 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 778, 27 August 2018 |
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Welcome to this year's 35th issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
This week we are going to take a step away from the mainstream Linux distributions and focus our attention on lesser known open source operating systems and niche GNU/Linux projects. We begin with a quick look at two projects: Guix System Distribution, a project that combines a completely libre operating system with advanced package management ideas, and ReactOS, an open source operating system that strives for binary compatibility with Microsoft Windows. In our News section we discuss Valve making it easier for Linux users to transparently run Windows games and Haiku preparing for the project's first beta release. We also discuss Parabola replacing their archive manager and NetBSD 6 reaching the end of its supported life. We cover multiple queries in our Questions and Answers column this week, exploring how to merge hard drive partitions, finding an alternative distribution to Tails for secure web browsing and talk about the various tools for running programs as another user. Plus we are happy to share the new releases of the past week and list the torrents we are seeding. Finally, we are pleased to welcome Hamara, a Debian-based distribution, to our database. We wish you all a terrific week and happy reading!
Content:
- Review: Guix System Distribution 0.15.0 and ReactOS 0.4.9
- News: Steam supports Windows games running on Linux, Haiku plans first beta, Parabola replaces archive manager, NetBSD 6 reaches end of life
- Questions and answers: Merging partitions, an alternative to Tails, the differences between su, su - and sudo
- Released last week: deepin 15.7, Bodhi 5.0.0, GParted Live 0.32.0-1
- Torrent corner: Bluestar, Bodhi, deepin, GParted, NST, Omarine, Voyager
- Opinion poll: sudo versus su
- New additions: Hamara
- New distributions: Norcux OS
- Reader comments
Listen to the Podcast edition of this week's DistroWatch Weekly in OGG (16MB) and MP3 (13MB) formats.
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| Feature Story (by Jesse Smith) |
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Guix System Distribution 0.15.0 and ReactOS 0.4.9
A few readers have asked me this month to talk about some less commonly discussed open source operating systems. With that in mind, I decided to review the latest versions of Guix System Distribution (a Linux distro with an unusual package manager), and ReactOS (an open source project that tries to be binary compatible with Microsoft Windows).
* * * * *
Guix System Distribution (GuixSD) is a Linux-based operating system that is built around the GNU Guix package manager. The operating system provides advanced package management features such as transactional upgrades and roll-backs, reproducible build environments, unprivileged package management, and per-user profiles.
This description may seem familiar as GuixSD shares several features with NixOS, which is a platform built using the Nix package manager that offers the same feature set. GuixSD is developed by the GNU organization and strives to respect users' software freedoms. Naturally, it is one of the few Linux-based operating systems on the GNU project's list of completely free operating systems.
GuixSD is available in 32-bit and 64-bit builds. The compressed ISO file we download is 186MB in size and, when it has been expanded, it grows to 986MB. Booting from this media brings up a text console where we are automatically logged into the root account. A message on the console lets us know we can access local documentation by pressing ALT-F2. The welcome message also tells us GuixSD is still in development and concludes by stating: "Thanks for being so brave."
The documentation provided explains some limitations of GuixSD, such as not having non-free firmware for wi-fi devices. The documentation Includes networking instructions, a guide explaining how to partition the disk and set up file systems prior to attempting to install the distribution. These instructions are also on-line in the Guix manual.
To install GuixSD we first need to partition the hard drive, probably by using the cfdisk command line partition manager. We then format the root partition and mount it under the /mnt directory. We then run the command "herd start cow-store /mnt".
The next series of steps gets us to copy the standard configuration file to the /mnt/etc directory and edit the file to customize the system. This includes selecting the location of the boot device, changing our username, selecting which desktop environment to use and any necessary encryption mappings.
Once the configuration file has been adjusted to our satisfaction we then run the command "guix system init /mnt/etc/config.scm /mnt" to set up the operating system. Here is where I ran into a wall with GuixSD. I tried five different attempts at setting up the template file to match my settings (plus one attempt where I just accepted all the defaults to see what would happen) and the process failed each time. Typically the guix command would exit with a cryptic message indicating a syntax error in the file. Unfortunately the errors were not helpful and I found no relevant trouble-shooting steps in the documentation.
I was a bit disappointed with running into this barrier. I've installed NixOS a few times and like the idea of a central configuration file that can manage users, services and installed packages. The concept is one that appeals as it makes it easy to for an administrator to re-create the same operating system procedurally across multiple machines. I am sorry to say I did not have the same success setting up GuixSD as I have had with installing NixOS in the past.
* * * * *
ReactOS 0.4.9
It has been about two years since I last reviewed ReactOS. Since then, the ReactOS team has been putting work into making their operating system self hosting (it is possible to develop and build ReactOS on ReactOS). Windows application support has gradually improved and the latest version of the operating system supports opening Zip files as folders, the way Windows XP and later versions of Microsoft's platform do.
ReactOS is available in two editions: a Live edition for testing the operating system and its compatibility with our hardware, and an installation disc. Both editions are compressed with the Live edition starting at 74MB and expanding to 235MB, and the install disc is a 104MB download which expands to 124MB.
I got off to a rocky start as the Live edition would not boot in VirtualBox, with or without debug options enabled. I also could not get the Live edition to boot on my laptop. A boot screen would appear and ask me to press a key to boot from the ReactOS media, but pressing a key produced an error indicating no boot media could be found. It is an odd error since the prompt itself was coming from the boot media.
I then changed gears and tried the install disc in VirtualBox. The installer should look familiar to people who have installed earlier versions of Windows, such as versions 2000 and XP. We are shown a blue text screen with a series of simple menus. The installer asks us to select our language and screen resolution from lists. We are then guided through partitioning our hard drive. The partitioning options are fairly limited as ReactOS only wants one partition and it should be formatted with the FAT file system. We are then asked if we would like to install a boot loader. The whole setup process only took me about two minutes.
ReactOS 0.4.9 -- Application menu and settings
(full image size: 144kB, resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
The first time we boot into the new copy of ReactOS a graphical wizard appears and asks for our location information. We are also asked to provide a password for the administrator account and select our time zone from a drop-down list. We can choose between two themes, one which resembles Windows 2000 and the other which has a similar style but with darker elements. We can then optionally join a Windows domain.
There is, by default, no login page. When the operating system boots we are brought straight to the desktop and given the ability to perform administrator tasks. The desktop closely resembles that of Windows 2000 or 98, with a similar file manager, application menu, control panel and driver management. The faithfulness of the recreation is impressive.
The desktop was generally responsive, though the interface tended to lock up temporarily whenever the disk was being heavily accessed. My main issue though was not waiting for disk input, but dealing with instability. When running in VirtualBox, ReactOS tended to crash whenever I was running more than two or three programs at a time. Sometimes this manifested in the desktop no longer responding to mouse or keyboard input and, in one case, ReactOS showed me the familiar blue screen of death.
ReactOS 0.4.9 -- Running Firefox, Notepad++ and LibreOffice
(full image size: 263kB, resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
A problem I ran into early on was ReactOS could not work with my virtual machine's network card. Searching through the project's documentation I found instructions for setting up an adaptor the operating system would work with. I switched out the network interface and rebooted, but ReactOS still did not recognize the virtual card. Since installing ReactOS takes just a few minutes and trouble-shooting would take longer, I simply re-installed the system with the new network card and it was properly detected after the fresh install was finished.
One of the key highlights of ReactOS, in my opinion, is its package manager. The system ships with a third-party application manager which can be accessed from a desktop icon. Programs are divided into categories we can browse through and we can check boxes to queue programs for installation. The package manager worked well and provided me with quick and easy access to a range of popular open source programs and drivers, including LibreOffice, Firefox, VLC, Notepad++ and a handful of games. A software centre that can run batch jobs to install multiple items at once is something I feel was notably missing from older versions of Windows and I really like that ReactOS makes downloading third-party software so straight forward.
ReactOS 0.4.9 -- The software manager
(full image size: 134kB, resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
A big question people have when it comes to using ReactOS is whether the operating system really can deliver on the idea of running Windows applications. During my brief trial I found that it could. Each of the programs I tried ran and I typically found performance was better under ReactOS than I have experienced with recent versions of Microsoft's product.
Conclusions
While both of the projects I experimented with this week are driven by very interesting concepts (GuixSD offers a purely free system with advanced package management and ReactOS attempts to be an open source replacement for Windows) there are limiting aspects to both projects which would keep me from running them on a regular basis.
GuixSD has a package manager that I like. I've used related technology through NixOS in the past and loved how easy it was to rollback problems, manage accounts and skip forward or backward instantly through installed package versions. Where I feel GuixSD let me down was in its limited hardware support (there are no non-free drivers or firmware) and its limited documentation. There are instructions for using GuixSD when all is going well, but nothing I felt was helpful when the package manager was not operating the way I expected.
ReactOS, while a completely different operating system with its own kernel, installer and programs, ultimately had a similar problem: limited hardware support. The operating system's Live edition did not work in either of my environments and I had to work around having a limited set of drivers. Another issue with ReactOS was the stability. The system tended to lock up if more than a few programs were running, or if I tried to cancel an intensive task like installing a new application.
Both of these projects present interesting ideas, however both are still (as their documentation pages point out) in an unstable stage of development. They should be used with caution and probably not as a main, day-to-day operating system.
* * * * *
Hardware used in this review
My physical test equipment for this review was a de-branded HP laptop with the following
specifications:
- Processor: Intel i3 2.5GHz CPU
- Display: Intel integrated video
- Storage: Western Digital 700GB hard drive
- Memory: 6GB of RAM
- Wired network device: Realtek RTL8101E/RTL8102E PCI Express Fast
- Wireless network device: Realtek RTL8188EE Wireless network card
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| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
Steam supports Windows games running on Linux, Haiku plans first beta, Parabola replaces archive manager, NetBSD 6 reaches end of life
People who would want to play games, including more mainstream titles, on Linux received good news this week. Valve, the company which develops SteamOS and the Steam gaming portal, has published a new beta of Steam which will allow Linux users to run some Windows games through a compatibility layer. The beta supports running 27 Windows games on Linux as though they were native applications with support for more titles expected to be added over time. Valve's announcement reads: "So, two years ago, we started an effort to improve the quality and performance of Windows compatibility solutions for Steam games. A lot of our work has been in the form of supporting WINE and other existing compatibility projects. We have also been integrating these tools into the Steam client to provide the same simple plug-and-play experience offered by regular Linux games. Our goal for this work is to let Linux Steam users enjoy easy access to a larger back catalog. We think it will also allow future developers to easily leverage their work from other platforms to target Linux."
* * * * *
The Haiku project has been working on an open source continuation of BeOS for several years. The project is nearing a new milestone: the operating system's first beta release. A blog post on the Haiku website reports: "At last, R1/beta1 is nearly upon us. As I've already explained on the mailing list, only two non-'task' issues remain in the beta1 milestone, and I have prototype solutions for both. The buildbot and other major services have been rehabilitated and will need only minor tweaking to handle the new branch, and mmlr has been massaging the HaikuPorter buildmaster so that it, too, can handle the new branch, though that work is not quite finished yet. So essentially all that stands between us and the release itself is a lot of testing, and more testing, and polishing all the little bits and pieces we've neglected along the way. I've already begun drafting the release notes, and the i18n translation tools have been synchronized with master, so even though the string freeze hasn't happened yet, the bulk of the translation work can begin." The beta release is expected to be publicly available around the middle of September 2018.
* * * * *
The Parabola GNU/Linux-libre developers have announced that they are replacing the unar archive manager with an alternative utility called unarchiver. "The unar package has been dropped in favor of Arch Linux's unarchiver. This was discussed in the mailing list some months ago. If you are using unar, just install unarchiver. You'll be asked if you want to replace it, just accept and continue as any normal package installation."
* * * * *
The NetBSD project has announced support for the NetBSD 6.x series of releases has been discontinued. NetBSD users are advised to upgrade to either version 7 or 8 of the operating system. "In keeping with NetBSD's policy of supporting only the latest (8.x) and next most recent (7.x) major branches, the recent release of NetBSD 8.0 marks the end of life for NetBSD 6.x. As in the past, a month of overlapping support has been provided in order to ease the migration to newer releases."
* * * * *
These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
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| Questions and Answers (by Jesse Smith) |
Merging partitions, an alternative to Tails, the differences between su, su - and sudo
Coming-together asks: Is it possible to merge two partitions into one big partition?
DistroWatch answers: I cannot think of any disk partition managers which will merge two (or more) partitions in one operation. What I would typically do if you want to add the space of one partition to another is to perform the following three steps:
- Back up all your files on the disk you are changing. Partition management can be destructive.
- Remove one of the partitions you want to merge.
- Expand the second partition so it takes up all of the space freed by removing the first partition.
At this point you will have one big partition where you once had two small ones. At that point you can copy your data files back onto the one large partition from your backup.
* * * * *
Avoiding-systemd-and-desiring-privacy asks: Has anyone made a systemd-free version of Tails?
DistroWatch answers: People have made something which is similar to Tails that does not include systemd. The project is called heads and is based on Devuan. Like Tails, the heads project ships with Tor included by default. The heads distro ships with free software only, which makes it possible to audit all of the operating system's parts, but reduces the number of hardware devices heads can use compared to Tails.
* * * * *
su-su-sudo asks: What is the difference between using su, su - and sudo?
DistroWatch answers: The su command lets one user become another user. By default the su command will attempt to switch from the current user to the root user, though we can try to become any user if we have their password. When using plain su the current environment variables are maintained. Basically, when we use su the shell's variables stay the same as they were before we ran su.
When we use su - the su command sets up the shell environment as though we had originally logged in as the specified user. It would be just like we had logged out and then signed in as a different user.
The sudo command is a bit different. While su is typically used to switch our current command line user to a different user and remain logged in as that user, the sudo command is usually used to run just one command as another user. The sudo command typically is used to run one program as the root user without us signing into to the root account.
The sudo approach has some advantages. It is flexible and can be tweaked to easily allow certain users or groups to perform specific tasks. The sudo command can provide logging, making it possible to audit a user's actions. When using sudo we do not switch to another user and so we avoid accidentally running future commands as the wrong user, which can happen if we use su and then forget which user we are signed in as.
* * * * *
Additional answers can be found in our Questions and Answers archive.
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| Released Last Week |
deepin 5.7
The deepin project has published a new release of its Debian-based distribution featuring the Deepin Desktop Environment (DDE). The project's latest release, deepin 15.7, focuses on optimizations and reduces the size of the distribution's ISO, and lowers memory consumption and power consumption. "To reduce power consumption of laptop, 'power saving mode' is added in deepin 15.7. Your laptop can enter power saving mode automatically when using battery. In this way, laptop standby and working time is increased. Preliminary tests show that in our test environment, standby time is extended 20%. deepin 15.7 has made a series of adjustments and optimizations in memory usage. In the standard configuration, the boot memory has decreased from 1.1GB to 830MB, and reduced to less than 800MB on a discrete graphics card." Further information, along with screen shots, can be found in the distribution's release announcement.
Bodhi Linux 5.0.0
Jeff Hoogland has announced the release of Bodhi Linux 5.0.0. Bodhi Linux is a lightweight Ubuntu-based distribution featuring Moksha, an Enlightenment 17-based desktop environment. The project takes a decidedly minimalist approach by offering modularity, high levels of customisation, and choice of themes. "Today I am very pleased to share the hard work of the Bodhi Team which has resulted in our fifth major release. It has been quite the journey since our first stable release a little over seven years ago and I am happy with the progress this projected has made in that time. For those looking for a lengthy change log between the 4.5.0 release and 5.0.0, you will not find one. We have been happy with what the Moksha desktop has provided for some time now. This new major release simply serves to bring a modern look and updated Ubuntu core (18.04) to the lightning fast desktop you have come to expect from Bodhi Linux." Information on the new version can be found in the project's release announcement. The distribution is available in three editions: Standard, Legacy (for older, 32-bit computers), and AppPack which includes more software on the installation media.
Bodhi Linux 5.0.0 -- The Moksha desktop
(full image size: 1.2MB, resolution: 2550x1392 pixels)
GParted Live 0.32.0-1
GParted Live is a minimal Linux distribution which runs a light desktop environment to provide access to disk partitioning tools, in particular the GParted disk management software. The project's latest version, GParted Live 0.32.0-1, is based on Debian's Unstable branch and includes fixes for shrinking LVM volumes and respecting minimal file system sizes. The release announcement states: "This release includes GParted 0.32.0, updated packages, and other improvements. Items of note include: Includes GParted 0.32.0 which adds the following enhancements: Implement opening and closing of LUKS mappings. Fix can't shrink LVM partition due to pvresize prompt. Recognise additional GRUB2 core.img signatures. Honour resize2fs minimum FS sizes. Based on the Debian Sid repository (as of 2018/Aug/23). Linux kernel updated to 4.17.17-1. This release of GParted Live has been successfully tested on VirtualBox, VMware, BIOS, UEFI, and physical computers with AMD/ATI, NVIDIA, and Intel graphics."
UBports 16.04
The UBports project maintains a community-developed continuation of Canonical's Ubuntu Touch operating system for mobile devices. The UBports team has published a new major release, based on Ubuntu 16.04. The new release, UBports 16.04 (also known as UBports OTA-4), includes new power saving features, new keyboard layouts for Turkish, Bulgarian, and Swiss-French languages, and performance improvements. "After eight months of work, the UBports Foundation is proud to announce the release of Ubuntu Touch OTA-4. This release features Ubuntu 16.04 as its base (previously 15.04), bringing security fixes and greater stability to unseen corners of the operating system. We've also upgraded from Qt 5.4 to 5.9, bringing a number of improvements. Check out the What's New section below for more information on what's been changed or updated in this release! Users who have Ubuntu Touch OTA-3 will not be receiving this update automatically. See 'How do I get it?' below for more information. Why does OTA-4 matter? We believe that this is the 'official' starting point of the UBports project. From the point when Canonical dropped the project until today, the community has been playing 'catch up' in development, infrastructure, and community building. This release shows that the community is soundly based and capable of delivering." Further details can be found in the project's release announcement. A list of supported devices and installation instructions can be found on the project's Devices page.
* * * * *
Development, unannounced and minor bug-fix releases
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| Torrent Corner |
Weekly Torrents
The table below provides a list of torrents DistroWatch is currently seeding. If you do not have a bittorrent client capable of handling the linked files, we suggest installing either the Transmission or KTorrent bittorrent clients.
Archives of our previously seeded torrents may be found in our Torrent Archive. We also maintain a Torrents RSS feed for people who wish to have open source torrents delivered to them. To share your own open source torrents of Linux and BSD projects, please visit our Upload Torrents page.
Torrent Corner statistics:
- Total torrents seeded: 990
- Total data uploaded: 21.1TB
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| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
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Summary of expected upcoming releases
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| Opinion Poll |
sudo versus su
When it comes to performing administrative tasks on Linux, there are a few different common approaches. One is to use the sudo command to temporarily gain access to run a single command. Another is to use the su command to switch to a privileged user account and run commands interactively. When it comes to managing your computer system, which approach do you use?
You can see the results of our previous poll on limiting process resource usage in last week's edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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sudo versus su
| I use sudo to run admin commands: | 1433 (67%) |
| I use su to become a privileged user: | 581 (27%) |
| I use another tool such as doas: | 16 (1%) |
| I logout and start a new session as root: | 34 (2%) |
| Other: | 81 (4%) |
| I do not have admin access: | 5 (0%) |
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| DistroWatch.com News |
New projects added to database
Hamara
Hamara is a Debian-based desktop distribution featuring the MATE desktop. Hamara is developed in India and the team works to provide improved translations for the more popular spoken languages in India. Downloading and using Hamara can be done free of charge though the company behind Hamara also provides commercial technical support.
Hamara 2.1 -- The welcome screen
(full image size: 1.1MB, resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
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Distributions added to waiting list
- Norcux OS. Norcux OS is a Linux distribution with two main branches: a fixed release based on Debian and a rolling release based on Arch Linux. Both branches feature the KDE Plasma desktop.
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DistroWatch database summary
* * * * *
This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 3 September 2018. Past articles and reviews can be found through our Article Search page. To contact the authors please send e-mail to:
- Jesse Smith (feedback, questions and suggestions: distribution reviews/submissions, questions and answers, tips and tricks)
- Ladislav Bodnar (feedback, questions, donations, comments)
- Bruce Patterson (podcast)
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| Archives |
| • 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 |
| • Issue 1103 (2025-01-06): elementary OS 8.0, filtering ads with Pi-hole, Debian testing its installer, Pop!_OS faces delays, Ubuntu Studio upgrades not working, Absolute discontinued |
| • Issue 1102 (2024-12-23): Best distros of 2024, changing a process name, Fedora to expand Btrfs support and releases Asahi Remix 41, openSUSE patches out security sandbox and donations from Bottles while ending support for Leap 15.5 |
| • Issue 1101 (2024-12-16): GhostBSD 24.10.1, sending attachments from the command line, openSUSE shows off GPU assignment tool, UBports publishes security update, Murena launches its first tablet, Xfce 4.20 released |
| • Issue 1100 (2024-12-09): Oreon 9.3, differences in speed, IPFire's new appliance, Fedora Asahi Remix gets new video drivers, openSUSE Leap Micro updated, Redox OS running Redox OS |
| • Issue 1099 (2024-12-02): AnduinOS 1.0.1, measuring RAM usage, SUSE continues rebranding efforts, UBports prepares for next major version, Murena offering non-NFC phone |
| • Issue 1098 (2024-11-25): Linux Lite 7.2, backing up specific folders, Murena and Fairphone partner in fair trade deal, Arch installer gets new text interface, Ubuntu security tool patched |
| • Issue 1097 (2024-11-18): Chimera Linux vs Chimera OS, choosing between AlmaLinux and Debian, Fedora elevates KDE spin to an edition, Fedora previews new installer, KDE testing its own distro, Qubes-style isolation coming to FreeBSD |
| • 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 |
| • Full list of all issues |
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| Random Distribution | 
Pinguy OS
Pinguy OS was an Ubuntu-based distribution targeted at beginning Linux users. It features numerous user-friendly enhancements, out-of-the-box support for multimedia codecs and browser plugins, a heavily tweaked GNOME user interface with enhanced menus, panels and dockbars, and a careful selection of popular desktop applications for many common computing tasks.
Status: Discontinued
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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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