 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 953, 31 January 2022 |
Welcome to this year's 5th issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
There are a number of different approaches to making a desktop operating system appealing to new users. One way is to offer something new and interesting, a new feature or effect that will attract people. Another approach is to offer something familiar in an effort to lower the barrier to adoption. This week we begin with a look at two projects: CalinixOS and HefftorLinux. Both of these distributions are based on Arch Linux and both strive to mimic the macOS user interface. The projects provide quite different experiences though and we talk about that in our Feature Story. In our News section we discuss Ubuntu MATE releasing custom images for the GPD Pocket 3 computer while UBports gets video chat working in the Morph browser. Plus we share details on a wide-spread vulnerability which affects most Linux distributions. Then, in our Questions and Answers column we talk about the performance of different package formats and why portable packages have a reputation for slower start-up times. Then we are pleased to share the releases of the past week and list the torrents we are seeding. We wrap up this week by asking people about Linux certifications in our Opinion Poll. Do you have a job working with Linux systems which required certification? Let us know about it below. We wish you all a wonderful week and happy reading!
Content:
Listen to the Podcast edition of this week's DistroWatch Weekly in OGG (14MB) and MP3 (11MB) formats.
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| Feature Story (by Jesse Smith) |
CalinixOS 2021.10.17
This week I decided to go exploring through the DistroWatch waiting list to see what new wonders I could find. One project which jumped out at me was CalinixOS. The CalinixOS distribution is based on Arch Linux and uses the Calamares system installer to get set up. The project features a window manager configured to look like the macOS desktop. There is a stated focus on performance and being easy (or familiar) to use and the project's website mentions there is a focus on making it possible to work mostly from the keyboard. The CalinixOS website also mentions Btrfs is the default filesystem.
CalinixOS is available in one edition which is a 2.0GB download for 64-bit computers. Booting from the live media is slow and the boot processes repeated becomes stuck launching services. The infamous systemd message "A start job is running..." appears a few times. The live disc eventually boots to a graphical login screen. Here we can sign in with the username and password combination: "calinix/calinix". I did not spot this information on the project's website, but it seemed easy enough to guess.
CalinixOS does indeed feature a design which looks like macOS. The distribution runs the Awesome window manager. A thin panel is placed across the top of the screen which houses the application menu and system tray. A thicker dock is placed at the bottom of the display which holds many launchers. I found it curious that only the launchers for folders (which would open the file manager) had working tool tips. The other launchers, for items like Steam and a terminal, did not display tool tips and did not launch their associated application when clicked.
CalinixOS 2021.10-17 -- Running Firefox on the Awesome window manager
(full image size: 553kB, resolution: 1600x795 pixels)
In a similar fashion, when I opened the application menu in the upper-left corner of the desktop it would display a list of launchers. Clicking the entries in the application menu did nothing. I could also bring up an application menu by right-clicking on the desktop. Well, sometimes right-clicking brought up a menu, other times the desktop would just flicker like something was being drawn and then immediately removed. When the right-click menu did appear on the desktop I could use it to launch programs. I also found I was unable to interact with any icons in the system tray which made it difficult to adjust the clock or get on-line.
Since most aspects of the live environment did not work for me, I put aside CalinixOS and went looking for something different.
* * * * *
HefftorLinux 2021.06.26
The next project I selected at random was HefftorLinux (which I'll mostly refer to as Hefftor). Hefftor is an Arch-based Linux distribution which features a macOS style desktop. It is intended to be easy to set up and use, leveraging the Calamares system installer to assist with this goal. The distribution offers a handful of editions, including bspwm, GNOME, KDE Plasma, Kodi, and Xfce. I decided to try the Xfce edition which is a 2.0GB download.
The Hefftor live media boots quickly to the Xfce desktop. A thin, transparent panel is placed at the top of the display. This top panel holds the application menu and system tray, and I could interact with both. There is a thicker dock panel placed at the bottom of the display which holds application launchers. Both of these panels will disappear when windows are covering (or near) them. Shortly after the desktop loads a welcome window appears and provides a quick overview of the project and tells us where we can find more information on-line.
HefftorLinux 2021.06.26 -- The application menu
(full image size: 882kB, resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
Installing
There are two system installers in the upper-left application menu, one is labelled Basic and the other Expert. Trying to run either of these installer entries caused a pop-up message to appear briefly and then disappear. The window went by too quickly to read. I examined the launchers and found they use the pkexec program to launch Calamares and, when I tried to run any command using pkexec the same error window would appear and immediately vanish. I opened a terminal and found I could launch the Calamares installer by manually running the launcher's command and just swapping out pkexec with sudo. So basically running "sudo calamares" instead of "pkexec calamares". This allowed me to start the install process.
The Calamares installer begins by asking us which kernel option we want to use. The options range from running a regular kernel with NVIDIA drivers, to a long-term support (LTS) kernel with NVIDIA drivers, and both options without NIVIDIA support. There are also entries for Zen and Hardened kernels. We can then select our time zone from a map and pick our keyboard layout. Calamares offers manual and guided partitioning with the guided option taking over available space with the ext4 filesystem. The installer asked me to supply the name and password for a regular user and then began copying files to my hard drive.
The installer worked for a while and then reported an error saying it failed to sync with on-line repositories and bailed out. I confirmed I was on-line and could reach websites using the included Brave browser. Then I tried again. Once again the installer failed halfway through its file copying process saying it could not reach remote repositories.
I tried running the package manager (pacman) from the live environment and discovered half the repositories, those supplied by Arch Linux, seemed to be reachable. However, all the HefftorLinux repositories were off-line and could not be contacted. This prevented Calamares from fetching packages from the Hefftor servers and prevented the installation from completing.
Software management
Since the distribution's repositories were off-line, both the pacman command line package tool and the Pamac graphical software centre failed to work. To make matters worse, when Pamac runs into a situation where it cannot contact remote repositories to check for new software, it reports the distribution is up to date with security fixes. This provides a literal false sense of security.
Hefftor's live environment worked fairly well for me, apart from the package manager and system installer issues. The desktop offered average performance and generally Xfce worked well. The distribution ships with an interesting mix of software, including the Brave web browser, the Evince document viewer and the Thunar file manager. The GParted partition manager, GRsync graphical front-end for file transfers, and a system monitor are included. We also have VLC and qBittorrent included out of the box.
HefftorLinux 2021.06.26 -- The Xfce settings panel
(full image size: 660kB, resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
There are a lot of aliases set up for command line usage. In fact there may be more included in Hefftor than I've ever encountered before. Some of these seem useful, but a few seem dangerous. For example, running "rmd" forces the removal of a directory. The "scp" command is a popular way to transfer files between computers, but it is now an alias to "sudo cp" which means instead of copying files to another machine as my regular user, I end up trying to copy files to a local location as the administrator. I cannot think of a good reason to override common, popular command line tools with aliases to do something that is both slightly different in nature and less secure. This seems like a recipe for a security breach or data loss.
HefftorLinux 2021.06.26 -- Checking for software updates
(full image size: 566kB, resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
Conclusions
For me, it was interesting to examine these two projects which declare almost identical designs and goals (a 2GB ISO offering a macOS-like desktop running on top of Arch Linux with the Calamares installer). Yet the two projects provided quite different experiences. CalinixOS required a password to sign into the live environment and the Awesome window manager barely functioned at all. The system was nearly impossible to use for any purpose and, while the layout of the desktop looked very macOS-ish, having windows display their control buttons down the left side looked alien to the macOS experience.
On the other hand, HefftorLinux offered a smoother introduction with a faster boot and logged into the live environment automatically. Its Xfce desktop worked and did a passable job at imitating macOS. However, the broken installer launcher and the way the panels kept disappearing whenever a window got close to them made navigating the interface frustrating. The biggest hurdle though was the lack of working Hefftor repository servers which prevented the package manager and system installer from working.
In short, these two projects may have had good ideals, but they both need a lot of work to become usable. Despite claiming to be user friendly, both require some guess work and technical ability just to navigate the desktop and launch programs (or the installer) and this is a poor first impression by both distributions.
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| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
Ubuntu MATE running on GPD Pocket 3, UBPorts gets video chat in browser, patching Polkit vulnerability
The GPD Pocket 3 is a small, personal computer. The mini personal computer can run Ubuntu MATE and the distribution has published custom download images for this device. "In what has become something of a tradition, the Ubuntu MATE team have released images for the GPD Pocket 3 modular handheld PC. Many thanks to the team at GPD for providing sample hardware for us to work with!" In a blog post about the Pocket 3, the Ubuntu MATE team outlines customizations which have been made to make their distribution run better on the small computer.
* * * * *
The UBports team has announced a number of significant changes to their mobile operating system. One of the new features is the ability to use the default Morph web browser for video chats. "The camera permission change mentioned above has been extended so that Morph can now upload video (and audio). Yes, this does mean that we can now video-chat in Morph! Alfred took the groundwork done by Chris and wove this into working video. Florian showed this working on his phone, with two streams of him appearing on the Q&A. He has good WiFi but what that showed is that the video stream has no lags introduced by UT." A complete list of recent changes can be found in the project's news post.
* * * * *
Several technology-related news sites posted a story this past week which talked about a vulnerability in Polkit. The Polkit software is installed on most Linux distributions and is a key part of the pkexec software which allows users to perform administrative actions. The vulnerability allows regular user accounts to gain root access to the machine if they can run programs. A fix has been released and most Linux distributions have already published package updates to fix the issue. Bleeping Computer shares details on this wide-spread issue: "Researchers at Qualys information security company found that the pkexec program could be used by local attackers to increase privileges to root on default installations of Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and CentOS. They warn that PwnKit is likely exploitable on other Linux operating systems as well."
* * * * *
These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
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| Questions and Answers (by Jesse Smith) |
Comparing performance between package formats
Trying-out-a-new-package asks: I often want to have up to date versions of packages that I can't find in my distro's official repos. I've heard Flatpak and Snap are slow. Will the performance difference be significant to the point I should consider older native packages over Flatpak or Snap or is performance close to the same?
DistroWatch answers: Usually when people talk about portable packages being slower than a distribution's native package format, they're talking about the time it takes for an application to start. Portable packages, particularly Snap packages, have gained a reputation for starting up slowly compared to RPM/Deb package formats. However, once the application finishes loading, usually performance is in the same ballpark.
Since most people only need to open a new application once during a desktop session, the start-up time probably won't have a big impact on your application use. The more important factor will be how quickly the software performs once it is up and running.
I tried to do some research on the performance differences between the different formats and got widely different answers on how much of a difference (or even if there would be a difference) in performance a person would see from one package format to another. So I decided to test drive a few packages.
I decided to try running a few packages using multiple package formats on Manjaro Linux to see is there was a difference which could be observed. To do this I found a few applications which were available in each package format and then tried running the programs multiple times to see if I could spot a difference in start times and responsiveness. I chose Manjaro as my test platform as I was concerned distributions like Ubuntu and Fedora might be optimized to favour their preferred portable package format.
I chose Firefox, GIMP, and GnuCash as the three applications to test. Each is widely used and available in all three formats. Below I have recorded the average load times (in seconds) along with notes on how well the application performed once it was up and running.
| Package | Start-up Time (Cold) |
Start-up Time (Cached) | Performance |
| Firefox (Native) |
5s | 2s | good |
| Firefox (Flatpak) |
6s | 3s | good |
| Firefox (Snap) |
18s | 3s | good |
| GIMP (Native) |
12s | 3s | good |
| GIMP (Flatpak) |
9s | 3s | good |
| GIMP (Snap) |
failed to launch | failed to launch | n/a |
| GnuCash (Native) |
2s | 1s | excellent |
| GnuCash (Flatpak) |
2s | 1s | excellent |
GnuCash (Snap) |
failed to launch | failed to launch | n/a |
Ultimately, performance once the application was up and running was identical (or close enough I couldn't spot a difference) when using the applications. However, there was a noticeable difference in start times. Flatpak and native packages tended to open in about the same amount of time, give or take a second. However, the Firefox Snap package was three times slower to launch the first time. Future launches were a lot quicker, but that first start-up time for Firefox was unusually slow.
Unfortunately the other two Snap packages I installed failed to launch entirely. No error message was displayed when trying to open the GnuCash and GIMP Snap bundles from the command line, the programs simply failed to open and the snap program failed to terminate on its own.
Based on my experiences, both during this test and in the past, I'd say there isn't a significant difference in performance between running Flatpak and native packages. Though my trial here, and my reviews of previous versions of Ubuntu, suggest Snap packages still suffer a delay during their initialization.
* * * * *
Additional answers can be found in our Questions and Answers archive.
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| Released Last Week |
OPNsense 22.1
OPNsense is a FreeBSD-based specialist operating system designed for firewalls and routers. The project's latest release is OPNsense 22.1 is based on FreeBSD 13 and improves boot speed while removing older, insecure cryptography components. "22.1, nicknamed "Observant Owl", features the upgrade to FreeBSD 13, switch to logging supporting RFC 5424 with severity filtering, improved tunable sysctl value integration, faster boot sequence and interface initiation and dynamic IPv6 host alias support amongst others. On the flip side major operating system changes bear risk for regression and feature removal, e.g. no longer supporting insecure cryptography in the kernel for IPsec and switching the Realtek vendor driver back to its FreeBSD counterpart which does not yet support the newer 2.5G models. Circular logging support has also been removed." Additional information and a complete list of changes can be found in the project's release announcement.
Nitrux 2022.01.29
Nitrux is a Debian-based, desktop distribution which features a customized KDE Plasma desktop and the OpenRC service manager. The project's latest release updates key packages and features Pacstall, a framework for installing third-party software, similar to Arch Linux's user repository (AUR). "We've updated the following components of the distribution. For a most extensive list of changes, see Notes. KDE Plasma to version 5.23.5, KDE Frameworks to version 5.90.0, KDE Gear to version 21.12.1. Firefox to version 96.0. Pacstall to version 1.7.1. LibreOffice to version 7.5.2. We have tweaked our default configuration to provide smoother KWin performance and overall system responsiveness. We have added a package to include firmware for AMD GPUs unavailable in the kernel packages. We have changed the theme for powerlevel10k to a basic version due to a bug with Station and Nota (see Known Issues). We have reduced the size of both ISO files to 2.3G and 1.3G for the standard ISO and minimal ISO, respectively. Sidenote: The minimal ISO includes the package 'linux-firmware' that increases the size of the ISO to 1.3G; without it, the file size would be around 800M (or less); however, we'd reckon to remove it would cause users various issues." The release announcement contains further information and screenshots. Please note that the release announcement refers to this version as "2.0.0" while the ISO files are tagged with the date (2022-01-29) only. When an announcement and corresponding media do not align, DistroWatch uses the version in the ISO filename to make searching for information on archived versions easier.
Nitrux 2022.01.29 -- The Nitrux live desktop
(full image size: 204kB, resolution: 1280x1024 pixels)
* * * * *
Development, unannounced and minor bug-fix releases
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| Torrent Corner |
Weekly Torrents
The table below provides a list of torrents DistroWatch is currently seeding. If you do not have a bittorrent client capable of handling the linked files, we suggest installing either the Transmission or KTorrent bittorrent clients.
Archives of our previously seeded torrents may be found in our Torrent Archive. We also maintain a Torrents RSS feed for people who wish to have open source torrents delivered to them. To share your own open source torrents of Linux and BSD projects, please visit our Upload Torrents page.
Torrent Corner statistics:
- Total torrents seeded: 2,675
- Total data uploaded: 41.5TB
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| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
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Summary of expected upcoming releases
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| Opinion Poll (by Jesse Smith) |
Linux certification
This week we received a question about Linux certifications and we left it best to allow our readers to respond based on their experiences in their region.
I'd like to see an opinion poll asking which Linux certifications people have. I'm curious, because I recently passed the LPIC-1 exam. When I look at Linux jobs in my area, most job ads want CompTIA Linux+ or RHCSE. Microsoft had an MCSA Linux certification for a while, but it's been discontinued. Are any of these other certifications helpful for a newbie Linux Sysadmin just getting started?
Do you have a certification from a Linux course? Did you need one to get a job in system administration? Let us know the details in the comments.
You can see the results of our previous poll on trying UBports in last week's edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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Do you have any Linux certifications?
| CompTIA: | 30 (2%) |
| GIAC: | 4 (0%) |
| Linux Foundation: | 23 (2%) |
| LPIC: | 34 (2%) |
| Oracle: | 5 (0%) |
| Red Hat: | 29 (2%) |
| SUSE: | 8 (1%) |
| More than one of the above: | 28 (2%) |
| Other certification: | 45 (3%) |
| None: | 1184 (85%) |
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| Website News |
Donations and Sponsors
Each month we receive support and kindness from our readers in the forms of donations. These donations help us keep the web server running, pay contributors, and keep infrastructure like our torrent seed box running. We'd like to thank our generous readers and acknowledge how much their contributions mean to us.
This month we're grateful for the $65 in contributions from the following kind souls:
| Donor |
Amount |
|---|
| Werner S | $12 |
| John S | $11 |
| Steve W | $10 |
| Sam C | $10 |
| Olivier F | $8 |
| DuCakedHare | $5 |
| Gary P | $5 |
| J.D. L | $2 |
| Bizūnas S | $1 |
| Stephen M | $1 |
* * * * *
New distributions added to database
Ultramarine Linux
Ultramarine Linux is a Fedora-based distribution featuring extra package repositories such as RPM Fusion, the Budgie (or Cutefish) desktop, and multimedia codecs. Ultramarine can be considered a spiritual successor to Korora Project and aims to make Fedora a more desktop-friendly experience.
Ultramarine Linux 35 -- Running the Budgie desktop
(full image size: 597KB, resolution: 1536x864 pixels)
* * * * *
DistroWatch database summary
* * * * *
This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 7 February 2022. Past articles and reviews can be found through our Article Search page. To contact the authors please send e-mail to:
- Jesse Smith (feedback, questions and suggestions: distribution reviews/submissions, questions and answers, tips and tricks)
- Ladislav Bodnar (feedback, questions, donations, comments)
- Bruce Patterson (podcast)
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| Archives |
| • Issue 1091 (2024-10-07): Redox OS 0.9.0, Unified package management vs universal package formats, Redox begins RISC-V port, Mint polishes interface, Qubes certifies new laptop |
| • Issue 1090 (2024-09-30): Rhino Linux 2024.2, commercial distros with alternative desktops, Valve seeks to improve Wayland performance, HardenedBSD parterns with Protectli, Tails merges with Tor Project, Quantum Leap partners with the FreeBSD Foundation |
| • Issue 1089 (2024-09-23): Expirion 6.0, openKylin 2.0, managing configuration files, the future of Linux development, fixing bugs in Haiku, Slackware packages dracut |
| • Issue 1088 (2024-09-16): PorteuX 1.6, migrating from Windows 10 to which Linux distro, making NetBSD immutable, AlmaLinux offers hardware certification, Mint updates old APT tools |
| • Issue 1087 (2024-09-09): COSMIC desktop, running cron jobs at variable times, UBports highlights new apps, HardenedBSD offers work around for FreeBSD change, Debian considers how to cull old packages, systemd ported to musl |
| • Issue 1086 (2024-09-02): Vanilla OS 2, command line tips for simple tasks, FreeBSD receives investment from STF, openSUSE Tumbleweed update can break network connections, Debian refreshes media |
| • Issue 1085 (2024-08-26): Nobara 40, OpenMandriva 24.07 "ROME", distros which include source code, FreeBSD publishes quarterly report, Microsoft updates breaks Linux in dual-boot environments |
| • Issue 1084 (2024-08-19): Liya 2.0, dual boot with encryption, Haiku introduces performance improvements, Gentoo dropping IA-64, Redcore merges major upgrade |
| • Issue 1083 (2024-08-12): TrueNAS 24.04.2 "SCALE", Linux distros for smartphones, Redox OS introduces web server, PipeWire exposes battery drain on Linux, Canonical updates kernel version policy |
| • Issue 1082 (2024-08-05): Linux Mint 22, taking snapshots of UFS on FreeBSD, openSUSE updates Tumbleweed and Aeon, Debian creates Tiny QA Tasks, Manjaro testing immutable images |
| • Issue 1081 (2024-07-29): SysLinuxOS 12.4, OpenBSD gain hardware acceleration, Slackware changes kernel naming, Mint publishes upgrade instructions |
| • Issue 1080 (2024-07-22): Running GNU/Linux on Android with Andronix, protecting network services, Solus dropping AppArmor and Snap, openSUSE Aeon Desktop gaining full disk encryption, SUSE asks openSUSE to change its branding |
| • Issue 1079 (2024-07-15): Ubuntu Core 24, hiding files on Linux, Fedora dropping X11 packages on Workstation, Red Hat phasing out GRUB, new OpenSSH vulnerability, FreeBSD speeds up release cycle, UBports testing new first-run wizard |
| • Issue 1078 (2024-07-08): Changing init software, server machines running desktop environments, OpenSSH vulnerability patched, Peppermint launches new edition, HardenedBSD updates ports |
| • Issue 1077 (2024-07-01): The Unity and Lomiri interfaces, different distros for different tasks, Ubuntu plans to run Wayland on NVIDIA cards, openSUSE updates Leap Micro, Debian releases refreshed media, UBports gaining contact synchronisation, FreeDOS celebrates its 30th anniversary |
| • Issue 1076 (2024-06-24): openSUSE 15.6, what makes Linux unique, SUSE Liberty Linux to support CentOS Linux 7, SLE receives 19 years of support, openSUSE testing Leap Micro edition |
| • Issue 1075 (2024-06-17): Redox OS, X11 and Wayland on the BSDs, AlmaLinux releases Pi build, Canonical announces RISC-V laptop with Ubuntu, key changes in systemd |
| • Issue 1074 (2024-06-10): Endless OS 6.0.0, distros with init diversity, Mint to filter unverified Flatpaks, Debian adds systemd-boot options, Redox adopts COSMIC desktop, OpenSSH gains new security features |
| • Issue 1073 (2024-06-03): LXQt 2.0.0, an overview of Linux desktop environments, Canonical partners with Milk-V, openSUSE introduces new features in Aeon Desktop, Fedora mirrors see rise in traffic, Wayland adds OpenBSD support |
| • Issue 1072 (2024-05-27): Manjaro 24.0, comparing init software, OpenBSD ports Plasma 6, Arch community debates mirror requirements, ThinOS to upgrade its FreeBSD core |
| • Issue 1071 (2024-05-20): Archcraft 2024.04.06, common command line mistakes, ReactOS imports WINE improvements, Haiku makes adjusting themes easier, NetBSD takes a stand against code generated by chatbots |
| • Issue 1070 (2024-05-13): Damn Small Linux 2024, hiding kernel messages during boot, Red Hat offers AI edition, new web browser for UBports, Fedora Asahi Remix 40 released, Qubes extends support for version 4.1 |
| • Issue 1069 (2024-05-06): Ubuntu 24.04, installing packages in alternative locations, systemd creates sudo alternative, Mint encourages XApps collaboration, FreeBSD publishes quarterly update |
| • Issue 1068 (2024-04-29): Fedora 40, transforming one distro into another, Debian elects new Project Leader, Red Hat extends support cycle, Emmabuntus adds accessibility features, Canonical's new security features |
| • Issue 1067 (2024-04-22): LocalSend for transferring files, detecting supported CPU architecure levels, new visual design for APT, Fedora and openSUSE working on reproducible builds, LXQt released, AlmaLinux re-adds hardware support |
| • Issue 1066 (2024-04-15): Fun projects to do with the Raspberry Pi and PinePhone, installing new software on fixed-release distributions, improving GNOME Terminal performance, Mint testing new repository mirrors, Gentoo becomes a Software In the Public Interest project |
| • Issue 1065 (2024-04-08): Dr.Parted Live 24.03, answering questions about the xz exploit, Linux Mint to ship HWE kernel, AlmaLinux patches flaw ahead of upstream Red Hat, Calculate changes release model |
| • Issue 1064 (2024-04-01): NixOS 23.11, the status of Hurd, liblzma compromised upstream, FreeBSD Foundation focuses on improving wireless networking, Ubuntu Pro offers 12 years of support |
| • Issue 1063 (2024-03-25): Redcore Linux 2401, how slowly can a rolling release update, Debian starts new Project Leader election, Red Hat creating new NVIDIA driver, Snap store hit with more malware |
| • Issue 1062 (2024-03-18): KDE neon 20240304, changing file permissions, Canonical turns 20, Pop!_OS creates new software centre, openSUSE packages Plasma 6 |
| • Issue 1061 (2024-03-11): Using a PinePhone as a workstation, restarting background services on a schedule, NixBSD ports Nix to FreeBSD, Fedora packaging COSMIC, postmarketOS to adopt systemd, Linux Mint replacing HexChat |
| • Issue 1060 (2024-03-04): AV Linux MX-23.1, bootstrapping a network connection, key OpenBSD features, Qubes certifies new hardware, LXQt and Plasma migrate to Qt 6 |
| • Issue 1059 (2024-02-26): Warp Terminal, navigating manual pages, malware found in the Snap store, Red Hat considering CPU requirement update, UBports organizes ongoing work |
| • Issue 1058 (2024-02-19): Drauger OS 7.6, how much disk space to allocate, System76 prepares to launch COSMIC desktop, UBports changes its version scheme, TrueNAS to offer faster deduplication |
| • Issue 1057 (2024-02-12): Adelie Linux 1.0 Beta, rolling release vs fixed for a smoother experience, Debian working on 2038 bug, elementary OS to split applications from base system updates, Fedora announces Atomic Desktops |
| • Issue 1056 (2024-02-05): wattOS R13, the various write speeds of ISO writing tools, DSL returns, Mint faces Wayland challenges, HardenedBSD blocks foreign USB devices, Gentoo publishes new repository, Linux distros patch glibc flaw |
| • Issue 1055 (2024-01-29): CNIX OS 231204, distributions patching packages the most, Gentoo team presents ongoing work, UBports introduces connectivity and battery improvements, interview with Haiku developer |
| • Issue 1054 (2024-01-22): Solus 4.5, comparing dd and cp when writing ISO files, openSUSE plans new major Leap version, XeroLinux shutting down, HardenedBSD changes its build schedule |
| • Issue 1053 (2024-01-15): Linux AI voice assistants, some distributions running hotter than others, UBports talks about coming changes, Qubes certifies StarBook laptops, Asahi Linux improves energy savings |
| • Issue 1052 (2024-01-08): OpenMandriva Lx 5.0, keeping shell commands running when theterminal closes, Mint upgrades Edge kernel, Vanilla OS plans big changes, Canonical working to make Snap more cross-platform |
| • Issue 1051 (2024-01-01): Favourite distros of 2023, reloading shell settings, Asahi Linux releases Fedora remix, Gentoo offers binary packages, openSUSE provides full disk encryption |
| • Issue 1050 (2023-12-18): rlxos 2023.11, renaming files and opening terminal windows in specific directories, TrueNAS publishes ZFS fixes, Debian publishes delayed install media, Haiku polishes desktop experience |
| • Issue 1049 (2023-12-11): Lernstick 12, alternatives to WINE, openSUSE updates its branding, Mint unveils new features, Lubuntu team plans for 24.04 |
| • Issue 1048 (2023-12-04): openSUSE MicroOS, the transition from X11 to Wayland, Red Hat phasing out X11 packages, UBports making mobile development easier |
| • Issue 1047 (2023-11-27): GhostBSD 23.10.1, Why Linux uses swap when memory is free, Ubuntu Budgie may benefit from Wayland work in Xfce, early issues with FreeBSD 14.0 |
| • Issue 1046 (2023-11-20): Slackel 7.7 "Openbox", restricting CPU usage, Haiku improves font handling and software centre performance, Canonical launches MicroCloud |
| • Issue 1045 (2023-11-13): Fedora 39, how to trust software packages, ReactOS booting with UEFI, elementary OS plans to default to Wayland, Mir gaining ability to split work across video cards |
| • Issue 1044 (2023-11-06): Porteus 5.01, disabling IPv6, applications unique to a Linux distro, Linux merges bcachefs, OpenELA makes source packages available |
| • Issue 1043 (2023-10-30): Murena Two with privacy switches, where old files go when packages are updated, UBports on Volla phones, Mint testing Cinnamon on Wayland, Peppermint releases ARM build |
| • Issue 1042 (2023-10-23): Ubuntu Cinnamon compared with Linux Mint, extending battery life on Linux, Debian resumes /usr merge, Canonical publishes fixed install media |
| • Issue 1041 (2023-10-16): FydeOS 17.0, Dr.Parted 23.09, changing UIDs, Fedora partners with Slimbook, GNOME phasing out X11 sessions, Ubuntu revokes 23.10 install media |
| • Issue 1040 (2023-10-09): CROWZ 5.0, changing the location of default directories, Linux Mint updates its Edge edition, Murena crowdfunding new privacy phone, Debian publishes new install media |
| • Issue 1039 (2023-10-02): Zenwalk Current, finding the duration of media files, Peppermint OS tries out new edition, COSMIC gains new features, Canonical reports on security incident in Snap store |
| • Issue 1038 (2023-09-25): Mageia 9, trouble-shooting launchers, running desktop Linux in the cloud, New documentation for Nix, Linux phasing out ReiserFS, GNU celebrates 40 years |
| • Issue 1037 (2023-09-18): Bodhi Linux 7.0.0, finding specific distros and unified package managemnt, Zevenet replaced by two new forks, openSUSE introduces Slowroll branch, Fedora considering dropping Plasma X11 session |
| • 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.
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| Random Distribution | 
Corel Linux
Discover Linux power built specifically for the desktop with Corel LINUX OS. Featuring a four-step graphical installer and a KDE-based, drag-and-drop environment, this Debian-based operating system was incredibly easy to install and configure. Access local and network drives and the Internet with an innovative browser-style file manager. Get system updates over the Web. Plus, enjoy outstanding file compatibility and network integration. Corel LINUX OS - combining renowned Linux performance and stability with intelligent simplicity. Update: Xandros Corporation has announced that it has signed a strategic licensing agreement with Corel Corporation, giving it access to Corel's Linux desktop OS and related technologies. The newly formed company will focus on developing the desktop and server markets with assistance from its founding parent, Linux Global Partners.
Status: Discontinued
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| TUXEDO |
TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite
Choose from a wide range of laptops and PCs in various sizes and shapes at TUXEDOComputers.com. Every machine comes pre-installed and ready-to-run with Linux. Full 24 months of warranty and lifetime support included!
Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
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| Star Labs |
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
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