 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 1072, 27 May 2024 |
Welcome to this year's 22nd issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
The open source ecosystem is a complex tangle of technologies, communities, ideals, licenses, and business. There are a lot of pieces and people which need to work together in order to make open source operating systems work properly. Sometimes all the elements blend together well and sometimes there can be friction. This week, in our News section, we share some examples of each. We talk about OpenBSD developers quickly porting the Plasma 6 desktop to their security-focused platform and we also discuss Dell working to bring improvements to the company's ThinOS platform from FreeBSD. We also share highlights of a debate happening in the Arch Linux community which revolves around package mirrors and the requirements the project has for mirrors provided by volunteers. First though we take a look at the latest release from the Manjaro Linux project. This rolling release distribution strives to simplify and automate running an Arch-based operating system and we share details below. Plus we share a side-by-side comparison of various init software along with the good and problematic aspects of each init implementation. In our Opinion Poll this week we ask what our readers think of KDE's Plasma 6 desktop now that it has been released and a few bug fix releases have been published. Then we are pleased to share the releases of the past week and list the torrents we are seeding. Finally, we're grateful to be able to list our kind donors who help keep the site running. We wish you all a wonderful week and happy reading!
This week's DistroWatch Weekly is presented by TUXEDO Computers.
Content:
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| Feature Story (By Jesse Smith) |
Manjaro 24.0
Manjaro Linux is an Arch-based distribution which works to be a user-friendly, desktop-oriented operating system. Key features include a graphical installation process using Calamares, automatic hardware detection, a more stable rolling-release model, and the ability to install multiple kernels.
Manjaro's latest snapshot is version 24.0. The new release is available in several desktop flavours. The official editions are KDE Plasma, GNOME, and Xfce. There are also community editions featuring the Cinnamon, i3, and Sway graphical interfaces. Manjaro is available in x86_64 and ARM builds.
Some of the key features in 24.0 are:
- The GNOME 46 desktop which now offers remote logins without an existing session already active.
- KDE Plasma's new 6.0 desktop which sees the return of the desktop cube.
- Xfce 4.18 where we can use Thunar to set custom colours on specific files and folders.
Each edition ships with the 6.9 version of Linux, though other versions of the kernel are available: "Kernel 6.9 is used for this release, such as [sic] the latest drivers available to date. With 6.6 LTS and 6.1 LTS we offer additional support for older hardware as needed."
I downloaded Manjaro's KDE Plasma edition, in large part to compare Manjaro's Plasma 6 implementation against Fedora's, which I tried earlier this year. The ISO for the Plasma edition was 3.5GB in size.
Live media
Booting from the live media brings up a menu which offers to start Manjaro in a few different ways. The main options are booting with open source drivers enabled (which is the default) or booting with proprietary drivers. I like that Manjaro defaults to the open option, but has a practical backup approach for people who need it.
Manjaro Linux 24.0 -- The welcome window
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The live environment boots to the Plasma desktop. A dark panel is placed across the bottom of the screen. While the panel on the desktop is dark, Manjaro applications use a light theme by default. An icon for launching the system installer sits on the desktop. Once the session finishes loading a welcome window appears. This welcome window (called Hello in the application menu) offers to connect us with documentation (such as a readme file, release information, and the project's wiki). The welcome window also presents buttons which will connect us with the community forums, a mailing list, and Manjaro's GitLab software repository. There is also a button for launching the Calamares system installer.
Installer
The Calamares system installer makes getting up and running pleasantly straight forward. The installer walks us through picking our language preference, timezone, and keyboard layout. Guided and manual partitioning options are both offered and easy to navigate. The guided approach offers a few root filesystem options, including Btrfs, ext4 (which is the default), and XFS. I decided to use Btrfs. We can also choose to use a swap file, a swap partition, or to use no swap space at all. We are then asked to make up a username and password for ourselves. The final screen of the installer asks us if we'd like to use the LibreOffice productivity suite or FreeOffice with a brief description shared about both. There is also an option to not install any suite. I decided to use LibreOffice. Calamares then copied the Manjaro packages to my hard drive and offered to restart the computer. So far, things were going well.
Early impressions
My brand new copy of Manjaro booted to a bright, graphical login screen. Two session options are presented, Plasma on X11 and Plasma on Wayland with X11 selected as the default option.
When I signed into my account for the first time the welcome window from the live environment appeared. The resources it offers are all the same, except the Installer button has been replaced with a button called Applications. The Applications button opens a window which presents us with a list of software categories. We can click any of the categories to expand them to show a list of popular applications in the category. Each application has a short description next to it and a checkbox we can click to indicate we want to install the software. We can then click a button at the top of the window to install all checked items.
Here I ran into the first issue of my trial: I was unable to download any applications from this Applications screen. When I clicked the button to fetch new applications the system listed dependencies it would also fetch. I was then asked for my password. The password authentication step always failed, returning me to the software selection screen. I put this aside for a bit and moved on to explore other aspects of the operating system.
Manjaro Linux 24.0 -- Browsing popular applications
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Shortly after signing into my account a notification appeared in the lower-right corner letting me know software updates were available. There is also an icon in the system tray which lets us know when new updates are available. Clicking this icon opens the Pamac software manager, a three-tabbed software centre, and shows us the Updates tab. We can then browse the list of available updates and click a button to install them.
Here again we are prompted for a password and, once again, the password authentication always fails. I want to explore this issue for a minute because it's unusual and persistent and I did quite a bit of troubleshooting for it.
Any time I tried to use Pamac on my installed copy of the distribution adding, removing, and updating packages always aborted with a pop-up window indicating authentication had failed. This happened whether I was running the Wayland or X11 session. Thanks to the "show password" button I was able to verify the password entered was correct. I also confirmed that if I typed the wrong password, a different error would be displayed right in the password prompt window and would not result in a new pop-up with the authentication error. In other words, providing the wrong password displays one error and asks us to try again, providing the right password displays a new window with a new error and aborts the action.
I investigated some other steps. I confirmed my user was able to use sudo on the command line to perform administrative actions, including running pacman to manage software. I enabled the root account and gave it a password and tried typing that, which also failed.
Password authentication always fails when using Pamac or other graphical tools for package management like the Applications window. However, password authentication works in all other command line and desktop applications I used, such as the Timeshift snapshot manager.
Manjaro Linux 24.0 -- Trying to use the welcome window and pacman to install packages
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Something I found interesting was Pamac did work in the live session, running from a USB thumb drive. It didn't prompt for a password when running from the install media and had significant permissions to continue without extra authentication, side-stepping the issue.
I didn't find a fix for this issue and I'm a bit surprised such a big and persistent problem made it through testing.
Hardware
I tested Manjaro on a physical laptop and in a VirtualBox environment. When running on the laptop, Manjaro ran smoothly and detected all of my hardware. The distribution worked with my wireless card, audio worked out of the box, and my media keys all worked. My touchpad interpreted taps as clicks (a feature which usually isn't enabled by default on other distributions and it was a welcome surprise). On the laptop the distribution worked fairly quickly and smoothly, in both X11 and Wayland sessions.
When running in VirtualBox Manjaro worked well again, as long as I was in the X11 session. When I switched to the Wayland session the desktop lagged and was notably less responsive. The mouse pointer also seemed to get out of sync easily, clicking on areas of the screen an inch or so away from where my mouse pointer appeared.
Manjaro was a little on the heavy side when running Plasma. Signing into Plasma took about 960MB of RAM, though the amount in use would drop gradually in the minute following signing in until the consumption reached 880MB. This level of memory usage means Manjaro is heavier than most Linux distributions I have used, but still only about half as RAM hungry as Fedora 40 on the same hardware. A fresh install took up about 8.8GB of disk space, not including the swap partition Calamares created.
Applications
Manjaro's KDE Plasma edition ships with the Firefox web browser, an optional office suite (LibreOffice, in my case), the VLC media player, and Elisa music player. Timeshift is included with the distribution and this helps us make backups and Btrfs snapshots.
Since I was using the KDE edition, much of the applications were from the KDE family. These included the Gwenview image viewer, Dolphin file manager, Okular document viewer, and the KDE Connect service for linking to other devices. The KDE Help documentation was installed for me.
Manjaro Linux 24.0 -- Exploring the application menu
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In the background we find the GNU command line utilities, systemd init software, and version 6.9 of the Linux kernel. Other kernel versions, from long-term support (LTS) branches, are available.
Something I noticed early on was Manjaro uses zsh as the default shell, rather than the more commonly used bash. The zsh shell has some convenient functions, including displaying suggestions while we type.
Manjaro includes some command line aliases which got in my way at first, until I got used to them or disabled them. I'm not a fan of distributions including aliases which change the default behaviour of commands, though I imagine this is put in place for new users to make output and functionality more beginner-friendly.
One command line feature I didn't like was sometimes when I was typing a command the shell would display a prompt asking if I'd really meant something else. For instance, typing "gcc" followed by some parameters to start the compiler would cause the shell to ask if I'd really meant to type "rcc". It's a minor inconvenience, but one which breaks up this user's flow. Another minor inconvenience is the terminal uses a dark cyan font on a black background. I found this colour combination hard to read and switched it to a higher contrast.
Manjaro Linux 24.0 -- Running the Dolphin file manager and exploring the settings panel
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Software management
As I mentioned earlier, Manjaro primarily uses the Pamac software centre for package management. Pamac is organized into three tabs: one for browsing available software, organized into categories; one for browsing and removing installed items; and one for updating installed packages. While I was unable to get Pamac to successfully perform any actions, the software centre is nicely laid out and easy to navigate. It also makes browsing categories relatively quick.
Manjaro Linux 24.0 -- Browsing available software with Pamac
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When working from the command line we can use the pacman package manager. This is an unusually fast package manager with an unusual syntax. The pacman utility worked well for me and fetched new software and updates with no issues.
The Flatpak software is also installed for us and configured to pull packages from the Flathub repository. This gives us access to a wide range of desktop applications.
Snapshots, boot environments, and other observations
Manjaro ships with the Timeshift snapshot manager. When combined with Btrfs as the root filesystem the Timeshift utility helps us set up automated snapshots. This makes it easy to see comparisons between files and directories. We can also rollback changes to the system, which is especially handy when using a rolling release distribution.
When we are using Btrfs we have the option of booting into a filesystem snapshot from the system's boot menu. This means most issues with configuration mistakes or system updates can be fixed with a reboot and selecting the previous snapshot. Manjaro is one of the only Linux distributions to automatically work with boot environments (bootable snapshots), though openSUSE is another rare example of a distro which enabled boot environments. Boot environments are not commonly set up for users by default in the Linux community and it's nice to see Manjaro go the extra mile with this feature.
The release announcement mentioned Plasma has restored the desktop cube, which I assumed was a reference to the popular visual effect that makes virtual desktops look like faces of a 3-D cube. This feature is not enabled by default. At one point I used Plasma's System Settings panel to enable visual effects, set up four virtual desktops, and went looking for a way to enable the cube animation. I was unable to find a way to enable the desktop cube, even when using the System Settings search feature. There are other animations that will indicate when virtual desktops are being navigated, but these were 2-D and fairly typical of other desktop environments. I was unable to find a way to enable the spinning cube animation.
I did a web search which turned up this support thread which suggests we need to install the qt6-quick3d package and access the cube by pressing Meta+C. I confirmed the qt-6quick3d package was on my system, but pressing Meta+C did nothing. I checked System Settings and attempted to use the shortcut in both the Wayland and X11 sessions with no success.
Conclusions
My trial with Manjaro this week was a mixed experience, full of some glorious good moments and some disappointing errors. Clearly the inability of the software manager to perform any tasks was the worst issue I ran into. This problem was made all the more puzzling since other desktop applications authenticated properly, the pacman command like package manager worked, and I was able to confirm my password was typed correctly.
There were a few other annoyances, though no serious problems. The default command line aliases, terminal colours, and shell that kept asking if I was making typos were unwelcome, but harmless. I was able to change these in a few minutes and move on. Having the project advertise the desktop cube and include the necessary dependencies only to not have it work in either session (X11 or Wayland) was also disappointing.
Now for the good parts: I really like how easy it is to install Manjaro. The Calamares system installer, the friendly welcome screen, and the variety of editions means Manjaro is quickly and easily accessible. We can pick a full featured or light edition and get it up and running in a few minutes. I like that we can pretty much click "Next" a few times in the installer and have a working system, but we can also customize partitions and the office suite.
Plasma 6 is working fairly well on Manjaro. It's still a little rough (the desktop panel kept jumping up and down during my trial) and Wayland was unusually sluggish when running in a virtual machine. The X11 session was snappy though in VirtualBox and both sessions worked well on my laptop.
Where Manjaro shines, I think, is automating a lot of things for the user. Manjaro's parent, Arch Linux, is famous for requiring a lot of manual work. Manjaro keeps the rolling nature and flexibility of Arch while automating all of the low-level work. The initial set up is easy, Flatpak support is ready to go out of the box, hardware and shortcut keys are all handled for us.
Manjaro also does a nice job of supplying some applications for basic tasks without overfilling the application menu. The distribution should be easy enough for beginners to use (the problems I encountered aside) while providing enough flexibility and tools to appeal to more experienced Linux users.
My favourite feature of this distribution is probably Timeshift combined with boot environments. I like being able to revert changes, especially on a rolling release distribution. Manjaro is one of just a few Linux distributions to enable boot environments and automated Btrfs snapshots and it's great to see this available.
There are some problems in this release, but I suspect nothing which cannot be overcome with a few tweaks or a future update. This feels like a solid, and powerful distribution that is easy to get up and running.
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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
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Visitor supplied rating
Manjaro Linux has a visitor supplied average rating of: 8.1/10 from 411 review(s).
Have you used Manjaro Linux? You can leave your own review of the project on our ratings page.
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| Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith) |
OpenBSD ports Plasma 6, Arch community debates mirror requirements, ThinOS gets an upgrade to its FreeBSD core
It took a while for the OpenBSD team to port, test, and package KDE Plasma 5, with the work completing last year. However, following the release of KDE Plasma 6, a small group of developers quickly tackled porting the new Plasma 6 desktop to OpenBSD and packages are now available for testing. Rafael Sadowski reports: "Last year marked a significant milestone for both myself and the OpenBSD desktop community, as we successfully ported KDE Plasma 5 and all dependencies to OpenBSD. With the release of OpenBSD 7.5 on April 5, 2024, KDE Plasma in version 5.27.10 has become a part of our lovely operating system. This success is the result of years of development work and commitment to achieving this goal.
KDE launched version 6 of its Plasma desktop environment on February 28, 2024, bringing numerous updates and features as well as the major switch to Qt6. I am immensely proud that the OpenBSD team has managed to prepare for this major update so swiftly." The blog post includes instructions for installing Plasma on OpenBSD.
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The Arch Linux team have posted new requirements for community-run package mirrors. Some of the outlined requirements concern uptime, monitoring of issue trackers, rules for methods for contacting the mirror maintainers, security, and available bandwidth. Several mirror maintainers have responded, pointing out problems with the requirements which would make maintaining an Arch mirror impractical: "We appreciate the effort to standardize mirror management in the Arch Linux community through an RFC. However, this RFC fails to address critical issues in the current situation. It introduces major inconveniences or even inabilities for existing mirrors to comply with. We, as mirror administrators and maintainers, unanimously present our views as follows...." Key concerns include nearly uninterrupted uptime, unlimited bandwidth, fast response times from volunteers, and unlimited parallel client connections.
* * * * *
The FreeBSD Foundation is shining a spotlight on Dell's ThinOS, a FreeBSD-based operating system which "is a ready-to-deploy solution that aims to improve virtual desktops while offering a secure platform for applications and services." Dell is planning a series of updates to ThinOS which will bring improved hardware support and better compatibility with Linux applications. "The roadmap for ThinOS includes: Upgrade base OS to FreeBSD 14: The next version of ThinOS, version 10, will use the current release version of FreeBSD, version 14. Enhanced Hardware Support: Upgrading the FreeBSD kernel to support an ever-widening array of hardware platforms, ensuring ThinOS remains compatible with the latest technological advancements. Linux Application Compatibility: Improving FreeBSD's Linux application binary interface (ABI) will allow a broader base of Linux applications to run seamlessly on ThinOS, enhancing its versatility and appeal. Driver Portability: Making it easier to port Linux device drivers to FreeBSD, which will streamline the integration process and the adoption of new hardware technologies. Advanced Security Features: This feature builds upon the MAC (Mandatory Access Control) framework to introduce more sophisticated security capabilities, fortifying ThinOS against emerging threats." Additional details about improvements coming to FreeBSD and ThinOS are discussed in the Foundation's case study.
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These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
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| Questions and Answers (by Jesse Smith) |
Comparing init systems
This-or-that asks: One of the things I pay some attention to is the "init diversity" spins of Antix -- and I always think of you when I read about them. You would seem one of the few qualified to render comparison/contrasting opinions. What do you think of the available init systems?
Jesse Smith answers: Thank you. While I might be qualified to talk about init software, or at least some init software and related services, I will also state right up front that I also have a conflict of interest. I'm currently the maintainer for SysV init (and a few related tools) so I have more familiarity and, perhaps, more appreciation for how SysV does things. With that said, I do try to maintain an open mind and I do think there are good and bad aspects to all of the init implementations available to Linux users today. Let's talk about them!
SysV init
I'd like to start with SysV init, partly because I'm the most familiar with it, but also because it's probably the oldest Linux init I am qualified to discuss. What I like about SysV is it tries to keep things really simple and minimal. SysV really only does a few things at its core.
Like all init software, it monitors for orphaned processes (processes whose parents have terminated) and cleans up after them when they exit. Otherwise, all SysV really does is allow the administrator select what is called a "runlevel" and then runs the program or script associated with that runlevel. That's pretty much the whole of SysV's function.
A runlevel is basically a pre-defined set of services or configurations the administrator might want to use together. For example, runlevel 0 is "poweroff", runlevel 6 is typically "reboot". Runlevel 1 is usually rescue or "single user" mode. On most systems runlevel 3 would be a multi-user environment with a command line, basically a server environment. Meanwhile runlevel 5 is usually a graphical/desktop environment. The idea is the distribution's maintainers figure out which services we might want to run in each of these situations and then the administrator selects which runlevel provides the environment they want.
If you look in the SysV configuration file, /etc/inittab, you will typically see six or seven lines which look like this:
l0:0:wait:/etc/init.d/rc 0
l1:1:wait:/etc/init.d/rc 1
What these lines basically say is when the administrator selects runlevel 0, init will run the program or script located at /etc/init.d/rc and pass it the parameter "0". When level 1 is selected, init will run the program /etc/init.d/rc and pass it the parameter "1". Usually there are six of these, one for each of the standard runlevels. SysV is told which runlevel we are going into and then runs the script or executable file associated with that runlevel and that's about it, SysV's work is finished.
What that program or script specified in the inittab file does is entirely up to the distribution or the administrator. It might launch a service supervisor, it might run a series of shell scripts, it might be one big program that knows how to launch everything else. SysV doesn't care, it has already completed its job. It does relatively little and remains pretty small, fast, and efficient as a result.
There are two downsides to this super minimal approach. The first is, of course, that if init doesn't do much on its own, then something does need to do the work of getting the distribution up and running - and later shut it down. This means the distribution needs to package a service manager (like OpenRC), create a complex collection of shell scripts (like Debian/Devuan uses), or introduce some other way of figuring out what should happen when SysV kicks off a new runlevel. Basically it puts more work on the distribution developers because they need to define what happens in each runlevel.
The second issue is related. Each Linux distribution ended up taking their own approach to defining what SysV should do when it entered a runlevel. As I mentioned, Debian created a massive collection of shell scripts (called init scripts) which pull in all sorts of dependencies and checks. I think openSUSE was the distribution which came up with a tool to detect dependencies and then run services in parallel using Makefile-like configurations, Slackware set up an interesting set of configuration files similar in style to how the BSDs organized their start-up processes. Each of these, in turn, had its own benefits and drawbacks.
This ended up meaning that the distributions couldn't share a lot of the work and solutions. It also resulted in a lot of misinformation about how SysV worked and its limitations. This misinformation spread because people might run into a problem on one distribution and assume it was true everywhere SysV was used. If you've ever heard people claim "SysV is slow" or "SysV requires shell scripts" or "SysV can't start jobs in parallel" then you have encountered this sort of misinformation born out of the fragmented approach distributions took to implementing SysV's runlevels. Those complaints are almost always true for one distribution, but not for SysV in general.
In short, SysV focuses on being minimal, doing one thing well, and sticks to the classic System V Unix approach of using runlevels. It also carries a lot of decades of legacy support put in place by distributions which were forced to define and implement what happens in each runlevel.
systemd
I think it's fair to say most people regard systemd as the replacement to SysV (or the replacement to Upstart, which was replacing SysV). systemd seems to be a direct answer to "What is wrong with SysV?" because it tends to do a lot of things the opposite way.
While SysV init tried to be very small and minimal, leaving configuration and implementation of runlevels up to distributions, systemd takes a much broader approach. The systemd project not only handles basic init functions, but has expanded to take on service management, networking, signing into desktops, replacing the bootloader, logging, and user home directory functionality. systemd does away with runlevels (separate silos of configurations and functionality) and instead enables targets. The administrator can then switch to a target (like single user mode, or graphical mode). This streamlines the whole process as we can limit the number of targets we use and only set up targets we know we will need. It also grants us additional flexibility because we could create as many targets as we want without worrying about how many runlevel slots we have.
Many distributions used init scripts to handle services in runlevels (and their dependencies) and this tended to result in massive scripts, sometimes dozens of lines long, to handle starting and stopping services. systemd uses small unit files with configuration options that are easy to read and fairly easy to parse. The functionality is then handled in the background. As a bonus, unit files are cross-platform, meaning distributions can usually share unit files between them, reducing the workload.
Most SysV implementations didn't do anything to track services and their processes. This could allow services to "fork and hide" and make it harder to shut down services which didn't leave a process identification (PID) file. systemd uses control groups to essentially corral and remove misbehaving services. Likewise, on its own, SysV didn't care about monitoring services or restarting failed services, that was considered outside functionality that would be handled by a script or service manager. systemd can monitor and restart services automatically.
While some distributions enabled parallel service start-up with SysV, it wasn't an automatic feature and systemd will automatically start services in parallel.
In my opinion, systemd set out to correct a lot of problems decades of using a variety of SysV implementations had revealed. In the process, systemd has become something much larger, more complex, and (sometimes) less predictable in its operations. The systemd suite does a lot of things for distribution developers, which (I believe) is a big part of why it has been so widely adopted. Developers no longer need to juggle a dozen small packages when they can rely on the functionality and layer of systemd capabilities. Distributions no longer need to maintain service scripts when they can share unit files. However, in doing so much, systemd has also added complexity, areas where things could go wrong, and increased the attack surface of the distribution (as we saw with the recent OpenSSH, systemd, xz exploit).
OpenRC
According to the Gentoo wiki page, OpenRC started out as a service manager rather than an init implementation: "OpenRC is a dependency based init system that works with the system provided init program, normally located at /sbin/init. It is not a replacement for /sbin/init." Basically, the idea was an init program, typically SysV, would do the minimal work of bringing the system on-line and then OpenRC would manage services and tasks.
Over time though OpenRC did develop its own init software which could replace SysV so OpenRC became a complete init and service manager solution, though some distributions still use a combination of SysV as init and OpenRC as the service manager running on top of init.
OpenRC relies on a special type of script file to handle service management and dependencies. These scripts are expected to have certain functions in them. Like systemd, OpenRC can monitor background services.
In my opinion OpenRC has always fit into a nice middle ground between SysV and systemd. It has the light, minimal, "do one thing well" approach of SysV. On the other hand, OpenRC has more explicit service management, arguably cleaner (or better defined) scripts, and the service monitoring capabilities of systemd.
If I'm not mistaken, OpenRC is also special in the init field because it is not tied to GNU/Linux. systemd runs on Linux only, some of SysV's approach is fairly specific to Linux (or at least GNU-related systems like GNU/Linux and GNU Hurd). OpenRC has the distinction of working well on multiple Linux distributions and on some of the BSDs (it has been used in GhostBSD and can be run on FreeBSD and NetBSD with some careful configuration.
runit
Next on my list is runit and, despite the earlier bias I mentioned in favour of SysV, I think runit might be my favourite init implementation. The runit init system is incredibly small and fast and, in my tests, often boots distributions in under half the time required by other init implementations. It also uses less memory than other init implementations I've tested.
This small footprint and blazing speed is accomplished by removing just about anything that is not strictly needed, while using a clean, straight forward design to make service administration fairly easy. While quite simple, runit also fixes a number of the problems people have with SysV.
The runit software includes process monitoring, optional automatic service restarts, built-in support for running services in parallel, offers a logging service, and has a clean, filesystem-oriented approach to enabling services. All of this is accomplished with under 1,000 lines of C code. For comparison's sake; SysV init is about 3,100 lines of code. Once you factor in all of SysV's helper programs and optional add-ons the SysV suite is about 11,600 lines of C. systemd's suite is up to about 1,300,000 lines of C code. In short, runit and its helper programs are literally 1,000 times smaller than systemd and its suite of programs.
In short, runit is small, fast, does everything init and a service manager needs to, and nothing extra.
s6
Lastly, I'd like to acknowledge s6. The s6 software is not widely used, but has found a following in some distributions, including Artix and Obarun. I haven't used s6 much, partly because I usually don't use the few projects which have adopted it and partly because I haven't been able to find a lot of documentation about what makes it special.
What I do like about s6 is it is designed to be modular. As I understand it, init and service management are separated and each component tries to be minimal and swappable. Also something I like is s6 has replaced runlevels with something called bundles. A bundle seems to give the administrator the ability to group packages or services together to be run in a pre-defined configuration, like a runlevel. However, a bundle also seems to be easier to edit and extend, closer to a systemd target in its flexibility.
People who are curious about s6 and want to dive into it more can check out the Artix wiki page for s6, it's a good place to get started with both the theory and practice side of s6.
Special note about Slackware
Since I'm talking about init software, I'd like to mention something I get asked about a lot. Slackware Linux, the world's oldest surviving distribution, runs SysV init. For some reason, none of the Slackware documentation says this, as far as I can tell. The documentation mentions Slackware offers SysV init "compatibility" and uses a BSD-style of init:
System V init compatibility was introduced in Slackware 7.0. Many other Linux distributions make use of this style instead of the BSD style. Basically each runlevel is given a sub-directory for init scripts, whereas BSD style gives one init script to each runlevel.
I'm not sure why it is phrased this way, but it has led a lot of people, including Slackware users, to believe the distribution runs a version of init imported from the BSDs or a custom init implementation, and Slackware developers have modified it to run SysV init scripts.
The truth is, Slackware uses SysV init. The scripts and configuration the distribution uses with SysV are arranged in a way that is very much like classic Unix or BSD in structure.
Detecting which init is running
At this point you might be wondering how you can know which init implementation you are running. There are a few approaches you can use. On any distribution running systemd, we can quickly confirm systemd is the init software by running the following command:
$ cat /proc/1/comm
systemd
The above command checks the name of the program running as init, the first process (PID 1). On most distributions this will return the name "systemd". Alternatively, on distributions running the runit software, you should see the following:
$ cat /proc/1/comm
runit
However, the command might return "init" instead, like this:
$ cat /proc/1/comm
init
Then we still have work to do as multiple init implementations call themselves simply "init". On distributions running SysV we can confirm the implementation by asking init itself:
$ init --version
SysV init version: 3.06
As you can see, SysV identifies itself by name in the version information.
In situations where the above commands do not reveal an answer, then you can usually see which init implementation you have by running the following command:
$ ls -l $(which init)
What this does is look up the path of the init software, usually /sbin/init, and displays the filename or name of the symbolic link at that location. This will often end up revealing that "init" is actually a symbolic link to another program, such as BusyBox or openrc-init, which reveals the name of the implementation of init in use.
* * * * *
Additional answers can be found in our Questions and Answers archive.
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| Released Last Week |
MX Linux 23.3
The developers of MX Linux, a Debian-based desktop distribution with graphical administration tools and a choice of three popular desktops, have announced the release of MX Linux 23.3: "MX Linux 23.3 'Libretto' released. MX Linux 23.3 is the third refresh of our MX 23 release, consisting of bug fixes, kernel, and application updates since our original release of MX 23. If you are already running MX 23, there is no need to reinstall. Packages are all available through the regular update channels or by installing the changed applications. Some highlights include: when using the installer's OEM mode, the user will be able to select a system language before user setup starts so that the setup will be in the chosen language, this is set up by default on the RPI respin release; updated manual and manual now divided into language-specific packages; MX Locale tool includes a function to remove all manual packages except current system default language; zstd compression option added to live-remaster (antiX live system); systemd is usable on live system in rudimentary fashion; many language updates." Here is the complete release announcement.
GhostBSD 24.04.1
GhostBSD is a desktop-oriented operating system based on FreeBSD. The project's latest release is GhostBSD 24.04.1 which is based on FreeBSD's 14-STABLE development branch. The new snapshot includes an update to the MATE desktop to version 1.28.1, a return of the desktop Signal client, and a collection of bug fixes. "I am pleased to announce the release of GhostBSD 24.04.1! First and foremost, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all those who reported issues and contributed their time, effort, and expertise to enhance GhostBSD for this latest release. GhostBSD 24.04.1 is the second release under FreeBSD 14 stable. I have updated the system to 1400510, and the MATE desktop is updated to 1.28.1. This release also contains some bug fixes found in previous releases and with some improvements." The release announcement contains a complete list of new features and bug fixes. GhostBSD maintains one official edition with the MATE desktop and a community edition which uses the Xfce desktop.
Alpine Linux 3.20.0
Alpine Linux is a community developed operating system designed for routers, firewalls, VPNs, VoIP boxes, containers, and servers. The project's latest stable release is Alpine Linux 3.20.0 which features a number of package updates, including Linux 6.6, GNOME 46, and KDE Plasma 6. The new version also introduces 64-bit RISC-V support: "We are pleased to announce the release of Alpine Linux 3.20.0, the first in the v3.20 stable series. Highlights: LLVM 18; Node.js (LTS) 20.10; Python 3.12; Ruby 3.3; Rust 1.78; Crystal 1.12; GNOME 46; Go 1.22; KDE 6; Sway 1.9; .NET 8.0. Significant changes: Initial support for 64-bit RISC-V was added." Additional information can be found in the project's release announcement and in the release notes for 3.20.0.
Murena 2.0
The Murena project delivers a de-Googled version of Android for smartphones which include several privacy protecting features and independent cloud services. The Murena team have released Murena 2.0 which ships with an updated version of the Bliss launcher, more capable tracker blocking, built-in QR code recognition in the camera app, and IP address hiding. "Advanced Privacy is a unique tool we have developed to prevent trackers from accessing your data while you are using third-party apps or just browsing the web. Let's have a look now at the enhanced Advanced Privacy features in /e/OS V2. Advanced Privacy lets you manage in-app trackers, IP addresses, and location. It's available as a widget and within the operating system settings. And now in a recent update, you can enjoy a better experience with Advanced Privacy with a more intuitive user interface; you'll have greater control over your privacy settings. In Advanced Privacy settings, you can also manage tracker permissions by app and see the complete statistics of trackers blocked." Additional information is provided through the release announcement and in the release notes. Download options for supported devices can be found on the project's Devices page.
Murena 2.0 -- The Bliss launcher
(full image size: 2.2MB, resolution: 1440x2960 pixels)
Ultramarine 40
Ultramarine Linux is a Fedora-based, desktop distribution which attempts to provide a better, out-of-the-box desktop experience. The project's latest release, Ultramarine Linux 40, swaps out the Pantheon desktop for Xfce and offers support for ARM devices, such as Raspberry Pi computers. "Now the moment we're sure you've been waiting for: Xfce Edition is here! Our new fourth edition (more about that further down.) Let's take a peek. Xfce Edition stays close to the stock Xfce experience with a little bit of Ultramarine spice sprinkled in. We embrace a more traditional dock and panel setup, compared to Xfce's split layout, and use a more modern menu (with search.) In addition to these layout changes, we use the beautifully familiar Materia theme. Xfce Edition is perfect for lower-powered devices and people who want to squeeze the most out of their computers." Additional information and screenshots can be found in the project's release announcement.
* * * * *
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: 3,004
- Total data uploaded: 44.5TB
|
| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
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Summary of expected upcoming releases
|
| Opinion Poll (by Jesse Smith) |
Opinions on Plasma 6
Last year we asked what people thought of the upcoming Plasma 6 release. At the time over 80% of our readers who responded said they either hadn't used Plasma 6 or it was too soon to tell how the new version of KDE's desktop was going to perform. Now a few distributions, such as Fedora and Manjaro have shipped with Plasma 6 and others have packaged the desktop. What do you think of Plasma 6 now that it is has been launched as a stable release?
You can see the results of our previous poll on preferred system installer style in our previous edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
|
How do you feel about Plasma 6?
| I like Plasma 6 better than Plasma 5: | 281 (12%) |
| I like Plasma 6 less than Plasma 5: | 82 (4%) |
| I like Plasma 6 and Plasma 5: | 223 (10%) |
| I do not like Plasma (5 or 6): | 70 (3%) |
| I do not use Plasma: | 1472 (65%) |
| Undecided: | 132 (6%) |
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|
| Website News |
Donations and Sponsors
Each month we receive support and kindness from our readers in the form 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 $117 in contributions from the following kind souls:
| Donor |
Amount |
|---|
| J S | $50 |
| Mitchell V | $10 |
| Jonathon B | $10 |
| Sam C | $10 |
| Brian59 | $5 |
| Chung T | $5 |
| surf3r57 | $5 |
| TaiKedz | $5 |
| Mark C | $5 |
| Flaviano S | $4 |
| J.D. L | $2 |
| PB C | $2 |
| c6WWldo9 | $1 |
| Stephen M | $1 |
| Shasheen E | $1 |
| William E | $1 |
* * * * *
New distributions added to waiting list
- Oshin OS. Oshin OS is a desktop Linux distribution featuring the KDE Plasma desktop. The distribution ships with filters and parental controls in an attempt to filter undesirable content and messages.
* * * * *
DistroWatch database summary
* * * * *
This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 3 June 2024. 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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| Tip Jar |
If you've enjoyed this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly, please consider sending us a tip.
(Tips this week: 1, value: US$2) |
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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.
|
| Random Distribution | 
Bonzai Linux
Bonzai Linux has been build to offer a Debian based Desktop-OS that fits on a 180MB CD-R(W). The Distribution includes the current stable version of KDE and has been modified for easier installation.
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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