distro posts

Gentoo to celebrate tenth birthday with new live DVD

by Lee Mathews Sep 28th 2009

Venerable Linux distro Gentoo will hit the decade mark this December, and they're celebrating the milestone with a new live DVD release.

Born as Enoch Linux in 1999, the distribution has slipped a bit in popularity over the years, yet it still provides a solid foundation for other distros. Like Debian was supplanted by Ubuntu, Sabayon - which is Gentoo-based - maintains a spot in the top ten on Distrowatch.

The anniversary build will be the first (and likely only) Gentoo release of 2009. A sneak peak of the release is already available via the US and EU mirrors for those who want to check it out now. As Phoronix points out, there aren't yet any 10th anniversary customizations in the snapshot builds. You'll just be getting a look at the current default packages for now.

[via Phoronix]

Tags: distribution, distro, gentoo, linux, live-dvd

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Linux

MobaLiveCD adds USB drive support to Linux virtualization app

by Lee Mathews Sep 9th 2009

A while back, Brad introduced Dowload Squad to MobaLiveCD, a handy little app that allows you to virtualize Linux LiveCD distros right in Windows using QEMU integration.

Moba 2.1 now includes support for bootable USB drives. Got a favorite distro installed on your trusty thumbdrive? Pop it in, wait for the drive to become visible in Explorer, then press the LiveUSB button in Moba. Performance is on par with that of LiveCD ISOs running under QEMU. Of course, you get the added benefit of being able to access all the apps and data you have stashed on your drive.

Performance isn't quite what you get from running live distros in VMWare or VirtualBox, but it's a decent, low-impact way to test all those distros you downloaded and planned to check out -- but never did.

Tags: distro, linux, liveusb, moba livecd, MobaLivecd, usb flash drive, UsbFlashDrive

Filed under: Linux, Novell, Open Source

openSUSE 11.0 Beta 1 released

by Ian Dumych Apr 21st 2008

The openSUSE team has released the first beta of their popular but controversial Linux distribution, and it has some spiffy features that make it worth checking out.

The most exciting improvements are in the area of speed, as this is one OS that is often ridiculed by reviewers, mainly for its historically sluggish boot times and sloth-like package system. In contrast, openSUSE now uses an improved version of "zipper", which, long story short, makes incredibly quick package installation possible, much faster than Ubuntu or PCLinuxOS. Not only that, the system installation has been trimmed to 60%, meaning that it only takes about 24 minutes on typical hardware, which is damn fast for Suse.

There are still way too many bugs for you distro-shufflers to start revving your DVD burners, but if you would like to help with testing, check out the download page.

Tags: Beta, Distro, KDE3, Novell, RPM, Suse

Filed under: Linux, Open Source

PCLinuxOS Gnome edition: An excellent alternative to Ubuntu

by Ian Dumych Apr 16th 2008

We're generally big fans of Ubuntu, but it's not the only Linux distribution on the block. After spending a little too much time trying to complete a simple operation in Ubuntu the other day, we decided to take another popular Linux distro for a spin.

PCLinuxOS has been called "The distro hopper stopper", and we can see why. System configuration tasks are handled by a rebranded version of the venerable HardDrake suite. All of our hardware was detected without user intervention, and we were on the local wifi in no time. Codecs are included out of the box as well, saving a lot of potential headaches. libdvdcss is included in the default repository, and we installed it with a click.

Something else that is worth mentioning is the package manager. PCLinuxOS is based on the RPM standard due to its Mandriva pedigree, but it uses the Synaptic Package Manager that Ubuntu and Debian users have come to enjoy. We found all package operations to be prompt and efficient, just as good as a DEB based system.

No review should be based on the first few hours, so expect a full report in a few days. Until then, feel free to try it out for yourself if you are impatient.

Tags: distro, linux, pclinuxos, ubuntu

Filed under: Features, Linux, Open Source

Flipping the Linux switch: The distribution maze

by Kristin Shoemaker Feb 26th 2008

Who doesn't love choices? You can "have it your way" at fast food restaurants. No two cars ever cost the same, because of add-ons and price negotiations. We like choice. It's a good thing.

Right?

Choice, really, is a double-edged sword. We get too many choices, and we can get easily overwhelmed. "Oh crud, another option..." leads to "What do I care?" leads to "Forget it." We either select our options without thinking through (or understanding) the consequences, or we drop what we're trying to customize without ever getting all the way through.

Choosing a Linux distribution is tough. We're not kidding. There are a lot of them out there... some wonderful, some not so wonderful, and some that are designed to fit very specific needs you may (or may not) have.

So how are you supposed to sort through them all?

Here's a hint. You don't. Not all of them, anyway.

Tags: choice, distribution, distro, Linux, linux-switch, open source, OpenSource, operating system, OperatingSystem

Filed under: Linux, Productivity, Open Source

Vector Linux 5.9 Gold released

by Ian Dumych Dec 21st 2007

The Vector Linux team has released the latest Version of their Slackware 12 based distro. It boasts many features that make it stand out from the crowd. From the release notes:

"The release features fully working browser plugins including Flash, java, mp3, real media, Windows media, pdf and Quick time. Additional features include: X.org 7.3, Linux kernel 2.6.22.14, fully customized Xfce 4.4.2, Fluxbox, Jwm, SeaMonkey Internet Suite 1.1.7, Firefox 2.0.0.11 and Opera 9.5.0 beta1 (so you'll be sure to have your favorite browser!)."

We will publish a full review soon, but in the meanwhile be sure to check out the VectorLinux Homepage for more tantalizing info.

Tags: Distro, Linux, Open Source, OpenSource, Operating Systems, OperatingSystems, Slackware

Filed under: Fun, OS Updates, Linux

Readers Sound Off: The best Linux distro ever

by Ryan Carter Sep 18th 2006

Readers, in your opinion, what is the very best Linux distro and why? I have heard everything from Ubuntu (though it isn't clear how you pronounce it) to Gentoo, Knoppix, Debian, Xandros, Linspire, and so on...You can see the dilemma. For anyone who isn't familiar with Linux, or someone just starting out with Linux, which distro is the best? The easiest to install? Easiest to use? Which comes with the most or best applications pre-bundled? Best for XP users who want to play with Linux? Best Live CD Linux? On this post, you get the last say. Depending on the response to this, I will post the results of this "poll" in a day or two with your top choices for Linux distro. So feel free, sound off, it's up to you! I'll be handing out stars to the top (most informative or creative) comments.

Tags: distro, Linux, live cd, LiveCd, Tux

Filed under: Linux, Commercial, Open Source

Linspire announces community-driven Freespire

by Jordan Running Apr 25th 2006

Linspire, the Linux distribution criticized by some for being full of proprietary drivers and software, is trying to go the way of Fedora with a new "community-driven" distribution called Freespire. Two version of Freespire will be released, one with proprietary software and one without. The really-free version won't, for example, come with DVD playback, which users will instead have the option to purchase. Groklaw calls it "nauseating," saying, "this is what happens when proprietary folks who are not from the community show up prospecting for gold. They can't change their thinking, which is that they want to make money by hook or by crook." Freespire will be released in August, likely at San Francisco's LinuxWorld West.

[Via Slashdot]

Tags: community, distribution, distro, fedora, freespire, linspire, linux, opensource, proprietary

Filed under: Business, Linux

Linux distros compared

by Victor Agreda, Jr. Apr 5th 2006

It's not exhaustive, but informative. Joshua Drake has been using Linux professionally for over 10 years, and he shares his opinions and comparisons in an admittedly subjective but thorough comparison of the five major Linux distros for "non geeks." The comparisons are between Red Hat ES, Novell SLES, Fedora FC4, OpenSuSE 10, and Ubuntu Breezy Badger. Notice Linspire isn't in there? Again, this isn't exhaustive, but it's a quick read, especially if you know someone considering Linux, but they don't know which "Linux" to pick. I've been playing with Ubuntu myself lately, and will post some thoughts on it soon.

Tags: comparison, devx, distro, fedora, linspire, opensuse, red hat, RedHat, review, ubuntu

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Graveyard Shift - zombie-busting Time Waster

With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet. They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...

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