 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 1011, 20 March 2023 |
Welcome to this year's 12th issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
The open source community provides a buffet of options for virtually every situation, task, and system configuration. There are a lot of different applications and approaches we can use to perform common tasks. In our Questions and Answers section this week we talk about various tools we can use to securely copy files between computers, including scp, rsync, and sftp. Do you use any of these tools, or graphical front-ends for these utilities? If so, let us know in this week's Opinion Poll. First though, we take quick looks at a few young projects. Serpent OS and Security Onion have been on our waiting list for a while and we take a peek at these. We also provide a quick overview of Gentoo's fresh Live edition which runs the KDE Plasma desktop. In our News section we talk about Ubuntu 18.04 nearing the end of its supported life and Canonical's plan to offer longer, "Pro" support for this aging version of their distribution. We also report on Debian's upcoming Project Leader election and mention a surge in openSUSE downloads. This week we added five young projects to our waiting list. We're also pleased to list the new releases of the past week and share the torrents we are seeding. We wish you all a wonderful week and happy reading!
Content:
- Review: Serpent OS, Security Onion 2.3, and Gentoo Live
- News: Canonical offers "Pro" support for aging Ubuntu 18.04, openSUSE sees surge in downloads, Debian runs election with one potential Project Leader
- Questions and answers: Replacing the scp utility
- Released last week: Qubes OS 4.1.2, Kali Linux 2023.1, Murena 1.9, SystemRescue 10.00
- Torrent corner: Kali Linux, Qubes OS
- Opinion poll: Favourite file copying tools
- New distributions: FlickOS, Parch Linux, Xenia Linux, AxOS, Liya
- Reader comments
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| Feature Story (by Jesse Smith) |
Serpent OS
I went browsing through my backlog of Linux distributions I want to try and, this week, Serpent OS rose to the top of the list. Serpent is a relatively young project which has some big goals in mind:
Serpent OS strives to provide the perfect hybrid experience - a traditional, package management driven Linux distribution powered by the latest technologies. Stateless by design with atomic updates at the core, Serpent OS aims to close the gap between development and production.
Whether you're a Linux professional or a home user, Serpent OS has something for you. With deduplicated on-disk transactions, the last working version of your system is only a reboot away. Any freshly installed software is immediately available giving you the flexibility of traditional package management and the peace of mind of atomic updates.
The project is in a highly active stage of development, having achieved full bootstrap with the LLVM toolchain and integration of our home grown tooling, boulder and moss.
To me, this all sounds like a similar to design to NixOS, with perhaps a few improvements. I was curious to learn more about Boulder and Moss. Boulder appears to be the distribution's build system for packages. Something more geared toward the developers and people wishing to make new packages for Serpent OS. Moss, on the other hand, seems to be the package manager (or system manager) end-users will run to perform software management. The Serpent OS website describes Moss as follows:
Here's a couple of ideas of how moss will take out the guesswork:
Optimized, CPU specific packages: Serpent OS will start off with x86-64-v2 packages. However, we won't settle with the performance where you have a newer processor. moss can detect if your CPU is compatible with x86-64-v3+ packages, and install those packages where they are available. You won't have to lift a finger!
Capability based: This includes hardware specific requirements to get you the best drivers and modules, regardless of who made your system. No longer do we need to include packages where we can obviously determine whether you will need (or not need) a package based on your installed hardware. For example, we can automatically install the VA/VA-API packages for your brand of hardware, but not include all versions for all hardware (which usually occurs).
All of this sounds like a pleasant and smooth experience, but how does it work? As far as I can tell, there is no end-user documentation for Serpent OS. I couldn't find an install guide or tips for using Moss. Even the overall goals of the project, the reasons for Serpent OS to exist, were quite vague:
The team have developed a set of principles and goals for what represents Serpent OS. Our goals are to enable you to: Take control of your computer; get the most from your hardware; enjoy a reliable experience; improve your experience behind the scenes; develop and contribute fast and efficiently; be part of a thriving community; have fun while interacting with other users and contributors.
All of this sounds nice, but it also sounds like the mission for every open source project and high school computer class. While I didn't find any practical documentation for end users, I did find repositories where software is being packaged. There isn't a lot there yet, compared with other Linux distributions, but there is a promising start.
I downloaded the development snapshot for Serpent OS which is 145MB in size. This ISO will only attempt to boot on UEFI enabled hardware, Legacy BIOS is not supported. Unfortunately, the distribution fails to boot, simply dropping us to a UEFI boot prompt. With no documentation and no sign of a bootable system, I quickly gave up.
The Serpent OS website claims: "Currently we only provide a very basic validation ISO, used to verify some basic functionality, boot sequence, the kernel and toolchain. You can experiment with the moss package manager too!" This turns out to be prematurely optimistic. However, I don't think potential users should write off Serpent yet. The Moss package manager sounds interesting and this is, after all, an early testing snapshot, not a final or stable release.
* * * * *
Security Onion 2.3
The next project to rise to the top of my list of distributions to try was Security Onion. What is Security Onion? According to the project's website:
Security Onion is a free and open Linux distribution for threat hunting, enterprise security monitoring, and log management. The easy-to-use Setup wizard allows you to build an army of distributed sensors for your enterprise in minutes!
Security Onion includes a native web interface with built-in tools analysts use to respond to alerts, hunt for evil, catalog evidence into cases, monitor grid performance, and much more.
The description sounds both fun and practical. The ISO file for Security Onion a massive 8.2GB, about twice the size of the largest mainstream distributions. I find this large-style ISO uncommon, except in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux family, where the larger editions often weigh in at more than 6GB.
Booting from the large install media brings up a boot menu asking if we'd like to Install, Install Workstation, or Install a IDH node. The first option isn't descriptive and the last one was using an abbreviation I didn't immediately recognize. I didn't find any documentation which explicitly goes over these options. In fact, all the documentation shares about setting up the distribution is: "Boot the ISO in a machine that meets the minimum hardware specs. Follow the prompts to complete the installation and reboot." Based on other pages of the documentation, I suspect IDH in this context is short for Intrusion Detection Honeypot server. I also think the default install option sets up the server edition with a web-based interface.
I decided to try installing the Workstation flavour of Security Onion. Earlier I mentioned usually only distributions in the Red Hat family use such large ISO files and some of the boot messages seem to confirm this. During the boot process I saw some text referring to the CentOS documentation and wiki.
The live system boots to a text console and presents us with a clear warning which tells us the local hard drive will be erased and its contents entirely replaced by Security Onion. If we accept this we can type "yes" to proceed. Then the only questions we are asked are to make up a username and a password for ourselves. The rest of the installation is automated. The install process appears to be running the text version of the Anaconda system installer, used by Fedora and other members of the Red Hat family.
My first time through the Workstation install process Anaconda failed almost immediately with an error saying "an unknown error occurred", accompanied by a Python 2 traceback. This left my disk in an unbootable state. I tried the Workstation install again. This time I made further progress and watched the status messages show how many packages had been copied to my disk. A little over 200 packages were copied to my drive (out of the 1,010 total indicated), and then the installer crashed again with a new Python traceback.
The third time I booted Security Onion I tried the default install option, which I think is meant to set up a server with a web portal. The installer refused to proceed, reporting it needed at least 99GB of free space. I'm fairly certain this must be an error - both because of the strange value (almost exactly 100GB) and because there is no way for the 8.2GB ISO to consume 99GB of disk space. I browsed the contents of the ISO file and it contains less than 1.5GB of packages and the entire live image, even uncompressed, is just 2GB. I could copy the whole, uncompressed contents of the ISO to my hard drive four times over and still not come close to the stated 99GB requirement.
Out of curiosity, I checked the Security Onion documentation and its list of hardware requirements are even more suspicious. We're told the distribution has a minimum requirement of 200GB of disk space, 12GB of RAM, and 4 CPU cores. That's easily triple the requirements of any other Linux distribution I've yet encountered, which makes the documentation seem like an unreliable source of information. As far as I can tell, Security Onion is basically CentOS with some security tools and a web interface (or desktop) on top of it. I don't see anything about the distribution or in the project's documentation which should cause Anaconda to fail or require so many resources.
However, I was at a roadblock once more and so decided to give in to my curiosity and try something that I've been meaning to look at for a while.
* * * * *
Gentoo live ISO
About a year ago the Gentoo project announced it would be publishing weekly snapshots of a live disc people could use to test Gentoo and try out the latest KDE Plasma desktop. I've been thinking for some time I'd like to try out the Gentoo-based live media and this week's failed experiments gave me spare time to try out Gentoo's live offering.
The Gentoo live media ISO is 4.0GB in size and boots directly to the KDE Plasma 5.26 desktop. The distribution automatically opens the System Settings panel and shows us the keyboard configuration module.
Gentoo Live ISO -- The System Settings panel and application menu
(full image size: 877kB, resolution: 1680x1050 pixels)
The Gentoo live disc runs Plasma on an X11 session and I found the desktop to be surprisingly responsive. Every element responded quickly, every menu was snappy, and the system felt lighter than I usually experience with KDE Plasma. Even with compositing enabled, even when I tried Gentoo's live media in a virtual machine, Plasma was still highly responsive. The system used just over 500MB of RAM when I first signed into the desktop, which is less memory than most other full featured desktops such as GNOME or Cinnamon consume. It's even lower than the amount of memory I usually expect Plasma to require.
The Gentoo disc ships with a lot of applications included. We're treated to several web browsers: Firefox, Chromium, and Falkon. LibreOffice is installed along with an e-mail client, and HexChat. The VLC media player and Kdenlive video editor are included. The K3b disc burning software, Inkscape, and the GNU Image Manipulation Program are all in the menu. There are some system monitoring tools, text editors, and various other small utilities one would expect from a full featured desktop environment.
Gentoo Live ISO -- Running Falkon and LibreOffice
(full image size: 472kB, resolution: 1680x1050 pixels)
In the background I found Gentoo shipped with two compilers, Clang and the GNU Compiler Collection, along with Java, and manual pages. The system runs the SysV init software with OpenRC managing services. The most recent Linux kernel from the 6.1 series was included.
In short, the Gentoo live disc offers a great experience. It boots quickly, the desktop is unusually light and responsive, and multiple themes are available on the disc. There are a lot of applications and command line tools included, making this a great live disc for showcasing the latest and greatest open source software. This could be a highly flexible demo or a rescue disc.
Gentoo Live ISO -- Exploring a dark theme
(full image size: 385kB, resolution: 1680x1050 pixels)
I will admit, when I pictured a Gentoo-based live desktop I was picturing something more bare bones, something that might require configuration or at least launching Plasma from a command line to use. Gentoo has a well earned reputation for manual, hands-on work and configuration. The live media though is quite the opposite - polished, automatic, and effortless to use. I was impressed with this demo of Gentoo's capabilities.
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| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
Canonical offers "Pro" support for aging Ubuntu 18.04, openSUSE sees surge in downloads, Debian runs election with one potential Project Leader
Shortly after Ubuntu 23.04 is published in April, an older version of Ubuntu (18.04) will reach the end of its normal supported lifespan. Lech Sandrecki published a reminder: "Ubuntu LTS releases provide a stable, enterprise platform for development and production, with five years of standard security maintenance for the Main repository and in-place upgrades to the next LTS release. It is important to take action - either by migrating to the next LTS or upgrading to Ubuntu Pro. Unless you take action, your 18.04 LTS machines will not receive any security updates after 31 May 2023. With an Ubuntu Pro subscription, your Ubuntu 18.04 LTS deployment can receive Expanded Security Maintenance (ESM) until 2028." Details on the Ubuntu Pro program are covered in the announcement.
* * * * *
Linuxiac is reporting an apparent increase in interest for openSUSE, or at least the stable Leap edition of the distribution. While it is difficult to track how many Linux users there are or how many people run a specific distribution, openSUSE has reported an unusual surge in downloads of the project's install media and access to openSUSE's package repositories. "It is clear that after its release in June 2022, the number of downloads of openSUSE Leap 15.4 skyrocketed to around 360K in February 2023. At the same time, its predecessor, openSUSE Leap 15.3, had 190-200 thousand downloads until last July, when it dropped, expectedly, with the release of the new version." The openSUSE project provides metrics for tracking downloads for each version of the distribution.
* * * * *
Debian is not only one of the world's oldest distributions, it is also one of the largest. Around 1,000 developers work on Debian's multiple branches and ports, maintaining a distribution which offer tens of thousands of packages which run on over half a dozen CPU architectures. Debian also stands out by having an elected leader, someone who will coordinate with the various groups and represent the project. This year, as the Debian election season begins, the project faces a rare situation in which just one developer, Jonathan Carter, is running for the job of Debian Project Leader.
* * * * *
These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
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| Questions and Answers (by Jesse Smith) |
Replacing the scp utility
Moving-stuff-around asks: I've read that scp is considered insecure and needs to be replaced. What would you recommend using instead, maybe rsync or sftp?
DistroWatch answers: For people who might not know, in 2019 it was determined the protocol used by the secure copy command (scp) was not entirely safe and it could overwrite the wrong files or cause issues on the remote server. The way scp was communicating between two machines was secure, but the way it was validating which files would be copied could cause problems. More details are available in this CVE report.
To address the problem, the OpenSSH team changed how scp communicates and, as of OpenSSH 9.0, the scp command uses a different protocol, the SFTP protocol, by default:
This release switches scp from using the legacy scp/rcp protocol
to using the SFTP protocol by default.
Legacy scp/rcp performs wildcard expansion of remote filenames (e.g.
"scp host:* .") through the remote shell. This has the side effect of
requiring double quoting of shell meta-characters in file names
included on scp command-lines, otherwise they could be interpreted
as shell commands on the remote side.
This change made the file handling behaviour of scp safe. In other words, if you're using a relatively recent version of scp then you have nothing to worry about. OpenSSH fixed the problem.
As it happens, rsync also usually uses the same communication backend, OpenSSH, to handle file transfers. Meanwhile sftp now shares both the same file handling and communication backend as modern versions of scp. In other words, all three utilities are secure and they all communicate over the same protocol. You can use any of the three with a high degree of confidence, just choose whichever client (scp, sftp, or rsync) you feel the most comfortable using.
* * * * *
Additional answers can be found in our Questions and Answers archive.
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| Released Last Week |
Kali Linux 2023.1
Kali Linux is a Debian-based distribution with a collection of security and forensics tools. The project's latest release, Kali Linux 2023.1, introduces a few new features, including defensive (purple) tools and Python virtual environments. "There are times where apt may not work for you, such as if there is not yet a Debian package or what is in our network repository is outdated. Look, we get it. You may need the latest version of a Python library and thus pulling from Pip gives you what you are after. However, there are then repercussions of files getting added / updated / removed which either package manager is not aware of. Things may not break straight away, but they might. An example could be when either package manager has an update of the module, or you try and install a module using the other ecosystem. Enter venv (Virtual environment). This creates an area which is completely independent." Details on these and other changes can be found in the project's release announcement.
Kali Linux 2023.1 -- Exploring the Xfce desktop and application menu
(full image size: 1.7MB, resolution: 3840x2400 pixels)
Qubes OS 4.1.2
Qubes OS 4.1.2, the latest "patch" release of the project's security-oriented operating system for single-user desktop computing, is now available. This version brings the Fedora template up to version 37 and adds an optional "kernel-latest" Linux kernel, version 6.1.12: "We are pleased to announce the stable release of Qubes 4.1.2. This release aims to consolidate all the security patches, bug fixes, and upstream template OS upgrades that have occurred since the initial Qubes 4.1.0 release. Our goal is to provide a secure and convenient way for users to install (or reinstall) the latest stable Qubes release with an up-to-date ISO. If you are already using any version of Qubes 4.1 (including 4.1.0, 4.1.1, 4.1.2-rc1, and 4.1.2-rc2), then you should simply update normally (which includes upgrading any EOL templates you might have) in order to make your system effectively equivalent to this stable Qubes 4.1.2 release. No reinstallation or other special action is required. Qubes 4.1.2 includes numerous updates over the initial 4.1.0 release, in particular: all 4.1 dom0 updates to date; Fedora 37 template; USB keyboard support in the installer; kernel-latest available as a boot option when starting the installer." Continue to the release announcement for further details.
Murena 1.9
The Murena project provides open source images for common smartphones, open source cloud-based storage, calendar, and backup solutions, and sells phones with /e/OS pre-installed. The project has announced the release of /e/OS 1.9 which includes several bug fixes, improvements, and security patches. "We are proud to deliver the /e/OS 1.9. Enjoy all the new features and improvements it embeds. We embedded some improvements! General: Widget names were changed for several apps to be more consistent. AppLounge: More unit tests and better logs will help us bringing AppLounge to its best! Agenda: Add confirmation dialog on event discard. AccountManager: We've added nextcloud SingleSignOn Authentification support. eDrive: List the PWAs among the installed app in the backup file; change widget cloud icon and account type name. Mail: Enable account specific color. Don't show floating action button by default. Updater: Remove lower android version to avoid incompatible rollback; check dev options toggle for test channel to avoid test channel when disabling dev mode. Settings: Move accounts entry to top." Additional information is provided in the project's release notes. A list of supported devices and install insturctions can be found in the project's documentation.
SystemRescue 10.00
François Dupoux has released a major update of SystemRescue, an Arch-based Linux distribution designed for administrating and repairing computer systems and rescuing data. The new version brings the Linux kernel version up to the 6.1 branch, which is currently the latest long-term supported one. The changelog provides further details: "Updated the Linux kernel to the long-term supported Linux 6.1.20; added GRUB loopback.cfg support; add boot customization hooks for GRUB and Syslinux; add 'gui_autostart' YAML configuration to run programs when X window is started; bring back xf86-video-qxl driver as its bugs have been fixed; removed deprecated autorun features (autoruns=, scripts with rn, old paths); added pass and qtpass (simple password manager which supports GnuPG encryption); added packages - casync, stressapptest, stress-ng, tk; added Memtest86+ memory tester 6.00 for UEFI in the GRUB boot menu; sysrescueusbwriter to create USB media on Linux, creates writable FAT filesystem...." The project no longer builds images for the i686 architecture.
* * * * *
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: 2,841
- Total data uploaded: 43.0TB
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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) |
Favourite file copying tools
In this week's Questions and Answers column we talked about various tools people can use to securely copy files between computers. Some of the favourite command line tools include scp, rsync, and sftp. There are also any number of graphical front-ends for these programs, such as Grsync and FileZilla. Do you use any of these utilities to transfer files between your computers?
You can see the results of our previous poll on distributions which blend together packages from multiple distributions using containers in last week's edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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Favourite transfer utility
| rsync: | 351 (29%) |
| scp: | 133 (11%) |
| sftp: | 59 (5%) |
| A GUI front-end for one of these (FileZilla/Grsync): | 239 (20%) |
| Another command line tool: | 33 (3%) |
| Another GUI tool (Warpinator/KDE Connect): | 139 (11%) |
| All of the above: | 48 (4%) |
| None of the above: | 215 (18%) |
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| Website News |
New distributions added to waiting list
- FlickOS. FlickOS is a desktop distribution based on LXLE and Ubuntu 20.04. It is intended to be fast, light on resources, and contain commonly used applications such as LibreOffice, VLC, and Firefox.
- Parch Linux. Parch Linux is an Arch-based distribution which a graphical installer and three desktop editions: Cinnamon, Xfce, and KDE Plasma.
- Xenia Linux. Xenia Linux is a Gentoo-based distribution featuring an immutable root filesystem.
- AxOS. AxOS is a distribution based on Arch Linux which features the KDE Plasma desktop.
- Liya. Liya is an Arch Linux-based distribution which offers Xfce and Cinnamon editions.
* * * * *
DistroWatch database summary
* * * * *
This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 27 March 2023. 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)
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| Archives |
| • 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 |
| • 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 |
| • 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 | 
Grml
Grml is a bootable CD (live CD) based on Debian GNU/Linux. It includes a collection of GNU/Linux software especially for users of text tools and system administrators. It also provides automatic hardware detection. Grml can be used as a rescue system, for analysing systems and networks, or as a working environment. Due to on-the-fly decompression, Grml includes about 2 GB of software and documentation on the CD.
Status: Active
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| TUXEDO |
TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite
Choose from a wide range of laptops and PCs in various sizes and shapes at TUXEDOComputers.com. Every machine comes pre-installed and ready-to-run with Linux. Full 24 months of warranty and lifetime support included!
Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
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| Star Labs |
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
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