Distributions News: GNU/Linux Distros
- Dr. Roy Schestowitz
- 2014-04-14 08:34:19 UTC
- Modified: 2014-04-14 08:34:19 UTC
High End
Old Computers
The Zorin developers have always marketed their products as the perfect Windows alternatives and they’ve had some success with this strategy. Their operating systems are regarded as good replacements, with familiar interfaces that can help people running away from Windows OSes to better adjust to a Linux distribution.
Single-purpose
GParted Live, a small bootable GNU/Linux distribution for x86-based computers that can be used for creating, reorganizing, and deleting disk partitions with the help of tools that allow managing filesystems, is now at version 0.18.0-2.
"The underlying GNU/Linux operating system was upgraded. This release is based on the Debian Sid repository, as of April 7, 2014," reads the official changelog.
The Linux kernel has remained the same, 3.13.6, and this is one of the most recent ones available. It's very likely that the next development version will feature Linux kernel 3.14.
Distrohopping
Various distro spin makers have made two unwritten laws that I very much disagree with:
A) A distro spin of desktop blah should have only programs built with the same widget library that desktop blah uses
B) A distro spin should only ship / pre-install one program for each application category
I mention this because I'm a big KDE fan but KDE-only distro spins do not include my preferred browser (Firefox) nor my preferred office suite (LibreOffice, not that I use an office suite much) because they aren't QT-native applications. While LibreOffice does a better job of integrating with KDE than Firefox does, both drag with them quite a bit of GTK baggage... which is considered "bloat" by many spin makers.
CAELinux
SparkyLinux
I think it started when I installed the same Linux distribution with the same set of applications, configuration and layout as mine, to my wife's and then to my colleague's computers. Then somebody asked me why should I not try to share my point of view with more people.
The SparkyLinux 3.3 “Annagerman” system is built on Debian GNU/Linux “Jessie,” just like the previous versions. The developer usually releases versions with various desktop environments, but this is just the Base, which means that it's only for command-line fans.
AVLinux
The really interesting and important thing about the AVLinux distribution, of course, is the Multimedia capability included in it. The Audio menu is shown to the right, above. Well, at least part of it is; it has so much in this category that it doesn't even fit on one screen! Audio players, mixers, editors, synthesizers, analyzers, and pretty much anything and everything you can think of in this category are included.
Arch Family
Starting with the 32-bit ISO labeled 2014.04i (“i” as in infinite) this is our first version of a Rolling Release and based on the excellent Manjaro/(Arch).
Manjaro 0.8.9, a Linux distribution based on well-tested snapshots of the Arch Linux repositories and 100% compatible with Arch, has just received its third update pack.
Fedora
Another round of features have been approved by the Fedora Engineering and Steering Committee for this year's Fedora 21 release.
Debian Family
Hello Linux Geeksters. As you may know, APT (Advanced Package Tool) is the default command-line package manager for Debian, Ubuntu and their derivative systems. Recently, APT has reached version 1.0, after 16 years since it was recently developed. Ubuntu’s Synaptic and Ubuntu Software Center run both apt in the background, for managing deb packages.
-
MakuluLinux 6 MATE, a Linux distribution based on the Debian testing branch, Jessie, that provides stability, speed, and a modern desktop, is the first in the series and it will be available for download on April 14.
Ubuntu and Derivatives
Numix Icon Packs is a small project developed by Numix project team focused to create high quality GTK themes and icons for Linux desktop. Their goal is to make a “difference” in theming and to present you a modern and stylish desktop without damaging its usability while at it, and quite frankly, up until now they seem to have done a pretty great job.
After wiring into the car's communications system, forum user "nlc" was able to find a number of ports and tap into the data flowing to the center console and navigation screens. Others soon joined in the fun and amongst the slightly esoteric bits of information the "hackers" eventually discovered was that the sub-system runs on a version of Ubuntu operating system, which is a Linux variant.
With Ubuntu 14.04 closing in to the release date, which is set for April 17th, I took Lubuntu for a spin from the daily live ISO image. Lubuntu is the most lightweight distribution in the Ubuntu family (the other one being Xubuntu which uses Xfce), using LXDE (Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment), as well as a set of applications intended to be low on resources.
Okay, I have two socket 939 machines with XP collecting dust. Nevertheless they are quite stable and more than meets the requirements to run any version of Linux.
One has four gigs of RAM and the other two and both processors are AMD. I was wondering what you think of Mint and if there is another version of Linux you would recommend for the beginner.
Gentoo Family
PCLinuxOS
I will have to migrate it to a newer version of PCLOS. But I will do that during Easter. The thing is, I am not sure if I want to do it. The current install of PCLOS has everything I need to work and play (it even runs the game Braid on Desura), so... why fixing it if it is not broken?
Slackware Family
“We include Xfce4, the gimp, firefox, cups, exaile, popular multimedia plugins, and many other programs to maximize the desktop experience. Also new is an update to our very own installer, this was written from scratch and is a major improvement from previous installers. This is a RC release so final is soon to follow after initial peer testing,” notes the developer in the official announcement.
Salix MATE 14.1 Beta 1, a GNU/Linux distribution based on Slackware that is simple, fast, easy to use, and based on the MATE desktop environment, is ready for testing and download.
Recent Techrights' Posts
- Sounds Like IBM is Preparing for Mass Layoffs/Redundancies in Red Hat, Albeit in "PIP" (Performance Improvement Plan) or "Relocation" Clothing
- This isn't the "old" IBM; they're applying pressure by confusion and humiliation
- Gemini Links 17/04/2025: Role of Language and Back to Mutt for E-mail
- Links for the day
- Microsoft's Attack Dogs Have Failed. Now What?
- It would be utterly foolish to assume that Microsoft has any intention of changing
- All Your "Github Projects" Will be Gone One Day (Just Like Skype)
- If you have code you wish to share and keep, then start learning how to do so on your own
- Fedora Already Lost Its Soul Under IBM
- Fedora used to be very strict compared to many other distros and it had attracted very bright volunteers
- Links 17/04/2025: Calling Whistleblowers at Microsoft, Slop Doing More Harm Everywhere
- Links for the day
-
- Links 18/04/2025: "Fentanylware (TikTok) Exodus Continues", Chinese Weapons Allegedly in Russia Already
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 18/04/2025: Price of Games and State of Tinylog
- Links for the day
- "Sayonara" (さよなら), Microsoft
- Windows had fallen below iOS in some countries
- Links 18/04/2025: Layoffs at Microsoft Infosys and Qt Becoming Increasingly Proprietary (Plus Slop)
- Links for the day
- Google News is Dying
- treating MElon's algorithmic/biased site as a source of verified news
- To Understand Who's Truly Controlling You Follow the Trail of Censorship (or Self-Censorship)
- Do not let media steal and steer the narrative; CoCs are not about "social justice", they're about corporate domination
- Microsoft is Still Attacking GNU/Linux and the Net
- Microsoft bribed the government using money that did not even exist
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Thursday, April 17, 2025
- IRC logs for Thursday, April 17, 2025
- Gemini Links 18/04/2025: Pinephone Pro and Linux is too Easy
- Links for the day
- Links 17/04/2025: Russian Bot Farms Infect TikTok (Which US Government and SCOTUS Decided to Block January 19), US Hardware Stocks Crash Due to Tariffs
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 17/04/2025: Sticking to Free Software, Smolnet, and Counting the Reals
- Links for the day
- Open Source Initiative (OSI) Privacy Fiasco in Detail: In Conclusion and Enforcement Action Proceeds Against OSI at the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA)
- There's too much to cover in one single part
- When You Fail to Filter Your Clients You End Up SLAPPing Reporters on Behalf of Bad People From Microsoft in Another Continent
- “American Psycho”
- Links 17/04/2025: LayoffBot and Tesla Cheats Buyers
- Links for the day
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, April 16, 2025
- IRC logs for Wednesday, April 16, 2025
- Trump Authority (CA) With a Trump NSA is All About Security, But Whose?
- A "turnkey tyranny", as the NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake loved to call it
- Confirming IBM Shutdowns and Layoffs Today
- It's not over yet
- Gemini Links 16/04/2025: The 2010s Are Calling and Why "Tools Will Not Liberate Us"
- Links for the day
- You Should Probably Self-Host Your E-mail and Never Use a Web Browser for Mail
- Does anyone still believe Gmail is "free"?
- Links 16/04/2025: Cliff Lynch RIP, More Attacks on Science (NASA)
- Links for the day
- StatCounter Shows the Market Share of Vista 11 is Decreasing in Ukraine This Year
- Microsoft abandoning Vista 10 users would be a victory for Vladimir Putin
- Google Promotes Fake Articles (LLM Slop) Instead of Originals, Relaying Microsoft's Linux FUD Emanating From Microsoft LLMs
- Shame on Google for participating in the slopfest
- In Some Countries the Largest OEMs Already Dump Microsoft Windows
- Windows at 18.9%, Android 60.2%
- The "Gold" Rule: Taking Money for Reputation Laundering and Openwashing Under the "Linux" Banner
- Seller of expensive toilet paper, Jim Zemlin
- LLM Slop Says Slop is "coming for white-collar jobs. Microsoft’s layoffs are just the start"
- Look what the Web has become
- Microsoft Down From 100% to 10% in Myanmar/Burma
- only about 4% of Web requests in Myanmar/Burma come from Vista 11, soon to be the only "supported" version of Windows
- Reporting Facts About Violence Against Women Deserves Awards, Not Frivolous Lawsuits and Threats
- What is Microsoft's stance on women's safety?
- Linux.com as Spamfarm of the Linux Foundation, Partner of the Gates Foundation
- They no longer publish articles
- When Fedora Said It Was Looking to Integrate "AI" It Meant Promoting Microsoft's Proprietary Spyware and GPL-Violating Slop
- When they say "AI" they mean Microsoft
- Slopwatch: The Typical Slopfarms and the 'Brian Fagioli Dilemma'
- To the Web and to society (exposed to the Web) LLMs are a net negative
- It Used to be IBM, Now It's Microsoft (Why You Need to Fire Microsofters or CIOs Working for Microsoft)
- Typically the only effective solution is to identity and remove Microsofters from one's project/organisation (before they can bring more Microsofters in)
- IBM Closes Offices and Labs in the United States to Open New Ones in India
- It's not layoffs per se; they're substituting/swapping veteran employees for lesser-paid ones
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
- IRC logs for Tuesday, April 15, 2025
- Gemini Links 16/04/2025: IndieWeb Carnival, Tinylog RFC, "Focus, the Web and Gemini"
- Links for the day