The Debian Project announced the third update to their flagship stable distribution Debian GNU/Linux 4.0.
This is not a new distribution but rather the release of a series of new packages for updating Debian systems already in place through Debian’s package manager and there are no new .iso images available for download –but there could come up in the days ahead.
While this is relevant mainly for users who already are using this distro, it could end up being very important for other users as well, given Debian’s huge influence in the free software world and the amount of distros using it as a development base.
Some of the interesting changes are:
- Complete removal of the Adobe Flash Player. The reason given is that Debian cannot get or give security support for it since it’s not an open source piece of software. Chances are that the project’s interpretation of the GPL license played a roll there too.
- New packages with modules for newer kernel support. These include drivers for nvidia graphics cards.
- Lots of bugfixes and security fixes.
Debian is known for their quality control and strong emphasis on stability. Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 was released last april and the current update is the third one.
The Sidux project has released their fourth Debian Sid snapshot this year.
Sidux is a LiveCD and installer designed to provide Debian enthusiats with all the latest from the Sid tree –Debian’s development version– for the i686 and amd64 architectures. Two versions are avalable: KDE lite and KDE full flavor.
Kernel is version 2.6.23, other features are: new and/or experimental support for a bunch of WiFi chipsets (notably Ralink), Xorg 7.3, KDE 3.5.8 and many other that you can find in their official release anouncement.
The downloads are about 450 MB for the KDE lite CD or 670 MB for the full version, here are the mirrors.
The new minimal Bluewhite64 Linux 12.0 is now available. Bluewhite64 Linux is a romanian distro based on Slackware conceived as an unofficial port to the x86_64 architecture of the good old Slackware Linux distro.
Bluewhite64 miniLive 12.0 is a very compact LiveCD (just 257 MB) which includes kernel 2.6.23.8, KDE 3.5.8, 32-bit emulation, as well as other software typically found in mini LiveCDs such as office editors and tools, media players, Firefox etc. More details on the included software can be found in the official announcement. The download mirrors are here.
ArtistX is an italian distro oriented towards multimedia production and edition –graphics in two or three dimensions, audio, music, video, animations, the whole nine yard –based on Debian’s LiveDVD.
The new version 0.4 uses the 2.6.22 kernel (tickless, new WiFi modules) and is available in two LiveDVDs, one for use with Gnome 2.20 and another one for use with KDE 3.5.7. It includes 2500 free software apps designed for artistic and multimedia production and, most notably, a Powua client –Powua is a service offering acceess to an internet distributed super computer from anyplace where there’s an internet connection. The idea is: if you face a very demanding process which will take a lot of your time and your processors’ power, such as an animation rendering, you can upload it to Powua, have it done there, and then get the final product without using too much of your own time and resources.
This Linux distro is available, as noted, in two LiveDVDs, one for each desktop environment which you can try and download from the link in the official ArtistX webpage.
Zenwalk Linux 4.8 appeared forty six days ago for the enjoyment of Slackware based distros but it left the LiveCD enthusiasts with no new toy to play. Fortunately the problem is over, Zenwalk 4.8 GNU/Linux LiveCD has become available.
The new LiveCD includes tools and programs for development and multimedia use as well as office and desktop applications, all running over a 2.6.22.9 kernel, with the new tickless stuff and WiFi module stack. It also includes some new features of which the highlight is probably the brand new support for reading and writing NTFS partitions.
The .iso image available for download is about 500 MB (pretty small for a full featured distro) and you can get it from the Zenwalk download mirrors.
Zenwalk is know for its lightness and nibleness which allow it to run swiftly in systems that can merely do OK in heavier distros such as Ubuntu. In any case, this is one of the most popular Slackware derivatives for the way it combines software simplicity with (relative) usability. Worth a try as far as I’m concerned… that’s what LiveCDs are for.
