 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 1129, 7 July 2025 |
|
Welcome to this year's 27th issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
The Nix package and system manager is a fantastic piece of technology which makes it possible to configure most aspects of a Linux-based operating system from a single text file. Nix also handles dependencies, works across multiple distributions, and enables instant rollbacks to previous packages without needing a reboot. Despite all of these perks, and a massive package repository, not many distributions have adopted Nix. This week we explore an exception: GLF OS. The GLF OS distribution is focused on gaming and is based on NixOS which makes it possible for the distribution to change its software packages and desktop on a whim. Jesse Smith explores GLF OS in this week's Feature Story and share his first impressions. In our News section this week we talk about Alpine Linux seeking to reduce the maintenance burden for X11 desktop environments which may soon be pushed aside in favour of Wayland-only distributions. We also talk about Fedora dropping plans to stop building i686 packages while AlmaLinux extends its add-on package support. Plus we talk about Ubuntu dropping support for existing RISC-V devices while Rhino Linux partners with UBports to work on the Lomiri user interface. We also report on PCLinuxOS recovering from a website outage. Then our Questions and Answers column discusses the sensitive question of whether there is a "world's worst" Linux distribution. Plus we share the releases of the past week and list the torrents we are seeding. Finally, our Opinion Poll invites our readers to vote for the next feature we add to DistroWatch. We wish you all a wonderful week and happy reading!
This week's DistroWatch Weekly is presented by TUXEDO Computers.
Content:
- Review: GLF OS Omnislash Beta
- News: Alpine seeks to reduce maintenance burden for X11 desktops, Fedora drops proposal for removing 32-bit packages, AlmaLinux extends EPEL support for more CPUs, Ubuntu dropping older RISC-V processors, Rhino Linux working with UBports, PCLinuxOS experiences website outage
- Questions and answers: Is there a worst Linux distro?
- Released last week: ExTiX 25.7, Melawy Linux 2025.07.04, Linux Kamarada 15.6, MocaccinoOS 1.8.3, Rhino Linux 2025.3
- Torrent corner: KDE neon, Melawy Linux
- Opinion poll: What should we work on next?
- Site news: Description tool tips for distros and packages
- New additions: Arkane Linux, ATZ Linux, CuerdOS, Expirion Linux, Huayra GNU/Linux, LangitKetujuh OS, LibraZiK, LinuxHub Prime, Luberri Linux, Melawy Linux, Sculpt OS, Tribblix, Tsurugi Linux, UBLinux
- New distributions: Vincent OS
- Reader comments
|
| Feature Story (By Jesse Smith) |
GLF OS Omnislash Beta
GLF OS is a gaming-oriented, live Linux distribution based on NixOS. Developed by a French-speaking community called Gaming Linux FR (GLF), the distribution includes everything one would need for gaming on Linux, including Steam, Lutris, Heroic Games Launcher, as well as MangoHud, a tool for monitoring system performance and for benchmarking applications. GLF OS comes with specific hardware-management configurations for PS5 DualSense, Xbox and 8bitdo controllers. The live distribution image uses the GNOME desktop environments, but KDE Plasma is available as an option during system installation.
On top of the above features, the GLF OS website states: "You can go back to a previous version of your system or packages with one click." We are also told the project supports automatic updates:
GLF OS updates automatically when you start your computer, for the first 5 minutes, which also includes system maintenance and cleaning. No manual intervention at the terminal is necessary, you can simply use your system as usual.
The website also tells us the distribution should be run on machines which have at least 8GB of RAM and 60GB of disk space. GLF OS is available in one edition for x86_64 machines and its live media runs the GNOME desktop. The ISO available for download is a hefty 6.3GB in size.
Booting from the ISO brings up a menu where we have the option of loading the distribution normally or pulling it into RAM before booting. Either approach loads the GNOME desktop. A thin panel is placed across the top of the screen with an Activities button and the desktop's system tray. A dock at the bottom of the screen holds a few launchers, including one for Firefox, one for Discord, one for Steam, and an icon for opening a full screen application grid.
The GNOME interface is displayed in French by default and the keyboard uses a French layout. While I can read French fairly well, having my keyboard not match the assumed layout made typing difficult and I wanted to change language settings. I tried to open the GNOME Settings application, first from the application grid and then from the system tray, and in both case the settings panel failed to open.
This turned out to be my first issue with the distribution. Not only did the settings panel fail to open, but I soon found all applications failed to launch when clicked. I could access a local text terminal and, with some difficulty, type commands to run (which worked), but no desktop programs would open. This might be a first time this has happened during one of my trials, where no applications at all would launch or even show an error message.
Installing
I ended up trying to boot the distribution in a variety of ways. After looking for Wayland/X11 options (and not finding any) and switching between UEFI and Legacy BIOS boot modes, I finally found that booting the live ISO with the kernel option "nomodeset" enabled allowed me to launch desktop applications. I also found when booting with the "nomodeset" kernel parameter that, upon signing into the live GNOME desktop, the Calamares system installer would launch automatically.
As a footnote to my attempt to get desktop applications working, it turned out to be pointless with regards to GNOME Settings. When I changed the language settings in the settings panel, the desktop advised me to sign out and log in again. I did this (there is no password on the live user account) and discovered that the language and keyboard options had reverted back to French. So using the GNOME desktop for anything which required typing was a non-starter.
On the other hand, the Calamares installer does allow us to switch language and keyboard settings on its opening screens and these settings take immediate effect inside the application. This makes it easier to install the distribution than to write a note in its text editor.
Once we have selected our language, keyboard layout, and timezone Calamares asks us to make up a username and password. We are then asked to pick between Plasma and GNOME for our desktop. Since I had problems with GNOME on the live media I decided to use Plasma. We are shown four roles (Standard, Mini, Studio, and Studio Pro) and asked to pick one. The Standard edition appears to offer typical desktop applications and some gaming tools. It includes Firefox, office software, Steam, and NVIDIA drivers. The Mini edition offers just basic desktop usage and includes a web browser and a few small desktop utilities. Studio appears to include everything from the Standard edition, plus creative tools such as Audacity, the GNU Image Manipulation Program, and Discord. The Studio Pro role appears to add the DeVinci Resolve Studio software on top of the Studio role. We should not worry too much about which role we choose as we can change to a different role post-install.
Disk partitioning comes next. Calamares offers a friendly disk manager we can use to customize our disk layout. It also offers a guided approach which will set up ext4 for the root filesystem with no swap space. (Actually, a zRAM swap device is set up inside RAM whether we create a swap partition or not, so there is always, technically, a swap device present.)
The first time I tried to install GLF OS the installer appeared to get about halfway through and then locked up. In fact, the whole GNOME desktop stopped responding and I was unable to cancel the process and had to force a reboot. The next time through I opened Calamares' progress log and watched it while the installer worked. The second time through, with the same configuration, the install completed successfully. I noticed, in the log, GLF pulls its packages from NixOS repositories.
Early impressions
When I first booted GLF OS the distribution presented me with a login screen where I could pick from three session options: Plasma on Wayland, Plasma on X11, and Steam. The Plasma sessions worked for me, however the Steam session did not. Picking the Steam option caused the screen to go blank and the operating system to stop responding to keyboard input (including trying to switch to a text terminal). A hard reboot was required to restore the system.
GLF OS Omnislash -- The KDE Plasma application menu
(full image size: 958kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
When signing into Plasma the Nix package manager runs in the background and works for a few minutes. I suspect it is checking for (and applying) updates in the background, though I was never shown a notification to indicate whether updates had been applied.
When I first started using Plasma there was no offer of a tour and no pop-up asking us to customize the experience. The distribution hands us the Plasma desktop and steps out of the way.
Hardware
The distribution worked pretty well in my test environments, both on my laptop and in VirtualBox. The desktop performance in each case was good and GLF OS detected my laptop's hardware. My touchpad, wireless networking, and audio all worked out of the box.
The distribution uses about 950MB to 1000MB of RAM when signed into the Plasma desktop (after Nix stopped running in the background), which is heavier than average, but typical for Plasma 6. The distribution is huge in terms of disk usage with the Standard edition (the one with gaming applications, but no creative tools) consuming a massive 26GB. Though 5GB of that space was just leftover data in the Nix cache after the install completed. We can free up that 5GB of space by running the Nix garbage collection process with "nix-store --gc".
GLF OS Omnislash -- Using the Dolphin file manager
(full image size: 683kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
Included software
The software which will be included with the distribution varies, depending on which role we select at install time. The Standard edition ships with some typical desktop applications, such as Firefox, Transmission, KDE Connect, and Discord. The Celluloid video player and Elisa audio player are installed for us, along with media codecs for most formats. LibreOffice is included along with the Dolphin file manager.
GLF OS Omnislash -- Using the System Settings panel to test dark mode
(full image size: 709kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
The Standard edition also ships with the Heroic Games Launcher, Lutris, Oversteer (a steering wheel manager), the Steam gaming portal, and Wine Tricks for setting up Windows games. These items and the Celluloid video player are not included in the lighter Mini role.
In the background we find manual pages, the GNU command line tools, and the systemd suite. GLF OS offers users the fairly modern 6.14 version of the Linux kernel.
The distribution's website mentions several gaming controllers are supported out of the box. I think this is great, and from my limited testing, it appears to be a working feature. Though I have typically found most game controllers are supported in other, non-gaming distributions too. This seems to be less of a perk of GLF specifically and more just a positive "business as usual" situation that the developers are highlighting on the website.
GLF OS Omnislash -- Visiting the project's website in Firefox
(full image size: 477kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
Custom features
There are a few custom applications which ship with GLF OS. The first, and perhaps most interesting one, is the GLF-OS Environment Selection application. This application duplicates a few of the questions from the system installer. Specifically it asks if we want to be using GNOME or Plasma (the is no option to use both) and then it asks which role we want to install (Standard, Mini, Studio, or Studio Pro). Once we make our selections the system updates its configuration and runs Nix to apply it.
This works quite well, we can "upgrade" or "downgrade" across roles and switch desktops on the live system. This is handy if we start with just the Mini experience to get a feel for the distribution and then want to install more tools, or if we install everything and then realize we don't need so much. Switching between roles and desktops only takes a handful of minutes and cleans up (or installs) all the components for us as if we were setting up a fresh install. The exception is our user settings and files; those remain intact across role changes.
GLF OS Omnislash -- Switching between roles
(full image size: 906kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
I downgraded to the Mini edition for a while and found it provided me with a Plasma session with a web browser and audio player, but no gaming tools (like Steam, Lutris, or WINE), and no office suite. The disk usage and memory usage stats remain close to the same when running the Mini flavour.
Another custom utility is the GLF-OS MangoHud Configuration application. Earlier I mentioned MangoHud, a performance tracking application. The MangoHud Configuration application asks us if we want MangoHud to be Disabled, Light, or Full. There is no context for this choice provided and no information supplied about how MangoHud works or why we might pick one option over another. I tried switching between these, but never actually saw MangoHud displayed. Perhaps it only runs with specific applications or perhaps we need to manually run it or enable a service. I didn't find any information on setting up MangoHud or any launcher for it in the application menu so its usefulness was lost on me.
Nix, updates, and package management
The main tool for managing applications on GLF OS appears to be Easy Flatpak. The Easy Flatpak program is a software centre with a simple layout. Categories of desktop applications and games are places to the left side of the window while specific programs are listed, in alphabetical order, on the right. Installing new software is as straight forward as clicking an install button next to an application and then selecting whether the program should be installed system-wide or for our user only. Easy Flatpak worked well for me. It has clearly labelled categories and has a simple search feature for finding applications by name. I had no problems when installing or removing programs.
GLF OS Omnislash -- Downloading software with Easy Flatpak
(full image size: 581kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
As the name implies, Easy Flatpak works on Flatpak packages only and, by default, GLF OS pulls in software from the Flathub repository. As it happens, Easy Flatpak is, itself, installed as a Flatpak. It's one of the very few Flatpak bundles installed for us out of the box.
Another tool for working with software is Nix and the Nix command line tools are included. However, while I've generally had good experiences with Nix (while using NixOS or as a third-party package manager on other distributions), Nix did not work for me when I used it directly on GLF OS. The package manager would spew out errors about CUDA and then lock up. This happened whether I was performing searches for packages, trying to perform updates, or installing new packages. I didn't get Nix to work manually. It did work to switch roles when using the desktop front-ends mentioned above though. I'm not sure what is different about Nix on GLF vs NixOS, but it breaks basic usage. As a result, I used Flatpak for installing most software (at least software outside of what was provided through Steam).
Speaking of Steam, and gaming in general, I installed a few games and they worked well for me. I wouldn't say there was any notable difference between running games on GLF OS as opposed to gaming on other distributions. Games, whether installed through Flatpak or Steam, work the same on GLF as they do on other distributions.
Conclusions
While trying out GLF OS I tried to keep in mind that the release I was using was a beta snapshot, not a polished, final product, even though the developers say, "Although we still qualify it as a 'beta' version due to lack of hindsight, it is fully functional. This success is the result of incredible teamwork, which together has transformed GLF OS from an ambitious project into one that is poised to deliver on its promise: to become the most accessible distribution for beginners and anyone wishing to switch from Windows to Linux."
Their celebrations are, in my opinion, premature. GLF OS does have some nice features. It is fairly responsive, it can switch between roles in minutes, it has a great front-end for Flatpak package management, and the Standard edition comes with lots of gaming software. The project is fulfilling a lot of its goals with this first beta. I also appreciate that the team is trying to use Nix to automate software updates with the option of rolling back changes from the boot menu. I tested this and we can, in fact, revert to a previous "generation" of packages from the boot menu, which is great.
However, as with many first releases and development versions, GLF OS still needs to be tested and polished further. The project's live mode has a weird video bug that its parent doesn't have, its copy of Nix vomits errors and fails to install new packages (while NixOS handles manually installing new packages without any problems), and the GLF-specific applications are not well explained or documented.
Most of these issues are not deal breakers and I like a lot of the approaches demonstrated by GLF. However, most elements could be made just a little more user friendly, especially since the team claims to be targeting beginners. Beginners need clear explanations, documentation, an installer that doesn't lock up, maybe the launcher for Easy Flatpak on the desktop panel, and a welcome window to explain where things are. This is a good beta, but it is still a beta and not quite ready for people migrating from other operating systems.
* * * * *
Hardware used in this review
My physical test equipment for this review was an HP DY2048CA laptop with the following
specifications:
- Processor: 11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-1135G7 @ 2.40GHz
- Display: Intel integrated video
- Storage: Western Digital 512GB solid state drive
- Memory: 8GB of RAM
- Wireless network device: Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 + BT Wireless network card
* * * * *
Visitor supplied rating
GLF OS has a visitor supplied average rating of: 9.3/10 from 9 review(s).
Have you used GLF OS? You can leave your own review of the project on our ratings page.
|
| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
Alpine seeks to reduce maintenance burden for X11 desktops, Fedora drops proposal for removing 32-bit packages, AlmaLinux extends EPEL support for more CPUs, Ubuntu dropping older RISC-V processors, Rhino Linux working with UBports, PCLinuxOS experiences website outage
As much of the Linux community moves toward replacing the X.Org display software with Wayland implementations, it raises some questions for people who want to run applications (and even full desktop environments) which are not Wayland-compatible. The Alpine Linux team are working on one solution for users of X.Org-only desktops: "Wayback is an experimental X compatibility layer which allows for running full X desktop environments using Wayland components. It is essentially a stub compositor which provides just enough Wayland capabilities to host a rootful Xwayland server. It is intended to eventually replace the classic X.Org server in Alpine, thus reducing maintenance burden of X applications in Alpine, but a lot of work needs to be done first." More information on Wayback can be found on its GitHub page.
* * * * *
Following strong feedback to its proposal to drop i686 CPU support, the Fedora project is withdrawing plans to drop the 32-bit packages. "It is clear that the Fedora 44 target for this Change was too early. To some degree, I expected this to be the case, and was prepared to move the proposed implementation of the Change to a later release."
* * * * *
The AlmaLinux OS distribution supplies package builds for a wider range of x86_64 CPUs than its parent distribution, creating builds for both x86_64-v2 and x86_64-v3 (Red Hat Enterprise Linux is limited to x86_64-v3 only). The AlmaLinux project has also taken it upon themselves to extend the Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux repository, offering x86_64-v2 builds for its users. "In March, ALESCo approved a proposal to build EPEL packages from Fedora's source RPMs (SRPMs) to maintain long-term feature parity for our x86_64-v2 support initiative. Last month, these packages became available for AlmaLinux Kitten 10, and today we are happy to announce that x86_64-v2 EPEL support is now available for AlmaLinux 10 Stable as well. The EPEL package builds for AlmaLinux OS 10 stable are now complete and ready for use!" Tips for enabling this add-on repository are provided in the project's blog post.
* * * * *
Future versions of the Ubuntu distribution will be dropping support for existing RISC-V processors, focusing on future CPUs and their capabilities. An issue report on Launchpad outlines the change: "For Ubuntu 25.10 release we plan to raise the required RISC-V ISA profile family to RVA23. The ubuntu-release-upgrader should stop upgrades beyond Ubuntu 24.04 on hardware that does not support the RVA23U64 profile. RVA23U64 is the profile relevant for user space. As there is no upgrade path from Ubuntu 25.04 Plucky for RVA20 systems, we should also stop upgrading these RISC-V systems from Noble to Plucky. Probably a warning is adequate here." The interesting implication here is that virtually no RISC-V processors currently support RVA23, which means almost no existing devices running RISC-V will work with Ubuntu 25.10 and later. Only newly created RISC-V systems will work with the upcoming Ubuntu release.
* * * * *
The Rhino Linux team have announced a partnership with UBports, the developers of an Ubuntu-based mobile operating system. "We are extremely excited to announce that Rhino Linux has been officially sponsored by The UBports Foundation, the maintainers of Ubuntu Touch and creators of Lomiri, the convergence desktop environment.
As part of this collaboration, Rhino Linux will be contributing patches upstream to Lomiri, helping to sustain and support its ongoing development, and assisting in the transition to Qt6.
Looking ahead, Rhino Linux 2025.4 will see Lomiri becoming the official Desktop Environment for Rhino Linux on all PINE64 devices, replacing Unicorn Mobile, bringing a more integrated mobile experience to Rhino Linux." The announcement points out that this will effectively make Rhino Linux a rolling release alternative to UBports LTS releases for PINE64 devices, such as the PinePhone.
* * * * *
The PCLinuxOS project was hit by a setback this week as its website and forum were knocked off-line. "The site that hosts the PCLinuxOS website caught fire and burned. We don't know if or when it will be back up. This is a temporary forum we can use until things return to normal." The temporary forum has been set up to give community members a chance to communicate until the main website is restored. A new website is being built, though it is in its early stages.
* * * * *
These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
|
| Questions and Answers (by Jesse Smith) |
Is there a worst Linux distro?
Seeking-the-lowest-point asks: What would you say, in all your experience, is the worst Linux distro?
DistroWatch answers: This is an interesting question because, I believe, if asked what our all-time favourite Linux distro is, most of us would have an immediate answer. Most of us have a distribution which, maybe because it was our first or because it was the first one which really "clicked" for us, stands out as a favourite. I often see massive threads on forums in which people are chiming in with their favourite distro or the distribution they recommend for newcomers. It's a popular topic and one people will often join to share their opinion.
However, I rarely hear people discuss distributions they didn't like. Perhaps because it is so easy to hop from one distribution to another. There is rarely any reason to linger while using a distribution that does not appeal. There is a very low barrier to switching Linux distributions, especially when compared against the process of changing proprietary operating systems.
I also suspect some people, myself included, are hesitant to bash Linux distributions we do not like. Almost every Linux distribution created is, whether you like it or not, someone's creative effort. Picking a least favourite distribution is similar to talking to people about your least favourite book, discussing what is the worst song, or debating the world's worst painting. It feels unnecessarily mean to put down someone's attempt at creating.
Perhaps I am biased because I write code and, from time to time, have contributed to a handful of open source operating systems. For the most part, when I talk with my peers who are developers, I get the sense they are people trying their best to make something useful or interesting and sharing it with the world. Telling any of them their creation is the "worst" would be as uncouth as telling a five year old their painting of their family looks terrible - it's unnecessarily mean and doesn't accomplish anything.
There is an exception though to my general rule against bashing someone else's creative efforts. There are some developers, some groups, which are intentionally malicious. There are some developers who are trying to scam or trick their users for the sake of personal gain or mischief. Their creations are not bad because they failed, their software is bad because they are succeeding at their unpleasant goal. Those projects (and I have encountered a few over the years) which go out of their way to scam, guilt, spy on, or manipulate their users deserve all the scorn and complaints they receive.
I'm not going to go into a list here, but I will say that I've occasionally encountered distributions which included spyware, distributions which were clearly just re-skinned copies of existing projects the developers used to beg for donations, I've run into Linux distributions where the developers outright lied to their users to try to gain sympathy (and money), and I've encountered projects which were once good until they were bought and their brands used to trick users into buying/installing the software. One sees a lot over the span of two decades when writing articles in this field.
The types of projects I mentioned above I'm not going to name specifically, but I will say they are, collectively, one of the reasons I tend to recommend people stick to the major distributions list. The problematic distributions are usually run by a single developer or by very small teams. Distributions with more developers, ones which operate in the mainstream, have too many eyes on them to engage in shady actions.
* * * * *
Additional answers can be found in our Questions and Answers archive.
|
| Released Last Week |
ExTiX 25.7
Arne Exton has announced the availability of a new version of ExTiX, based on the recently-released deepin 25 and featuring the Deepin desktop: "I released a new version of ExTiX Deepin today. The previous ExTiX Deepin edition with deepin 23 stable is from 2024-08-16. This ExTiX Build is based on deepin 25 stable (the latest version) released by Deepin Technology on June 26, 2025. ExTiX 25.7 uses Linux kernel 6.15.3. ExTiX 25.7 works in the same way as all other ExTiX editions, i.e. you can install it to hard drive while running the system live; use the Refracta installer for that. You can also create your own live installable deepin 25 system with Refracta Snapshot. New functions: VirtualBox Guest Additions are not pre-installed; you can run ExTiX from RAM; you can only use the Refracta installer for hard drive installations; I have installed Firefox as a replacement for deepin's browser; I've added the Synaptic package manager; you can watch Netflix while running Firefox." Continue to the release announcement for full details and screenshots.
ExTiX 25.7 -- Running the Deepin desktop
(full image size: 3.5MB, resolution: 2560x1600 pixels)
Melawy Linux 2025.07.04
Valeria Fadeeva has announced the release of a new version of Melawy Linux, an Arch-based desktop Linux distribution with a customised KDE Plasma as the preferred desktop. The new version, labelled as 2025.07.04, comes with updated packages as well as various important changes. Most notably, the distribution now uses the XanMod kernel, a general-purpose Linux kernel with custom settings and third-party patches. Previously, Melawy Linux used a kernel built by CachyOS for improved performance and responsiveness, but the CachyOS kernel does not work on some laptops. Also, the XanMod kernel offers support for Waydroid, a container-based method that enables Android to run in a containerized environment on Linux systems. The new release also comes with unspecified bug fixes. Visit the project's news page to read the brief release announcement (in Russian) and to see the screenshots. Although Melawy Linux is a Russian project, the distribution defaults to an English-language user interface.
Linux Kamarada 15.6
Antônio Vinicius Menezes Medeiros has announced the release of Linux Kamarada 15.6, an updated version of the project's general-purpose, openSUSE-based distribution. This new build updates the GNOME desktop to version 45 and improves its integration with smartphones with the help of the GSConnect GNOME extension. "I am proud to announce that Linux Kamarada 15.6 is ready for everyone to use. Linux Kamarada is a Linux distribution based on openSUSE Leap and is intended for use on desktops at home and at work, in both private companies and government entities. It features the essential software selection for any Linux installation and a nice-looking modern desktop. The most notable update was to the GNOME desktop, which on Linux Kamarada 15.4 and 15.5 was at version 41, and is now at 45. The GNOME desktop has a new quick settings menu. Its new design makes it easy to quickly see the status (whether WiFi is on or off, whether Bluetooth is on or off) as well as change commonly-used settings (connect to a WiFi network, pair a Bluetooth device). Settings which previously required digging into menus can now be changed with the click of button." See the release announcement for more information and screenshots.
Linux Kamarada 15.6 -- Running the GNOME desktop
(full image size: 2.2MB, resolution: 2560x1600 pixels)
MocaccinoOS 1.8.3
The MocaccinoOS development team has announced the release of MocaccinoOS 1.8.3, a minor update of the project's minimalist, Gentoo-based Linux distribution with a custom package manager called "Luet" and a choice of four popular desktops: "Today we are releasing MocaccinoOS 1.8.3. This is mostly an upgraded version that doesn't introduce too many new features. Everything is compiled against a very recent Gentoo Portage tree. Changes since 1.8.2: Linux kernel is upgraded to 6.12.35 (LTS); Mesa version 25.1.4; Qt updated to 6.9.1; NVIDIA drivers version 570.153.02 (available in repository); KDE Plasma 6.3.5; GNOME 47.3. Issues and improvements: we are aware that MOS images are not fully EFI complaint, certain (mostly older) systems are not booting properly with EFISTUB used in our images. At the moment we do not have a proper solution and the workaround is to change your BIOS settings to boot in legacy mode. Notes for testers: additional software can be installed through Flatpak, docker or the community repository. Please give us feedback by reporting bugs or sharing your ideas with us." Continue to the release announcement for further details.
Rhino Linux 2025.3
Rhino Linux is an Ubuntu-based distribution which offers a rolling-release upgrade approach. The project's latest snapshot introduces a rewritten package manager (RPK2) and a new KDE-based desktop environment which uses Plasma 6 packages. "2025.3 images ship with RPK2, our rewrite of Rhino PKG in Nushell, by default! We have already written a blog post detailing the changes that came in RPK2, which we recommend checking out if you haven't already. We also recommend all users review the updated Rhino PKG Wiki or rpk help message to learn about the new commands and shorthands. We have also announced the release of our UBXI KDE Desktop package this release cycle, based on Plasma 6! You can read the full announcement here. Additionally, we want to reiterate that we plan to release official UBXI KDE disk image spins by the end of the year, shipping alongside the standard Unicorn Desktop images, to allow for more desktop options out-of-the-box. Pacstall has had a few major bumps in between Rhino Linux 2025.2 and 2025.3. As we have mentioned before, with Pacstall being integral to Rhino Linux, as well as sharing developers between the projects, we feel it's important to share information about these releases as well." Additional information is provided in the project's release announcement.
* * * * *
Development, unannounced and minor bug-fix releases
|
| 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: 3,234
- Total data uploaded: 47.6TB
|
| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
|
Summary of expected upcoming releases
|
| Opinion Poll (by Jesse Smith) |
What should we work on next?
In recent weeks we have been checking items off our to-do list. Dozens of new distributions have been added to our database, a dark theme has been added to the website, code has been brought up to modern standards, the country of origin page was refreshed, and we've made it possible to search for declarative distributions.
We have a few more items on our to-do list and would appreciate your input on which tasks to work on next. Please vote for which item you think should be completed first.
You can see the results of our previous poll on preferring mainstream or unusual distributions in our previous edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
|
|
|
| Website News |
Description tool tips for distros and packages
This week we introduced a new feature to our front page. On the left side of the page we list new minor and development releases of distributions (under the heading "Latest Distributions"). Further down the page, still on the left side, we have a section called "Latest Packages" which tracks recent stable releases of open source software.
These sections provide up to date information on new software releases, but they can be confusing to new Linux users who might not know what a package called "K3b" or "Midori" is. To help with this, we have added tool tips to both sections. Hovering the mouse pointer over the name of a distribution or package in either of these "Latest" lists will pop-up a tool tip with a brief description of the package or distribution.
Some people find descriptive tool tips useful, others might find the pop-ups distracting as they scan the Latest Distributions list. Let us know if you find this new feature useful or distracting in the comments.
* * * * *
New distributions added to database
Arkane Linux
Arkane Linux is an immutable, atomic, Arch-based distribution which aims to provide a GNOME-centered experienced with minimal, yet full-featured and non-intrusive defaults. It provides a stock GNOME Shell bundled exclusively with core applications required to offer a minimal GNOME desktop experience. Arkane Linux serves primarily as a reference implementation, development environment, and as the developer's personal configuration tool to aid with work on the project's immutable system management toolkit called "Arkdep".
Arkane Linux 2025.05.08 -- Running the GNOME desktop
(full image size: 2.6MB, resolution: 2560x1600 pixels)
ATZ Linux
ATZ Linux (铜豌豆 Linux) is a Chinese Linux distribution based on Debian's "Stable" branch. The project's main goal is to package software that is commonly used in China for easy installation; some examples of such software include QQ instant messaging utility, WeChat social media application, Baidu Netdisk file sharing tool, Sogou input method, NetEase cloud music software, Youdao dictionary, WPS Office, as well as additional Chinese fonts and dictionaries. ATZ Linux remains compatible with Debian and provides an official China-based mirror for software installation.
CuerdOS
CuerdOS is a Debian-based GNU/Linux distribution with focus on stability, efficiency and performance. It comes with a series of optimisations, performance and memory consumption improvements, including those of active services and processor use, achieved through kernel patching and the Ananicy daemon which manages input/output and CPU priorities. The distribution's "Standard" product uses Wayland's Sway compositor by default, but separate "Legacy" and "Community" builds with Budgie, Cinnamon, LXQt, MATE and Xfce desktops are also available.
Expirion Linux
Expirion Linux is a Devuan-based desktop distribution which offers LXQt and Xfce desktop editions. The project provides separate releases built from the latest "stable" and "testing" branches of Devuan, with runit and SysV as init system options. Expirion ships with a more recent kernel than Devuan does and it also adds some user-friendly touches, custom themes and wallpapers, as well as productivity applications, such as LibreOffice, Chromium, Firefox, Thunderbird, Audacity, Brasero and VLC.
Expirion Linux 6.0 -- Running the LXQt desktop
(full image size: 626kB, resolution: 2560x1600 pixels)
Huayra GNU/Linux
Huayra GNU/Linux is a Debian-based Linux distribution developed in Argentina by Educ.ar, a state-owned company, under the "Conectar Igualdad" government programme. It contains open educational resources and applications that are useful in the school setting, for which it was designed. The distribution uses the MATE desktop environment. Apart from many popular open-source applications, Huayra GNU/Linux also ships a number of custom-built tools, including Huayra Share (for sharing files between two computers running this system, without the need for Internet connection), Huayra Motion (for creating stop motion graphics), Huayra TDA Player (for watching free-to-air digital television), and Pilas Engine (a video game development environment).
LangitKetujuh OS
LangitKetujuh OS is an Indonesian desktop and multimedia Linux distribution based on Void. It uses the KDE Plasma desktop and is available in "Home" and "Studio" editions. Some of its main features include the use of Void's XBPS package manager, availability of builds compiled with glibc or musl libc C libraries, the runit init system, the Vulkan API, the latest LTS Linux kernel, use of the zram block device in RAM, and separate builds for AMD and Intel processors. The LangitKetujuh "Studio" edition offers a vast range of applications for digital illustration and painting, full-featured 2D/3D animation, desktop publishing and layout design, photography and image management, audio and video non-linear editing, as well as CAD and mechanical drawing.
LangituKetujuh OS 20250606 -- Running the KDE Plasma desktop
(full image size: 1.0MB, resolution: 2560x1600 pixels)
LibraZiK
LibraZiK is a Debian-based Linux distribution with an objective to build a digital audio software studio. It is designed for music production and comes with pre-installed software that allows users to work with sound. The project's goal is to provide a robust, ready-to-use system for free software users wishing to create computer-assisted music. LibraZiK is a French project that, besides creating a complete operating system supporting both French and English languages, also provides tutorials and complete documentation for French-speaking users. The distribution uses the MATE desktop environment.
LinuxHub Prime
LinuxHub Prime is an Arch-based Linux distribution with a customised Openbox window manager as the default desktop environment. Its main feature is a unique installer that provides one-click installation options for several popular window managers and desktop environments, including Awesome, bspwm, Budgie, Cinnamon, Deepin, GNOME, Hyprland, KDE Plasma, MATE, Qtile and Xfce. The installer also includes "Prime Builder", a tool for creating a custom respin of the distribution.
Luberri Linux
Luberri Linux is a desktop-oriented distribution based on Linux Mint, with Cinnamon as the preferred desktop. It is localised into the Basque language and is primarily intended for the Basque-speaking users, although it supports the Spanish language as well. Luberri Linux is especially appropriate for use in educational institutions as it includes five years of support, regular updates, integration with Active Directory on Windows, and a vast range of applications suitable for learning varied subjects, such as typing, chemistry, geography, mathematics, programming, or mind and concept maps.
Luberri Linux 24.2.0 -- Exploring the Cinnamon desktop
(full image size: 3.3MB, resolution: 2560x1600 pixels)
Melawy Linux
Melawy Linux is an Arch-based desktop Linux distribution featuring a customised KDE Plasma as the preferred desktop. It uses the alternative XanMod Linux kernel designed for improved performance and responsiveness. Some of the distribution's features include the Calamares installer, a custom-designed rEFInd boot manager, a Plymouth boot screen, and the Simple Desktop Display Manager (SDDM) desktop login manager. Melawy Linux is available in "Base" and "Developer" editions.
Sculpt OS
Sculpt OS is an independent open-source operating system developed by Genode. It combines Genode's microkernel architecture, capability-based security, sandboxed device drivers, and virtual machines in a novel operating system for commodity PC hardware and the PinePhone. Sculpt uses an administrative user interface called "Leitzentrale".
Tribblix
Tribblix is a general-purpose operating system derived from OpenSolaris, OpenIndiana and illumos. The base kernel and commands come from illumos, with everything else rebuilt from scratch. It is a traditional system where software is distributed as SVR4 packages and lightweight window managers are preferred over heavy desktop environments. Xfce is the primary desktop option, with MATE, Enlightenment and various window managers also available for installation. While Tribblix inherits many of the key illumos technologies, such as ZFS, zones, DTrace and SMF, it uses its own build and packaging system.
Tribblix 0m36.1 -- Running the Xfce desktop
(full image size: 335kB, resolution: 2560x1600 pixels)
Tsurugi Linux
Tsurugi Linux is an Ubuntu-based Linux distribution designed to support Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) investigations, malware analysis, and Open Source INTelligence (OSINT) activities. It comes with many popular software tools to conduct an in-depth forensic or incident response investigation, as well as several special features, like device write blocking at kernel level, a dedicated Computer Vision analysis functionality, and an OSINT profile switcher. Tsurugi Linux can be used in live mode but its main goal is to be installed and to serve as the default forensics lab.
UBLinux
UBLinux is an Arch-based Linux distribution developed by Russia's Yubitex. It provides four editions. The freely-downloadable "Basic Desktop" edition is available for personal and non-commercial use, while "UBLinux Education", "UBLinux Desktop Enterprise" and "UBLinux Server" are commercial products. UBLinux "Basic Desktop" uses Xfce as the default desktop environment and includes various popular applications for Internet, office, multimedia and graphics tasks.
UBLinux 2405 -- Running the Xfce desktop
(full image size: 1.5MB, resolution: 2560x1600 pixels)
New distributions added to waiting list
- Vincent OS. Vincent OS is an Arch-based desktop distribution offering the KDE Plasma and LXQt desktop environments.
* * * * *
DistroWatch database summary
* * * * *
This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 14 July 2025. Past articles and reviews can be found through our Weekly Archive and Article Search pages. 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)
|
|
| Tip Jar |
If you've enjoyed this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly, please consider sending us a tip.
(Tips this week: 2, value: US$23) |
|
|
|
 bc1qxes3k2wq3uqzr074tkwwjmwfe63z70gwzfu4lx  lnurl1dp68gurn8ghj7ampd3kx2ar0veekzar0wd5xjtnrdakj7tnhv4kxctttdehhwm30d3h82unvwqhhxarpw3jkc7tzw4ex6cfexyfua2nr  86fA3qPTeQtNb2k1vLwEQaAp3XxkvvvXt69gSG5LGunXXikK9koPWZaRQgfFPBPWhMgXjPjccy9LA9xRFchPWQAnPvxh5Le paypal.me/distrowatchweekly • patreon.com/distrowatch |
|
| Extended Lifecycle Support by TuxCare |
|
|
| Reader Comments • Jump to last comment |
1 • Debian Rules! (by Mr. Peabody on 2025-07-07 00:15:35 GMT from United States)
Debian rules!
Accept no substitutes . . .
2 • Next steps (by Brad on 2025-07-07 00:24:57 GMT from United States)
"Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux,BSD"
For me, that says it all - that's why I voted for "Create a beginner section...". When I first encountered this website years ago, I was fairly new and looking for recommendations. I had used Caldera years ago and liked it - after a long hiatus with macOS and Windows, I was ready to get back in to the UNIX/Linux world.
I think that at one time, you had a section running down the most "popular" (easiest, perhaps?) distros - I used those suggestions to start hopping, until I found something I liked.
I realize that creating a section like this might be a lot of work, but the goal is worth it - there will be people who want to continue using hardware, but will be shut out of Win11 or the Mac ecosystem for lack of funds or up-to-date systems - these are the people who could benefit the most from helping hands.
Perhaps to start with, the beginner's site could have a link with each distro that points to the most recent *user* reviews for that distro - you would probably need no more than 10 distros - Debian-based, Arch-based - curated for ease of learning.
MHO only.
3 • Next Steps (by Brad on 2025-07-07 00:40:23 GMT from United States)
Found it - it's called "Major Distributions" under the "Find/Submit Distro" pull-down near the top of the website - perhaps just a few tweaks here and there to help the Linux/BSD newcomer find a good match.
4 • Poll (by Slappy McGee on 2025-07-07 01:13:20 GMT from United States)
@2 Yes I felt intimidated a bit coming here for the first time... and for quite a bit of time, come to think of it. A beginners section is a very nice idea. I vote please do.
5 • Poll: "What should we complete next?" (by R. Cain on 2025-07-07 02:43:59 GMT from United States)
Find a way to __prominently__ display---with the ability to be found VERY EASILY---information regarding the approximate number of people who work on all the distributions mentioned on this website.
This information would be a great help to everyone (well...perhaps not *everyone*).
This would also provide you with a good listing criterion; a 'gating; feature: someone doesn't want to give you / us that information? Fine. Don't give their distro any of your valuable print space---a.k.a 'advertising'---on your superb, much-read venue.
6 • Beginner's section (by Keith S on 2025-07-07 02:49:55 GMT from The Netherlands)
I voted for the beginner's section. Recommending easier distros is simple, and you've already done it in the Major Distribution section. Ubuntu, Mint, and MX Linux have always worked out of the box on any hardware I've tried them on over the years.
I think what I would want to see included is a general overall orientation to the world of Linux.
For instance, explain the difference between Windows or Mac or the BSDs which all develop and ship the kernel and userland together, and Linux which has a choice of kernels with various flavors of userland bolted on. This is both freeing and creates problems at times. I think it helps new users to understand why. From there, it is easier to explain why there are so many choices of desktops, filesystems, utilities, etc.
What would be helpful in those areas is maybe to explain the different impulses and tendencies that different groups of Linux developers have, such as somewhat strictly dictating how things are going to be in one distro on the one hand to offering endless choices in another distro on the other. Or maximum apps shipped with base for every kind of computing need on the one hand to minimalist distros on the other. Explain too why some distros strictly adhere to the GPL and free software and others focus on maximizing usability from the start, even if it includes non-free software and binary blobs.
My two cents. Thanks for all that you do.
7 • Debian rules... among others. (by Friar Tux on 2025-07-07 03:28:58 GMT from Canada)
@1 (Mr.Peabody) While I would normally, heartily, agree. I do make exceptions. When I was a new comer, I tried all the Grandpa Linux distros - Mandrake, Fedora, Suse, Debian, Slackware, and Arch. None of them worked, some were impossible to install, and some died after reboot. Then, I tried the "buntus, a few of the "open-distros", but, again, no luck. Nothing that would last and NOT give me lost time issues. Finally, I decided to bite the bullet and try a few dozen derivatives of ALL of the above. Some I tried multiple times - if they showed promise. Of the hundred, or so, I tried ONLY one worked consistently, every time, with no post install fiddling. And that was Linux Mint/Cinnamon. Somewhere I read that Ubuntu took Debian and improved on it, the Mint took Ubuntu and improved on that. Whatever Clément Lefèbvre did with Mint has worked out for me. I have not had any lost-time issues in a decade since I started using Mint. Over time I have retried a lot of the other distros I tried before but found very little improvement (except for some of the 'buntus, and a couple of Arch derivatives). (I've kept notes on all my tryouts for comparison.)
As a qualifier, I do need to say this, I do not/will not use CLI as I suffer from "fat finger syndrome" and have made some killer mistakes. Also, we're in the 21st century so, come on people, modernize. Also, my number one, important, test result is that I need to be able to install the OS, reboot, and be able to go right to work - no tweaking or fiddling about. Mint has consistently won out there.
8 • @1 @7 "FAT FINGER SYNDROME" for beginners. (by Greg Zeng on 2025-07-07 04:33:53 GMT from Australia)
Distrowatch and its fanboys seem uncaring about beginners. GUI is disliked. CLI with so much intense learning and then unprompted learning. Fasttouch typing only. A well-designed GUI eliminates the need for all this learning and remembering. GUI should second-guess and error-correct the user.
Unknown to fanboys, most users prefer Windows, Apple, and Android because these platforms are designed to be application-based, catering to the user’s needs.
User-friendly operating systems are invisible. No CLI. No compiling of source code. Avoid changing the default settings.
Before installation, the setup may attempt to determine the underlying user configuration, including drives, partitions, display settings, ports, input devices, and output devices. Is this setup an update, replacement, or a tweak to an existing system?
When installed, the setup should auto-detect the time zone, user settings (metric, paper sizes, languages), available communication options, and offer easy user creation (identities from Google, Facebook, and other registration services, etc.).
After installing, the operating system might determine if error corrections and updates are needed. If multi-booting is an option, it might assist with this creation and GUI maintenance.
Before my medical accident, fast two-handed typing was easy & automatic. Most novices and computer users may be unfamiliar with and use a standard WIMP interface (Windows, Apple, and Android). Keyboards might be GUI: virtual, auto-user, and swipe-sensitive.
Virtual keyboards can also be AI error-correcting, AI-predicting, and various versions of grammar and spelling detection. A prominent example is my keyboard entry in this section. Grammarly has these user assistance options listed here, as I type this Distrowatch comment with one finger.
Eventually, the user defaults might be made into an ISO standard of GUI acceptability. Linux is not yet able to meet the user demands of the three better operating systems, at this time in Internet history.
9 • The worst is the best? Or is it vice versa? (by lobster on 2025-07-07 06:51:48 GMT from France)
Are they friendly is my best experience. I agree CLI is no fun except for hardcore autistic spectrum types and the smuggery.
I also agree with a world wide and large developer base.
And...
I too will not provide names of the scams, corporate interference, enshitification and moneterisation of:
- 'Support' structures
- Designed for crypto main frames. (Yeah I have several of those in the Bat cave)
- Data scrapers
It is a bit like, open a dialogue and then... slowly but surely put them on a franchise, advert support basis etc.
10 • Search Criterion (by picamanic on 2025-07-07 06:59:24 GMT from United Kingdom)
In an era of change, I would find it helpful to be able to Search for distros, based on the display Architectures they use: Xorg, Wayland, etc.
11 • Average rating by version / in the last year (by deeplurker on 2025-07-07 08:10:55 GMT from Switzerland)
I would enjoy the possibility to view the average rating of a distro calculated with the ratings of a version. For instance, EasyOS is still a work in progress. The average rating doesn't tell me enough about the current state of the distro. Likewise, a catastrophic recent release could taint the average rating even if the distro itself is solid.
I understand the value of a section for beginners, but what would a newcomer need? I am no Linux guru, but my advice would be short : 1) Use Linux Mint. 2) Don't waste time distro-hopping before three month on Mint. 3) Remember all OSs are trash so learn to enjoy your distro's strength and put up with its shortcomings.
I am not trying to make a point. I truly wish to understand what newcomers want and need.
Regarding GUI vs. CLI, I sympathize with the command line averse. It helps to remember that the Unix/Linux/BSD/etc shell is so powerful that it is often quicker to find a one line instruction than finding a GUI program that does the same task. This is a natural disincentive to GUIs for simple tasks.
12 • Next steps & worst distro (by Patrick on 2025-07-07 08:30:04 GMT from Luxembourg)
I would appreciate to have a clear view about the cycle of distros, specifically
1. the average duration between new version (for people looking for a more up to date distro that is not rolling) - ideally with a "distribution by average release cycle"
2. same for the average duration of support.
Regarding the "worst distro", you suggest to stick to the list of "major distributions" to avoid distros run by one single person. I don't see how Slackware fits in there. I know that Pat has a plan for when he will not be able to maintain it anymore, but it's still a big risk on comparison to Fedore, FreeBSD. (This is not Slackware bashing, I used for years and I loved it).
13 • Poll (by dachshundman on 2025-07-07 09:09:31 GMT from United Kingdom)
I voted for "create a beginner......". Perhaps you could give distros a score for ease of use based on a few factors such as ease of use, ease of install, usability out of the box, GUI use vs CLI use, ease of updating, good user forums, etc etc. The higher the score the better it is for a beginner.
Actually, I would have voted to make the site responsive so it works well on a mobile phone and small tablet. Unfortunately this was not an option.
14 • 1 • Debian Rules! (by Jake on 2025-07-07 09:40:29 GMT from United States)
I tried and liked Debian until I had a problem I needed help with from the forum. The Debian forum is far from friendly. RTFM is not helpful. I found Ubuntu Mate just as good, it had all the hardware support out of the box and a very friendly and helpful forum. I would put Zorin in that category too.
15 • Ubuntu snapshots (by DLCBurggraaff on 2025-07-07 09:46:18 GMT from The Netherlands)
Please update the dates for the Ubuntu snapshots in the "Upcoming Releases and Announcements" paragraph -- refer to https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/questing-quokka-release-schedule/36462
:D
16 • stuff to work on (by Dave on 2025-07-07 09:51:00 GMT from Australia)
I sort of agree with the majority, but I would like to see the site more mobile friendly and a little bit prettier. No not necessarily fancy super modern with cyan to purple gradients and rounded corners on everything etc, just a little bit nicer.
17 • Tooltips (by Madison on 2025-07-07 09:52:04 GMT from Czechia)
Great job with the tool-tips.
18 • Search for Wayland or X11 (by Jesse on 2025-07-07 10:54:52 GMT from Canada)
@10: "I would find it helpful to be able to Search for distros, based on the display Architectures they use: Xorg, Wayland, etc."
Whether a distro has a Wayland or X11 session is not a function of the distro or a specific package. It is a function of the desktop. So if you want to run (or avoid) Wayland then search for distros with a Wayland desktop.
In other words any distro can run Wayland, any distro can run X11. The choice is up to the desktop environment.
19 • New logo ? (by PiafJaune on 2025-07-07 11:08:32 GMT from Belgium)
Hi, I worked for a new logo for Distrowatch. Maybe you would be interested. It's purely a hobby and its base is an opensource image, so it'll be free of course.
https://i.postimg.cc/Z5S4c0hX/Distro.png
20 • Vanilla/KISS Tag (by ~hellfire103 on 2025-07-07 11:21:52 GMT from The Netherlands)
I think adding this tag would be a good idea. At the moment, I tend to filter by Independent, which isn't perfect as it includes less minimal distros (such as openSUSE) and ignores unbloated non-independent distros (such as Artix).
21 • Next Steps (by Anis on 2025-07-07 12:03:22 GMT from United States)
I am now in my mid-30s, and I first discovered Linux around the age of 14 or 15 through Distrowatch. Since then, Distrowatch has remained my primary resource for Linux and BSD resources, providing news, reviews, and comprehensive information on a vast array of distributions. Despite its critical role in the Linux world, the site’s design and user experience have remained largely unchanged since those early days.
In today’s digital landscape, this outdated interface no longer reflects the innovation, accessibility or ease of use. For someone exploring Linux for the first time (for example my child), imagine encountering a website that looks vintage compared to the sleek, modern platforms of the tech giants. This disconnect can create a barrier to engagement and discovery and force young people to not even try Linux.
It would high be suggested that Distrowatch undergoes a thoughtful, modern redesign, one that preserves its legacy while enhancing usability and engagement for current and future users.
Anis
Just for fun this is DW around the time I found it:
https://web.archive.org/web/20030213212135/http://www.distrowatch.com/
22 • @18 X11 and Wayland (by picamanic on 2025-07-07 12:12:00 GMT from United Kingdom)
@18: X11 and Wayland. There is no way to find this information by searching on Desktop Envirorment. If I search on Sway [well-known Wayland DE], it doesn't even select Redhat or Fedora. Maybe any distro can use both X11 and Wayland, but a few are trying to make X11 "dissppear".
23 • Wayland and X11 (by Jesse on 2025-07-07 12:20:44 GMT from Canada)
@22: " X11 and Wayland. There is no way to find this information by searching on Desktop Envirorment. If I search on Sway [well-known Wayland DE], it doesn't even select Redhat or Fedora."
I think you're coming at this backwards. Sway is not one of the desktop environments available (by default) on Fedora, so Fedora is naturally not going to show up in search results. (Yes, you can install Sway on Fedora, but it's not one of the default options.)
But if you know Sway is a Wayland platform then you know that installing it (on whichever distro you want) will give you a Wayland session. My point was that it doesn't matter which distro you are using, if you install Sway then you have a Wayland session.
24 • Worst Distro (by Always_curious_about_FOSS on 2025-07-07 12:24:46 GMT from Germany)
For me self I have an straight clear answer to the qustion about the worst Distro:
Its Elive Linux.
Its listed here on Distrowatch and got a Rating of 5.1 by 37 reviews.
I tried it out a few years ago. The usability and the look and feel are such jumpy and over-excited.
Its based on the Enlightment Desktop. Do someone knows an other distro using the Enlightment Desktop?
Did someone know the distro with the worst rating here on Distrowatch?
25 • enlightment (by peer on 2025-07-07 12:29:27 GMT from The Netherlands)
The most popular distro with enlightment is Bodhi Linux. It has a modified version of enlightment.
And with the search function you can find more distros with enlightment here on Distrowatch.
26 • Worst of majors? (by Vic on 2025-07-07 12:37:21 GMT from United States)
For me personally it's Slackware (and its branches). That is perhaps the only distro that I was not able to install on ANY of my computers through in the last 25-30 years. It always came to some kind of HW compatibility (most often mouse drivers I believe). No other distro failed all attempts to install... Finally I gave up on it and do not even pay attention to its new releases.
27 • download sizes (by Dave Postles on 2025-07-07 13:22:33 GMT from United Kingdom)
Are some distro download sizes becoming too large?
28 • Nexr step... (by Friar Tux on 2025-07-07 13:36:15 GMT from Canada)
While reading these comments, I happen to look up at the box my new recliner came in and *bing* a light bulb came on. On most boxes, with new stuff in them, you find little symbols like a screwdriver, drill, hammer, etc. (Heck, I've seen one with a coffee mug, a plug and wall outlet, and a Start button (on a coffee maker box, if memory serves me). Why not have small symbols, symbolizing the difficulty of the distro - installation, upkeep, maybe default DE (even if any DE can be installed), ease of configuration, maybe version turn over rate, etc.. Might be helpful to not just noobies.
By the way, was it just me or did anyone else read "next step" as "NeXTSTEP"? Got exited there for a minute... oh well...
29 • @26 • Worst of majors? (by Geo. on 2025-07-07 14:00:20 GMT from Canada)
Agreed. Slackware was nothing but heartache for me too. That's why I'd like to see it merge with Arch instead of just die a sudden death when the main developer leaves. Or become a zombie distro like ReactOS, Haiku, KolibriOS, or RISC OS.
30 • @26 Slackware (by crayola_eater on 2025-07-07 14:01:57 GMT from United States)
My first foray into the linuvsphere was via a Walnut Creek cd with Slackware 1 (or there-abouts) and a intel 486 processor and maybe 4 megs of memory. I was totally thankful for the included HowTo guides (remember those) and quite rapidly had a cli based install (and I think maybe a dual-boot with windows via lilo). When I actually got an X11 session up and running, I high fived myself, Learning to install, and traverse the 'dependency hell' taught me a whole lot about how things worked. I remember even creating a couple of customized packages for myself. I was sold on this new linux thing, until I ran into the dearth of software for us non-tech guys.
So I left to travel to OS/2 but had the same ups and final letdown as with linux, so had to bite the bullet and return to windows and the vast array of software/freeware available. But I always kept an eye to linux, and finally when Slax and Mepis hit the scene, I returned and have never looked back.
The last time I installed and ran actual Slackware was probably ver 10, but by then I had become lazy with the ease of package updates from other vendors. Though now that my distro-hopping has slowed way down, to almost nil, I think from time to time to going back and trying Slackware again - I loved it's KISS and stability, and it's ability to make me learn and grow in the linuxverse. Sometimes tough love is best.
Wosrt for you, sorry to hear that. Was my first love, and will always be sweet on it. And it never hit me with the travails that found you. Others have, and even Jesse seems to run into a lot of non-starters on his Feature reviews.
31 • GLF OS (by John on 2025-07-07 14:02:08 GMT from Canada)
Hey Jesse - you may not have noticed, (it's kind of buried on their site) but GLF uses custom NIX commands - they've made aliases that perform NIX stuff, but a little more streamlined. Could be why you had trouble with straight NIX commands.
I tried GLF for a couple of weeks, and the system itself worked great, with the exception of the background updates 5 minutes after boot. On one of my laptops, it made the system completely unusable until the updates finished - which would take like a half hour. Also ran into some issues when trying to install new software (not through Flatpak, but using NIX packages). So I went back to Tuxedo OS.
I think GLF would be perfect if someone wanted to use it like a gaming console - just take it for what it is, and run your games without trying to modify / add stuff.
32 • What is a beginner? (by Jobbar on 2025-07-07 14:31:15 GMT from France)
Once someone has installed (after burning the USB key) Linux on a computer and activate few options and doing some maintenance, s/he is still a beginner?
What about the 20+ year of Linux experience veteran that never tried Nix/NixOS, s/he is still a confirmed Linux user?
And what about "putting the fun back into computer" and trying a random distro out of the blue?
Well, we all are beginners at something and at some point, and giving the all 1032 distro listed here, we've all got many things to learn.
So maybe distros should get even more categories (IoT, lightweight, privacy, bare-bone... besides stable, atomic, declarative, forensic...) with a guide of each of these keywords and what theses distros can do (that others cannot or differently), so anyone could experiment with ease.
Maybe that's the path to enlightening, not sticking with the last working distro we've managed to install, but trying few other ones from time to time, because users have different needs, and theses needs (and offers) may varying. And many are hopping due to specific needs/devices that are not fulfilled with major distros.
33 • Nix (by jesse on 2025-07-07 14:37:52 GMT from Canada)
@31: "Hey Jesse - you may not have noticed, (it's kind of buried on their site) but GLF uses custom NIX commands - they've made aliases that perform NIX stuff, but a little more streamlined. Could be why you had trouble with straight NIX commands."
Do you have a link for this? I've read through the GLF FAQ and Documentation pages and didn't find anything about overriding Nix commands or any suggestion that normal Nix commands should not work on GLF OS.
34 • PCLinuxOS (by David on 2025-07-07 15:00:21 GMT from United Kingdom)
Since the news section here was written, PCLinuxOS has got a permanent home for the forum at https://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/. The Wiki is being reconstructed at http://www.neverus.co.uk/pclinuxos/ bit — that will obviously take more time. Our position as the only distro with a magazine survives, and the July issue is available, via the forum for now.
35 • LangitKetujuh OS (by tomas on 2025-07-07 15:37:17 GMT from Czechia)
I never had any luck with Void and even tried some distro based on it without success.
Now it is the same with Langit - did not even manage to download it.
First the download said it will take hours then breaks.
I said to myself try and see if there is something similar (based on Void).
Here the Search on DW does not help - Void is not in the list of "based on".
Seeing there Tiny Core made me test this and there are no results !?
36 • What should we complete next? (by Jayden on 2025-07-07 15:42:07 GMT from United States)
I've shown Distrowatch to multiple Linux newbies who are looking to switch from Windows or macOS. Invariably, their first reaction when they see Distrowatch is something like, "why does it look so old, it's like from the 90s". I don't know anything about writing websites, or how much work it would be, but my vote for what to do next would be website modernization/aesthetic improvement. Distrowatch is a fantastic website with so much helpful information, but the look is easily its biggest downside.
37 • What should we work on next? (by Silvio on 2025-07-07 16:17:38 GMT from Brazil)
Review all the material published in the Q&A section; those answers that are still up-to-date and relevant could be compiled into a PDF book which would be available for download.
38 • "Worst" Distro (by Robert on 2025-07-07 16:23:52 GMT from United States)
Barring the kinds of shady behavior outlined by Jesse, I think a choice of "worst" Linux distro is going to be a very personal thing. Both in what sort of behavior and setup one prefers, and just what even works on your computer.
For me I have a tie between 2 distros, for similar reasons. And 1 honorable mention.
Opensuse Tumbleweed. Now I liked classic OpenSuse. I like Leap when its ancient software isn't causing one issue or another. But Tumbleweed? Multiple install failures. The one time I got it to boot, but was unable to get a graphical session working. I then updated it, and it no longer booted.
CachyOS is similar. Tried 2 or 3 times to download the iso and install it. Every time it runs through the installer, claims success, and I reboot to an empty disk.
(Honorable mention) Slackware. This one I only ever tried to install once in a VM years ago, after which I found that at the time there was a known issue that prevented it from booting in a VM. Never bothered again, as I was only trying it to say I did with no expectation of running it as a daily driver. I'm sure it wouldn't be for me, lacking a package manager and all.
And I know other people happily run all of these. Maybe only single-digit numbers of people in the case of Slackware, but still. So its hard to say they are objectively bad, but they certainly don't work for me.
39 • Worst Linux distro (by Matt on 2025-07-07 17:25:11 GMT from Canada)
Slackware is objectively the worst linux distro. It ships outdated software and its package manager does not resolve dependencies.
40 • None of the above (by Roger on 2025-07-07 19:04:37 GMT from France)
None of the above, but kill windows !
41 • Worst Linux distribution (by Microlinux on 2025-07-07 19:17:40 GMT from France)
As someone who started out on Slackware 7.1 some 25 years ago, allow me to raise an eyebrow when reading comments of folks having trouble with Slackware. Not only has it been the first actually usable Linux distribution out there, it's also a steady haven of sanity in a sea of half-assed technology previews that will make any sysadmin's blood pressure go up a few notches.
On a personal note, I'd say Ubuntu is the worst, because when you take a long hard look under the hood, it's essentially Debian with bugs. But then, "Ubuntu" is an old african word meaning "I can't configure Slackware". :D
42 • Sway NOT a default Fedora product? (by Scott Dowdle on 2025-07-07 19:21:09 GMT from United States)
@23 - Actually, Fedora does offer pre-built Sway media among the 14 different DEs and WMs they offer "Spin" media for. I'm not sure what the current count is, but Fedora has ~60 different DEs and WMs in their repos, and they obviously have no desire to turn every single one into a separate "spin", but Sway... yes, they have that.
43 • Sway (by Jesse on 2025-07-07 20:06:40 GMT from Canada)
@42: "Fedora does offer pre-built Sway media among the 14 different DEs and WMs they offer "Spin" media for."
Fedora doesn't provide or support spins, the community does. They are not official flavours of Fedora.
44 • Poll: What should we complete next? Add more distros/clean waiting list (by Patience=virtue but sloth=vice on 2025-07-07 20:44:36 GMT from The Netherlands)
And even more urgently than adding distros from the "Projects waiting evaluation" backlog, let's get those "Projects with locale, language or trademark concerns" resolved. Because half of them were submitted over a DECADE ago! What's the hold-up? Either add them or exclude them already. Chop chop!
45 • Desktop Environments (by That Guy on 2025-07-07 21:30:06 GMT from United States)
Just a small thing but I think it would be great if, somewhere in the Search, you could differentiate between distributions that go to great lengths to customize a desktop environment with non-default settings, fonts and colors and those that simply make a vanilla version available.
Searching for a distribution offering almost any of the most popular desktops will return Debian, Fedora and the other usual suspects at the top of the list as they offer almost every desktop but sometimes they are so basic as to make your eyeballs bleed.
Obviously, anyone can, and probably should, customize their own systems as they see fit but sometimes it is nice to look at what other people have done to get a feel for what is possible.
46 • Worst Linux distribution (by Jyrki on 2025-07-07 21:31:21 GMT from Czechia)
@41 - I have to agree with you. I am not Slackware user anymore. In the past I used to run it on my webserver. On desktop I was lazy so I tried Salix. Currently I am happily running Artix and various BSDs.
But I never ever had trouble with Slack, it did just was it should do.
Worst distro? Ubuntu is definitely strong candidate.
47 • Comparing AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux to each other (by Frenchie on 2025-07-07 21:38:46 GMT from France)
Hi, Jesse,
I noticed in your AlmaLinux review last week you compared it to RHEL.
But to this day i still cannot figure out which of Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux will replace good old CentOS (when it was built from RHEL and not the converse).
Would it be it asking too much that each time you review one of them both, you also add a comparison of each one to the other too - not just to RHEL ?
(Just a suggestion. At any rate, do what your workload can bear.)
48 • You are flooding your linux distros database (by Martins on 2025-07-07 21:45:13 GMT from Portugal)
I found this comment on the internet which I aggree:
"Distrowatch used to be a solid reference point—focused, with a manageable list of meaningful distros worth considering. Now, it feels like they’re throwing in every half-baked or barely maintained project under the sun. That flood of obscure or niche distros just clutters the database and makes it a pain to sift through.
Back in the day, distros had to prove their worth with stability, community support, or unique value. Nowadays, anyone can slap together a fork or minor variation and get it listed. The signal-to-noise ratio has dropped sharply.
This trend is frustrating. It doesn’t help users find solid options; it just overwhelms them. Ideally, Distrowatch would introduce better filters, categories, or maybe a “recommended” list that keeps the spotlight on distros with real staying power and user bases."
49 • Description tool tips (by Gilb on 2025-07-07 21:55:28 GMT from Germany)
I think your introduction of "Description tool tips" is a great idea - thank you. This is also true for the "Major distributions list" (in English and German, too!) you mentioned above, even if it would benefit from a little refreshment after ten years.
50 • GLF OS... so French (by Frenchie on 2025-07-07 22:07:14 GMT from France)
Readind Jesse, it seems GLF OS is so much the French way of doing things.
It was all summed up in a conversation between 2 automotive engineers of German Mercedes-Benz and French Renault, when both companies were preparing the use of Renault Motors in lower-priced versions of Mercedes cars. Said the German to fellow French: "You do great engineering design, it's a pity you don't spend enough time in the fine-tuning phase."
51 • website theme (by Piaf_Jaune on 2025-07-07 22:34:21 GMT from Belgium)
@21 :
Hi Anis,
It would be great if we had a dedicated space to speak about that and make some suggestions (like my logo refresh proposal).
52 • Distrowatch (by JKL on 2025-07-08 00:35:00 GMT from United States)
When I was a 14 yo novice, I went onto DistroWatch to keep up to date what’s new in the world and to find distros that had a specific version of software. Looking at major distros was helpful to discover new ones. Having a beginner section would be helpful, but beginner me would probably not want to swallow their pride to read the guide tho. Being able to have more fine grained search like X11 or Wayland might be useful to some folks.
I think making this site better UI wise would make things more welcoming to the newbies, especially if viewing it on mobile.
53 • Website redesign and logo suggestions, #21 and #51 (by Barnabyh on 2025-07-08 01:13:31 GMT from Germany)
We already had this a couple of years ago, seems you missed it. After this was implemented a poll was done among the readers of DW who with overwhelming majority voted to keep the old logo and look.
It´ s also more responsive this way. No need for fancy javascript and bling. I wouldn´t want to imagine the nightmare with all the queries in the background.
54 • Worst distro (by TheTKS on 2025-07-08 01:41:48 GMT from Canada)
I’ll counter some of the “Slackware worst distro” posts, since I love the stability (among other features) of Slackware stable (version 15.0 now.)
@26 “That is perhaps the only distro that I was not able to install on ANY of my computers through in the last 25-30 years.”
That is a… remarkable track record. I have only been using Linux since 2016 and Slackware since 2017, but in those 8 years, I haven’t yet encountered hardware on which it wouldn’t install for me.
@29 “That's why I'd like to see it merge with Arch”
They wouldn’t fit together. They have fundamentally different approaches to so many things.
@39 “It ships outdated software and its package manager does not resolve dependencies.”
If you need newer software, there is Slackware -current. The default installation doesn’t need dependency management. When (not if) you need or want software that’s not in the default installation, there are reliable sources which include installation instructions and notes about handling their dependencies, and even some tools to help.
55 • Slackware (by Barnabyh on 2025-07-08 01:46:19 GMT from Germany)
Slackware is a fine distribution. I ran it for many years and it never let me down. It´s ultra stable and you could upgrade and downgrade it as many times as you wanted, no problem. It does exactly what it says on the tin and works reliably in the same way from version to version BECAUSE it does NOT incorporate the latest hype.
It´s also far from ancient. If you switch to the current channel it can be as up to date or even more so than Arch. Btw, those who are suggesting for the two to merge have absolutely no idea what they´re talking about, the two are completely different in design, target group and philosophy.
On top of that Slackware is not really a one man show and has not been for a long time, there are several other people involved who are helping Pat out so it´s more a small group.
Slackbuilds has you covered with plenty of software outside the core system. It´s completely understandable if people do not want to compile packages on their machines before they can use them but then they probably also wouldn´t run Gentoo or any other ports system. But there´ s also pre-compiled packages available from other repositories like AlienBOB´s.
May I suggest that someone who has been using Linux distributions as they claim for 20-30 years but never succeeded in installing Slackware has a problem and it´s not Slackware but perhaps willingness to learn, research a bit and read. Yes, it´ s not Linux Mint, that much is clear.
I mean, even I figured it out nearly 20 years ago and I´m not an IT pro. Never heard of a mouse not working in Slackware or any Linux distro unless it was faulty. Perhaps in 2005 when you still had to configure X.
56 • Sundry preceding (by grindstone on 2025-07-08 04:15:05 GMT from United States)
Blaming hardware compatibility on linux just reveals the linux user as...not so long-term :) Dial boxes and serial mice were a less-fun in the early days, but that was a while ago. It is a different "spirit" of helping, now, and something has been lost. I am sorry the person had a bad experience.
In re the site, screw the bling (like the new XF). Efficient content delivery w/ minimal visual workload is the thing, IMO.
I propose a hall of shame subfeature for most RAM usage at boot.
57 • Poll sugestion. (by DivestOS on 2025-07-08 04:42:28 GMT from Canada)
I voted for appliance.
As it was not an option, I would encourage to continue to increase to focus on mobile linux for phones. Several months ago there was a poll about mobile OS, and Armbian was one of them. I was unable to get any web hits so an instruction how to do it would be helpful.
Also in the mobile side, a general summary about "VoLTE" would be helpful as Ubuntu Touch & PostmarketOS only mention their own efforts.
Keep up the great work.
58 • New Feature - Head-to-Head distro comparisons (by Andy Prough on 2025-07-08 04:59:04 GMT from Sweden)
In place of some of the weekly reviews of one distro at a time, I'd like to see some Head-to-Head distro comparisons, especially for distros that use different system internals. For example, Mint vs MX would give a comparison of a pure systemd distro vs a hybrid sysvinit+systemd-shim distro.
Void vs Arch could give a comparison of several technologies, including runit vs systemd, xbps vs pacman, possibly even musl vs glibc.
Devuan vs Debian would be interesting, as would Fedora vs openSUSE, and Slackware vs Gentoo. Alma or Rocky vs CentOS Stream would be highly interesting. Or antiX vs Bodhi.
Pick distros that you know are for sure going to install and run without breaking errors.
That would be the change I'd like to see.
59 • @54: slackware dependency management (by picamanic on 2025-07-08 08:50:53 GMT from United Kingdom)
@54: the reason Slackware doesn't need "dependency management" is that, by default the ISO includes ALL shared libraries, regardless of whether they are needed. That explains why the ISO file is 4x bigger than most other distros. Apart from that, I have much respect for Slackware, which I used decades ago. But, the world has moved on.
60 • next steps (by HeroicTux on 2025-07-08 09:12:30 GMT from Croatia)
stop spamming your website with zillion ubuntu remasters.
When new ubuntu comes out you dont have to list every remaster.
ok, things like mint and zorin and popos can be considered separate distros but you hhave so many respins it is insane
61 • Create a beginner section with Linux intro and recommendations (by eb on 2025-07-08 09:54:50 GMT from France)
The best advice I could give to newbies is :
OK, choose an easy distro, like Mint ; but ...
Do not be afraid by command-line interface ++ It does not bite !
Linux without CLI is not Linux. Plenty of very useful softwares run on CLI, and probably one day you will be glad tu use several of them. CLI is *not* outdated.
Go slowly ; from time to time, try to understand a command-line. Your reward will come promptly.
CLI will give you freedom and power on your system.
Eventually, you will be able to install Slackware !:-).
62 • Minimalism (by CJ on 2025-07-08 10:41:32 GMT from United States)
@19 yeah, sorry, you did a good job, but I don’t like the logo- minimalism and flat design has really been inhuman and against any kind of joy or anything- I really would’ve thought that stuff would go into the dustbin of history after the COVID-19 pandemic and more people embracing human values of joy, color, etc., and not the sterile, dumbed down, ugly looking stuff that minimalism and flat design are.
I commend you nonetheless for making that. :)
63 • Comparison of similar distros to choose one. (by Jagdeesh on 2025-07-08 11:24:31 GMT from India)
Compare at least 3 distros of each category, i.e. best for domestic use, just for browsing, SOHO, beginner friendly, learners, servers, enterprise, developers, android etc and your winner among them. These expert's findings will ease the selection of a distro for particular purpose. This can be done periodically.
64 • Worst Distro (by dragonmouth on 2025-07-08 12:08:11 GMT from United States)
Once one discounts the type of distros Jesse mention in his commentary, the choice of "worst" distro is a matter of subjective personal dislike. Since we all have different requirements for the distros that we use, a feature I may consider important, others may/will consider a total waste. The discussion of Slackware is a very good example. Some praise it and others want to bury it. My Most Disliked Distros are, for many reasons, Ubuntu and its derivatives. Yet, going by the DW download counts, they are the most popular.
As far as the site design goes, I vote for functionality over bling. It has been my experience that when people say "modern" they mean "pretty" with a lot of visuals.
65 • Does this answer make sense ? (by pepper on 2025-07-08 12:23:59 GMT from Spain)
>"Create a beginner section with Linux intro and recommendations"
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the average Distrowatch lurker is a beginner. Unless the idea is to bring attention to the site from newbies, I don't see how that would be useful.
66 • "..average distrowatch lurker..." (by Slappy McGee on 2025-07-08 13:28:19 GMT from United States)
@65 I landed here a couple of decades ago sent by webcrawler or altavista or whatever after typing in "linux."
NOW I'm a lurker, but then I was a beginner.
67 • Worst of majors? (by Vic on 2025-07-08 14:31:43 GMT from United States)
@55 Yes those were the times of X, but my installs never even reached that step. Everything was started and crashed while in CLI. And as I noticed most often crashes happened right after configuring the mouse. Different animals in different computers, and all of them working fine with either MS Windows or other flavors of Linux...
68 • Worst Distribution (by Flavianoep on 2025-07-08 14:46:16 GMT from Brazil)
I my opinion, a bad distribution is one that is derivative and change the distro it's base on with different package managers. I mean, if a distro is based on one of the major distributions and then change to another, how can a user update?
69 • New to Linux - Start Here Button (by 32298 on 2025-07-08 16:10:28 GMT from United States)
With the end of support for Windows 10, many people out there are wondering what to do with their laptop or system that does not have enough horsepower for Windows 11.
With that in mind, having a “ New to Linux” resource button, might be a consideration.
It can list valuable “ How to’s” in a step by step approach to get them up and running.
From downloading the .iso , checking it, flashing, and how to get the usb working in the bios.
Having pictures along with step by steps, or even reference excellent web videos would be beneficial.
Granted this probably was not the intent of Distrowatch in the first place, however, it certainly would assist and build an even larger Linux community.
70 • @62 (by MCBuhl on 2025-07-08 19:25:35 GMT from Germany)
@62 I like the logo as proposed.
71 • Worst major distros. (by hotdiggettydog on 2025-07-08 20:41:07 GMT from Canada)
I never cared for Ubuntu Unity. I still dislike Gnome 3 in pretty much anything. So its not so much about the OS for me.
72 • Distro sizes (by eco2geek on 2025-07-09 02:39:41 GMT from United States)
@27 -- "Are some distro download sizes becoming too large?"
Funny you should ask that. I downloaded Ubuntu and several community editions of Ubuntu, and noticed that Edubuntu and Ubuntu Desktop won't fit on a one-sided DVD any more. You either need to get a double-sided DVD, or put them on an 8GB or larger USB key (recommended). They used to say that the fact that Ubuntu Desktop no longer fit on a regular CD was a bug, and now look how ridiculous it's gotten.
It's not the download time that's the problem, given broadband internet. It's the crazy size of these live installers. (Which, in Ubuntu's case, is probably due to the use of snaps.)
73 • Tags (by Alter Furz on 2025-07-09 09:00:09 GMT from Germany)
I voted "Create KISS/Vanilla tag for distros" but actually I mean "create a tagging system" and tag distros. "KISS" is nice, "Appliance" is nice, "Respin of X" is nice or "Based off X" is nice. Get more structure into the mass of data and you can start generating insights.
74 • Worst Distros (by kc1di on 2025-07-09 11:33:00 GMT from United States)
I would like to suggest that there is no worst or best distro only the ones that suite your needs and taste best or those that totally miss the mark for you.
another op might find your worst his/her best. It has a lot to do with personal taste and needs.
Most of the distros I've used over the years since 1996 have either been useful to me or not. Easy or difficult to keep up with or just would not work well with my hardware at the time. That did make them the worst just not for me.
75 • Search topics (by Clarence Perry on 2025-07-09 11:34:20 GMT from United States)
I'm a retired, former computer programmer who enjoys ease of use, logical working, and reliability in my computer.
Looking for topics for search:
I've discovered that many distros aren't logical in their menu workflow. The menu systems jump around without seeming to have thought it out. an example jusr under Linux Mint is the difference between the MATE menu and LMDE Cinnamon. The reviewers opinion on menu logic could be used.
I'm not sure how many would be helped by display systems. I've been using Linux for x number of years and know my display system is XORG and I have seen something called Wayland mentioned a lot of late, but I have no idea why I might want it. Or NOT want it Controversy makes for a topic.
Systemd is the same thing. Lots of controversy but little actual factual debate. Eventually, for whatever reason, Systemd seems to have won out. And my Linux Mint still works, without me having to learn the reason why. Some might want to search on it.
The latest controversy is a "logical" renaming of the standard UNIX file system naming conventions. This is one area I would have to object to. I trained on and used UNIX as a DBA back when and can see no reason to upset the existing users for the benefit of a relative few new users to make Linux more like Windows. The few times I still need the terminal usually involve editing a file in a known location.
I've been retired fifteen years and my memory does not work as well at learning an entirely new file system, Let the relatively few Windows users learn Linux idiosyncrasy. They probably won't NEED it any more than they did under Windows. I'm told the few MAC users are already using the same naming conventions. But a controversy might mean some would search, so another topic .
Scanning thru the comments section each week might pick out a new topic for search.
76 • PCLinuxOS (by Doug in sunny Australia on 2025-07-09 11:40:05 GMT from Australia)
Sad to not see PCLinuxOS on the major distros! Perhaps you need a second tier, well established list.
I love PCLinuxOS because it just works! Tex & the team have done a wonderful job developing a distro that is a little different. Personally, I have been using PCL for well over 15 years+!, in fact from the time Tex left Mandrake. There have been times when I have needed a package added, & if it is a reasonable request (as in needed by other users too) it gets added. The Magazine is an excellent resource, & the forum is very helpful.
I have stuck to PCL through thick & thin. The backbone has always remained strong.
Sad to see the website down, but it will Pheonix again!
77 • Worst distro (by Clarence Perry on 2025-07-09 12:41:42 GMT from United States)
Going back to the beginning, I visit the Micro Center store in Houston and go thru the cheap
cd rack. Bring home Slackware & Red Hat cd's.Install Slackware and now what? There was no Internet. I didn't have another computer, so no network. And I was never able to get Red Hat working.
My XT clone with a whopping 40 meg HD never could run any version of Red Hat.
Slackware has always been a unique install which solved the needs of a few.
And today looks terribly old fashioned, just like Distrowatch.
But both solve the needs of users.
78 • Worst distros exist (by BillGatez on 2025-07-09 14:31:02 GMT from Italy)
Those are the ones that just promise but not maintain: distros which are a major one plus some candies only (shouldn't users be able to get them by themselves?), or distros which simply don't work because they're poorly implemented (should users be treated as alfa testers?).
Linux is beautiful in that it approves and acclaim freedom and variety, but using them as an alibi for not being able to provide a fairly good result is misbehaving. Some developers should simply admit they're not ready for what they just pretend to do.
79 • For Newcomers to Linux (by Chris on 2025-07-09 15:43:04 GMT from Canada)
I have been using Linux (various flavors) for over 20 years and have been running MX for a few years.
For a Windows user who wants to try Linux:
- a system that allows him to do everything he does on Windows
- a distro that works out of the box
- do not want to have to fool around to fix problems
(most Windows users are not familiar with fixing problems)
- Linux is a jungle (so many distros ... too many in my view). Which one to choose?
Although Distrowatch is an excellent tool, it could turn him away
From this said, I think It would be a good idea to put a "For Beginners" large button in header linked to a page (or pages) containing the following:
- would suggest only a few 'main' distros which work out of the box.
- for each distro, a short list would compare programs to use:
Internet explorer -> Firefox
Outlook -> Thunderbird
Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) -> LibreOffice (Writer, Calc, Impress).
And a few more ....
- would give a short indication on how to install and link to more specific detail
- at this step, not necessary do describe where it came from, who maintains it, etc.
- possibly, add comments from users
If we want Windows users to switch to Linux, it has to be simple and attractive.
80 • @79: Why do we want Windows users to switch to Linux? (by picamanic on 2025-07-09 16:18:26 GMT from United Kingdom)
@79: Do we really want Windows users to switch to Linux? I don't.
81 • Either or Thinking (by vmclark on 2025-07-09 16:43:02 GMT from United States)
@80 I use them both! I will never stop using installing Windows and Linux. It makes no sense otherwise.
Some programs install and run better in Windows. Some better in Linux.
I just don't understand the either or mentality. Either Windows or Linux or some other OS, but not both.
82 • PClinuxOS and Xorg (by rhtoras on 2025-07-09 18:02:37 GMT from Greece)
What happened to pclinuxos is sas...and we are talking for e gerat distribution that was not only systemD free b ut also elogind free... it has some flaws here and there but it works fine
hope to see them soon
As for Xorg hopefully openbsd uses a fork of it called Xenocara... we have AN option at least, in the wayland era guys...
for those interested there is a new project based on NIXOS withoud systemD called Sixos which apparrently uses S6 init
83 • @79 Chris: (by dragonmouth on 2025-07-09 18:54:58 GMT from United States)
If you listen to the Windows refuges, Linux must look & feel, work l Like windows and run Windows programs natively to be simple and attractive. Otherwise it is not worth bothering with. They want a version of Windows that is not from Redmond.
I agree with picamanic - do we really want Windows users to switch to Linux?
If they do, they should learn Linux, not try to change it into a copy of Windows
84 • Worst distro (by Unscript on 2025-07-09 19:46:30 GMT from Belgium)
For me, it's definitely Ubuntu, with the privacy issues and the weird decisions Canonical has repeatedly taken against the interest of its users.
85 • Worst distro... (by rhtoras on 2025-07-09 20:47:56 GMT from Greece)
I have to admit which are for me the worst distros....obviously all are systemD ONES.
Fedora, Ubuntu and Opensuse but i have to make a top 5 i could easily add Mint and Arch (after 2013). Don't be scared of the truth. The reason i am not adding Debian is Antix.
86 • @76 (by kc1di on 2025-07-09 22:12:50 GMT from United States)
PCLinuxOS will be strong again. Tex and the team is working on it and the new forum is up and working great. It's a solid distro. home page should be back soon :)
87 • @1 (by Tad Generic on 2025-07-09 22:24:12 GMT from Canada)
And the Spiral Linux project is simply the best way to get a full Debian system up and running.
Debian, otherwise, has a history of being very unfriendly, starting with their horrid website that made finding the right iso to download (ie the one with all of the useful “non free” stuff) daunting.
Otherwise - *buntu or mint - systems that are probably the easiest for a new user to set up and manage
88 • What should we complete next? (by Céline Dion Fan on 2025-07-09 23:33:53 GMT from The Netherlands)
Hi, You can add ''file system'' to search criteria. Like ext4 Btrfs zfs
89 • @83 dragonmouth (by Fedup 17 year veteran of Linux on 2025-07-10 00:20:38 GMT from The Netherlands)
Given that Windows is objectively superior to Linux in every possible way except that it comes with spyware (telemetry, web apps, cloud integration, AI integration, integrated advertising, forced "security" updates, programs that cannot be uninstalled, etc.), and given that all these forms of spyware are increasingly making their way into Linux as well, who can blame them?
Everybody who wasn't part of Linux from the very beginning but came from Windows, actually just wants to use old Windows (95, 98, XP, Vista, 7). Why? Because unlike Linux, Windows "just werks" right "out of the box" and "what you see is what you get"!
What all Windows refugees want, is essentially React OS but finished.
What they do not want, is Linux copying the only thing where Windows is worse while retaining everything else where Linux is worse. Yet that is exactly what we are currently working toward!
Ask not whether Linux "wants" Windows refugees, ask what Linux can offer them that isn't even worse than what they trying to escape!
90 • @89 so true (by Frankletit on 2025-07-10 08:08:04 GMT from Australia)
Themajority of people want to use their PC to do minimal tasks and turn it off and walk away until it's next needed.
Most people using computers today don't want to touch the CLI and don't want to learn a whole new way of doing things. They just want GUI and easy to find apps.
If a Linux distro could run the same apps and games WITHOUT the current level of interaction required to get them working you would surely stand a better chance of converting more people.
Those trying to gatekeep their elitist nerd hobby are what has held the whole process back. You can still rub your kernel and pore over countless lines of code to make yourself feel better but that shouldn't stop others from trying to make it easier for the normal people.
91 • @89: (by dragonmouth on 2025-07-10 10:36:48 GMT from United States)
There is no objective evidence that any O/S is easier or harder to learn or that any O/S is "better" than all others. Any arguments in favor or against are just that - emotional arguments. After having learned 10+ different O/Ss, I can tell you that the learning curve for all was about the same.
92 • PClinusOs @82 (by kc1di on 2025-07-10 10:44:58 GMT from United States)
PCLinusOS is still there might be hard to find for some though But they are working on coming back with new home page.
in the meantime their new forum is here https://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/
The download page is here. https://ftp.nluug.nl/pub/os/Linux/distr/pclinuxos/pclinuxos/iso/
As I said they are working hard to get a new home page back up and running.
Cheers!
93 • @33 @Jesse GLF OS Custom Nix (by John on 2025-07-10 12:20:47 GMT from Canada)
Hi Jesse - as mentioned above, I found these custom GLF NIX commands listed here: https://gaming-linux-fr.github.io/GLF-OS/pages/documentation/firstOverview.html
glf-update = sudo nix flake update --flake /etc/nixos
glf-build = nh os build /etc/nixos -H GLF-OS
glf-switch = nh os switch /etc/nixos -H GLF-OS
glf-boot = nh os boot /etc/nixos -H GLF-OS
glf-systeminfo = bash echo -e "\n--- Infos ---"; \ inxi -M; \ echo -e "\n--- CPU ---"; \ lscpu | grep -E "(Architecture|CPU op-mode|Vendor ID|Model name|Mode\(s\) opératoire\(s\) des processeurs|Identifiant constructeur|Nom de modèle)" | awk "{print \$0}"; \ echo -e "\n--- GPU ---"; \ lspci | grep -E "VGA|3D"; \ echo -e "\n--- Disque ---"; \ df -h; \ echo -e "\n--- RAM ---"; \ free -h
94 • Nix commands on GLF (by Jesse on 2025-07-10 12:24:43 GMT from Canada)
@93: Thanks for the link.
The aliases shown here are just shortcuts for more complex Nix commands, they don't do anything to replace normal Nix usage, like installing new packages or applying updates. From what I can tell from the documentation page, normal Nix commands should still work, but as I showed in my review, they don't.
95 • @91 You are projecting (by Bestos on 2025-07-10 15:40:41 GMT from Poland)
There is "objective evidence ... that any O/S is 'better' than all others," and "any arguments in favor ... [of Linux] are just that—emotional arguments."
However, it's not even necessary to look for "objective evidence" at all. The "best OS in the world" is the one that has more apps, as nobody cares for the OS.
96 • "no worst distos" (by Slappy McGee on 2025-07-10 18:30:08 GMT from United States)
Yes, there are worst disros, and not merely by opinion, but by functionality. Often the lack of functionality is pointed out in reviews, here and various other linux oriented sites, and some just tech sites looking around at various OSs out there.
When a distro is installed (if that goes well as to functionality, which is a bit of a crap-shoot at times) the user has the expectation of clicking something or otherwise invoking something and having that something function. Some reviews of some distros highlight a lack of that basic functionality. We've seen it here as often a large portion of the review is taken up with reported workarounds and/or frustrations as to this or that being clicked and nothing happening, etc.
Those are bad distros, at least temporarily, and we do know that bug reports and bad reviews can help with that, but some distros persist in just being very difficult to get to working as expected by any reasonable user. We could make a list of those "worst distros," I suppose, but I'm more in favor of exploration.
97 • @8 re Linux inferiority (by Simon on 2025-07-11 03:36:17 GMT from New Zealand)
GNU/Linux is a vastly better OS than those revolting commercial operating systems: their being more widely used is no more evidence of their superiority than a Prius being more widely used makes it a superior car to a Lamborghini. Yes, their being more widely used means that some requirements, like yours, are more easily met on them: that's great, you've got a legitimate reason to prefer what's otherwise just an overpriced pile of junk, and so you're probably right that the investment in learning a free OS is not worth it for you.
On the other hand, this free, open-source operating system used by nearly all the world's supercomputers, IT labs and major scientific installations, and by many military and government systems, because of its configurability, security and trustworthiness, is not inferior to horrible unreliable commercial garbage like Windows (that's opaque to users and increasingly shoving ads in their faces and spying on them) just because it doesn't meet your specific needs. It's a great OS, and for most people, investing a bit of time in learning how to use it is well worth it.
98 • 1 (by 1 on 2025-07-11 07:30:19 GMT from Singapore)
Debian rules!
1
99 • Worst distro (by Hopper on 2025-07-11 08:51:51 GMT from Australia)
Jesse, i get it that you don't want to list those distros you were talking about. And i think there would be a flame war (do people still use that term, or am i old school?) - and like many things with linux, ask 100 people and you can get a whole spectrum of answers since it is based on people's own needs, likes, comfort, etc.
What i would like to ask is, is there a way to list ones to avoid because they are bad - bad not as in need polishing or working on as such, but outright bad, scammers and such? the reason i asked this is that i went to try elive and donated to download it. after reading your comments, it made me wonder if they are considered one of those in your unlisted list. I'm coming from a point of helping others to not fall for scams and such more than anything else. Or is that still too controversal to do?
100 • Good, Better, Best (by El Guapo on 2025-07-11 10:07:05 GMT from United States)
Here we go again. There's no such thing as "best" without qualifiers. Best for what? Desktops? Laptops? Servers? Mobile? Best for whom? You? Me? Casual users? Developers? Gamers? Musicians?
@95, "The "best OS in the world" is the one that has more apps, as nobody cares for the OS." That would be Android, but it would be crap on my desktop. I use about two dozen desktop apps, less than ten on a regular basis. The best desktop OS for me is one that presents me with an efficient and pleasant UI, has the least downtime, requires the least maintenance, and runs the apps I use quickly and competently. Whether it has a thousand or a million apps is irrelevant. I wear a smartwatch to keep track of some health markers. I bought a Samsung with Wear OS (Android). It was not only unreliable, but it needed daily charging. Replaced it with a Huawei running their HarmonyOS. Same functions, but works much better, and it goes 8 or 9 days between charges. The OS does matter.
"Prius being more widely used makes it a superior car to a Lamborghini" For most use cases, a Prius is a much superior car to a Lamborghini, (although it can vary depending on which Lamborghini). Durability, quality, comfort, fuel economy, etc. Granted, a Revuelto will destroy a Prius around the Nürburgring, but take it out on potholed narrow roads and you'll wish you were in the Prius. For a plumber or electrician, a Ford F-150 pickup beats the hell out of a
Lamborghini.
The best OS/distro in the world is the one I'm using.
Number of Comments: 100
| | |
| 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.
|
| Archives |
| • 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 |
| • 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 |
| • Full list of all issues |
| 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.
|
| Random Distribution | 
AryaLinux
AryaLinux was a source-based GNU/Linux distribution that has been put together using Linux From Scratch (LFS) as a guide. The AryaLinux distribution uses a source/ports style of package management and a custom package manager called alps.
Status: Discontinued
|
| 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.
|
| 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.
|
|
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
