 (2024-06-10): Endless OS 6.0.0, distros with init diversity, Mint to filter unverified Flatpaks, Debian adds systemd-boot options, Redox adopts COSMIC desktop, OpenSSH gains new security features |
• Issue 1073 (2024-06-03): LXQt 2.0.0, an overview of Linux desktop environments, Canonical partners with Milk-V, openSUSE introduces new features in Aeon Desktop, Fedora mirrors see rise in traffic, Wayland adds OpenBSD support |
• Issue 1072 (2024-05-27): Manjaro 24.0, comparing init software, OpenBSD ports Plasma 6, Arch community debates mirror requirements, ThinOS to upgrade its FreeBSD core |
• Issue 1071 (2024-05-20): Archcraft 2024.04.06, common command line mistakes, ReactOS imports WINE improvements, Haiku makes adjusting themes easier, NetBSD takes a stand against code generated by chatbots |
• Issue 1070 (2024-05-13): Damn Small Linux 2024, hiding kernel messages during boot, Red Hat offers AI edition, new web browser for UBports, Fedora Asahi Remix 40 released, Qubes extends support for version 4.1 |
• Issue 1069 (2024-05-06): Ubuntu 24.04, installing packages in alternative locations, systemd creates sudo alternative, Mint encourages XApps collaboration, FreeBSD publishes quarterly update |
• Issue 1068 (2024-04-29): Fedora 40, transforming one distro into another, Debian elects new Project Leader, Red Hat extends support cycle, Emmabuntus adds accessibility features, Canonical's new security features |
• Issue 1067 (2024-04-22): LocalSend for transferring files, detecting supported CPU architecure levels, new visual design for APT, Fedora and openSUSE working on reproducible builds, LXQt released, AlmaLinux re-adds hardware support |
• Issue 1066 (2024-04-15): Fun projects to do with the Raspberry Pi and PinePhone, installing new software on fixed-release distributions, improving GNOME Terminal performance, Mint testing new repository mirrors, Gentoo becomes a Software In the Public Interest project |
• Issue 1065 (2024-04-08): Dr.Parted Live 24.03, answering questions about the xz exploit, Linux Mint to ship HWE kernel, AlmaLinux patches flaw ahead of upstream Red Hat, Calculate changes release model |
• Issue 1064 (2024-04-01): NixOS 23.11, the status of Hurd, liblzma compromised upstream, FreeBSD Foundation focuses on improving wireless networking, Ubuntu Pro offers 12 years of support |
• Issue 1063 (2024-03-25): Redcore Linux 2401, how slowly can a rolling release update, Debian starts new Project Leader election, Red Hat creating new NVIDIA driver, Snap store hit with more malware |
• Issue 1062 (2024-03-18): KDE neon 20240304, changing file permissions, Canonical turns 20, Pop!_OS creates new software centre, openSUSE packages Plasma 6 |
• Issue 1061 (2024-03-11): Using a PinePhone as a workstation, restarting background services on a schedule, NixBSD ports Nix to FreeBSD, Fedora packaging COSMIC, postmarketOS to adopt systemd, Linux Mint replacing HexChat |
• Issue 1060 (2024-03-04): AV Linux MX-23.1, bootstrapping a network connection, key OpenBSD features, Qubes certifies new hardware, LXQt and Plasma migrate to Qt 6 |
• Issue 1059 (2024-02-26): Warp Terminal, navigating manual pages, malware found in the Snap store, Red Hat considering CPU requirement update, UBports organizes ongoing work |
• Issue 1058 (2024-02-19): Drauger OS 7.6, how much disk space to allocate, System76 prepares to launch COSMIC desktop, UBports changes its version scheme, TrueNAS to offer faster deduplication |
• Issue 1057 (2024-02-12): Adelie Linux 1.0 Beta, rolling release vs fixed for a smoother experience, Debian working on 2038 bug, elementary OS to split applications from base system updates, Fedora announces Atomic Desktops |
• Issue 1056 (2024-02-05): wattOS R13, the various write speeds of ISO writing tools, DSL returns, Mint faces Wayland challenges, HardenedBSD blocks foreign USB devices, Gentoo publishes new repository, Linux distros patch glibc flaw |
• Issue 1055 (2024-01-29): CNIX OS 231204, distributions patching packages the most, Gentoo team presents ongoing work, UBports introduces connectivity and battery improvements, interview with Haiku developer |
• Issue 1054 (2024-01-22): Solus 4.5, comparing dd and cp when writing ISO files, openSUSE plans new major Leap version, XeroLinux shutting down, HardenedBSD changes its build schedule |
• Issue 1053 (2024-01-15): Linux AI voice assistants, some distributions running hotter than others, UBports talks about coming changes, Qubes certifies StarBook laptops, Asahi Linux improves energy savings |
• Issue 1052 (2024-01-08): OpenMandriva Lx 5.0, keeping shell commands running when theterminal closes, Mint upgrades Edge kernel, Vanilla OS plans big changes, Canonical working to make Snap more cross-platform |
• Issue 1051 (2024-01-01): Favourite distros of 2023, reloading shell settings, Asahi Linux releases Fedora remix, Gentoo offers binary packages, openSUSE provides full disk encryption |
• Issue 1050 (2023-12-18): rlxos 2023.11, renaming files and opening terminal windows in specific directories, TrueNAS publishes ZFS fixes, Debian publishes delayed install media, Haiku polishes desktop experience |
• Issue 1049 (2023-12-11): Lernstick 12, alternatives to WINE, openSUSE updates its branding, Mint unveils new features, Lubuntu team plans for 24.04 |
• Issue 1048 (2023-12-04): openSUSE MicroOS, the transition from X11 to Wayland, Red Hat phasing out X11 packages, UBports making mobile development easier |
• Issue 1047 (2023-11-27): GhostBSD 23.10.1, Why Linux uses swap when memory is free, Ubuntu Budgie may benefit from Wayland work in Xfce, early issues with FreeBSD 14.0 |
• Issue 1046 (2023-11-20): Slackel 7.7 "Openbox", restricting CPU usage, Haiku improves font handling and software centre performance, Canonical launches MicroCloud |
• Issue 1045 (2023-11-13): Fedora 39, how to trust software packages, ReactOS booting with UEFI, elementary OS plans to default to Wayland, Mir gaining ability to split work across video cards |
• Issue 1044 (2023-11-06): Porteus 5.01, disabling IPv6, applications unique to a Linux distro, Linux merges bcachefs, OpenELA makes source packages available |
• Issue 1043 (2023-10-30): Murena Two with privacy switches, where old files go when packages are updated, UBports on Volla phones, Mint testing Cinnamon on Wayland, Peppermint releases ARM build |
• Issue 1042 (2023-10-23): Ubuntu Cinnamon compared with Linux Mint, extending battery life on Linux, Debian resumes /usr merge, Canonical publishes fixed install media |
• Full list of all issues |
Star Labs |
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
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Random Distribution |
SystemRescue
SystemRescue is an Arch-based Linux system on a bootable CD-ROM or USB drive, designed for repairing a system and data after a crash. It also aims to provide an easy way to carry out administration tasks on a computer, such as creating and editing hard disk partitions. It contains many useful system utilities (GNU Parted, PartImage, FSTools) and some basic ones (editors, Midnight Commander, network tools). It aims to be very easy to use. The kernel of the system supports all of today's most important file systems, including ext2, ext3, ext4, ReiserFS, Reiser4FS, btrfs, XFS, JFS, VFAT, NTFS, ISO9660, as well as network file systems, such as Samba and NFS.
Status: Active
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TUXEDO |
TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite Choose from a wide range of laptops and PCs in various sizes and shapes at TUXEDOComputers.com. Every machine comes pre-installed and ready-to-run with Linux. Full 24 months of warranty and lifetime support included!
Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
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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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