Freespire — это поддерживаемый собственным сообществом дистрибутив Linux, который состоит, по большей части, из свободного и просто бесплатного программного обеспечения и предоставляющий пользователям выбор включать проприетарное программное обеспечение, включающее мультимедийные кодеки, драйверы устройств и прикладные программы.

Freespire происходит от дистрибутива Linspire. Freespire 1.0 основывалась на дистрибутиве Debian, а Freespire 2.0 — на дистрибутиве Ubuntu. Linspire была приобретена компанией XandrosLinspire больше не существует, которая решила вернуться к Debian как основе для будущих версий Freespire.Back to Debian: Freespire returns to Debian Roots

1 января 2018 года PC/Open Systems объявила, что приобрела Linspire от Xandros и выпустила Freespire 3.0. В то время, как Linspire 7 доступен за 79,99$, Freespire 3.0 является бесплатнымDistribution Release: Linspire 7.0, Freespire 3 (DistroWatch.com News)OpenNews: Возрождение дистрибутивов Freespire и Linspire.
 История
В августе 2005 года дистрибутив на базе Live CD, основанный на исходных кодах Linspire под названием Freespire, попал в сеть случайноFAQ Category: About Freespire and The Freespire Project - Freespire. . Этот дистрибутив был создан Эндрю Беттсом и не был выпущен Linspire Inc. Затем Linspire на обратной стороне созданной рекламы предлагала пользователям «бесплатную Linspire», используя код купона «Freespire» до 9 сентября 2005 года. Операционная система Squiggle OS больше не находилась в активной разработке.

24 апреля 2006 года Linspire анонсировала свой проект под названием «Freespire»Linspire Announces Freespire Distribution - New Distro Comes in Free and Proprietary Flavors - News - LinuxPlanet. Новое распространение Freespire было объявлено тогда президентом Linspire и бывшим генеральным директором Кевином Кармони. Подобно тому, как Fedora поддерживается Red Hat и сообществом с 2003 года. Novell также начала аналогичный проект сообщества под названием openSUSE для своей линейки продуктов SUSE Linux во второй половине 2005 года.

Xandros приобрела Linspire и Freespire летом 2008 года. Xandros планировала сохранить Freespire в качестве сообщества, разработанного дистрибутивом, подобным дистрибутиву openSUSE и Fedora для их соответствующих коммерческих дистрибутивов.

Окончательный выпуск Freespire 2.0.8, был выпущен 30 ноября 2007 годаFreespire 2 - Freespire. . Версия была основана на Ubuntu 7.04, которая поддерживалась 18 месяцев и достигла прекращения поддержки 19 октября 2008 года. Состояние теперь считается «активным» в DistroWatch.

 Особенности
Дистрибутив основанный на Debian, поддерживаемый сообществом и поддерживаемый проект, связан с коммерческим дистрибутивом Linspire. Freespire включает в себя ранее проприетарные элементы от Linspire, такие как клиент Click N' Run (CNR), в то время, как другие элементы, которые Linspire сам лицензирует, но не принадлежит, например, библиотеки совместимости Windows Media Audio, остаются собственностью, закрытым исходным кодом, следовательно, существуют две версии Freespire: одна с закрытыми исходными библиотеками, и другая, называемая Freespire OSS Edition, которая включает в основном компоненты с открытым исходным кодом. В Freespire есть ряд собственных программ, написанных в Haskell и OCaml, таких как создатель ISO-образов, аппаратное обнаружение и автоконфигурация, автообъект пакетов и «библиотека Debian», а также программы, управляющие CGI.
 История выпусков
Версия  Дата релиза  Примечания1.0 Release Candidate (1.0.2)  2006-07-28  Кандидат на релиз1.0 (1.0.13)Review: Freespire 1.0Free Agent: The Latest Free Linux | PCWorld  2006-08-04  Публичный выпуск на основе Debian, ядра Linux 2.6.14 и KDE 3.3.2.2.0 RC (1.9.0)  2007-07-10  Кандидат на релиз.2.0  2007-08-07 Основана на Ubuntu 7.04, включает в себя ядро Linux версии 2.6.20 и KDE 3.5.6.2.0.8  2007-11-30 Исправления и бета-версия Click N' Run.3.0Black Lab Software Releases Freespire 3.0 & Linspire 7.0 Linux Operating SystemsLindows Linux Distro Is Back From The Dead: Linspire 7.0 And Freespire 3.0 ReleasedLindows rises from the grave! Freespire 3.0 and Linspire 7.0 Linux distros now availableDistroWatch Weekly, Issue 749, 5 February 2018  2018-01-01 Имеет ядро Linux версии 4.10.0-42, веб-браузер Firefox Quantum, и другие обновления программ.3.0.1PC/OpenSystems LLC: Linspire 7.0.1 and Freespire 3.0.1 Released - Meltdown and Spectre fix  2018-01-14  Исправления уязвимостей Meltdown и Spectre.3.0.6.5PC/OpenSystems LLC: Freespire 3.0.6.5 released  2018-02-08  Версия ядра Linux была обновлена до версии 4.13.0-32, добавлены графические твики для отзыва про дистрибутив, удалён GParted, применены обновления от 7 февраля 2018 года и прочее. 3.0.8  2018-03-19

 См. также
 Linspire
 KDE
 Windows
 Zorin OS
 Linux XP

 Примечания

 Ссылки

Категория:Дистрибутивы семейства Ubuntu
Категория:Дистрибутивы семейства Debian

Freespire comes from the distributor Linspire.

Freespire 1.0 was based on Debian distribution, and Freespire 2.0 was based on Ubuntu distribution.

дистрибутива

основывалась

дистрибутиве

дистрибутиве

Linspire, коммерческий дистрибутив GNU/Linux, ранее известный как Lindows, прекратил свое существование, - сообщает Linux.com со ссылкой на главу компании Xandros Андреаса Типалдоса (Andreas Typaldos).
Разработчиком Linspire являлась американская компания Linspire, Inc. Как уже сообщалось, 1 июля этого года собранием акционеров Linspire было принято решение о смене названия компании на Digital Cornerstone, после чего все ее активы были куплены конкурирующей компанией Xandros.
По словам главы Xandros, компании нет смысла поддерживать несколько сходных по возможностям коммерческих дистрибутивов, поэтому компания отказывается от дальнейшей разработки Linspire, а все наработки Linspire будут использованы в следующих версиях Xandros Desktop Professional.
Для справки:
Компания Lindows была основана в августе 2001 года Майклом Робертсоном, являвшимся основателем популярного сайта MP3.com, в свое время привлекшего к себе широкое внимание чередой судебных исков со стороны правообладателей, обвинивших MP3.com в многочисленных нарушениях авторских прав. После того как MP3.com был продан компании Vivendi Universal за $385 млн, Робертсон основал IT-компанию Lindows, основным продуктом которой была одноименная операционная система.
В 2002 году Microsoft подала на Lindows в суд, утверждая, что название операционной системы "Lindows" нарушает торговую марку "Windows". Суд отклонил иск Microsoft, после чего Microsoft и Lindows пришли к соглашению, в результате которого Microsoft выплатила Lindows компенсацию в размере около $20 млн, а Lindows передала Microsoft права на торговую марку "Lindows" и сменила свое название на Linspire.
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Question: which distributor is responsible for freespire 2.0

Freespire comes from the distributor Linspire.

Freespire 1.0 was based on Debian distribution, and Freespire 2.0 was based on Ubuntu distribution.

which distributor is responsible for freespire 2.0

Question: freespire 1.0 is based on which distribution

дистрибутиве

freespire 1.0 is based on which distribution

Question: what is freespire 1.0 based on

дистрибутиве Debian , а Freespire 2.0 — на дистрибутиве

Question: what is freespire 2.0 based on

дистрибутиве Ubuntu

Question: freespire 2.0 is based on which operating system

freespire 2.0 is based on which operating system

Question: what is the name of the freespire distribution

what is the name of the freespire distribution

Question: which version of freespire is based on ubuntu

which version of freespire is based on ubuntu

Question: what is the latest version of freespire

Freespire comes from the distributor Linspire .

Freespire 1.0 was based on Debian distribution , and Freespire 2.0 was based on Ubuntu distribution .

Freespire происходит от дистрибутива Linspire.

Freespire 1.0 основывалась на дистрибутиве Debian, а Freespire 2.0 — на дистрибутиве Ubuntu.

Freespire comes from the distributor Linspire. Freespire 1.0 was based on Debian distribution, and Freespire 2.0 was based on Ubuntu distribution.

Freespire comes from the distributor Linspire.

Freespire 1.0 was based on Debian distribution, and Freespire 2.0 was based on Ubuntu distribution.

дистрибутива

When Linspire was bought by Xandros, everyone expected changes. No one expected Xandros to decide to switch Freespire back to Debian from Ubuntu but that’s exactly what’s happened.
Xandros, the Linux desktop company that supplies Asus with its UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) Linux,, announced that the next generation of Xandros community-driven Linux Freespire 5 will be based on the Debian Linux 5 “Lenny” release. Lenny is due to arrive in September. Freespire will follow sometime in the fourth quarter of 2008.
After the release of Freespire 5, Xandros will release its commercial Linux distribution, Xandros Desktop Professional 5. This will be built on the Freespire 5 code base with additional commercial software. These commercial programs will be be primarily for enterprise customers.
Both operating systems will use CNR (Click ‘N Run). CNR, which was created by Linspire is an easy-to-use software installation system, Its designed to make it easy for Linspire, Freespire, Ubuntu and Mint desktop users to find and install software.
Earlier, Andreas Typaldos, Xandros’ CEO, had said “Products like the ASUS Eee PC have demonstrated the huge potential market for Linux-based OEM netbook solutions and other emerging mobile Linux platforms. The Linspire CNR technologies provide the fourth “E” as in ‘easy to maintain.’ including on-demand delivery of a growing number of Linux utilities and games.” This , “along with the development of the related netbook market segment have created both the opportunity, as well as need, to facilitate third party development of richer and more digital applications and for one-click delivery of their content,” said Typaldos.
“This is really some of the most exciting news since the announcement of Freespire 1.0,” said Tom House, Freespire community organizer in a statement. “This is what we were hoping to see…both the continued development of Freespire and a return to a Debian base.”
“A combined Xandros/Linspire development effort will return Freespire to its Debian GNU/Linux roots and put it in sync with Xandros Desktop Pro,” added Typaldos in a statement. “We will have a leading edge code base while preserving our commitment to Debian, stability, Windows interoperability, and ease of use. This commitment allows us to meet the needs of a wide range of users, from open-source enthusiasts to demanding enterprise clients. In addition, we are intensifying our commitment to the Freespire open source community, which will now help to drive both the Freespire and Xandros products.“
Typaldos did not mention what these changes would mean for the future version of Linspire, the commercial version of Freespire. Sources close to the company indicated though that the Linspire distribution and brand will be replaced by the Xandros.
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Question: who is the distributor of freespire

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what is the name of the distributor that distributes electronic music

Question: where does the word freespire come from

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Question: what type of company does freespire belong to

дистрибутива

what type of company does freespire belong to

Question: where does the name freespire come from

дистрибутива Linspire

Question: which country produces freespire

Freespire происходит от дистрибутива Linspire.

Freespire comes from the distributor Linspire.

On January 1, 2018, PC/Open Systems announced that it bought Linspire from Xandros and released Freespire 3.0.

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Bee Linux
Bee Linux was a Fedora-based desktop distribution and live DVD made in Algeria. It supports French, English, Arabic and Amazigh, and it features automatic hardware configuration (including USB ADSL modems), advance security management system, integration of WINE, popular Google applications, NVIDIA and ATI proprietary graphics drivers, and Xfce as the default desktop.
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|2018-01-02
||NEW • Distribution Release: Linspire 7.0, Freespire 3
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Rate this project
|PC/OpenSystems has announced the organisation has purchased the rights to the commercial Linspire distribution and its community branch, Freespire. PC/OpenSystems is re-launching these two, long-dormant Linux distributions with refreshed packages and features. The new releases, Linspire 7.0 and Freespire 3.0, are based on Ubuntu. "Today the development team at PC/OpenSystems LLC is pleased to announce the release of Freespire 3.0 and Linspire 7.0. While both contain common kernel and common utilities, they are targeted towards two different user bases. Freespire is a FOSS distribution geared for the general Linux community, making use of only open source components, containing no proprietary applications. This is not necessarily a limitation: through our software center and extensive repositories, Freespire users can install any application that they wish. Linspire is a commercial release which builds on the elegant Freespire foundation. It does include a proprietary software set optimized for business users, students, researchers and developers." A list of features and further details can be found in the company's release announcement. Linspire can be purchased from PC/OpenSystems while Freespire is available as a free download. Download: freespire-3-x64.iso (1,436MB, SHA256, pkglist).
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|About Freespire
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|Freespire was once a community-run Linux distribution sponsored by Linspire. Freespire was discontinued in 2008. Starting in 2017 Freespire became a free operating system based on Ubuntu and run by PC/OpenSystems LLC. Freespire features the Xfce desktop environment.
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|2021-12-06
||Distribution Release: Freespire 8.0
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||Roberto Dohnert has announced the release of Freespire 8.0, the latest update of the project's Ubuntu-based distribution featuring the Xfce desktop. The new version continues to be based on Ubuntu's latest long-term support release, version 20.04: "Today, the PC/OpenSystems LLC FOSS development team has released Freespire 8.0, an update which delivers much needed system enhancements and security fixes. Once again we have let users decide; they have spoken and we have included all the most-requested Google services - Calendar, Docs and Gmail. For more traditional use cases, Freespire core has not changed at all - it's still a full-featured desktop OS, with all of the applications and resources of the Ubuntu repositories available as always. Freespire does not incorporate any proprietary media codecs and aside from Google Chrome, there are no other vendor-specific software applications pre-installed at all. Freespire 8.0 features a new stable kernel which fixes bugs and broadens hardware support. Google Chrome 96 includes security patches and other general browser improvements. We have upgraded Xfce 4.16, X11, Samba and other system fundamentals, including non-UEFI and secure boot systems." Here is the full release announcement with screenshots. Download: freespire-8.iso (1,436MB, SHA256, pkglist).
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|2021-07-31
||Distribution Release: Freespire 7.7
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||Roberto Dohnert has announced the release of Freespire 7.7, a new update of the project's Ubuntu-based distribution featuring the Xfce desktop. This version adds the ability to (optionally) incorporate various web applications into the system: "Today, the PC/OpenSystems LLC open-source development team releases Freespire 7.7. This update launches an entirely new direction for our distribution products, Freespire, Linspire and Xandros, by incorporating a cloud app approach. Since this is Freespire, our community-support build, we did not incorporate anyone's specific web apps into the distribution. The selection is entirely the user's choice. And for more traditional use cases, the core of Freespire has not changed at all - it's still a full-featured desktop OS; all of the applications and resources of the Ubuntu repositories are available, as always. The distribution includes: Xfce 4.16 desktop, Linux kernel 5.4, Synaptic, Google Chrome 92, DuckDuckGo as the default search engine and homepage, Ice SSB, KPatience, DreamChess, Geary mail client, KolourPaint, Parole, Rhythmbox, Caja as the default file manager." Read the complete release announcement for further details. Download: release-77F.iso (1,427MB, SHA256, pkglist).
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|2007-09-25
||Distribution Release: Freespire 2.0.3
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||An updated stable release of Freespire 2.0, with an updated CNR software installation plugin and minor bug fixes, has been released: "Freespire 2.0.3 released including an updated CNR plugin. Key changes: configuration files updated - sources.list (commented out Ubuntu repository sources resolving apt-get upgrade issues); packages upgraded - CNR client (new and improved CNR plugin - version 0.1.2600), Flash 9 plugin (updated to version 9.0.60), KNetworkConf, KNetworkManager, KPlayer (updated from 0.5.3 to 0.6.3), KUser, Sun Java 6 Java Runtime Environment; packages removed: NVU (limitation of space on CD)." Read the brief release announcement on the distribution's user forums. Download (MD5): freespire_2.0.3.iso (681MB, torrent).
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|2007-08-08
||Distribution Release: Freespire 2.0
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||Freespire 2.0 has been released: "Freespire 2.0 is immediately available; the latest version of the free desktop Linux operating system. Building on the best of open source software using Ubuntu as its baseline, Freespire 2.0 adds legally licensed proprietary drivers, codecs, and applications in its core distribution, to provide a better user experience. Freespire is able to provide improved out-of-the-box hardware, file type, and multimedia support, such as MP3, Windows Media, Real Networks, Java, Flash, ATI, NVIDIA, WiFi, and many more. Freespire is also the first desktop Linux operating system that will include a CNR plugin for the soon-to-be-released new CNR Service, providing free one-click access to thousands of open source applications." Read the full release announcement for more information. Download (MD5): freespire_2.0.0.iso (683MB); also available via BitTorrent.
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|2007-03-24
||Development Release: Freespire 2.0 Alpha 2
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||The second alpha release of the Ubuntu-based Freespire 2.0 is now ready for testing: "Freespire version 2.0 Alpha2U (1.2.49) is now available for download. This is the second alpha build based on Ubuntu that might not be good for the health of a production machine. Expect improvements as future builds are released. Some of the release notes: automatic boot menu management does not always work, do not install if you are not experienced at repairing GRUB configurations and MBRs; no upgrade path available from Freespire 1.0 or previous versions of Freespire 2.0 alphas; NVIDIA and ATI drivers are not automatically installed; Jack has been removed - any applications which do not use ALSA may not work properly." Read the release announcement and release notes for further information. Download (MD5) via BitTorrent or directly from this HTTP server: freespire_1.2.42.iso (637MB).
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|2007-03-09
||Development Release: Freespire 2.0 Alpha 1
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||After the recent switch to the Ubuntu code base, Freespire has restarted their development process with the first alpha release of Freespire 2.0: "Freespire version 2.0 Alpha1U (1.2.42) is now available for download." The new release uses the latest Linux kernel 2.6.20, X.Org 7.2 and KDE 3.5.6, but many Freespire-specific features have yet to be implemented. From the release notes: "Automatic boot menu management does not always work; no upgrade path available from Freespire 1.0 or previous versions of Freespire 2.0 alphas; NVIDIA and ATI drivers are not automatically installed; Jack has been removed, any applications which do not use ALSA may not work properly." For more information please read the release announcement and release notes. Download (MD5): freespire_1.2.42.iso (635MB); also available via BitTorrent.
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|2006-12-22
||Development Release: Freespire 2.0 Alpha 3
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||The Freespire development team has announced the availability of the third alpha release of Freespire 2.0: "This is the third release of Freespire 2.0 Alpha 3 (Build 1.1.84)." The most interesting feature of the release is the newly added upgrade path from Freespire 1.0. As always, Freespire's alpha releases are designed for testers, rather than production machines; some of the known bugs and missing features include: "Automatic boot menu management does not always work; KDE su dialog appears when attempting to change settings from within the start-up wizard; 'Configure Network Settings' in Startup Wizard does not function at this time; KNetworkManager does not auto-start and requires root permissions to load properly; firewall is disabled; modem drivers are not included; CNR is not included; some wireless cards don't work...." Read the release announcement and release notes for more details. Download via BitTorrent: freespire_1.1.84.iso (694MB).
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|2006-12-08
||Development Release: Freespire 2.0 Alpha 2
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||The second development build of Freespire 2.0 has been released: "Freespire version 2.0 Alpha2 (1.1.73) is now available for download. This is the second alpha build that might not be good for the health of a production machine. Expect improvements as future builds are released." From the release notes: "Automatic boot menu management does not always work - do not install if you are not experienced at repairing GRUB configurations and MBRs; no upgrade path available from Freespire 1.0; kernel is not SMP enabled; apt repository is pointing to Debian sid; sound for quick switched user accounts inoperative...." Read the rest of the release announcement for further details. Download (BitTorrent only): freespire_1.1.73.iso (690MB).
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Question: who is the manufacturer of freespire 3.0

who is the manufacturer of freespire 3.0

Question: when did freespire 3.0 come out

"1 января 2018 года PC / Open Systems объявила , что приобрела Linspire от Xandros и выпустила Freespire 3.0 .

Question: who is the owner of freespire 3.0

Question: what is the latest version of freespire operating system

what is the latest version of freespire operating system

On January 1 , 2018 , PC / Open Systems announced that it bought Linspire from Xandros and released Freespire 3.0 .

1 января 2018 года PC/Open Systems объявила, что приобрела Linspire от Xandros и выпустила Freespire 3.0.

1 января 2018 года PC/Open Systems объявила, что приобрела Linspire от Xandros и выпустила Freespire 3.0.

The new Freespire distribution was then announced by President Linspire and former CEO Kevin Carmony.

Just like Fedora has been supported by Red Hat and the community since 2003.

распространение

поддерживается

Question: who is the ceo of freespire

Кевином Кармони

The new Freespire distribution was then announced by President Linspire and former CEO Kevin Carmony.

Just like Fedora has been supported by Red Hat and the community since 2003.

Question: when did red hat start supporting freespire

when did red hat start supporting freespire

Question: what is the name of the company that distributes freespire

what is the name of the company that distributes freespire

Question: what is the name of the new distribution of fedora

what is the name of the new distribution of fedora

Question: what is the most current version of freespire

what is the most current version of freespire

Question: what is the new version of fedora called

распространение Freespire

what is the new version of fedora called

Question: who has Fedora been supported by since 2003

Red Hat и сообществом

who has Fedora been supported by since 2003

Question: how does freespire compare to red hat

"Подобно тому , как Fedora

The new Freespire distribution was then announced by President Linspire and former CEO Kevin Carmony .

Just like Fedora has been supported by Red Hat and the community since 2003 .

Подобно тому, как Fedora поддерживается Red Hat и сообществом с 2003 года.

The new Freespire distribution was then announced by President Linspire and former CEO Kevin Carmony. Just like Fedora has been supported by Red Hat and the community since 2003.

The new Freespire distribution was then announced by President Linspire and former CEO Kevin Carmony.

Just like Fedora has been supported by Red Hat and the community since 2003.

Xandros bought Linspire and Freespire in the summer of 2008.

Question: who owns freespire and linspire

Xandros bought Linspire and Freespire in the summer of 2008.

Question: when did xandros buy freespire

Question: when did the xandros buy freespire

Question: what are the names of the two dragons

Question: what is the name of the game in xandros

Xandros bought Linspire and Freespire in the summer of 2008 .

Xandros приобрела Linspire и Freespire летом 2008 года.

Xandros приобрела Linspire и Freespire летом 2008 года.

Xandros bought Linspire and Freespire in the summer of 2008.

Xandros bought Linspire and Freespire in the summer of 2008.

The final release of Freespire 2.0.8 was released on 30 November 2007 Freespire 2 - Freespire.

"Окончательный

| Home-->Release Notes-->Freespire 2-->Testing
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Freespire 2
General Release build 2.0.0: Released 07 August 2007
Note: Build includes the CNR 7 Plug-in, but the servers for CNR,com are being updated.
Freespire 2 RC
Build 1.9.0: Released July 10, 2007
Note: CNR 7 Plug-in in-work
Freespire 2 Beta
Build 1.3.52: Released June 26, 2007 (minus CNR Plug-in)
Freespire 2 Alpha
Freespire 1.2.49
Key Changes
- New kernel module sound system which forwards calls made for OSS to ALSA. This technique is more reliable however does add some overhead when compared to other solutions. Please test as much sound hardware and software as possible.
- Updated Kernel to 2.6.20-9-lowlatency
Miscellaneous Enhancements & Bug Fixes
- Removed Python 2.4 and associated dependents from ISO in favor of Python 2.5.
- Fixed issue with undersized text fields when entering the machine name and user information in the installer.
Freespire 1.2.42
Key Changes
- Now with Feistier Fawns
- X.org 7.2
- Upgraded KDE from 3.5.5a to 3.5.6
- Lbrowser 2.0
- Lmail 2.0 based on Thunderbird 2.0 (Beta)
- ISO is now based on squashfs opposed to cloop.
Miscellaneous Enhancements & Bug Fixes
- Ported Lsongs to Python 2.5
- Ported Lphoto to Python 2.5
- Fixed boot splash. Should work on all machines at many resolutions, including when booting to Live.
- Updated Flash 9 to released version.
Freespire 1.1.84
New Features
- SMP Support
- Apt is now pointing to Freespire repository instead of Debian Sid (apt-get dist-upgrade not extensively tested).
Miscellaneous Enhancements & Bug Fixes
- Time no longer is offset when booting between Windows and Freespire.
Freespire 1.1.73
New Features
- Merged Upstart boot scripts, improved boot time noticed!
- XOrg 7.1
- Updated ATI Drivers to current version.
- Enhanced Nvidia support.
- Applications
- Added knetworkmanager - Resolved many issues with Wireless
- Added WPA, WPA2, and 802.11x support.
- Fixed support for the following wireless chipsets:
- ACX100
- Airo
- Intel 2100
- Intel 2200
- PrismGT
- Orinoco
- ZD1201 (ZyDAS)
- ZD1211 (ZyDAS) (Untested)
Please note that some wireless chipsets have known issues
- Fixed Diagnostic Report (GUI version)
- Added NVU
- Added RealPlayer
- Added Synaptics Touch Pad drivers
- Updated Python to 2.4
- NetJaxer fixed
- Added elvis-tiny for vi support.
- Added Bittorrent client
- Some bootsplash images restored.
- CD now auto ejects after install
- Sound slider issue in startup wizard has been fixed.
- Fixed KDE Control Module crash when changing clock during start-up wizard.
Freespire 1.1.57
New Features
- Kernel 2.6.18
- Uses Swap Partition if available
- KDM login manager
- KDE 3.5.5
- User Switching
- Includes SuperKaramba on install (Programs > Utilities > Desktop)
- Desktop
- Desktop directory names (no spaces)
- System > Storage Media for mounted directories
- Applications
- Lbrowser
- Lmail including FreeLinuxEmail
- Gaim 2.0.0 beta4
- OpenOffice.org 2.0.4
- KArchiver 3.4.2-b2
- NetJaxer for Linux
Comments?
This is a protected page which can only be modified by certain wiki moderators. To make a comment or suggestion about this page, use the discussion tab, which is monitored (watched) by the page maintainer.

Question: when was freespire 2.0.8 released

30 ноября 2007

The final release of Freespire 2.0.8 was released on 30 November 2007 Freespire 2 - Freespire.

Question: when did freespire 2.0 come out

Question: when did freespire 2.0.8 come out

The final release of Freespire 2.0.8 was released on 30 November 2007 Freespire 2 - Freespire .

Окончательный выпуск Freespire 2.0.8, был выпущен 30 ноября 2007 годаFreespire 2 - Freespire. .

Окончательный выпуск Freespire 2.0.8, был выпущен 30 ноября 2007 годаFreespire 2 - Freespire.

The final release of Freespire 2.0.8 was released on 30 November 2007 Freespire 2 - Freespire. . .

The final release of Freespire 2.0.8 was released on 30 November 2007 Freespire 2 - Freespire.

"Особенности

поддерживаемый

поддерживаемый

коммерческим

дистрибутивом

проприетарные

совместимости

собственностью

следовательно

библиотеками

Release Notes/1.0.2
From Freespire
- For the release notes of the latest version of Freespire, see Release Notes.
Freespire RC 1 Release Notes
OS Version: 1.0.2
Release Date: 2006-07-28
Previous Release: Freespire Beta 2
- Note: CNR Plug-ins such as DeviantArt & DistSelector (for admins) are temporarily disabled in this version of CNR 6. This release represents significant stability patches. After this Freespire version confirms the patches are successful, the CNR services/plug-ins that were disabled will be re-enabled for the next release
- CNR Proxy functionality still unavailable.
- Apt pools not yet updated completely, so apt-get dist-upgrade will not get everything.
- Warn if user chooses an existing username during install.
- Add kcontrol module for mailto handling.
- Fix display/resolution controls in startup wizard.
- Remove release notes from startup wizard (they will return, eventually.)
- Remove Linspire logo from 'installation done-eject cd' graphic.
- Add Oboe Sync to Freespire Builds.
- Replace file manager kicker icon.
- Many fixes to Lmail/Lbrowser:
- Fix inline spell checking for lbrowser.
- Change userAgent string to enable support on sites that expect Firefox.
- Fix links broken because of hotwords error.
- Lbrowser opened maximized by default.
- Turn Download Manager OFF by default.
- Opening a new tab should defaults to your home page.
- Don't show email settings import window if not necessary.
- Mailminder works again.
- Change Lbrowser launch audiowrapper with --oss-smallbuffer, Flash animations stay in sync.
- Theme fixes.
- Restore scrollbars in mail client.

Question: freespire is an open source distribution of which standard operating system

freespire is an open source distribution of which standard operating system

Question: what type of distribution does freespire run on

Дистрибутив основанный на Debian

what type of distribution does freespire run on

Question: what is the name of the cnr client in freespire

what is the name of the cnr client in freespire

Question: what kind of distribution does freespire run on

основанный на Debian

what kind of distribution does freespire run on

Question: what are some of the previously proprietary components of freespire

what are some of the previously proprietary components of freespire

Question: what is included in freespire oss edition

открытым исходным кодом

what is included in freespire oss edition

Question: how many versions of freespire are there

how many versions of freespire are there

A Debian - based distribution , supported by the community and supported project related to the commercial distribution of Linspire .

Freespire includes previously proprietary elements from Linspire , such as the Click N ' Run ( CNR ) client , while other elements that Linspire itself licenses but do not belong , for example , Windows Media Audio compatibility libraries , remain owned by closed source code , therefore , there are two versions of Freespire : one with closed source libraries , and the other called Freespire OSS Edition , which mainly includes open source components .

A Debian-based distribution, supported by the community and supported project related to the commercial distribution of Linspire. Freespire includes previously proprietary elements from Linspire, such as the Click N' Run (CNR) client, while other elements that Linspire itself licenses but do not belong, for example, Windows Media Audio compatibility libraries, remain owned by closed source code, therefore, there are two versions of Freespire: one with closed source libraries, and the other called Freespire OSS Edition, which mainly includes open source components.

3.0.8 2018-03-19

автоконфигурация

Примечания1.0

программ.3.0.1PC

Question: freespire is a free agent operating system written in which languages

3.0.8 2018-03-19

freespire is a free agent operating system written in which languages

Question: what is the name of the free linux operating system

3.0.8 2018-03-19

what is the name of the free linux operating system

Question: what is the name of the software used by freespire

3.0.8 2018-03-19

what is the name of the software used by freespire

Question: what are some of the features of freespire

ISO form creator, hardware detection and auto configuration, package automate and Debian library

создатель ISO - образов , аппаратное обнаружение и автоконфигурация , автообъект пакетов и « библиотека Debian

3.0.8 2018-03-19

ISO form creator , hardware detection and auto configuration , package automate and Debian library

what are some of the features of freespire

Question: what is the latest free linux operating system

3.0.8 2018-03-19

what is the latest free linux operating system

Question: what is the latest version of freespire linux

3.0.8 2018-03-19

what is the latest version of freespire linux

Question: what happened to freespire 3.0.6.5

3.0.8 2018-03-19

Question: when was the latest version of freespire released

3.0.8 2018-03-19

when was the latest version of freespire released

Question: freespire and linspire are what kind of distros

3.0.8 2018-03-19

freespire and linspire are what kind of distros

Question: what are the latest versions of freespire linux

Freespire 3.0 and Linspire 7.0 Linux distros

"Freespire 3.0 and Linspire 7.0 Linux distros

3.0.8 2018-03-19

Freespire 3.0 and Linspire 7.0 Linux distros

what are the latest versions of freespire linux

Question: freespire is an example of what operating system

3.0.8 2018-03-19

freespire is an example of what operating system

Freespire has a number of its own programs written in Haskell and OCaml , such as ISO form creator , hardware detection and auto configuration , package automate and Debian library , as well as programs that manage CGI .

Release History Version Release Date Notes1.0 Release Candidate ( 1.0.2 ) 2006 - 07 - 28 Release Candidate1.0 ( 1.0.13)Review : Freespire 1.0Free Agent : The Latest Free Linux Feature PCWorld 2006 - 08 - 04 Public Release based on Debian , Linux Core 2.6.14 and KDE 3.3.2.2.0 RC ( 1.9.0 ) 2007 - 07 - 10 Release Candidate.2.0 2007 - 08 - 07 Based on Ubuntu 7.04 , includes the Linux Core Version 2.6.20 and KDE 3.5.6.2.0.8 2007 - 11 - 30 Repair and Beta Version Click N ' Run.3.0 Black Lab Software Releases Freespire 3.0 & Linspire 7.0 Linux Operating SystemsLindows Linux Is Back From The Dead Linspire 7.0 Freespire 3.0 and Release 3.0 from the grave !

Freespire 3.0 and Linspire 7.0 Linux distros now availableDistroWatch Weekly , Issue 749 , 5 February 2018 2018 - 01 - 01 It has a Linux core version 4.10.0 - 42 , Firefox Quantum web browser , and other software updates.3.0.1PC / OpenSystems LLC : Linspire 7.0.1 and Freespire 3.0.1 Released - Meltdown and Spectre fix 2018 - 01 - 14 Meltdown and Spectre.3.0.6.5PC / OpenSystems LLC : Freespire 3.0.6.5 released 2018 - 02 - 08 Linux core version was updated to version 4.13.0 - 32 , added graphic tweet for reference to the distribution , deleted GParted , applied from February 7th and February 7th 2018 .

Freespire has a number of its own programs written in Haskell and OCaml, such as ISO form creator, hardware detection and auto configuration, package automate and Debian library, as well as programs that manage CGI. Release History Version Release Date Notes1.0 Release Candidate (1.0.2) 2006-07-28 Release Candidate1.0 (1.0.13)Review: Freespire 1.0Free Agent: The Latest Free Linux Feature PCWorld 2006-08-04 Public Release based on Debian, Linux Core 2.6.14 and KDE 3.3.2.2.0 RC (1.9.0) 2007-07-10 Release Candidate.2.0 2007-08-07 Based on Ubuntu 7.04, includes the Linux Core Version 2.6.20 and KDE 3.5.6.2.0.8 2007-11-30 Repair and Beta Version Click N' Run.3.0 Black Lab Software Releases Freespire 3.0 & Linspire 7.0 Linux Operating SystemsLindows Linux Is Back From The Dead Linspire 7.0 Freespire 3.0 and Release 3.0 from the grave! Freespire 3.0 and Linspire 7.0 Linux distros now availableDistroWatch Weekly, Issue 749, 5 February 2018 2018-01-01 It has a Linux core version 4.10.0-42, Firefox Quantum web browser, and other software updates.3.0.1PC/OpenSystems LLC: Linspire 7.0.1 and Freespire 3.0.1 Released - Meltdown and Spectre fix 2018-01-14 Meltdown and Spectre.3.0.6.5PC/OpenSystems LLC: Freespire 3.0.6.5 released 2018-02-08 Linux core version was updated to version 4.13.0-32, added graphic tweet for reference to the distribution, deleted GParted, applied from February 7th and February 7th 2018. 3.0.8 2018-03-19

"Особенности

поддерживаемый

поддерживаемый

коммерческим

дистрибутивом

In the midst of the busy semester here at school, my fiancee’s laptop, running Windows XP SP2, picked up some friends – adware, trojans, etc. It was a pretty nasty sight. I worked on it for at least two hours every couple of days, wiping it clean, doing my best to lock it down, and so on. Avast! and Ad-Aware had their limits it seemed, for only a day or so after I cleaned it, pop-ups and weird stuff would show up again. She was getting sick of it. I was getting sick of cleaning it, so I suggested, offhand, installing a different operating system that is a bit more impervious to those nasties. To my surprise, she agreed.
Choosing Freespire
My first choice to install on her Averatec laptop ended up being FreeSpire. I liked the possibilities of the OS — based on a secure, tested, open source system but with Windows compatibility, multimedia capabilities, and some user friendliness. Plus, it’s free. I didn’t want to stray too far away from basic Windows-like capabilities. By keeping it somewhat familiar, she probably wouldn’t get too frustrated from the change. She could also, theoretically, run some of her key Windows applications if needed.
I downloaded the ISO, burned a copy, and slapped it in the Averatec’s tray-loading slot. And, we were off and running.
I started off by running the disk in LiveCD mode, just to get a feel for the OS and make sure it would boot up even. The Averatec laptops are not always well supported in some versions of Linux – I didn’t want to install everything first and witness the dreaded hang. But, it seemed to work, although the wireless drivers didn’t work (a sign of trouble to come). I was able to make a backup of some my fiancee’s files in this mode, and the overall feel of the OS gave me some hope that this might work.
However, as I began to install, problems became apparent.
The installation process was fairly easy. It was straightforward and required a few clicks. Unfortunately though, there were moments that frustrated me. For one, the instructions for the process of setting up your hard disk were lacking. I ended up having to search for a guide of some sort before I tried to resize the main partition (the Windows XP partition). Once I did finally resize it, the application told me that the operation had failed, although when I rebooted to witness the damage I had wrought, it turned out it had actually succeeded. Okay.
I continued on with the installation, which was rather quick and painless. I rebooted and crossed my fingers. Sure, enough, the OS booted fine, although there was a very long hang before KDE fully loaded up. On subsequent boots, this problem went away. We were up and running.
My fiancee was excited about the look and feel of FreeSpire’s eye-candy. (Frankly, it is a pretty nice interface.) I showed her some basic things – how to change settings, where the applications were, and so on. She especially was interested in the selection of games.
The problems at this stage though were still daunting — her wireless card worked but barely. The signal was erratic. My Powerbook, sitting feet away from her laptop, had a rock solid signal. Second, Microsoft Office would not run. I was faced with having to reinstall it to get it to run with Wine. Third, there was no built-in Korean language support. Many of her documents and emails are in Korean — it was a must.
Tackling these issues took up a good chunk of time. I managed to get the wireless card working a little bit better, but it was never fully resolved. Downloading files was shaky because of the bad connections. Help and tips from FreeSpire’s wiki were pretty much non-existent, so I just did my best to live with the whacky signal.
I decided to ignore the Microsoft Office issue, instead showing her how to use OpenOffice for the time being. This wasn’t supposed to take up this much time.
The Korean input turned out to be the killer issue. Language support for FreeSpire (and possibly for Linux as a whole) is downright abysmal. I searched FreeSpire’s CNR repository for language files and input systems, but there was nothing there. I can’t tell you how frustrating that experience was, since it was built to be a user-friendly search experience. I found help on other sites, but the instructions for installing an alternate input manager were vague or incomplete. Once I did get one installed, it didn’t even seem to work.
At this point, my experiment was over. I admitted defeat.
The lacks
The likes
Conclusion
In the end, FreeSpire 1.0 did not make the grade for my fiancee’s laptop. Sure, it was a good effort — there were many things that seemed pretty promising. And let’s face it — my fiancee had some very specific needs for her computing experience. This means that other users may find those annoyances not so lacking. I encourage you to try.
I have a degree in Computer Science, and I love tinkering around on the command line and downloading interesting open source applications to mess with. My fiancee doesn’t. Keeping this in mind, I find it difficult to recommend any operating system that requires that level of maintenance or modification to get it to run properly. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by Mac OS X, which just works out of the box, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask, even of an open source operating system.
In the end, we tried Ubuntu for a brief while on her laptop. It worked better (still with some silly bugs and annoyances, including a Korean input manager that worked half the time). Finally giving up, we went to the local AppleStore and got her a MacBook. Since then, she’s put up her first webpage, organized her photos, and caught back up on her work. So, maybe there is a happy ending here after all.
About the author:
Nathan J. Hill is the author of Eldritch Ass Kicking, the roleplaying game of arcane action and old men with sticks. He is a writer and student in Washington, DC. You can find out more about Nathan’s work on his website.
If you would like to see your thoughts or experiences with technology published, please consider writing an article for OSNews.
My own experience with korean-friendly distros are admittedly very limited, but I share your frustration to some extent; sometimes getting just a Swedish keyboard to work correctly in Linux can be a pain (yes xorg bugs I am looking at you!). I assume a “local” korean or asian distro would provide among the best localization support. So did you try or has anyone else here tried Haansoft Linux? http://www.haansoftlinux.com/
It seems to be a commercial distro, but it also seems that the reviewer is not afraid to spend some money on a commercial OS solution anyways. Could perhaps have saved him the cost of new hardware, I dunno.
Edited 2006-10-24 11:40

Question: who is the source of freespire software

Question: freespire is a free distribution of which standard operating system

freespire is a free distribution of which standard operating system

Question: freespire is an example of what type of distribution

Дистрибутив основанный на Debian

freespire is an example of what type of distribution

Question: what is the commercial version of freespire

what is the commercial version of freespire

Question: who is the main supporter of freespire

Question: freespire is what kind of distribution

Дистрибутив основанный на Debian

Question: what kind of distribution is freespire based on

основанный на Debian

what kind of distribution is freespire based on

3.0.8 2018-03-19

3.0.8 2018-03-19

автоконфигурация

Примечания1.0

программ.3.0.1PC

Question: freespire is used to manage what type of computer

3.0.8 2018-03-19

freespire is used to manage what type of computer

Question: when was the first freespire released

3.0.8 2018-03-19

Release History Version Release Date Notes1.0 Release Candidate ( 1.0.2 ) 2006 - 07 - 28 Release Candidate1.0 ( 1.0.13)Review : Freespire 1.0Free Agent : The Latest Free Linux Feature PCWorld 2006 - 08 - 04 Public Release based on Debian , Linux Core 2.6.14 and KDE 3.3.2.2.0 RC ( 1.9.0 ) 2007 - 07 - 10 Release Candidate.2.0 2007 - 08 - 07 Based on Ubuntu 7.04 , includes Linux Core Version 2.6.20 and KDE 3.5.6.2.0.8 2007 - 11 - 30 Repair and Beta Version Click N ' Run.3.0 Black Lab Software Releases Freespire 3.0 & Linspire 7.0 Linux Operating SystemsLindows Linux Is Back From The Dead Linspire 7.0 And Freespire 3.0 rises from the grave !

Freespire has a number of its own programs written in Haskell and OCaml, such as ISO form creator, hardware detection and auto configuration, package automate and Debian library, as well as programs that manage CGI. Release History Version Release Date Notes1.0 Release Candidate (1.0.2) 2006-07-28 Release Candidate1.0 (1.0.13)Review: Freespire 1.0Free Agent: The Latest Free Linux Feature PCWorld 2006-08-04 Public Release based on Debian, Linux Core 2.6.14 and KDE 3.3.2.2.0 RC (1.9.0) 2007-07-10 Release Candidate.2.0 2007-08-07 Based on Ubuntu 7.04, includes Linux Core Version 2.6.20 and KDE 3.5.6.2.0.8 2007-11-30 Repair and Beta Version Click N' Run.3.0 Black Lab Software Releases Freespire 3.0 & Linspire 7.0 Linux Operating SystemsLindows Linux Is Back From The Dead Linspire 7.0 And Freespire 3.0 rises from the grave! Freespire 3.0 and Linspire 7.0 Linux distros now availableDistroWatch Weekly, Issue 749, 5 February 2018 2018-01-01 It has a Linux core version 4.10.0-42, Firefox Quantum web browser, and other software updates.3.0.1PC/OpenSystems LLC: Linspire 7.0.1 and Freespire 3.0.1 Released - Meltdown and Spectre fix 2018-01-14 Meltdown and Spectre.3.0.6.5PC/OpenSystems LLC: Freespire 3.0.6.5 released 2018-02-08 Linux core version was updated to version 4.13.0-32, added graphic tweet for reference to the distribution, deleted GParted, applied from February 7th and February 7th 2018. 3.0.8 2018-03-19

3.0.8 2018-03-19

Freespire 2.0 Schedule
From Freespire
- Freespire 2.0 Alpha1 (1.1.57) - Released November 22, 2006
- Freespire 2.0 Alpha2 (1.1.73) - Released December 7, 2006
- Freespire 2.0 Alpha3 (1.1.84) - Released December 21, 2006 [Last Debain Sid core Release]
- Freespire 2.0 Alpha1U (1.2.42) - Released March 8, 2007 [First release w/Ubuntu Feisty core]
- Freespire 2.0 Alpha2U (1.2.49) - Released March 22, 2007
- New Sound Kernel Module - switched user now has sound
- Freespire 2.0 Nightly Builds available - Released April 10, 2007
- ubuntu Feisty Fawn (7.04) - Released April 19, 2007
- CNR.com Alpha web site - Launched May 07, 2007
- Freespire 2.0 Beta (1.3.52) - Released June 26, 2007 (minus CNR Plug-in)
- Freespire 2.0 RC (1.9.0) - Released July 10, 2007 (minus CNR Plug-in)
- Linspire 6.0 OEM Edition (6.0.0) - Released July 10, 2007 (minus CNR Plug-in)
- CNR 7 Testing Plug-in (in build 1.9.6) - Released July 19, 2007
- Freespire 2.0 General Release (2.0.0) - Released 07 August 2007
- Freespire 2.0.3 General Release (2.0.3) - Released 24 September 2007 (CNR Beta Plugin supports Freespire 2.0.3, Linspire 6.0.0, Ubuntu 7.04)
- October 2007 - Linspire 6.0 GM Release

3.0.8 2018-03-19

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Freespire, the free as in beer version of the Linspire Linux distribution, this month released Freespire 2.0, the first version of the operating system based on the popular Ubuntu distribution, and the first to contain proprietary codecs and drivers. Despite its attractive appearance, it left me with mixed feelings.
You can boot the Freespire image as a live CD or go straight into the install. It's always advisable to try the live CD option first to test hardware compatability. When you do, the tasteful and professional silent boot splash whisks you into a short setup setup routine. A full-screen framebuffered dialog first presents a long and involved license agreement that would require a lawyer to decipher. Then you are asked to confirm, adjust, or troubleshoot the volume of your sound system. I raised the volume on my Hewlett-Packard dv2105 notebook test machine, and the test music confirmed my sound was working. The KDE 3.5.6 desktop briefly appears before a configuration window opens that contains buttons to set various system settings, including screen resolution, networking, dial-up, timezone, language, and keyboard. Once finished, you have a lovely KDE desktop dressed up with pretty wallpaper and slick icons. Freespire looks good.
I couldn't tell Freespire is built upon Ubuntu until I used the command line or the native package management system. Under Ubuntu, many commands required the use of sudo to gain superuser privilege. I find it easier to use su to become root once than to use sudo for every command, so the first thing I do in a Ubuntu-based distro is set a root password.
On the desktop is an icon for starting the hard drive installer. The installer walks you through the usual steps, such as choosing your keyboard, naming the root partition, and setting up a user account. It gives you the option of allowing it to take over the remaining portion of disk that Windows is not occupying. My partitions aren't numbered in disk order, so it took me a few minutes to decipher which partition I wished to use with Freespire's atypical naming conventions. For example, the partitions are referred to such as Primary 1 or Logical 8, and it ignores the swap partition, so all partitions beyond the swap are pushed back one number. I still wasn't really sure I'd chosen the right one until the first of two confirmation screens, which use the traditional /dev/sdXx or /dev/hdXx names.
Another thing I found inconvenient was Freespire's method of making or editing partitions. According to the information stanza on the partition step page, after all the previous configuration, if you needed to make partitions for the install you would have to stop the install, reboot the machine, and choose the third boot option, CREATE or MODIFY partitions on this computer's hard drive. However, the real third option is Start Freespire in safe graphics mode, which indicates that the information in the installer hasn't been updated for the new release. The 2.0 live CD comes with the GNOME Partition Editor, so I could have used that if I needed to manually manipulate my partitions.
The install procedure offers no package selection options; it installs the same set of software for everyone. Any customizations you make in the live CD environment are lost in the hard drive install. I chose to have Freespire install the GRUB boot loader, and it discovered and included most, if not all, of the other operating systems installed on the machine.
The same boot splash as seen on the live CD gives way to an understated and attractive login screen. The first time the KDE 3.5.6 desktop starts, Firefox tries to open the user login page for Linspire's Click-N-Run (CNR) software warehouse, which offers one-click software installation.
One of the new additions in this release is the inclusion of proprietary hardware drivers, including more than a dozen for wireless Ethernet chips. Unfortunately, none worked with mine. I still had to resort to Ndiswrapper, but that functioned well, installing and utilizing the Windows driver. The KDE Network Manager wouldn't connect to my router with Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) or Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) enabled, but I could connect to WEP at the command line. WPA wouldn't work at all.
I found some quirks with my graphics configuration as well. By default, I had my desired 1280x800 resolution using the "nv" Xorg driver. Since the Nvidia accelerated driver is available in Freespire 2.0, I wanted to use that. When I changed to "nvidia" in the Screen Resolution startup configuration screen, I was offered only a 1024x768 desktop, but I was able to edit the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file manually to achieve the optimal resolution. Also X-related, my touchpad worked acceptably but with a lag sometimes, and many times holding my finger steady caused the cursor to inch right on its own.
The advanced power-saving features of CPU scaling and suspend to RAM worked well out of the box, but suspend to disk didn't. That option would start the screensaver and require a password to return to the desktop instead of putting the laptop to sleep.
Sound worked well for all applications out of the box. Another addition in this release is proprietary multimedia code and codecs. I tested KPlayer with several video and audio formats and all played well -- clear video and crisp sound with no lag or dropped frames. I was able to use Firefox to watch Google and YouTube videos, enjoy Gamespot and Apple trailers, and utilize other Flash- and Java-coded sites.
Freespire doesn't come with a large selection of applications, but it has enough to get started. They include NVU, Lphoto, Gizmo, Pidgin, Lsongs, OpenOffice.org, Firestarter, Kiosk Admin Tool, K3b, several other KDE apps, and a few KDE games (such as KSmileTris and KBattleship). The OS ships with a low-latency preemptive 2.6.20-16 kernel and Xorg 7.2.0. In addition to KDE, the ION/PWM2 window manager is available as well. Many users will have to spend time installing their favorite applications, but that shouldn't be too difficult using either apt-get or CNR.
When I updated the apt-get package database at the command line, I could see the Ubuntu Feisty repositories being updated in the standard output. Unlike Freespire 1.0, 2.0 lacks the Synaptic front end, but apt-get at the command line works fine. In fact, I installed Synaptic using apt-get, as I like it for searches.
I speculate Synaptic's absence is probably due to the presence of CNR. I wasn't able to test the service, as it is still not operational because it's currently being updated, but generally speaking it lists software you can browse under various categories. If you find an application of interest, the utility downloads and installs it, and places an entry in the menu. Basic service is free; a Gold subscription costs $50. I can't personally see any reason to pay the fee and use the service when I can use Synaptic or apt-get, but perhaps someone coming from Windows who doesn't know about apt-get might use it.
After working with the distribution for a while I had mixed feelings about Freespire. It has a pretty boot splash, lovely wallpaper, and modern colorful icons. The installer is a bit confusing and a little less user-friendly than some of its competition. Hardware support was acceptable, even if I had to drop to the command line to configure or tweak some of the settings myself. Power-saving features were also acceptable, though some users may miss the suspend to disk option. Included software is a bit sparse, but it includes something for most common tasks. Some of the application versions were a bit older than those in other distros released recently, but both they and the OS itself were stable and had acceptable performance.
I personally liked Freespire, but it may not be the best choice for a person coming straight from Windows, as I found some previous Linux experience necessary in order to fully enjoy it. For those users, I recommend giving SimplyMEPIS, PCLinuxOS, or Stux Linux a look. I can run any of these without ever opening a terminal thanks to their graphical configurations and package management systems.
Commentson Freespire aspires, but fails to inspire
Note: Comments are owned by the poster. We are not responsible for their content.
Sudo SuPosted by: Anonymous [ip: 69.178.20.216] on August 20, 2007 11:16 AM
Wouldn't "sudo su" accomplish the same thing?
Re: Sudo SuPosted by: Anonymous [ip: 195.11.201.126] on August 20, 2007 11:56 AM
Re(1): Sudo SuPosted by: Anonymous [ip: 68.252.213.154] on August 20, 2007 04:18 PM
Re(2): Sudo SuPosted by: Anonymous [ip: 69.137.27.228] on August 20, 2007 07:15 PM
Re(2): Sudo SuPosted by: Anonymous [ip: 158.39.124.73] on August 20, 2007 08:05 PM
-tactus
Re(1): Sudo SuPosted by: Anonymous [ip: 24.80.34.124] on August 21, 2007 04:34 PM
Re: Sudo SuPosted by: Anonymous [ip: 67.174.150.213] on August 20, 2007 06:41 PM
Freespire aspires, but fails to inspirePosted by: Anonymous [ip: 128.210.4.214] on August 20, 2007 12:40 PM
Fantastic!Posted by: Anonymous [ip: 220.236.186.200] on August 20, 2007 12:55 PM
I didn't need to do any command line editing. All worked out of the box, sound, video, hardware detection, ect... I also think the installer is very easy to use, especially if you want it to auto-partition the whole hard drive.
It's fantastic for new windows as well, very stylish and smooth looking - easy to navigate the menus. The included codecs also make it easy for new linux users.
The only thing i didn't like is the inclusion of CNR, because its not even usable yet. They should have either waited to release 2.0 after CNR is fully functional or included synaptic.
But thats just my opinion, try it for yourself :)
Freespire aspires, but fails to inspirePosted by: Anonymous [ip: 212.115.200.33] on August 20, 2007 12:58 PM
Go into Control Center, Peripherals, Display, Admin. Mode, unclick "Show only modes this system can support"
Freespire aspires, but fails to inspirePosted by: Anonymous [ip: 24.253.212.228] on August 20, 2007 12:58 PM
I do not think the other distro's mentioned af the end of this article handle this for the newbie. Freespire does.
These are the things that frustrate Windows users trying to move to Linux...
Not to sound elitist but...Posted by: Anonymous [ip: 67.90.11.226] on August 20, 2007 08:20 PM
Re: Not to sound elitist but...Posted by: Anonymous [ip: 24.80.34.124] on August 22, 2007 03:12 PM
When you're using windows and an addon is missing there is a link with instructions to download and install. Your hand is held through the install process and most windows users can handle that. Linux is a long way from doing that. A pop-up letting the user know what they need and directing the user to the package management tool for their distro would be a good idea. Of course the flip side is that they will install malware in exactly the same way because they received an email from Nicki P. Storey that said they need critical windows updates.
On the whole I agree with you. Users don't want or need to install and configure their OS and it is foolish to go any further trying to make it possible. We are at the stage now where any poorly experienced MCSE ought to be able to install Linux. Making it any easier is doing a disservice to the user. Live CD's ought to come with a warning, "If you want to install this to your harddrive make sure you get a qualified technician to do the job."
Re: Freespire aspires, but fails to inspirePosted by: Anonymous [ip: 24.80.34.124] on August 21, 2007 04:29 PM
Re: Freespire aspires, but fails to inspirePosted by: Anonymous [ip: 192.223.226.5] on August 21, 2007 08:04 PM
Re(1): Freespire aspires, but fails to inspirePosted by: Anonymous [ip: 98.203.150.239] on August 26, 2007 12:33 AM
clearly at PCLinuxOS website download page it says 'use at your own risk' and to me that says it aint ready..
I will look elsewhere.
Freespire aspires, but fails to inspirePosted by: Anonymous [ip: 212.115.200.33] on August 20, 2007 12:58 PM
Freespire aspires, but fails to inspirePosted by: Anonymous [ip: 71.98.65.215] on August 20, 2007 06:50 PM
sudo -s -HPosted by: Anonymous [ip: 84.65.192.118] on August 21, 2007 02:11 AM
Freespire aspires, but fails to inspirePosted by: Anonymous [ip: 70.45.110.162] on August 21, 2007 02:27 PM
[Modified by: Anonymous on August 21, 2007 02:35 PM]
Freespire aspires, but fails to inspirePosted by: Anonymous [ip: 76.84.75.136] on August 21, 2007 04:02 PM
But, hey, writers are often "creative," aren't they.
Freespire evoked the "just works" cliche for me on this Acer Aspire 5610Z
by simply being able to, at boot, find and connect my wifi. Woo-hoo! I had
not been able to get PCLinuxOS, Vectorlinux or (of course) SUSE to do
that.
Everything else works great, too. So, it is now my default OS on this new
machine.. and folks, for me that is a great big leap after fooling around
with so many distros over the years on my other machine, an old pc.
"Freespire Inspires my Aspire." :)
- Jerry
Re: Freespire aspires, but fails to inspirePosted by: Anonymous [ip: 71.98.65.215] on August 21, 2007 06:04 PM
Re(1): Freespire aspires, but fails to inspirePosted by: Anonymous [ip: 98.203.150.239] on August 26, 2007 12:36 AM
Freespire aspires, but fails to inspirePosted by: Anonymous [ip: 71.121.182.223] on August 22, 2007 01:48 AM
but inside it's a marshmallow:
last night I installed adept, the Kubuntu package manager,
from Freespire's repositories
and let adept_updater upgrade the kernel
resulting in an unbootable Linux.
Today I installed Kubuntu 704
plus ubuntu-desktop on the partition.
These I can work with.
Freespire aspires, but fails to inspirePosted by: Anonymous [ip: 216.237.212.108] on August 22, 2007 02:07 AM
Freespire aspires, but fails to inspirePosted by: Anonymous [ip: 205.208.132.205] on August 23, 2007 04:20 AM
Re: Freespire aspires, but fails to inspirePosted by: Anonymous [ip: 98.203.150.239] on August 26, 2007 05:07 AM
Growing fast but....Posted by: Anonymous [ip: 125.20.39.39] on September 07, 2007 02:43 AM
Freespire aspires, but fails to inspirePosted by: Nathanael on October 17, 2007 10:57 PM
This story has been archived. Comments can no longer be posted.

3.0.8 2018-03-19

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About Freespire
Freespire is a community-driven, Debian-based Linux distribution which legally supports (or has one-click access to support): MP3, DVD, Windows Media, QuickTime, Java, Flash, Real, ATI drivers, nVidia drivers, Adobe Acrobat Reader, proprietary WiFi drivers, fonts, and more. In addition to the CNR service, Freespire provides free access to the entire Freespire open source application pool using apt-get. Please read the Release Notes before downloading or installing.
Freespire software is Community Supported software. Please see the forum and mailing lists if you need technical help or support. If you download this version you should not open support tickets with Linspire. We recommend that you boot from the Live CD first.
Freespire 2.0.8
Available for immediate download.
Download Freespire 2.0 from Mirror Sites
Buy Preinstalled Computers
C3PC.com sells Linspire and Freespire PCs and laptops. Member of the builder program
Gigastrand Computers
MadTux 2.66 GHz Freespire PC
MDofPC Custom Computers
Buy Freespire Linux CDs
These are sites where you can purchase physical CD's and have them shipped to your location.
USA (Worldwide)
- Freespire
- DiscountLinuxDVD.com sells Freespire 2.0 CDs in the US for $0.99 (plus shipping)
- DiscZones sells Freespire 2.0 CDs in the US for $1.89 (plus shipping)
- FrozenTech sells Freespire 2.0 CDs in the US for $0.99 (plus shipping)
- Gigastrand International offers labeled freespire CDs for $1.00 each including instructions and shipping in any quantity to anywhere in the US.
- LinuxCD.org sells Freespire 2.0 CDs for USD $1.95 (plus shipping)
- Linux CD Shop sells Freespire 2.0.8 CDs Price: $1.75 (plus shipping)
- LinuxOnline sells Freespire 2.0 (also 1.0.13) CDs in USA from $1.50 (plus shipping)
- OSDisc.com sells Freespire 2.0.8 CDs for $1.95 (plus shipping)
Europe (UK)
Europe (France)
- Ikarios sells Freespire 2.0.8 CDs in Europe (from France) for 1.65 €
- CD-DVD-LINUX-BSD.COM sells Freespire 2.0.8 CDs (from France) for 4,00 €
Freespire 1.0
Download Freespire 1.0.13 via BitTorrent
You must have a BitTorrent program installed to use this option. Please refer to the help page which explains how to use BitTorrent.
Download Freespire 1.0.13 from Mirror Sites
Download Freespire VMWare Appliances
Freespire 1.0.13 VMWare Virtual Appliance
Download Freespire Source Code
Download Freespire Source Code
Freespire OSS Edition
The Freespire OSS Edition is a special build of Freespire that does not contain any of the proprietary binaries that are found in the complete, regular version of Freespire. The OSS Edition contains only open source software. You can download the OSS Edition with bittorrent or download here from our ftp server.
Other OSS Mirrors:
What is the Future of Freespire?
When will the next version be released? When will it support feature XYZ? When will the latest version of KDE be included? All of these questions and more can be found by reading the Freespire Roadmap. This document outlines the future plans for Freespire.
Testing Builds
Comments?
This is a protected page which can only be modified by certain wiki moderators. To make a comment or suggestion about this page, use the discussion tab, which is monitored (watched) by the page maintainer.

3.0.8 2018-03-19

Lindows rises from the grave! Freespire 3.0 and Linspire 7.0 Linux distros now available
About 16 years ago, a for-pay Linux distribution caused quite a stir all because of its name -- Lindows. Yes, someone actually thought kicking the billion dollar hornets nest that is Microsoft by playing off of the "Windows" name was a good idea. To be honest, from a marketing perspective, it was brilliant -- it got tons of free press. Microsoft eventually killed the Lindows name by use of money and the legal system, however. Ultimately, the Linux distro was renamed "Linspire." Comically, there was a Lindows Insiders program way before Windows Insiders!
After losing the Lindows name, the operating system largely fell out of the spotlight, and its 15 minutes of fame ended. After all, without the gimmicky name, it was hard to compete with free Linux distros. Not to mention, Richard Stallman famously denounced the OS for its non-free ways. The company eventually created a free version of its OS called Freespire, but by 2008, both projects were shut down by its then-owner, Xandros. Today, however, a new Linspire owner emerges -- PC/OpenSystems LLC. And yes, Lindows is rising from the grave -- as Freespire 3.0 and Linspire 7.0!
"Today the development team at PC/Opensystems LLC is pleased to announce the release of Freespire 3.0 and Linspire 7.0. While both contain common kernel and common utilities, they are targeted towards two different user bases. Freespire is a FOSS distribution geared for the general Linux community, making use of only open source components, containing no proprietary applications. This is not necessarily a limitation : through our software center and extensive repositories, Freespire users can install any application that they wish," says PC/OpenSystems LLC.
The new owner also says, "Linspire is a commercial release which builds on the elegant Freespire foundation. It does include a proprietary software set optimized for business users, students, researchers and developers. It is a capable solution for utilizing cloud-based web apps as well as legacy software from our Debian or Ubuntu’s repositories."
PC/OpenSystems LLC shares package details of both operating systems below.
Freespire
- Kernel 4.10.0-42
- Firefox Quantum Web Browser
- Geary e-mail client
- Ice SSB
- Abiword
- Gnumeric
- Parole Media Player
- Pinta Graphics tool
- Font Manager
Linspire
- Kernel 4.10.0-42
- Google Chrome
- Thunderbird e-mail with Calender, MS Exchange and Google Sync
- IceSSB
- LibreOffice
- Software Center
- VLC Media Player
- Rhythmbox
- Font Manager
- Wine integration for running some Windows applications
- VirtualBox Virtual Machine
- XFS, JFS, ZFS, BTRFS support
- .NET Core support
- ClamAV Virus Scanner
- Bleachbit
- Intrusion Detection System
- Integrated Build Environment
If you want to try Freespire, you can get the ISO for free here. Linspire, however, carries a $79 licensing fee. While I am hesitant to suggest paying for a Linux distro, it does come with a year of support by both phone and email -- if you think you need it (you probably do not). In addition, the license gets you the following.
- Custom ISO generation
- On-Site setup and auditing services
- Free Upgrade to major releases
- 10 percent off of all hardware purchases
Are you excited to see the return of Linspire and Freespire, or should they have stayed dead and buried? Sound off in the comments below.
Photo credit: Jeff Cameron Collingwood / Shutterstock

3.0.8 2018-03-19

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| DistroWatch Weekly
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|DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 749, 5 February 2018
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Welcome to this year's 6th issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
Linux distributions come and go, but it is rare to see discontinued distributions return from the dead. This week we begin with a look at the resurrected projects of Freespire and Linspire. Robert Rijkhoff explores these two distributions and reports on both their history and present condition. In our News section we discuss Red Hat acquiring CoreOS and its Container Linux distribution. Plus we report on Korora slowing its release cycle and celebrate the Open Source Initiative turning 20 years old this week. Then, in our Myths and Misunderstandings column, we tackle the often confusing topics of X.Org, Wayland and Mir. We are also happy to share a list of new operating system versions released last week and we provide a list of the torrents we are seeding. In our Opinion Poll we ask how many of our readers are using commercial distributions such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Linspire. We wish you all a fantastic week and happy reading!
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Content:
- Review: Freespire 3 and Linspire 7.0
- News: Red Hat acquiring CoreOS, Korora slows release schedule, the OSI turns 20
- Myths and misunderstandings: Wayland, X.Org and Mir
- Released last week: Linux Lite 3.8, Emmabuntus 9-1.01, OPNsense 18.1
- Torrent corner: 4MLinux, Archman, Emmabuntus, KDE neon, Lite, Manjaro, OPNsense, Pardus Topluluk, SwagArch
- Opinion poll: Commercial Linux distributions
- New distributions: Anarchy Linux
- Reader comments
|Feature Story (by Robert Rijkhoff)
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Freespire 3 and Linspire 7.0
Towards the end of last year a company called PC/OpenSystems announced that it had bought the trademarks for Linspire and Freespire and that a new version of both distros had been released. The announcement got a fair bit of attention as Linspire and Freespire were discontinued distros with a turbulent history. Before we get into the review proper we need to talk about the distros' past.
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The past
Linspire started life in 2001 under the name Lindows. The original name was a playful reference to its ambition: developing a Linux operating system capable of running major Microsoft Windows applications. The name was changed to Linspire in 2004 after a lawsuit brought by Microsoft was settled out of court. Linspire's ambition remained the same and as part of the settlement the distro could include codecs for proprietary media formats such as MP3 and WMA.
Unsurprisingly, Linspire was often criticised by the free software community. Richard Stallman famously said of the distro that "No other GNU/Linux distribution has backslided so far away from freedom." Of course, the focus on features over freedom was exactly what made the distro appealing to many users.
Back in the day Lindows/Linspire was based on Debian. The distro had to be purchased; the Wayback Machine shows the license fee was $49.95 in 2006. As far as I can tell compatibility with major Microsoft Windows applications never really materialised but the distro did introduce a graphical user interface for installing software. The feature, called Click 'N' Run (or CNR), was essentially an early software centre.
Freespire entered the stage in 2005 as a free (as in beer) version of Linspire. Both Linspire and Freespire were acquired by Xandros in 2008 and discontinued not long after. Xandros Linux also didn't survive - its latest stable release is from 2007.
The present
PC/OpenSystems, the new owner of the Linspire and Freespire trademarks, is not new to the world of Linux distros - it already develops Black Lab Linux. The company bought the trademarks to, in its own words, differentiate its product line. They are hoping Linspire will appeal to enterprise and home users alike.
Both Freespire and Linspire are derivatives of Xubuntu 16.04. The distros are only available for the 64-bit x86 architecture and Xfce is the only supported desktop environment. Freespire is still the community edition and freely downloadable while the ISO for Linspire costs $79.99. The license fee will give you a year's worth of phone and e-mail support and a system with various common proprietary codecs pre-installed. The inclusion of the codecs is no longer part of the above-mentioned settlement with Microsoft - PC/OpenSystems has to pay patent-holders to include them.
Freespire 3
I first tried Freespire. The ISO is a 1.5GB download and boots to a live environment where you can try the system before deciding whether or not to take the plunge. Freespire's desktop has a traditional look: the panel is placed at the bottom; window decorations such as title bars and buttons have a bevel effect and the wallpaper is dark blue with diagonal gradients and the Freespire logo.
Freespire 3 - Freespire's Xfce desktop
(full image size: 654kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
The installer is a modified version of Ubiquity. Unfortunately, the modifications are not improvements. The first issue I encountered was that the link to the release notes on the first page of the installer took me to a dodgy on-line survey about the UK economy. I asked PC/OpenSystems how it is possible that the link to the release notes goes to a phishing site - they were able to reproduce the bug but could not explain how or why this happened. A second tweak in the installer is that the slides that are normally displayed when Ubiquity installs the system have been replaced with a tiny little window that shows information about what the installer is doing. The size of the window adjusts itself to the amount of information that needs to be displayed and therefore changes in size all the time. The installer did get the job done but it wasn't a very pleasant experience.
Freespire 3 - The release notes page
(full image size: 168kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
The reason why the installer has been tweaked has to do with the ubuntu-restricted-extras package, which provides support for DVD playback, Microsoft fonts, Flash and codecs for common audio and video files. Normally, the package is only installed if you tick the relevant box in the installer. In Freespire the meta-package was installed even though I had opted not to tick the box. This surprised me because a blog post on the PC/OpenSystems website from December 2017 claimed that Freespire 3 would appease what the company refers to as "GNU purists". Apart from some binary blobs in the kernel the distro would be fully libre (and the binary blobs could be removed in a future release).
Freespire 3 - Installing third-party software
(full image size: 360kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
I did check with PC/OpenSystems what Freespire's stance on software freedom is and the company has now released a new ISO (Freespire 3.0.6). In the new version the restricted extras package is never installed - even if you tick the box you will not get the extras package. The checkbox is due to be removed from the installer and the company is apparently working with the Free Software Foundation to make Freespire fully libre.
A final thing worth noting about the installer is that we can set up our partitions as we wish. The release announcement for Freespire and Linspire suggests that file systems such as XFS and Btrfs are only available in Linspire but that is not the case.
While exploring Freespire I quickly discovered that the main difference between stock Xubuntu and Freespire is the look and feel. After changing the theme to Greybird and switching the panel to Xubuntu Modern I was left with Xubuntu. Even the collection of pre-installed software is roughly what you find in Xubuntu (you can compare the packages yourself). The most noteworthy differences are that Freespire comes with three file managers (Thunar, GNOME Files and a program called Worker) and that Thunderbird and LibreOffice are not installed - instead we get the Geary e-mail client and Abiword and Gnumeric for word processing and spreadsheets. Interestingly, Linspire does come with Thunderbird and LibreOffice pre-installed. Silly as it might sound, I suspect the reason why Thunderbird and LibreOffice have been removed in Freespire is that it may encourage people to purchase Linspire.
Freespire 3 - Worker, Thunar and GNOME Files
(full image size: 246kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
There were a few applications I hadn't come across before. In the category Games we get DOSBox, which describes itself as a shell that runs DOS programs; under Accessories we get Midnight Commander and under Settings we find a Domain Blocker, which is a parental control application.
Freespire 3 - Running various desktop utilities
(full image size: 339kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
Freespire does not have its own repositories. The distro does add a Skype repository, even though Skype itself is not installed. The old Click 'N' Run application has been replaced with GNOME Software, while the more advanced Synaptic package manager is also pre-installed.
This is, then, essentially Xubuntu. The only real modifications are in the installer: the link to the release notes has been, let's say, monetised, and if you download the latest ISO the "restricted extras" package will not be installed (even if you tick the relevant box in the installer). Other than that Freespire is Xubuntu 16.04 with a different default theme. If you are an eagle-eyed reader you might have noticed that the link to the installer in the live environment is called "Install Freespire 16.04" - this should of course have been "Install Freespire 3". Selecting "Help" from the application menu opens the documentation for Xubuntu 16.04, complete with Xubuntu branding. In Firefox we get various Ubuntu bookmarks. The name of the Freespire menu icon is xubuntu-logo.png. If you change the software settings so that you are notified of any new version of the distro you will be notified that Ubuntu 17.10 is available. Everywhere you look you see that this is Xubuntu with a few artificial modifications.
Linspire 7
The Linspire ISO is quite a bit larger (2.3GB) and the installation didn't go smoothly. In the live environment I found that the Google Chrome browser failed to launch and the installer appeared to hang. The install window didn't display any information but I could see that the Ubiquity process was running, although it didn't appear to make any progress. After about 40 minutes I decided to reboot the laptop and try again.
Linspire 7.0 - Trying to install the distribution
(full image size: 625kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
The second time both the live environment and installer worked better. I could launch Chrome (although the browser didn't open the link to the release notes) and the installer was working, albeit slowly. The installation took over an hour and at various points the installer appeared to have frozen. At least I got some information about what the installer was trying to do and it did eventually finish.
Linspire 7.0 - The custom installer retrieving files
(full image size: 1.0MB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
Linspire always installs the ubuntu-restricted-package, regardless of whether or not you tick the box to install the codecs and other proprietary goodies. This is in fact one of the main selling points of the distro: PC/OpenSystems has license agreements with Microsoft, Apple, Oracle and (unspecified) other companies that allows the company to include various (unspecified) codecs and the Java stack in its distributions.
Other than the codecs there is, again, nothing that sets the distro apart from Xubuntu. The Linspire release announcement mentions the availability of ZFS as one of the major features but, as I suspected, ZFS was not listed among the usual file systems. It is of course possible to use ZFS on Linspire, simply because it is possible to use ZFS on Ubuntu. However, getting ZFS to work on Linspire is not as easy as selecting it at the partitioning stage. I might add that the release announcement for Freespire and Linspire is misleading in that it suggests that ZFS is not available in Freespire. The fact is that there is no difference between Ubuntu, Freespire and Linspire when it comes to support for ZFS.
Linspire 7.0 - Chrome, Xfce Terminal and Skype
(full image size: 454kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
As I have already mentioned, the software collection in Linspire and Freespire is slightly different. In Linspire, Firefox has been replaced with Google Chrome and instead of Geary you now get Thunderbird (although I couldn't detect the promised Exchange add-on). LibreOffice 5.4 is provided via a PPA and we also get VLC, ClamAV, Bleachbit and VirtualBox. You again get the Skype repository and this time Skype is actually installed as well. In addition, you also get a WINE repository out of the box. Like Freespire, Linspire does not have its own repositories.
Performance, bugs and Xfce
It almost goes without saying that both Freespire and Linspire worked perfectly fine. On both my laptop and in GNOME Boxes the distros were responsive and stable - nothing crashed and I didn't encounter a single bug. Of course, it is Xubuntu that should get the plaudits for that. Freespire and Linspire are stock Xubuntu with a different theme and a slightly different set of default applications.
On the topic of bugs and default applications, one reason why I didn't encounter any bugs might be that Apport is not pre-installed in Freespire and Linspire. Apport is Ubuntu's crash reporting tool. It intercepts program crashes, collects debugging information and allows you to send the information to the Ubuntu developers via a graphical interface. As a replacement, Freespire and Linspire have their own "bug reporting tool": users can submit bug reports by leaving a comment on their Blogger blog. To date, not a single bug has been reported.
Linspire 7.0 - Reporting bugs
(full image size: 514kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
As for the Xfce desktop environment, I like the desktop. It is unassuming and fairly customisable. One thing to be aware of in both Freespire and Linspire is that the default panel configuration hasn't been saved. Instead, the developers have simply modified the default theme, which means that you have no way of going back to the default configuration if you change the panel layout.
Freespire 3 - Theme settings
(full image size: 364kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
Other than that the only minor annoyance is that Google Chrome and most GNOME applications stick out like a sore thumb. In Xubuntu the window decorations of GNOME applications have a similar look and feel if you stick with the default Greybird theme, although windows are missing the maximise and close buttons (you only get a minimise button). In Freespire and Linspire GNOME applications use a completely different theme with flat macOS-style buttons. I guess there is no perfect solution to integrating GNOME applications in a non-GNOME desktop environment.
Conclusions
Before I started my trial I was under the impression that Freespire and Linspire were quite different from stock Xubuntu. The Linspire blog, for instance, talks about binary blobs in "our" kernel and proprietary packages provided by vendors to Linspire. As I quickly learned, Linspire doesn't have its own repositories (let alone a custom kernel) and the proprietary packages are provided via the ubuntu-restricted-extras package. Similarly, the lead developer recently wrote on his blog that people who claim that Linspire is just a Xubuntu respin should "mind their own business" because they have no idea how much work has gone into customising Linspire over the last 18 months. When I asked the company if they could give some examples of how Linspire is different from Xubuntu I was told that, actually, their aim is to stay as close to Xubuntu as possible.
It would be unfair, however, to dismiss Freespire and Linspire as Xubuntu clones. The distros have two interesting selling points. Firstly, PC/OpenSystems can legally ship certain patent-encumbered codecs. Of course, anyone can install the ubuntu-restricted-extras package but in some jurisdictions doing so may be illegal. It is probably fair to say that few people care about such legalities but if you prefer to play by the rules then Linspire is worth a look.
Secondly, Linspire's main feature is the support license. You don't pay $79.99 for Xubuntu with a Linspire sticker - you buy a year's worth of support. Linspire might be an attractive option for small businesses and organisations that want to run Linux with a support contract. Similarly, I reckon many home users will like the idea of being able to get professional support for their Linspire box(es).
That said, it is disappointing that the only real customisations (as in code changes) are regressions: the installer is far from a finished product. It is also unfortunate that Freespire lacks direction. The new Freespire was presented as an almost fully libre distro, yet the initial release clearly was the exact opposite. Only after pointing this out did PC/OpenSystems quietly release a new ISO.
The main issue I had with the distros was something else though: the marketing/PR/spin. I have already mentioned various examples of dubious claims. I would like to add one more example, just because it nicely illustrates my gripe: the Freespire page claims that, unlike Freespire, Linux Mint is difficult to install. PC/OpenSystems arrived at that conclusion based on its own research: a whopping three people were asked to install Freespire, Ubuntu and Linux Mint and the "sample group" apparently struggled to install Mint.
This type of marketing is needlessly negative. I would rather see the company work with, say, the Trisquel developers, who have already solved the issue with the checkbox in the Ubiquity installer and who may also be able to help Freespire become an FSF-approved distro. I would love to see a proper bug tracking tool so that I would have an easy way to report issues. And I think it would also be nice if PC/OpenSystems would start sharing the code it claims to produce.
In short, I think both Freespire and Linspire are on to something. I like the idea of a fully libre Xubuntu spin and I am sure there is demand for Linspire. I just hope history won't repeat itself.
* * * * *
Hardware used for this review
My physical test equipment for this review was a Lenovo Thinkpad X220 with the following specifications:
- Processor: Intel Core i3-2520M, 2.5GHz
- Memory: 8GB of RAM
- Wireless network adapter: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205
- Wired network adapter: Intel 82579M
* * * * *
Visitor supplied rating
Freespire has a visitor supplied average rating of: 7.6/10 from 23 review(s).
Have you used Freespire? You can leave your own review of the project on our ratings page.
|Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith)
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Red Hat acquiring CoreOS, Korora slows release schedule, the OSI turns 20
Red Hat has announced that the company is in the process of acquiring CoreOS, the organization which develops Container Linux. Container Linux is a very lightweight distribution optimized for running containers and it provides automated updates. Red Hat has published a blog page which covers the reasons behind the acquisition and what CoreOS's team will bring to the Red Hat ecosystem. "We believe Red Hat and CoreOS are a natural fit due to our respective open source business models and emphasis on enabling customers to build and deploy applications across the hybrid cloud. CoreOS can expand Red Hat's technology leadership in containers and Kubernetes and enhance core platform capabilities in OpenShift, Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat's integrated container portfolio. Bringing CoreOS's technologies to the Red Hat portfolio can help us further automate and extend operational management capabilities for OpenShift administrators and drive greater ease of use for end users building and managing applications on our platform."
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* * * * *
The Korora team develops a Fedora-based distribution which offers users a more complete desktop experience with multimedia support. The Korora distribution typically publishes new versions shortly after the Fedora project releases a new version. The Korora team is going to change their release schedule and only offer new versions of Korora after every other Fedora version. "All this is done in our spare time along side our job, family and personal responsibilities. For a very small team, currently three people plus the occasional input from others, this is a lot of work. It means that often Korora has to take a back seat when real life intrudes. Consequently we have decided that in future there will an annual Korora release in line with only the even number Fedora versions. That means there won't be a Korora 27 but we are planning to have Korora 28 available soon after the final release of Fedora 28."
* * * * *
The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is "a non-profit corporation with global scope formed to educate about and advocate for the benefits of open source and to build bridges among different constituencies in the open source community." The organization promotes and provides resources for people wanting to learn more about open source software and licensing. The OSI is celebrating its 20th anniversary this week. "The Open Source Initiative is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2018. In the true open source spirit, we would like to invite you and the open source community to participate. This is a great opportunity to highlight yours and your organization's open source success story. Please join and help us make this celebration a true representation of the passion, diversity, and creativity of the open source software community!" The OSI has set up a website with more information and invitations for community members to participate in the celebration.
* * * * *
These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
|Myths and Misunderstandings (by Jesse Smith)
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Wayland, X.Org and Mir
At the beginning of the year we covered a discussion taking place on a FreeBSD mailing list where developers were debating whether to enable Wayland support in FreeBSD ports by default. After some discussion, Kevin Oberman made a good point, one which could probably be posted as a footnote to any conversation about Wayland: "There seems to be general confusion on what Wayland is and what it does."
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There tends to be a general misunderstanding as to what Wayland is (or is not), how it gets used and how it co-exists with other display technologies such as X.Org or Mir. Today I would like to clear up some common misunderstandings about these technologies.
X.Org is the classic method of displaying graphical elements on a Linux (or BSD) system. The X.Org display server is one component of many making up a desktop environment and its applications. At the top level we have applications, the arrangement of the application windows is handled by a separate task called a window manager. The window manager sits on top of the X.Org display server, which is responsible for drawing everything on the screen. From a practical point of view, we might run the Firefox browser as an application. The position and behaviour of the Firefox window is handled by a window manager like Openbox. The drawing of the window and its contents is handled by X.Org.
When some developers decided it was time to replace the aging X.Org software with a new, more streamlined design, we got two new main approaches in the open source community. The first was called Wayland and the second was called Mir. Let's focus on Wayland first.
"Wayland is a protocol for a compositor to talk to its clients as well as a C library implementation of that protocol." In order words, Wayland might be considered a method programs can use to draw applications on the screen. The Wayland website describes the idea as follows: "The Wayland architecture integrates the display server, window manager and compositor into one process. You can think of Wayland as a toolkit for creating clients and compositors. It is not a specific single compositor or window manager."
Put another way, Wayland takes the work of displaying items and managing windows (jobs previously handled by X.Org and a separate window manager) and melds those jobs into one. In theory, this should make things more simple. Before we were running Firefox on a window manager which talks to a separate display server. Now we simply run Firefox on a Wayland implementation which knows how to be both a window manager and a display server. The new approach is more streamlined.
Where people tend to get confused about Wayland is with the idea that there is no one Wayland implementation. Wayland defines a protocol for managing windows and displaying them, but there is no one central Wayland compositor & window manager. Each desktop environment is expected to create its own implementation of Wayland. For a desktop environment, such as GNOME or KDE Plasma, to support Wayland, the desktop developers must create their own version of Wayland.
In this way X.Org is different from Wayland. For most practical purposes there is one X.Org implementation that can be used by each desktop environment. With Wayland, each desktop environment needs to have a Wayland implementation written for it.
Backtracking a bit, Mir was the name of a technology similar to Wayland. But while Wayland was the name of a protocol anyone could implement, Mir is both the name of a protocol and a specific implementation of the Mir protocol. Put another way, the Mir software implements the Mir protocol. Mir started as a separate project from Wayland while attempting to do approximately the same thing: offer a simpler, lighter alternative to X.Org.
In the past year, the developers of the Mir software have decided to expand its scope. The Mir software now understands both the Mir protocol and the Wayland protocol. In short, the Mir software is now an implementation of Wayland.
One potential benefit to the Mir software now speaking the Wayland protocol is Mir can be used as a desktop-neutral display server for smaller desktop projects. GNOME and KDE are relatively large projects and were able to pioneer adopting the Wayland protocol with each desktop project creating its own Wayland implementation. (KDE created KWin/Wayland, GNOME wrote Wayland support into Mutter.) Smaller teams, such as those working on MATE and Xfce, may struggle to find the time to create their own versions of Wayland for their desktop environments. With this in mind, smaller desktop projects are looking at using Mir as a common component to reduce their work supporting Wayland.
One nice thing about the new Wayland approach is that it can co-exist alongside the old X.Org software. As FreeBSD developer Johannes Lundberg stated recently: "Libraries that are common for X and Wayland like mesa-libs, Qt5 and GTK30 will get a bit bigger in order to enable Wayland. This is completely transparent to X users and does not affect X-related stuff in anyway. Using Wayland compositors like Sway or Weston is still completely optional and they can co-exist with any X server and X11 window manager." In most cases we can not only have both Wayland and X.Org desktop sessions on the same operating system (the way Fedora and Ubuntu do), X.Org programs can typically be run on a Wayland session.
At this point, most implementations of Wayland (such as those used by KDE and GNOME) are ready for general, day to day use. However, possibly because there are still some corner cases to work out, or because X.Org sessions continue to work well, most distributions continue to use X.Org desktop sessions.
* * * * *
Myths and misunderstandings can be found in our Myths and Misunderstandings archive.
|Released Last Week
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OPNsense 18.1
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OPNsense is a FreeBSD-based specialist operating system (and a fork of pfSense) designed for firewalls and routers. The latest release, OPNsense 18.1, is built on FreeBSD 11.1 and includes PHP version 7.1. The new release also features strict interface binding for OpenSSH connections and a new Realtek network driver, version 1.94. "We humbly present to you the sum of another major iteration of the OPNsense firewall. Over the second half of 2017 well over 500 changes have made it into this release, nicknamed 'Groovy Gecko'. Most notably, the firewall NAT rules have been reworked to be more flexible and usable via plugins, which is going to pave the way for subsequent API works on the core firewall functionality. For more details please find the attached list of changes below. The upgrade track from 17.7 will be available later today. Please be patient. Meltdown and Spectre patches are currently being worked on in FreeBSD, but there is no reliable timeline. We will keep you up to date through the usual channels as more news become available. Hang in there!" Further details can be found in the project's release announcement and press release.
Emmabuntus 9-1.01
Emmabuntüs is a desktop Linux distribution with editions based on based on Xubuntu and Debian's Stable branch. It strives to be beginner-friendly and reasonably light on resources so that it can be used on older computers. The project's latest release is based on Debian and includes several bug fixes along with support for a wider range of wireless network cards. "As a reminder, this version includes the UEFI support for the 32- and 64-bits architectures, and integrates the essential 'Debian Beginner's Handbook', updated for the Stretch version by our friends of the 3HG Team led by our mate arpinux, this handbook being available in both French and English versions. Also included are our latest presentation and installation tutorials already published on the Developpez.com site, as well as the one concerning the printer configuration under Debian, also available in both French and English languages. This Debian Edition 2-1.01 version includes the following fixes and enhancements: Based on Debian 9.3 Stretch. Workaround concerning the display freeze at startup bug in the Linux 4.9 kernel...." More details can be found in the project's release announcement.
Linux Lite 3.8
Jerry Bezencon has announced the release of Linux Lite 3.8, an Ubuntu-based distribution featuring the lightweight Xfce desktop. "Linux Lite 3.8 Final is now available for download. There have been a number of changes since the 3.6 release. This is the last release for Series 3.x. Linux Lite 4.0 Final will be released on June 1st, 2018. The changes for Linux Lite 3.8 include - more support for LibreOffice, regional support for DVDs, a Font Viewer/Installer and we now have our own Google-based Search page as the home page in Firefox. We've also added TLP for Laptops to Lite Tweaks. We've added a Thesaurus (Synonyms) to LibreOffice for the US language... If you have DVDs that are from another region other than your own, you can now easily change region so that it will play in VLC. Insert your DVD, open a terminal and type regionset and follow the on-screen instructions." Further information and screen shots can be found in the project's release announcement. Download (MD5): linux-lite-3.8-64bit.iso (1,027MB, torrent, pkglist).
Linux Lite 3.8 -- The welcome screen
(full image size: 1.2MB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
* * * * *
Development, unannounced and minor bug-fix releases
|Torrent Corner
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Weekly Torrents
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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: 729
- Total data uploaded: 17.7TB
|Upcoming Releases and Announcements
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Summary of expected upcoming releases
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|Opinion Poll
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Commercial Linux distributions
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This week we discussed a few commercial Linux companies, including Red Hat and PC/OpenSystems. We would like to find out how many of our readers currently run a commercial Linux distribution. If you do run a
commercial Linux system, do you enjoy the extra technical support, are you giving back financially to the open source community, do you feel commercial distributions offer a better experience? Please let us know your reasons for purchasing your operating system in the last week's edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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Commercial Linux distributions
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|I run a commercial distribution: ||15 (1%)|
| I run both commercial and no-cost distributions: ||146 (6%)|
| I run no-cost distributions only: ||2020 (90%)|
| I do not run a Linux distribution: ||74 (3%)|
|DistroWatch.com News
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Distributions added to waiting list
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- Anarchy Linux. Anarchy Linux is an Arch Linux-based distribution offering users an installation disc with a live desktop. Anarchy Linux's default desktop is Xfce.
* * * * *
DistroWatch database summary
* * * * *
This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 12 February 2018. Past articles and reviews can be found through our Article Search page. 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)
- Bruce Patterson (podcast)
|Tip Jar
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| Archives
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|• Issue 988 (2022-10-03): SpiralLinux 11.220628, finding distros for older equipment and other purposes, SUSE begins releasing ALP prototypes, Debian votes on non-free firmware in installer|
|• Issue 987 (2022-09-26): openSUSE's MicroOS, converting people to using Linux, pfSense updates base system and PHP, Python 2 dropped from Arch|
|• Issue 986 (2022-09-19): Porteus 5.0, remotely wiping a hard drive, a new software centre for Ubuntu, Proxmox offers offline updates|
|• Issue 985 (2022-09-12): Garuda Linux, using root versus sudo, UBports on the Fairphone 4, Slackware reverses change to grep|
|• Issue 984 (2022-09-05): deepin 23 Preview, watching for changing to directories, Mint team tests Steam Deck, Devuan posts fix for repository key expiry|
|• Issue 983 (2022-08-29): Qubes OS 4.1.1, Alchg Linux, immutable operating systems, Debian considers stance on non-free firmware, Arch-based projects suffer boot issue|
|• Issue 982 (2022-08-22): Peropesis 1.6.2, KaOS strips out Python 2 and PulseAudio, deepin becomes independent, getting security update notifications|
|• Issue 981 (2022-08-15): Linux Lite 6.0, defining desktop environments and window managers, Mint releases upgrade tool, FreeBSD publishes status report|
|• Issue 980 (2022-08-08): Linux Mint 21, Pledge on Linux, SparkyLinux updates classic desktop packages, Peppermint OS experiments with Devuan base|
|• Issue 979 (2022-08-01): KaOS 2022.06 and KDE Plasma 5.25, terminating processes after a set time, GNOME plans Secure Boot check|
|• Issue 978 (2022-07-25): EndeavourOS 22.6, Slax explores a return to Slackware, Ubuntu certified with Dell's XPS 13, Linux running on Apple's M2|
|• Issue 977 (2022-07-18): EasyOS 4.2, transferring desktop themes between distros, Tails publishes list of updates, Zevenet automates Let's Encrypt renewals|
|• Issue 976 (2022-07-11): NixOS 22.05, making a fake webcam, exploring the Linux scheduler, Debian publishes updated media|
|• Issue 975 (2022-07-04): Murena One running /e/OS, where are all the openSUSE distributions, Fedora to offer unfiltered Flathub access|
|• Issue 974 (2022-06-27): AlmaLinux 9.0, the changing data of DistroWatch's database, UBports on the Pixel 3a, Tails and GhostBSD publish hot fixes|
|• Issue 973 (2022-06-20): openSUSE 15.4, collecting distro media, FreeBSD status report, Ubuntu Core with optional real-time kernel|
|• Issue 972 (2022-06-13): Rolling Rhino Remix, SambaBox 4.1, SUSE team considers future of SUSE and openSUSE Leap, Tails improves Tor Connection Assistant|
|• Issue 971 (2022-06-06): ChimeraOS 2022.01.03, Lilidog 22.04, NixOS gains graphical installer, Mint replaces Bluetooth stack and adopts Timeshift, how to change a MAC address|
|• Issue 970 (2022-05-30): Tails 5.0, taking apart a Linux distro, Ubuntu users seeing processes terminated, Budgie team plans future of their desktop|
|• Issue 969 (2022-05-23): Fedora 36, a return to Unity, Canonical seeks to improve gaming on Ubuntu, HP plans to ship laptops with Pop!_OS|
|• Issue 968 (2022-05-16): Quark 21.10.2, finding a phone for running Linux, Haiku imports new wireless drivers, NVIDIA open sources kernel modules|
|• Issue 967 (2022-05-09): Running Linux distros on Android with UserLAnd, setting up fiels in new home directories, Fedora keeps BIOS support|
|• Issue 966 (2022-05-02): Ubuntu 22.04, running applications from a data partition, EndeavourOS publishes hot fix, Unity desktop revived|
|• Issue 965 (2022-04-25): Peppermint 2022-02-02, Mint tests new upgrade tool, the state of firmware on Debian, splitting and merging files|
|• Issue 964 (2022-04-18): postmarketOS 21.12, running macOS software on Linux, EndeavourOS tests new window manager, running a Raspberry Pi without non-free firmware|
|• Issue 963 (2022-04-11): dahlioOS 220222, defining storage terms and finding parent distros, Gentoo revitalizes live media, Fedora to phase out BIOS support, Mint's new upgrade tool|
|• Issue 962 (2022-04-04): MassOS 2022.03, Neptune 7.0, Debian begins Project Leader election, new sandbox tools for FreeBSD, tracking Linux installs, home directory permissions|
|• Issue 961 (2022-03-28): Zenwalk GNU Linux 15.0, working with doas and Nextcloud, measuring gaming performance on Fedora, GNOME publishes new desktop release|
|• Issue 960 (2022-03-21): Pardus 21.1, tracking filesystem changes, changing FreeBSD's root filesystem live, Univention offers new client management tool|
|• Issue 959 (2022-03-14): Hos OS 3.1, getting updates without a network connection, OpenBSD running on M1 chips, Haiku gains wireless USB support, FreeBSD publishes quarterly update|
|• Issue 958 (2022-03-07): XeroLinux, rolling back package updates, Mint prepares for desktop changes, making minimal application images on Alpine|
|• Issue 957 (2022-02-28): Pop!_OS 21.10, transferring bookmarks to new formats, Zorin offers new documentation, installing Debian on an Apple M1 computer|
|• Issue 956 (2022-02-21): Running guest distros in Distrobox, how the BSDs work, managing software on Fedora Silverblue, new features in UBports|
|• Issue 955 (2022-02-14): Slackware Linux 15.0, imaging a drive and compressing it, a tool for gathering system information, installing an OS on the Raspberry Pi over the network|
|• Issue 954 (2022-02-07): PlagueOS and Ultramarine Linux, running UBports as a home server on the PinePhone, System76 launches tool to improve desktop performance|
|• Issue 953 (2022-01-31): CalinixOS and HefftorLinux, Ubuntu MATE running on GPD Pocket 3, Polkit vulnerability, UBports gets web browser video chat|
|• Issue 952 (2022-01-24): UBports on PinePhone, basic and practical security tips, openSUSE offers multi-distro support, Mint updates hardware support|
|• Issue 951 (2022-01-17): instantOS Beta, where to learn about Linux command line, Mint streamlines Firefox packaging, Fedora to get new Anaconda installer|
|• Issue 950 (2022-01-10): The Common Desktop Environment, preventing logins at specific times, Haiku runs WINE port, Dolphin gains privileged file actions|
|• Issue 949 (2022-01-03): Top Picks of 2021, answering questions about PinePhone, UBports introduces new fixes and features, CentOS Linux 8 reaches its end of life|
|• Issue 948 (2021-12-20): PinePhone running Manjaro and Plasma Mobile, protecting family computers from children, using Wayland for gaming, getting Linux on Apple's M1|
|• Issue 947 (2021-12-13): JuNest, the year of the Linux desktop, Fedora to adopt Wayland for all video cards, Zorin OS provides Lite edition|
|• Issue 946 (2021-12-06): OpenSnitch application firewall, review of a textbook of Coreutils examples, UBports gets new apps, T2 SDE starts bug bounty program|
|• Issue 945 (2021-11-29): LockBox 1.0, dealing with low memory issues, Debian makes APT safer, MX Linux offers advanced hardware support|
|• Issue 944 (2021-11-22): Fedora 35, running custom login scripts, FreeBSD publishes status report, AlmaLinux team answers questions|
|• Issue 943 (2021-11-15): Waydroid, comparing LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce, Pop!_OS to get its own desktop environment, porting games to OpenBSD|
|• Issue 942 (2021-11-08): MX Linux 21, comparing kernel efficiency, Linux Mint polishes desktop applications, Rocky Linux team answers community questions|
|• Issue 941 (2021-11-01): Brave web browser, finding words and truncating audio files, TruneNAS SCALE launched, DragonFly BSD can create FAT volumes|
|• Issue 940 (2021-10-25): Ubuntu 21.10, sandboxing Steam, setting up a firewall, AlmaLinux OS launches ELevate|
|• Issue 939 (2021-10-18): Auxtral 3, virtual terminal speeds, Ubuntu speeds up Snap, Qubes experiments with Debian's reproducible builds|
|• Issue 938 (2021-10-11): Pyabr OS, benefits to compiling your own kernel, an alternative to Snap, Redcore provides fix for Portage issues|
|• Issue 937 (2021-10-04): Getting started with Ansible, Wayland and clearing history, exploring the status of Btrfs, projects dealing with certificate issues|
|• Full list of all issues|
|Star Labs
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Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the StarLite and the StarBook. 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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Slackel
Slackel is a Linux distribution and live CD based on Slackware Linux and Salix OS. It is fully compatible with both. It uses the current version of Slackware and the latest version of the KDE desktop. The Slackel disc images are offered in two different forms - installation and live.
Status: Active
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Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
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3.0.8 2018-03-19

3.0.8 2018-03-19

This morning we have released Linspire 7.0.1 and Freespire 3.0.1 . With this release we have addressed the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities in Intel Processors. We have included no new features. We have applied the fixes to:
Linspire 7.0.1
Linspire Cloud 7.0.1
Linspire Embedded 7.0.1
Linspire HPC 7.0.1
To apply the fix simply run your system updater and the fix will be applied. If you wish to download a new ISO of Freespire you can download it here:
http://distro.ibiblio.org/blacklab/freespire/freespire-3-x64.iso
http://distro.ibiblio.org/blacklab/freespire/freespire-3-x64.iso.md5
http://distro.ibiblio.org/blacklab/freespire/freespire-3-x64.iso.sha256
Linspire customers will be provided with a download ISO of Linspire 7.0.1 upon request.
Thank you
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Sunday, January 14, 2018
Linspire 7.0.1 and Freespire 3.0.1 Released - Meltdown and Spectre fix
Posted by Roberto J. Dohnert at 12:37 AM
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- We included the 4.13.0-32 kernel in the distribution
- We added a few UI tweaks due to user feedback - The panel is no longer double layered and is single layered now with taskbar buttons grouping together for same tasks or multiple windows
- We removed Gparted and included the Disk Utility which is a much friendlier and straightforward solution
- We looked into an issue that a reviewer and one of our insiders claimed to have to where the "release notes" link in the installer was being redirected to an ad or survey site. While we here in the US were unable to replicate the problem it appears to be a regional one and we took steps to correct the issue which this release does. As of final testing today the issue appears to be resolved. In future releases "Release notes" will be provided on disk rather than online
- Instead of relying on our online help system we have provided a catalog of "Help" documentation which can be accessed via the "Help" icon in the application menu or /usr/share/freespire-docs/ we will be providing this documentation online as well
- All security updates up until February 7, 2018 have been applied
Added Applications
- Simple Screen Recorder
- E-Book Reader
- Inkscape
- GNOME Games
- GNOME Disk Utility
Removed Applications
- Gparted
You can download the new ISO files from the following location
http://distro.ibiblio.org/blacklab/freespire/freespire-3-x64.iso
http://distro.ibiblio.org/blacklab/freespire/freespire-3-x64.iso.md5
http://distro.ibiblio.org/blacklab/freespire/freespire-3-x64.iso.sha256

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| DistroWatch Weekly
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|DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 749, 5 February 2018
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Welcome to this year's 6th issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
Linux distributions come and go, but it is rare to see discontinued distributions return from the dead. This week we begin with a look at the resurrected projects of Freespire and Linspire. Robert Rijkhoff explores these two distributions and reports on both their history and present condition. In our News section we discuss Red Hat acquiring CoreOS and its Container Linux distribution. Plus we report on Korora slowing its release cycle and celebrate the Open Source Initiative turning 20 years old this week. Then, in our Myths and Misunderstandings column, we tackle the often confusing topics of X.Org, Wayland and Mir. We are also happy to share a list of new operating system versions released last week and we provide a list of the torrents we are seeding. In our Opinion Poll we ask how many of our readers are using commercial distributions such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Linspire. We wish you all a fantastic week and happy reading!
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Content:
- Review: Freespire 3 and Linspire 7.0
- News: Red Hat acquiring CoreOS, Korora slows release schedule, the OSI turns 20
- Myths and misunderstandings: Wayland, X.Org and Mir
- Released last week: Linux Lite 3.8, Emmabuntus 9-1.01, OPNsense 18.1
- Torrent corner: 4MLinux, Archman, Emmabuntus, KDE neon, Lite, Manjaro, OPNsense, Pardus Topluluk, SwagArch
- Opinion poll: Commercial Linux distributions
- New distributions: Anarchy Linux
- Reader comments
|Feature Story (by Robert Rijkhoff)
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Freespire 3 and Linspire 7.0
Towards the end of last year a company called PC/OpenSystems announced that it had bought the trademarks for Linspire and Freespire and that a new version of both distros had been released. The announcement got a fair bit of attention as Linspire and Freespire were discontinued distros with a turbulent history. Before we get into the review proper we need to talk about the distros' past.
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The past
Linspire started life in 2001 under the name Lindows. The original name was a playful reference to its ambition: developing a Linux operating system capable of running major Microsoft Windows applications. The name was changed to Linspire in 2004 after a lawsuit brought by Microsoft was settled out of court. Linspire's ambition remained the same and as part of the settlement the distro could include codecs for proprietary media formats such as MP3 and WMA.
Unsurprisingly, Linspire was often criticised by the free software community. Richard Stallman famously said of the distro that "No other GNU/Linux distribution has backslided so far away from freedom." Of course, the focus on features over freedom was exactly what made the distro appealing to many users.
Back in the day Lindows/Linspire was based on Debian. The distro had to be purchased; the Wayback Machine shows the license fee was $49.95 in 2006. As far as I can tell compatibility with major Microsoft Windows applications never really materialised but the distro did introduce a graphical user interface for installing software. The feature, called Click 'N' Run (or CNR), was essentially an early software centre.
Freespire entered the stage in 2005 as a free (as in beer) version of Linspire. Both Linspire and Freespire were acquired by Xandros in 2008 and discontinued not long after. Xandros Linux also didn't survive - its latest stable release is from 2007.
The present
PC/OpenSystems, the new owner of the Linspire and Freespire trademarks, is not new to the world of Linux distros - it already develops Black Lab Linux. The company bought the trademarks to, in its own words, differentiate its product line. They are hoping Linspire will appeal to enterprise and home users alike.
Both Freespire and Linspire are derivatives of Xubuntu 16.04. The distros are only available for the 64-bit x86 architecture and Xfce is the only supported desktop environment. Freespire is still the community edition and freely downloadable while the ISO for Linspire costs $79.99. The license fee will give you a year's worth of phone and e-mail support and a system with various common proprietary codecs pre-installed. The inclusion of the codecs is no longer part of the above-mentioned settlement with Microsoft - PC/OpenSystems has to pay patent-holders to include them.
Freespire 3
I first tried Freespire. The ISO is a 1.5GB download and boots to a live environment where you can try the system before deciding whether or not to take the plunge. Freespire's desktop has a traditional look: the panel is placed at the bottom; window decorations such as title bars and buttons have a bevel effect and the wallpaper is dark blue with diagonal gradients and the Freespire logo.
Freespire 3 - Freespire's Xfce desktop
(full image size: 654kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
The installer is a modified version of Ubiquity. Unfortunately, the modifications are not improvements. The first issue I encountered was that the link to the release notes on the first page of the installer took me to a dodgy on-line survey about the UK economy. I asked PC/OpenSystems how it is possible that the link to the release notes goes to a phishing site - they were able to reproduce the bug but could not explain how or why this happened. A second tweak in the installer is that the slides that are normally displayed when Ubiquity installs the system have been replaced with a tiny little window that shows information about what the installer is doing. The size of the window adjusts itself to the amount of information that needs to be displayed and therefore changes in size all the time. The installer did get the job done but it wasn't a very pleasant experience.
Freespire 3 - The release notes page
(full image size: 168kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
The reason why the installer has been tweaked has to do with the ubuntu-restricted-extras package, which provides support for DVD playback, Microsoft fonts, Flash and codecs for common audio and video files. Normally, the package is only installed if you tick the relevant box in the installer. In Freespire the meta-package was installed even though I had opted not to tick the box. This surprised me because a blog post on the PC/OpenSystems website from December 2017 claimed that Freespire 3 would appease what the company refers to as "GNU purists". Apart from some binary blobs in the kernel the distro would be fully libre (and the binary blobs could be removed in a future release).
Freespire 3 - Installing third-party software
(full image size: 360kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
I did check with PC/OpenSystems what Freespire's stance on software freedom is and the company has now released a new ISO (Freespire 3.0.6). In the new version the restricted extras package is never installed - even if you tick the box you will not get the extras package. The checkbox is due to be removed from the installer and the company is apparently working with the Free Software Foundation to make Freespire fully libre.
A final thing worth noting about the installer is that we can set up our partitions as we wish. The release announcement for Freespire and Linspire suggests that file systems such as XFS and Btrfs are only available in Linspire but that is not the case.
While exploring Freespire I quickly discovered that the main difference between stock Xubuntu and Freespire is the look and feel. After changing the theme to Greybird and switching the panel to Xubuntu Modern I was left with Xubuntu. Even the collection of pre-installed software is roughly what you find in Xubuntu (you can compare the packages yourself). The most noteworthy differences are that Freespire comes with three file managers (Thunar, GNOME Files and a program called Worker) and that Thunderbird and LibreOffice are not installed - instead we get the Geary e-mail client and Abiword and Gnumeric for word processing and spreadsheets. Interestingly, Linspire does come with Thunderbird and LibreOffice pre-installed. Silly as it might sound, I suspect the reason why Thunderbird and LibreOffice have been removed in Freespire is that it may encourage people to purchase Linspire.
Freespire 3 - Worker, Thunar and GNOME Files
(full image size: 246kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
There were a few applications I hadn't come across before. In the category Games we get DOSBox, which describes itself as a shell that runs DOS programs; under Accessories we get Midnight Commander and under Settings we find a Domain Blocker, which is a parental control application.
Freespire 3 - Running various desktop utilities
(full image size: 339kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
Freespire does not have its own repositories. The distro does add a Skype repository, even though Skype itself is not installed. The old Click 'N' Run application has been replaced with GNOME Software, while the more advanced Synaptic package manager is also pre-installed.
This is, then, essentially Xubuntu. The only real modifications are in the installer: the link to the release notes has been, let's say, monetised, and if you download the latest ISO the "restricted extras" package will not be installed (even if you tick the relevant box in the installer). Other than that Freespire is Xubuntu 16.04 with a different default theme. If you are an eagle-eyed reader you might have noticed that the link to the installer in the live environment is called "Install Freespire 16.04" - this should of course have been "Install Freespire 3". Selecting "Help" from the application menu opens the documentation for Xubuntu 16.04, complete with Xubuntu branding. In Firefox we get various Ubuntu bookmarks. The name of the Freespire menu icon is xubuntu-logo.png. If you change the software settings so that you are notified of any new version of the distro you will be notified that Ubuntu 17.10 is available. Everywhere you look you see that this is Xubuntu with a few artificial modifications.
Linspire 7
The Linspire ISO is quite a bit larger (2.3GB) and the installation didn't go smoothly. In the live environment I found that the Google Chrome browser failed to launch and the installer appeared to hang. The install window didn't display any information but I could see that the Ubiquity process was running, although it didn't appear to make any progress. After about 40 minutes I decided to reboot the laptop and try again.
Linspire 7.0 - Trying to install the distribution
(full image size: 625kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
The second time both the live environment and installer worked better. I could launch Chrome (although the browser didn't open the link to the release notes) and the installer was working, albeit slowly. The installation took over an hour and at various points the installer appeared to have frozen. At least I got some information about what the installer was trying to do and it did eventually finish.
Linspire 7.0 - The custom installer retrieving files
(full image size: 1.0MB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
Linspire always installs the ubuntu-restricted-package, regardless of whether or not you tick the box to install the codecs and other proprietary goodies. This is in fact one of the main selling points of the distro: PC/OpenSystems has license agreements with Microsoft, Apple, Oracle and (unspecified) other companies that allows the company to include various (unspecified) codecs and the Java stack in its distributions.
Other than the codecs there is, again, nothing that sets the distro apart from Xubuntu. The Linspire release announcement mentions the availability of ZFS as one of the major features but, as I suspected, ZFS was not listed among the usual file systems. It is of course possible to use ZFS on Linspire, simply because it is possible to use ZFS on Ubuntu. However, getting ZFS to work on Linspire is not as easy as selecting it at the partitioning stage. I might add that the release announcement for Freespire and Linspire is misleading in that it suggests that ZFS is not available in Freespire. The fact is that there is no difference between Ubuntu, Freespire and Linspire when it comes to support for ZFS.
Linspire 7.0 - Chrome, Xfce Terminal and Skype
(full image size: 454kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
As I have already mentioned, the software collection in Linspire and Freespire is slightly different. In Linspire, Firefox has been replaced with Google Chrome and instead of Geary you now get Thunderbird (although I couldn't detect the promised Exchange add-on). LibreOffice 5.4 is provided via a PPA and we also get VLC, ClamAV, Bleachbit and VirtualBox. You again get the Skype repository and this time Skype is actually installed as well. In addition, you also get a WINE repository out of the box. Like Freespire, Linspire does not have its own repositories.
Performance, bugs and Xfce
It almost goes without saying that both Freespire and Linspire worked perfectly fine. On both my laptop and in GNOME Boxes the distros were responsive and stable - nothing crashed and I didn't encounter a single bug. Of course, it is Xubuntu that should get the plaudits for that. Freespire and Linspire are stock Xubuntu with a different theme and a slightly different set of default applications.
On the topic of bugs and default applications, one reason why I didn't encounter any bugs might be that Apport is not pre-installed in Freespire and Linspire. Apport is Ubuntu's crash reporting tool. It intercepts program crashes, collects debugging information and allows you to send the information to the Ubuntu developers via a graphical interface. As a replacement, Freespire and Linspire have their own "bug reporting tool": users can submit bug reports by leaving a comment on their Blogger blog. To date, not a single bug has been reported.
Linspire 7.0 - Reporting bugs
(full image size: 514kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
As for the Xfce desktop environment, I like the desktop. It is unassuming and fairly customisable. One thing to be aware of in both Freespire and Linspire is that the default panel configuration hasn't been saved. Instead, the developers have simply modified the default theme, which means that you have no way of going back to the default configuration if you change the panel layout.
Freespire 3 - Theme settings
(full image size: 364kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
Other than that the only minor annoyance is that Google Chrome and most GNOME applications stick out like a sore thumb. In Xubuntu the window decorations of GNOME applications have a similar look and feel if you stick with the default Greybird theme, although windows are missing the maximise and close buttons (you only get a minimise button). In Freespire and Linspire GNOME applications use a completely different theme with flat macOS-style buttons. I guess there is no perfect solution to integrating GNOME applications in a non-GNOME desktop environment.
Conclusions
Before I started my trial I was under the impression that Freespire and Linspire were quite different from stock Xubuntu. The Linspire blog, for instance, talks about binary blobs in "our" kernel and proprietary packages provided by vendors to Linspire. As I quickly learned, Linspire doesn't have its own repositories (let alone a custom kernel) and the proprietary packages are provided via the ubuntu-restricted-extras package. Similarly, the lead developer recently wrote on his blog that people who claim that Linspire is just a Xubuntu respin should "mind their own business" because they have no idea how much work has gone into customising Linspire over the last 18 months. When I asked the company if they could give some examples of how Linspire is different from Xubuntu I was told that, actually, their aim is to stay as close to Xubuntu as possible.
It would be unfair, however, to dismiss Freespire and Linspire as Xubuntu clones. The distros have two interesting selling points. Firstly, PC/OpenSystems can legally ship certain patent-encumbered codecs. Of course, anyone can install the ubuntu-restricted-extras package but in some jurisdictions doing so may be illegal. It is probably fair to say that few people care about such legalities but if you prefer to play by the rules then Linspire is worth a look.
Secondly, Linspire's main feature is the support license. You don't pay $79.99 for Xubuntu with a Linspire sticker - you buy a year's worth of support. Linspire might be an attractive option for small businesses and organisations that want to run Linux with a support contract. Similarly, I reckon many home users will like the idea of being able to get professional support for their Linspire box(es).
That said, it is disappointing that the only real customisations (as in code changes) are regressions: the installer is far from a finished product. It is also unfortunate that Freespire lacks direction. The new Freespire was presented as an almost fully libre distro, yet the initial release clearly was the exact opposite. Only after pointing this out did PC/OpenSystems quietly release a new ISO.
The main issue I had with the distros was something else though: the marketing/PR/spin. I have already mentioned various examples of dubious claims. I would like to add one more example, just because it nicely illustrates my gripe: the Freespire page claims that, unlike Freespire, Linux Mint is difficult to install. PC/OpenSystems arrived at that conclusion based on its own research: a whopping three people were asked to install Freespire, Ubuntu and Linux Mint and the "sample group" apparently struggled to install Mint.
This type of marketing is needlessly negative. I would rather see the company work with, say, the Trisquel developers, who have already solved the issue with the checkbox in the Ubiquity installer and who may also be able to help Freespire become an FSF-approved distro. I would love to see a proper bug tracking tool so that I would have an easy way to report issues. And I think it would also be nice if PC/OpenSystems would start sharing the code it claims to produce.
In short, I think both Freespire and Linspire are on to something. I like the idea of a fully libre Xubuntu spin and I am sure there is demand for Linspire. I just hope history won't repeat itself.
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Hardware used for this review
My physical test equipment for this review was a Lenovo Thinkpad X220 with the following specifications:
- Processor: Intel Core i3-2520M, 2.5GHz
- Memory: 8GB of RAM
- Wireless network adapter: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205
- Wired network adapter: Intel 82579M
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Visitor supplied rating
Freespire has a visitor supplied average rating of: 7.6/10 from 23 review(s).
Have you used Freespire? You can leave your own review of the project on our ratings page.
|Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith)
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Red Hat acquiring CoreOS, Korora slows release schedule, the OSI turns 20
Red Hat has announced that the company is in the process of acquiring CoreOS, the organization which develops Container Linux. Container Linux is a very lightweight distribution optimized for running containers and it provides automated updates. Red Hat has published a blog page which covers the reasons behind the acquisition and what CoreOS's team will bring to the Red Hat ecosystem. "We believe Red Hat and CoreOS are a natural fit due to our respective open source business models and emphasis on enabling customers to build and deploy applications across the hybrid cloud. CoreOS can expand Red Hat's technology leadership in containers and Kubernetes and enhance core platform capabilities in OpenShift, Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat's integrated container portfolio. Bringing CoreOS's technologies to the Red Hat portfolio can help us further automate and extend operational management capabilities for OpenShift administrators and drive greater ease of use for end users building and managing applications on our platform."
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The Korora team develops a Fedora-based distribution which offers users a more complete desktop experience with multimedia support. The Korora distribution typically publishes new versions shortly after the Fedora project releases a new version. The Korora team is going to change their release schedule and only offer new versions of Korora after every other Fedora version. "All this is done in our spare time along side our job, family and personal responsibilities. For a very small team, currently three people plus the occasional input from others, this is a lot of work. It means that often Korora has to take a back seat when real life intrudes. Consequently we have decided that in future there will an annual Korora release in line with only the even number Fedora versions. That means there won't be a Korora 27 but we are planning to have Korora 28 available soon after the final release of Fedora 28."
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The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is "a non-profit corporation with global scope formed to educate about and advocate for the benefits of open source and to build bridges among different constituencies in the open source community." The organization promotes and provides resources for people wanting to learn more about open source software and licensing. The OSI is celebrating its 20th anniversary this week. "The Open Source Initiative is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2018. In the true open source spirit, we would like to invite you and the open source community to participate. This is a great opportunity to highlight yours and your organization's open source success story. Please join and help us make this celebration a true representation of the passion, diversity, and creativity of the open source software community!" The OSI has set up a website with more information and invitations for community members to participate in the celebration.
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These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
|Myths and Misunderstandings (by Jesse Smith)
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Wayland, X.Org and Mir
At the beginning of the year we covered a discussion taking place on a FreeBSD mailing list where developers were debating whether to enable Wayland support in FreeBSD ports by default. After some discussion, Kevin Oberman made a good point, one which could probably be posted as a footnote to any conversation about Wayland: "There seems to be general confusion on what Wayland is and what it does."
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There tends to be a general misunderstanding as to what Wayland is (or is not), how it gets used and how it co-exists with other display technologies such as X.Org or Mir. Today I would like to clear up some common misunderstandings about these technologies.
X.Org is the classic method of displaying graphical elements on a Linux (or BSD) system. The X.Org display server is one component of many making up a desktop environment and its applications. At the top level we have applications, the arrangement of the application windows is handled by a separate task called a window manager. The window manager sits on top of the X.Org display server, which is responsible for drawing everything on the screen. From a practical point of view, we might run the Firefox browser as an application. The position and behaviour of the Firefox window is handled by a window manager like Openbox. The drawing of the window and its contents is handled by X.Org.
When some developers decided it was time to replace the aging X.Org software with a new, more streamlined design, we got two new main approaches in the open source community. The first was called Wayland and the second was called Mir. Let's focus on Wayland first.
"Wayland is a protocol for a compositor to talk to its clients as well as a C library implementation of that protocol." In order words, Wayland might be considered a method programs can use to draw applications on the screen. The Wayland website describes the idea as follows: "The Wayland architecture integrates the display server, window manager and compositor into one process. You can think of Wayland as a toolkit for creating clients and compositors. It is not a specific single compositor or window manager."
Put another way, Wayland takes the work of displaying items and managing windows (jobs previously handled by X.Org and a separate window manager) and melds those jobs into one. In theory, this should make things more simple. Before we were running Firefox on a window manager which talks to a separate display server. Now we simply run Firefox on a Wayland implementation which knows how to be both a window manager and a display server. The new approach is more streamlined.
Where people tend to get confused about Wayland is with the idea that there is no one Wayland implementation. Wayland defines a protocol for managing windows and displaying them, but there is no one central Wayland compositor & window manager. Each desktop environment is expected to create its own implementation of Wayland. For a desktop environment, such as GNOME or KDE Plasma, to support Wayland, the desktop developers must create their own version of Wayland.
In this way X.Org is different from Wayland. For most practical purposes there is one X.Org implementation that can be used by each desktop environment. With Wayland, each desktop environment needs to have a Wayland implementation written for it.
Backtracking a bit, Mir was the name of a technology similar to Wayland. But while Wayland was the name of a protocol anyone could implement, Mir is both the name of a protocol and a specific implementation of the Mir protocol. Put another way, the Mir software implements the Mir protocol. Mir started as a separate project from Wayland while attempting to do approximately the same thing: offer a simpler, lighter alternative to X.Org.
In the past year, the developers of the Mir software have decided to expand its scope. The Mir software now understands both the Mir protocol and the Wayland protocol. In short, the Mir software is now an implementation of Wayland.
One potential benefit to the Mir software now speaking the Wayland protocol is Mir can be used as a desktop-neutral display server for smaller desktop projects. GNOME and KDE are relatively large projects and were able to pioneer adopting the Wayland protocol with each desktop project creating its own Wayland implementation. (KDE created KWin/Wayland, GNOME wrote Wayland support into Mutter.) Smaller teams, such as those working on MATE and Xfce, may struggle to find the time to create their own versions of Wayland for their desktop environments. With this in mind, smaller desktop projects are looking at using Mir as a common component to reduce their work supporting Wayland.
One nice thing about the new Wayland approach is that it can co-exist alongside the old X.Org software. As FreeBSD developer Johannes Lundberg stated recently: "Libraries that are common for X and Wayland like mesa-libs, Qt5 and GTK30 will get a bit bigger in order to enable Wayland. This is completely transparent to X users and does not affect X-related stuff in anyway. Using Wayland compositors like Sway or Weston is still completely optional and they can co-exist with any X server and X11 window manager." In most cases we can not only have both Wayland and X.Org desktop sessions on the same operating system (the way Fedora and Ubuntu do), X.Org programs can typically be run on a Wayland session.
At this point, most implementations of Wayland (such as those used by KDE and GNOME) are ready for general, day to day use. However, possibly because there are still some corner cases to work out, or because X.Org sessions continue to work well, most distributions continue to use X.Org desktop sessions.
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Myths and misunderstandings can be found in our Myths and Misunderstandings archive.
|Released Last Week
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OPNsense 18.1
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OPNsense is a FreeBSD-based specialist operating system (and a fork of pfSense) designed for firewalls and routers. The latest release, OPNsense 18.1, is built on FreeBSD 11.1 and includes PHP version 7.1. The new release also features strict interface binding for OpenSSH connections and a new Realtek network driver, version 1.94. "We humbly present to you the sum of another major iteration of the OPNsense firewall. Over the second half of 2017 well over 500 changes have made it into this release, nicknamed 'Groovy Gecko'. Most notably, the firewall NAT rules have been reworked to be more flexible and usable via plugins, which is going to pave the way for subsequent API works on the core firewall functionality. For more details please find the attached list of changes below. The upgrade track from 17.7 will be available later today. Please be patient. Meltdown and Spectre patches are currently being worked on in FreeBSD, but there is no reliable timeline. We will keep you up to date through the usual channels as more news become available. Hang in there!" Further details can be found in the project's release announcement and press release.
Emmabuntus 9-1.01
Emmabuntüs is a desktop Linux distribution with editions based on based on Xubuntu and Debian's Stable branch. It strives to be beginner-friendly and reasonably light on resources so that it can be used on older computers. The project's latest release is based on Debian and includes several bug fixes along with support for a wider range of wireless network cards. "As a reminder, this version includes the UEFI support for the 32- and 64-bits architectures, and integrates the essential 'Debian Beginner's Handbook', updated for the Stretch version by our friends of the 3HG Team led by our mate arpinux, this handbook being available in both French and English versions. Also included are our latest presentation and installation tutorials already published on the Developpez.com site, as well as the one concerning the printer configuration under Debian, also available in both French and English languages. This Debian Edition 2-1.01 version includes the following fixes and enhancements: Based on Debian 9.3 Stretch. Workaround concerning the display freeze at startup bug in the Linux 4.9 kernel...." More details can be found in the project's release announcement.
Linux Lite 3.8
Jerry Bezencon has announced the release of Linux Lite 3.8, an Ubuntu-based distribution featuring the lightweight Xfce desktop. "Linux Lite 3.8 Final is now available for download. There have been a number of changes since the 3.6 release. This is the last release for Series 3.x. Linux Lite 4.0 Final will be released on June 1st, 2018. The changes for Linux Lite 3.8 include - more support for LibreOffice, regional support for DVDs, a Font Viewer/Installer and we now have our own Google-based Search page as the home page in Firefox. We've also added TLP for Laptops to Lite Tweaks. We've added a Thesaurus (Synonyms) to LibreOffice for the US language... If you have DVDs that are from another region other than your own, you can now easily change region so that it will play in VLC. Insert your DVD, open a terminal and type regionset and follow the on-screen instructions." Further information and screen shots can be found in the project's release announcement. Download (MD5): linux-lite-3.8-64bit.iso (1,027MB, torrent, pkglist).
Linux Lite 3.8 -- The welcome screen
(full image size: 1.2MB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
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Development, unannounced and minor bug-fix releases
|Torrent Corner
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Weekly Torrents
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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: 729
- Total data uploaded: 17.7TB
|Upcoming Releases and Announcements
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Summary of expected upcoming releases
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|Opinion Poll
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Commercial Linux distributions
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This week we discussed a few commercial Linux companies, including Red Hat and PC/OpenSystems. We would like to find out how many of our readers currently run a commercial Linux distribution. If you do run a
commercial Linux system, do you enjoy the extra technical support, are you giving back financially to the open source community, do you feel commercial distributions offer a better experience? Please let us know your reasons for purchasing your operating system in the last week's edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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Commercial Linux distributions
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|I run a commercial distribution: ||15 (1%)|
| I run both commercial and no-cost distributions: ||146 (6%)|
| I run no-cost distributions only: ||2020 (90%)|
| I do not run a Linux distribution: ||74 (3%)|
|DistroWatch.com News
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Distributions added to waiting list
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- Anarchy Linux. Anarchy Linux is an Arch Linux-based distribution offering users an installation disc with a live desktop. Anarchy Linux's default desktop is Xfce.
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DistroWatch database summary
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This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 12 February 2018. Past articles and reviews can be found through our Article Search page. 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)
- Bruce Patterson (podcast)
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|• Issue 988 (2022-10-03): SpiralLinux 11.220628, finding distros for older equipment and other purposes, SUSE begins releasing ALP prototypes, Debian votes on non-free firmware in installer|
|• Issue 987 (2022-09-26): openSUSE's MicroOS, converting people to using Linux, pfSense updates base system and PHP, Python 2 dropped from Arch|
|• Issue 986 (2022-09-19): Porteus 5.0, remotely wiping a hard drive, a new software centre for Ubuntu, Proxmox offers offline updates|
|• Issue 985 (2022-09-12): Garuda Linux, using root versus sudo, UBports on the Fairphone 4, Slackware reverses change to grep|
|• Issue 984 (2022-09-05): deepin 23 Preview, watching for changing to directories, Mint team tests Steam Deck, Devuan posts fix for repository key expiry|
|• Issue 983 (2022-08-29): Qubes OS 4.1.1, Alchg Linux, immutable operating systems, Debian considers stance on non-free firmware, Arch-based projects suffer boot issue|
|• Issue 982 (2022-08-22): Peropesis 1.6.2, KaOS strips out Python 2 and PulseAudio, deepin becomes independent, getting security update notifications|
|• Issue 981 (2022-08-15): Linux Lite 6.0, defining desktop environments and window managers, Mint releases upgrade tool, FreeBSD publishes status report|
|• Issue 980 (2022-08-08): Linux Mint 21, Pledge on Linux, SparkyLinux updates classic desktop packages, Peppermint OS experiments with Devuan base|
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|• Issue 978 (2022-07-25): EndeavourOS 22.6, Slax explores a return to Slackware, Ubuntu certified with Dell's XPS 13, Linux running on Apple's M2|
|• Issue 977 (2022-07-18): EasyOS 4.2, transferring desktop themes between distros, Tails publishes list of updates, Zevenet automates Let's Encrypt renewals|
|• Issue 976 (2022-07-11): NixOS 22.05, making a fake webcam, exploring the Linux scheduler, Debian publishes updated media|
|• Issue 975 (2022-07-04): Murena One running /e/OS, where are all the openSUSE distributions, Fedora to offer unfiltered Flathub access|
|• Issue 974 (2022-06-27): AlmaLinux 9.0, the changing data of DistroWatch's database, UBports on the Pixel 3a, Tails and GhostBSD publish hot fixes|
|• Issue 973 (2022-06-20): openSUSE 15.4, collecting distro media, FreeBSD status report, Ubuntu Core with optional real-time kernel|
|• Issue 972 (2022-06-13): Rolling Rhino Remix, SambaBox 4.1, SUSE team considers future of SUSE and openSUSE Leap, Tails improves Tor Connection Assistant|
|• Issue 971 (2022-06-06): ChimeraOS 2022.01.03, Lilidog 22.04, NixOS gains graphical installer, Mint replaces Bluetooth stack and adopts Timeshift, how to change a MAC address|
|• Issue 970 (2022-05-30): Tails 5.0, taking apart a Linux distro, Ubuntu users seeing processes terminated, Budgie team plans future of their desktop|
|• Issue 969 (2022-05-23): Fedora 36, a return to Unity, Canonical seeks to improve gaming on Ubuntu, HP plans to ship laptops with Pop!_OS|
|• Issue 968 (2022-05-16): Quark 21.10.2, finding a phone for running Linux, Haiku imports new wireless drivers, NVIDIA open sources kernel modules|
|• Issue 967 (2022-05-09): Running Linux distros on Android with UserLAnd, setting up fiels in new home directories, Fedora keeps BIOS support|
|• Issue 966 (2022-05-02): Ubuntu 22.04, running applications from a data partition, EndeavourOS publishes hot fix, Unity desktop revived|
|• Issue 965 (2022-04-25): Peppermint 2022-02-02, Mint tests new upgrade tool, the state of firmware on Debian, splitting and merging files|
|• Issue 964 (2022-04-18): postmarketOS 21.12, running macOS software on Linux, EndeavourOS tests new window manager, running a Raspberry Pi without non-free firmware|
|• Issue 963 (2022-04-11): dahlioOS 220222, defining storage terms and finding parent distros, Gentoo revitalizes live media, Fedora to phase out BIOS support, Mint's new upgrade tool|
|• Issue 962 (2022-04-04): MassOS 2022.03, Neptune 7.0, Debian begins Project Leader election, new sandbox tools for FreeBSD, tracking Linux installs, home directory permissions|
|• Issue 961 (2022-03-28): Zenwalk GNU Linux 15.0, working with doas and Nextcloud, measuring gaming performance on Fedora, GNOME publishes new desktop release|
|• Issue 960 (2022-03-21): Pardus 21.1, tracking filesystem changes, changing FreeBSD's root filesystem live, Univention offers new client management tool|
|• Issue 959 (2022-03-14): Hos OS 3.1, getting updates without a network connection, OpenBSD running on M1 chips, Haiku gains wireless USB support, FreeBSD publishes quarterly update|
|• Issue 958 (2022-03-07): XeroLinux, rolling back package updates, Mint prepares for desktop changes, making minimal application images on Alpine|
|• Issue 957 (2022-02-28): Pop!_OS 21.10, transferring bookmarks to new formats, Zorin offers new documentation, installing Debian on an Apple M1 computer|
|• Issue 956 (2022-02-21): Running guest distros in Distrobox, how the BSDs work, managing software on Fedora Silverblue, new features in UBports|
|• Issue 955 (2022-02-14): Slackware Linux 15.0, imaging a drive and compressing it, a tool for gathering system information, installing an OS on the Raspberry Pi over the network|
|• Issue 954 (2022-02-07): PlagueOS and Ultramarine Linux, running UBports as a home server on the PinePhone, System76 launches tool to improve desktop performance|
|• Issue 953 (2022-01-31): CalinixOS and HefftorLinux, Ubuntu MATE running on GPD Pocket 3, Polkit vulnerability, UBports gets web browser video chat|
|• Issue 952 (2022-01-24): UBports on PinePhone, basic and practical security tips, openSUSE offers multi-distro support, Mint updates hardware support|
|• Issue 951 (2022-01-17): instantOS Beta, where to learn about Linux command line, Mint streamlines Firefox packaging, Fedora to get new Anaconda installer|
|• Issue 950 (2022-01-10): The Common Desktop Environment, preventing logins at specific times, Haiku runs WINE port, Dolphin gains privileged file actions|
|• Issue 949 (2022-01-03): Top Picks of 2021, answering questions about PinePhone, UBports introduces new fixes and features, CentOS Linux 8 reaches its end of life|
|• Issue 948 (2021-12-20): PinePhone running Manjaro and Plasma Mobile, protecting family computers from children, using Wayland for gaming, getting Linux on Apple's M1|
|• Issue 947 (2021-12-13): JuNest, the year of the Linux desktop, Fedora to adopt Wayland for all video cards, Zorin OS provides Lite edition|
|• Issue 946 (2021-12-06): OpenSnitch application firewall, review of a textbook of Coreutils examples, UBports gets new apps, T2 SDE starts bug bounty program|
|• Issue 945 (2021-11-29): LockBox 1.0, dealing with low memory issues, Debian makes APT safer, MX Linux offers advanced hardware support|
|• Issue 944 (2021-11-22): Fedora 35, running custom login scripts, FreeBSD publishes status report, AlmaLinux team answers questions|
|• Issue 943 (2021-11-15): Waydroid, comparing LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce, Pop!_OS to get its own desktop environment, porting games to OpenBSD|
|• Issue 942 (2021-11-08): MX Linux 21, comparing kernel efficiency, Linux Mint polishes desktop applications, Rocky Linux team answers community questions|
|• Issue 941 (2021-11-01): Brave web browser, finding words and truncating audio files, TruneNAS SCALE launched, DragonFly BSD can create FAT volumes|
|• Issue 940 (2021-10-25): Ubuntu 21.10, sandboxing Steam, setting up a firewall, AlmaLinux OS launches ELevate|
|• Issue 939 (2021-10-18): Auxtral 3, virtual terminal speeds, Ubuntu speeds up Snap, Qubes experiments with Debian's reproducible builds|
|• Issue 938 (2021-10-11): Pyabr OS, benefits to compiling your own kernel, an alternative to Snap, Redcore provides fix for Portage issues|
|• Issue 937 (2021-10-04): Getting started with Ansible, Wayland and clearing history, exploring the status of Btrfs, projects dealing with certificate issues|
|• Full list of all issues|
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Fedora Linux (formerly Fedora, formerly Fedora Core) is a Linux distribution developed by the community-supported Fedora Project and owned by Red Hat. Fedora Linux contains software distributed under a free and open-source license and aims to be on the leading edge of such technologies. Fedora has a reputation for focusing on innovation, integrating new technologies early on and working closely with upstream Linux communities. The default desktop in Fedora Linux is the GNOME desktop environment and the default interface is the GNOME Shell. Other desktop environments, including KDE, Xfce, LXDE, MATE and Cinnamon, are available. The Fedora project also distributes custom variations of Fedora called Fedora spins. These are built with specific sets of software packages, offering alternative desktop environments or targeting specific interests such as gaming, security, design, scientific computing and robotics.
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3.0.8 2018-03-19

3.0.8 2018-03-19

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| DistroWatch Weekly
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|DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 749, 5 February 2018
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Welcome to this year's 6th issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
Linux distributions come and go, but it is rare to see discontinued distributions return from the dead. This week we begin with a look at the resurrected projects of Freespire and Linspire. Robert Rijkhoff explores these two distributions and reports on both their history and present condition. In our News section we discuss Red Hat acquiring CoreOS and its Container Linux distribution. Plus we report on Korora slowing its release cycle and celebrate the Open Source Initiative turning 20 years old this week. Then, in our Myths and Misunderstandings column, we tackle the often confusing topics of X.Org, Wayland and Mir. We are also happy to share a list of new operating system versions released last week and we provide a list of the torrents we are seeding. In our Opinion Poll we ask how many of our readers are using commercial distributions such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Linspire. We wish you all a fantastic week and happy reading!
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Content:
- Review: Freespire 3 and Linspire 7.0
- News: Red Hat acquiring CoreOS, Korora slows release schedule, the OSI turns 20
- Myths and misunderstandings: Wayland, X.Org and Mir
- Released last week: Linux Lite 3.8, Emmabuntus 9-1.01, OPNsense 18.1
- Torrent corner: 4MLinux, Archman, Emmabuntus, KDE neon, Lite, Manjaro, OPNsense, Pardus Topluluk, SwagArch
- Opinion poll: Commercial Linux distributions
- New distributions: Anarchy Linux
- Reader comments
|Feature Story (by Robert Rijkhoff)
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Freespire 3 and Linspire 7.0
Towards the end of last year a company called PC/OpenSystems announced that it had bought the trademarks for Linspire and Freespire and that a new version of both distros had been released. The announcement got a fair bit of attention as Linspire and Freespire were discontinued distros with a turbulent history. Before we get into the review proper we need to talk about the distros' past.
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The past
Linspire started life in 2001 under the name Lindows. The original name was a playful reference to its ambition: developing a Linux operating system capable of running major Microsoft Windows applications. The name was changed to Linspire in 2004 after a lawsuit brought by Microsoft was settled out of court. Linspire's ambition remained the same and as part of the settlement the distro could include codecs for proprietary media formats such as MP3 and WMA.
Unsurprisingly, Linspire was often criticised by the free software community. Richard Stallman famously said of the distro that "No other GNU/Linux distribution has backslided so far away from freedom." Of course, the focus on features over freedom was exactly what made the distro appealing to many users.
Back in the day Lindows/Linspire was based on Debian. The distro had to be purchased; the Wayback Machine shows the license fee was $49.95 in 2006. As far as I can tell compatibility with major Microsoft Windows applications never really materialised but the distro did introduce a graphical user interface for installing software. The feature, called Click 'N' Run (or CNR), was essentially an early software centre.
Freespire entered the stage in 2005 as a free (as in beer) version of Linspire. Both Linspire and Freespire were acquired by Xandros in 2008 and discontinued not long after. Xandros Linux also didn't survive - its latest stable release is from 2007.
The present
PC/OpenSystems, the new owner of the Linspire and Freespire trademarks, is not new to the world of Linux distros - it already develops Black Lab Linux. The company bought the trademarks to, in its own words, differentiate its product line. They are hoping Linspire will appeal to enterprise and home users alike.
Both Freespire and Linspire are derivatives of Xubuntu 16.04. The distros are only available for the 64-bit x86 architecture and Xfce is the only supported desktop environment. Freespire is still the community edition and freely downloadable while the ISO for Linspire costs $79.99. The license fee will give you a year's worth of phone and e-mail support and a system with various common proprietary codecs pre-installed. The inclusion of the codecs is no longer part of the above-mentioned settlement with Microsoft - PC/OpenSystems has to pay patent-holders to include them.
Freespire 3
I first tried Freespire. The ISO is a 1.5GB download and boots to a live environment where you can try the system before deciding whether or not to take the plunge. Freespire's desktop has a traditional look: the panel is placed at the bottom; window decorations such as title bars and buttons have a bevel effect and the wallpaper is dark blue with diagonal gradients and the Freespire logo.
Freespire 3 - Freespire's Xfce desktop
(full image size: 654kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
The installer is a modified version of Ubiquity. Unfortunately, the modifications are not improvements. The first issue I encountered was that the link to the release notes on the first page of the installer took me to a dodgy on-line survey about the UK economy. I asked PC/OpenSystems how it is possible that the link to the release notes goes to a phishing site - they were able to reproduce the bug but could not explain how or why this happened. A second tweak in the installer is that the slides that are normally displayed when Ubiquity installs the system have been replaced with a tiny little window that shows information about what the installer is doing. The size of the window adjusts itself to the amount of information that needs to be displayed and therefore changes in size all the time. The installer did get the job done but it wasn't a very pleasant experience.
Freespire 3 - The release notes page
(full image size: 168kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
The reason why the installer has been tweaked has to do with the ubuntu-restricted-extras package, which provides support for DVD playback, Microsoft fonts, Flash and codecs for common audio and video files. Normally, the package is only installed if you tick the relevant box in the installer. In Freespire the meta-package was installed even though I had opted not to tick the box. This surprised me because a blog post on the PC/OpenSystems website from December 2017 claimed that Freespire 3 would appease what the company refers to as "GNU purists". Apart from some binary blobs in the kernel the distro would be fully libre (and the binary blobs could be removed in a future release).
Freespire 3 - Installing third-party software
(full image size: 360kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
I did check with PC/OpenSystems what Freespire's stance on software freedom is and the company has now released a new ISO (Freespire 3.0.6). In the new version the restricted extras package is never installed - even if you tick the box you will not get the extras package. The checkbox is due to be removed from the installer and the company is apparently working with the Free Software Foundation to make Freespire fully libre.
A final thing worth noting about the installer is that we can set up our partitions as we wish. The release announcement for Freespire and Linspire suggests that file systems such as XFS and Btrfs are only available in Linspire but that is not the case.
While exploring Freespire I quickly discovered that the main difference between stock Xubuntu and Freespire is the look and feel. After changing the theme to Greybird and switching the panel to Xubuntu Modern I was left with Xubuntu. Even the collection of pre-installed software is roughly what you find in Xubuntu (you can compare the packages yourself). The most noteworthy differences are that Freespire comes with three file managers (Thunar, GNOME Files and a program called Worker) and that Thunderbird and LibreOffice are not installed - instead we get the Geary e-mail client and Abiword and Gnumeric for word processing and spreadsheets. Interestingly, Linspire does come with Thunderbird and LibreOffice pre-installed. Silly as it might sound, I suspect the reason why Thunderbird and LibreOffice have been removed in Freespire is that it may encourage people to purchase Linspire.
Freespire 3 - Worker, Thunar and GNOME Files
(full image size: 246kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
There were a few applications I hadn't come across before. In the category Games we get DOSBox, which describes itself as a shell that runs DOS programs; under Accessories we get Midnight Commander and under Settings we find a Domain Blocker, which is a parental control application.
Freespire 3 - Running various desktop utilities
(full image size: 339kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
Freespire does not have its own repositories. The distro does add a Skype repository, even though Skype itself is not installed. The old Click 'N' Run application has been replaced with GNOME Software, while the more advanced Synaptic package manager is also pre-installed.
This is, then, essentially Xubuntu. The only real modifications are in the installer: the link to the release notes has been, let's say, monetised, and if you download the latest ISO the "restricted extras" package will not be installed (even if you tick the relevant box in the installer). Other than that Freespire is Xubuntu 16.04 with a different default theme. If you are an eagle-eyed reader you might have noticed that the link to the installer in the live environment is called "Install Freespire 16.04" - this should of course have been "Install Freespire 3". Selecting "Help" from the application menu opens the documentation for Xubuntu 16.04, complete with Xubuntu branding. In Firefox we get various Ubuntu bookmarks. The name of the Freespire menu icon is xubuntu-logo.png. If you change the software settings so that you are notified of any new version of the distro you will be notified that Ubuntu 17.10 is available. Everywhere you look you see that this is Xubuntu with a few artificial modifications.
Linspire 7
The Linspire ISO is quite a bit larger (2.3GB) and the installation didn't go smoothly. In the live environment I found that the Google Chrome browser failed to launch and the installer appeared to hang. The install window didn't display any information but I could see that the Ubiquity process was running, although it didn't appear to make any progress. After about 40 minutes I decided to reboot the laptop and try again.
Linspire 7.0 - Trying to install the distribution
(full image size: 625kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
The second time both the live environment and installer worked better. I could launch Chrome (although the browser didn't open the link to the release notes) and the installer was working, albeit slowly. The installation took over an hour and at various points the installer appeared to have frozen. At least I got some information about what the installer was trying to do and it did eventually finish.
Linspire 7.0 - The custom installer retrieving files
(full image size: 1.0MB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
Linspire always installs the ubuntu-restricted-package, regardless of whether or not you tick the box to install the codecs and other proprietary goodies. This is in fact one of the main selling points of the distro: PC/OpenSystems has license agreements with Microsoft, Apple, Oracle and (unspecified) other companies that allows the company to include various (unspecified) codecs and the Java stack in its distributions.
Other than the codecs there is, again, nothing that sets the distro apart from Xubuntu. The Linspire release announcement mentions the availability of ZFS as one of the major features but, as I suspected, ZFS was not listed among the usual file systems. It is of course possible to use ZFS on Linspire, simply because it is possible to use ZFS on Ubuntu. However, getting ZFS to work on Linspire is not as easy as selecting it at the partitioning stage. I might add that the release announcement for Freespire and Linspire is misleading in that it suggests that ZFS is not available in Freespire. The fact is that there is no difference between Ubuntu, Freespire and Linspire when it comes to support for ZFS.
Linspire 7.0 - Chrome, Xfce Terminal and Skype
(full image size: 454kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
As I have already mentioned, the software collection in Linspire and Freespire is slightly different. In Linspire, Firefox has been replaced with Google Chrome and instead of Geary you now get Thunderbird (although I couldn't detect the promised Exchange add-on). LibreOffice 5.4 is provided via a PPA and we also get VLC, ClamAV, Bleachbit and VirtualBox. You again get the Skype repository and this time Skype is actually installed as well. In addition, you also get a WINE repository out of the box. Like Freespire, Linspire does not have its own repositories.
Performance, bugs and Xfce
It almost goes without saying that both Freespire and Linspire worked perfectly fine. On both my laptop and in GNOME Boxes the distros were responsive and stable - nothing crashed and I didn't encounter a single bug. Of course, it is Xubuntu that should get the plaudits for that. Freespire and Linspire are stock Xubuntu with a different theme and a slightly different set of default applications.
On the topic of bugs and default applications, one reason why I didn't encounter any bugs might be that Apport is not pre-installed in Freespire and Linspire. Apport is Ubuntu's crash reporting tool. It intercepts program crashes, collects debugging information and allows you to send the information to the Ubuntu developers via a graphical interface. As a replacement, Freespire and Linspire have their own "bug reporting tool": users can submit bug reports by leaving a comment on their Blogger blog. To date, not a single bug has been reported.
Linspire 7.0 - Reporting bugs
(full image size: 514kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
As for the Xfce desktop environment, I like the desktop. It is unassuming and fairly customisable. One thing to be aware of in both Freespire and Linspire is that the default panel configuration hasn't been saved. Instead, the developers have simply modified the default theme, which means that you have no way of going back to the default configuration if you change the panel layout.
Freespire 3 - Theme settings
(full image size: 364kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
Other than that the only minor annoyance is that Google Chrome and most GNOME applications stick out like a sore thumb. In Xubuntu the window decorations of GNOME applications have a similar look and feel if you stick with the default Greybird theme, although windows are missing the maximise and close buttons (you only get a minimise button). In Freespire and Linspire GNOME applications use a completely different theme with flat macOS-style buttons. I guess there is no perfect solution to integrating GNOME applications in a non-GNOME desktop environment.
Conclusions
Before I started my trial I was under the impression that Freespire and Linspire were quite different from stock Xubuntu. The Linspire blog, for instance, talks about binary blobs in "our" kernel and proprietary packages provided by vendors to Linspire. As I quickly learned, Linspire doesn't have its own repositories (let alone a custom kernel) and the proprietary packages are provided via the ubuntu-restricted-extras package. Similarly, the lead developer recently wrote on his blog that people who claim that Linspire is just a Xubuntu respin should "mind their own business" because they have no idea how much work has gone into customising Linspire over the last 18 months. When I asked the company if they could give some examples of how Linspire is different from Xubuntu I was told that, actually, their aim is to stay as close to Xubuntu as possible.
It would be unfair, however, to dismiss Freespire and Linspire as Xubuntu clones. The distros have two interesting selling points. Firstly, PC/OpenSystems can legally ship certain patent-encumbered codecs. Of course, anyone can install the ubuntu-restricted-extras package but in some jurisdictions doing so may be illegal. It is probably fair to say that few people care about such legalities but if you prefer to play by the rules then Linspire is worth a look.
Secondly, Linspire's main feature is the support license. You don't pay $79.99 for Xubuntu with a Linspire sticker - you buy a year's worth of support. Linspire might be an attractive option for small businesses and organisations that want to run Linux with a support contract. Similarly, I reckon many home users will like the idea of being able to get professional support for their Linspire box(es).
That said, it is disappointing that the only real customisations (as in code changes) are regressions: the installer is far from a finished product. It is also unfortunate that Freespire lacks direction. The new Freespire was presented as an almost fully libre distro, yet the initial release clearly was the exact opposite. Only after pointing this out did PC/OpenSystems quietly release a new ISO.
The main issue I had with the distros was something else though: the marketing/PR/spin. I have already mentioned various examples of dubious claims. I would like to add one more example, just because it nicely illustrates my gripe: the Freespire page claims that, unlike Freespire, Linux Mint is difficult to install. PC/OpenSystems arrived at that conclusion based on its own research: a whopping three people were asked to install Freespire, Ubuntu and Linux Mint and the "sample group" apparently struggled to install Mint.
This type of marketing is needlessly negative. I would rather see the company work with, say, the Trisquel developers, who have already solved the issue with the checkbox in the Ubiquity installer and who may also be able to help Freespire become an FSF-approved distro. I would love to see a proper bug tracking tool so that I would have an easy way to report issues. And I think it would also be nice if PC/OpenSystems would start sharing the code it claims to produce.
In short, I think both Freespire and Linspire are on to something. I like the idea of a fully libre Xubuntu spin and I am sure there is demand for Linspire. I just hope history won't repeat itself.
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Hardware used for this review
My physical test equipment for this review was a Lenovo Thinkpad X220 with the following specifications:
- Processor: Intel Core i3-2520M, 2.5GHz
- Memory: 8GB of RAM
- Wireless network adapter: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205
- Wired network adapter: Intel 82579M
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Visitor supplied rating
Freespire has a visitor supplied average rating of: 7.6/10 from 23 review(s).
Have you used Freespire? You can leave your own review of the project on our ratings page.
|Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith)
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Red Hat acquiring CoreOS, Korora slows release schedule, the OSI turns 20
Red Hat has announced that the company is in the process of acquiring CoreOS, the organization which develops Container Linux. Container Linux is a very lightweight distribution optimized for running containers and it provides automated updates. Red Hat has published a blog page which covers the reasons behind the acquisition and what CoreOS's team will bring to the Red Hat ecosystem. "We believe Red Hat and CoreOS are a natural fit due to our respective open source business models and emphasis on enabling customers to build and deploy applications across the hybrid cloud. CoreOS can expand Red Hat's technology leadership in containers and Kubernetes and enhance core platform capabilities in OpenShift, Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat's integrated container portfolio. Bringing CoreOS's technologies to the Red Hat portfolio can help us further automate and extend operational management capabilities for OpenShift administrators and drive greater ease of use for end users building and managing applications on our platform."
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The Korora team develops a Fedora-based distribution which offers users a more complete desktop experience with multimedia support. The Korora distribution typically publishes new versions shortly after the Fedora project releases a new version. The Korora team is going to change their release schedule and only offer new versions of Korora after every other Fedora version. "All this is done in our spare time along side our job, family and personal responsibilities. For a very small team, currently three people plus the occasional input from others, this is a lot of work. It means that often Korora has to take a back seat when real life intrudes. Consequently we have decided that in future there will an annual Korora release in line with only the even number Fedora versions. That means there won't be a Korora 27 but we are planning to have Korora 28 available soon after the final release of Fedora 28."
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The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is "a non-profit corporation with global scope formed to educate about and advocate for the benefits of open source and to build bridges among different constituencies in the open source community." The organization promotes and provides resources for people wanting to learn more about open source software and licensing. The OSI is celebrating its 20th anniversary this week. "The Open Source Initiative is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2018. In the true open source spirit, we would like to invite you and the open source community to participate. This is a great opportunity to highlight yours and your organization's open source success story. Please join and help us make this celebration a true representation of the passion, diversity, and creativity of the open source software community!" The OSI has set up a website with more information and invitations for community members to participate in the celebration.
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These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
|Myths and Misunderstandings (by Jesse Smith)
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Wayland, X.Org and Mir
At the beginning of the year we covered a discussion taking place on a FreeBSD mailing list where developers were debating whether to enable Wayland support in FreeBSD ports by default. After some discussion, Kevin Oberman made a good point, one which could probably be posted as a footnote to any conversation about Wayland: "There seems to be general confusion on what Wayland is and what it does."
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There tends to be a general misunderstanding as to what Wayland is (or is not), how it gets used and how it co-exists with other display technologies such as X.Org or Mir. Today I would like to clear up some common misunderstandings about these technologies.
X.Org is the classic method of displaying graphical elements on a Linux (or BSD) system. The X.Org display server is one component of many making up a desktop environment and its applications. At the top level we have applications, the arrangement of the application windows is handled by a separate task called a window manager. The window manager sits on top of the X.Org display server, which is responsible for drawing everything on the screen. From a practical point of view, we might run the Firefox browser as an application. The position and behaviour of the Firefox window is handled by a window manager like Openbox. The drawing of the window and its contents is handled by X.Org.
When some developers decided it was time to replace the aging X.Org software with a new, more streamlined design, we got two new main approaches in the open source community. The first was called Wayland and the second was called Mir. Let's focus on Wayland first.
"Wayland is a protocol for a compositor to talk to its clients as well as a C library implementation of that protocol." In order words, Wayland might be considered a method programs can use to draw applications on the screen. The Wayland website describes the idea as follows: "The Wayland architecture integrates the display server, window manager and compositor into one process. You can think of Wayland as a toolkit for creating clients and compositors. It is not a specific single compositor or window manager."
Put another way, Wayland takes the work of displaying items and managing windows (jobs previously handled by X.Org and a separate window manager) and melds those jobs into one. In theory, this should make things more simple. Before we were running Firefox on a window manager which talks to a separate display server. Now we simply run Firefox on a Wayland implementation which knows how to be both a window manager and a display server. The new approach is more streamlined.
Where people tend to get confused about Wayland is with the idea that there is no one Wayland implementation. Wayland defines a protocol for managing windows and displaying them, but there is no one central Wayland compositor & window manager. Each desktop environment is expected to create its own implementation of Wayland. For a desktop environment, such as GNOME or KDE Plasma, to support Wayland, the desktop developers must create their own version of Wayland.
In this way X.Org is different from Wayland. For most practical purposes there is one X.Org implementation that can be used by each desktop environment. With Wayland, each desktop environment needs to have a Wayland implementation written for it.
Backtracking a bit, Mir was the name of a technology similar to Wayland. But while Wayland was the name of a protocol anyone could implement, Mir is both the name of a protocol and a specific implementation of the Mir protocol. Put another way, the Mir software implements the Mir protocol. Mir started as a separate project from Wayland while attempting to do approximately the same thing: offer a simpler, lighter alternative to X.Org.
In the past year, the developers of the Mir software have decided to expand its scope. The Mir software now understands both the Mir protocol and the Wayland protocol. In short, the Mir software is now an implementation of Wayland.
One potential benefit to the Mir software now speaking the Wayland protocol is Mir can be used as a desktop-neutral display server for smaller desktop projects. GNOME and KDE are relatively large projects and were able to pioneer adopting the Wayland protocol with each desktop project creating its own Wayland implementation. (KDE created KWin/Wayland, GNOME wrote Wayland support into Mutter.) Smaller teams, such as those working on MATE and Xfce, may struggle to find the time to create their own versions of Wayland for their desktop environments. With this in mind, smaller desktop projects are looking at using Mir as a common component to reduce their work supporting Wayland.
One nice thing about the new Wayland approach is that it can co-exist alongside the old X.Org software. As FreeBSD developer Johannes Lundberg stated recently: "Libraries that are common for X and Wayland like mesa-libs, Qt5 and GTK30 will get a bit bigger in order to enable Wayland. This is completely transparent to X users and does not affect X-related stuff in anyway. Using Wayland compositors like Sway or Weston is still completely optional and they can co-exist with any X server and X11 window manager." In most cases we can not only have both Wayland and X.Org desktop sessions on the same operating system (the way Fedora and Ubuntu do), X.Org programs can typically be run on a Wayland session.
At this point, most implementations of Wayland (such as those used by KDE and GNOME) are ready for general, day to day use. However, possibly because there are still some corner cases to work out, or because X.Org sessions continue to work well, most distributions continue to use X.Org desktop sessions.
* * * * *
Myths and misunderstandings can be found in our Myths and Misunderstandings archive.
|Released Last Week
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OPNsense 18.1
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OPNsense is a FreeBSD-based specialist operating system (and a fork of pfSense) designed for firewalls and routers. The latest release, OPNsense 18.1, is built on FreeBSD 11.1 and includes PHP version 7.1. The new release also features strict interface binding for OpenSSH connections and a new Realtek network driver, version 1.94. "We humbly present to you the sum of another major iteration of the OPNsense firewall. Over the second half of 2017 well over 500 changes have made it into this release, nicknamed 'Groovy Gecko'. Most notably, the firewall NAT rules have been reworked to be more flexible and usable via plugins, which is going to pave the way for subsequent API works on the core firewall functionality. For more details please find the attached list of changes below. The upgrade track from 17.7 will be available later today. Please be patient. Meltdown and Spectre patches are currently being worked on in FreeBSD, but there is no reliable timeline. We will keep you up to date through the usual channels as more news become available. Hang in there!" Further details can be found in the project's release announcement and press release.
Emmabuntus 9-1.01
Emmabuntüs is a desktop Linux distribution with editions based on based on Xubuntu and Debian's Stable branch. It strives to be beginner-friendly and reasonably light on resources so that it can be used on older computers. The project's latest release is based on Debian and includes several bug fixes along with support for a wider range of wireless network cards. "As a reminder, this version includes the UEFI support for the 32- and 64-bits architectures, and integrates the essential 'Debian Beginner's Handbook', updated for the Stretch version by our friends of the 3HG Team led by our mate arpinux, this handbook being available in both French and English versions. Also included are our latest presentation and installation tutorials already published on the Developpez.com site, as well as the one concerning the printer configuration under Debian, also available in both French and English languages. This Debian Edition 2-1.01 version includes the following fixes and enhancements: Based on Debian 9.3 Stretch. Workaround concerning the display freeze at startup bug in the Linux 4.9 kernel...." More details can be found in the project's release announcement.
Linux Lite 3.8
Jerry Bezencon has announced the release of Linux Lite 3.8, an Ubuntu-based distribution featuring the lightweight Xfce desktop. "Linux Lite 3.8 Final is now available for download. There have been a number of changes since the 3.6 release. This is the last release for Series 3.x. Linux Lite 4.0 Final will be released on June 1st, 2018. The changes for Linux Lite 3.8 include - more support for LibreOffice, regional support for DVDs, a Font Viewer/Installer and we now have our own Google-based Search page as the home page in Firefox. We've also added TLP for Laptops to Lite Tweaks. We've added a Thesaurus (Synonyms) to LibreOffice for the US language... If you have DVDs that are from another region other than your own, you can now easily change region so that it will play in VLC. Insert your DVD, open a terminal and type regionset and follow the on-screen instructions." Further information and screen shots can be found in the project's release announcement. Download (MD5): linux-lite-3.8-64bit.iso (1,027MB, torrent, pkglist).
Linux Lite 3.8 -- The welcome screen
(full image size: 1.2MB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
* * * * *
Development, unannounced and minor bug-fix releases
|Torrent Corner
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Weekly Torrents
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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: 729
- Total data uploaded: 17.7TB
|Upcoming Releases and Announcements
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Summary of expected upcoming releases
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|Opinion Poll
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Commercial Linux distributions
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This week we discussed a few commercial Linux companies, including Red Hat and PC/OpenSystems. We would like to find out how many of our readers currently run a commercial Linux distribution. If you do run a
commercial Linux system, do you enjoy the extra technical support, are you giving back financially to the open source community, do you feel commercial distributions offer a better experience? Please let us know your reasons for purchasing your operating system in the last week's edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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Commercial Linux distributions
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|I run a commercial distribution: ||15 (1%)|
| I run both commercial and no-cost distributions: ||146 (6%)|
| I run no-cost distributions only: ||2020 (90%)|
| I do not run a Linux distribution: ||74 (3%)|
|DistroWatch.com News
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Distributions added to waiting list
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- Anarchy Linux. Anarchy Linux is an Arch Linux-based distribution offering users an installation disc with a live desktop. Anarchy Linux's default desktop is Xfce.
* * * * *
DistroWatch database summary
* * * * *
This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 12 February 2018. Past articles and reviews can be found through our Article Search page. 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)
- Bruce Patterson (podcast)
|Tip Jar
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|Linux Foundation Training
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Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
| Archives
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|• Issue 988 (2022-10-03): SpiralLinux 11.220628, finding distros for older equipment and other purposes, SUSE begins releasing ALP prototypes, Debian votes on non-free firmware in installer|
|• Issue 987 (2022-09-26): openSUSE's MicroOS, converting people to using Linux, pfSense updates base system and PHP, Python 2 dropped from Arch|
|• Issue 986 (2022-09-19): Porteus 5.0, remotely wiping a hard drive, a new software centre for Ubuntu, Proxmox offers offline updates|
|• Issue 985 (2022-09-12): Garuda Linux, using root versus sudo, UBports on the Fairphone 4, Slackware reverses change to grep|
|• Issue 984 (2022-09-05): deepin 23 Preview, watching for changing to directories, Mint team tests Steam Deck, Devuan posts fix for repository key expiry|
|• Issue 983 (2022-08-29): Qubes OS 4.1.1, Alchg Linux, immutable operating systems, Debian considers stance on non-free firmware, Arch-based projects suffer boot issue|
|• Issue 982 (2022-08-22): Peropesis 1.6.2, KaOS strips out Python 2 and PulseAudio, deepin becomes independent, getting security update notifications|
|• Issue 981 (2022-08-15): Linux Lite 6.0, defining desktop environments and window managers, Mint releases upgrade tool, FreeBSD publishes status report|
|• Issue 980 (2022-08-08): Linux Mint 21, Pledge on Linux, SparkyLinux updates classic desktop packages, Peppermint OS experiments with Devuan base|
|• Issue 979 (2022-08-01): KaOS 2022.06 and KDE Plasma 5.25, terminating processes after a set time, GNOME plans Secure Boot check|
|• Issue 978 (2022-07-25): EndeavourOS 22.6, Slax explores a return to Slackware, Ubuntu certified with Dell's XPS 13, Linux running on Apple's M2|
|• Issue 977 (2022-07-18): EasyOS 4.2, transferring desktop themes between distros, Tails publishes list of updates, Zevenet automates Let's Encrypt renewals|
|• Issue 976 (2022-07-11): NixOS 22.05, making a fake webcam, exploring the Linux scheduler, Debian publishes updated media|
|• Issue 975 (2022-07-04): Murena One running /e/OS, where are all the openSUSE distributions, Fedora to offer unfiltered Flathub access|
|• Issue 974 (2022-06-27): AlmaLinux 9.0, the changing data of DistroWatch's database, UBports on the Pixel 3a, Tails and GhostBSD publish hot fixes|
|• Issue 973 (2022-06-20): openSUSE 15.4, collecting distro media, FreeBSD status report, Ubuntu Core with optional real-time kernel|
|• Issue 972 (2022-06-13): Rolling Rhino Remix, SambaBox 4.1, SUSE team considers future of SUSE and openSUSE Leap, Tails improves Tor Connection Assistant|
|• Issue 971 (2022-06-06): ChimeraOS 2022.01.03, Lilidog 22.04, NixOS gains graphical installer, Mint replaces Bluetooth stack and adopts Timeshift, how to change a MAC address|
|• Issue 970 (2022-05-30): Tails 5.0, taking apart a Linux distro, Ubuntu users seeing processes terminated, Budgie team plans future of their desktop|
|• Issue 969 (2022-05-23): Fedora 36, a return to Unity, Canonical seeks to improve gaming on Ubuntu, HP plans to ship laptops with Pop!_OS|
|• Issue 968 (2022-05-16): Quark 21.10.2, finding a phone for running Linux, Haiku imports new wireless drivers, NVIDIA open sources kernel modules|
|• Issue 967 (2022-05-09): Running Linux distros on Android with UserLAnd, setting up fiels in new home directories, Fedora keeps BIOS support|
|• Issue 966 (2022-05-02): Ubuntu 22.04, running applications from a data partition, EndeavourOS publishes hot fix, Unity desktop revived|
|• Issue 965 (2022-04-25): Peppermint 2022-02-02, Mint tests new upgrade tool, the state of firmware on Debian, splitting and merging files|
|• Issue 964 (2022-04-18): postmarketOS 21.12, running macOS software on Linux, EndeavourOS tests new window manager, running a Raspberry Pi without non-free firmware|
|• Issue 963 (2022-04-11): dahlioOS 220222, defining storage terms and finding parent distros, Gentoo revitalizes live media, Fedora to phase out BIOS support, Mint's new upgrade tool|
|• Issue 962 (2022-04-04): MassOS 2022.03, Neptune 7.0, Debian begins Project Leader election, new sandbox tools for FreeBSD, tracking Linux installs, home directory permissions|
|• Issue 961 (2022-03-28): Zenwalk GNU Linux 15.0, working with doas and Nextcloud, measuring gaming performance on Fedora, GNOME publishes new desktop release|
|• Issue 960 (2022-03-21): Pardus 21.1, tracking filesystem changes, changing FreeBSD's root filesystem live, Univention offers new client management tool|
|• Issue 959 (2022-03-14): Hos OS 3.1, getting updates without a network connection, OpenBSD running on M1 chips, Haiku gains wireless USB support, FreeBSD publishes quarterly update|
|• Issue 958 (2022-03-07): XeroLinux, rolling back package updates, Mint prepares for desktop changes, making minimal application images on Alpine|
|• Issue 957 (2022-02-28): Pop!_OS 21.10, transferring bookmarks to new formats, Zorin offers new documentation, installing Debian on an Apple M1 computer|
|• Issue 956 (2022-02-21): Running guest distros in Distrobox, how the BSDs work, managing software on Fedora Silverblue, new features in UBports|
|• Issue 955 (2022-02-14): Slackware Linux 15.0, imaging a drive and compressing it, a tool for gathering system information, installing an OS on the Raspberry Pi over the network|
|• Issue 954 (2022-02-07): PlagueOS and Ultramarine Linux, running UBports as a home server on the PinePhone, System76 launches tool to improve desktop performance|
|• Issue 953 (2022-01-31): CalinixOS and HefftorLinux, Ubuntu MATE running on GPD Pocket 3, Polkit vulnerability, UBports gets web browser video chat|
|• Issue 952 (2022-01-24): UBports on PinePhone, basic and practical security tips, openSUSE offers multi-distro support, Mint updates hardware support|
|• Issue 951 (2022-01-17): instantOS Beta, where to learn about Linux command line, Mint streamlines Firefox packaging, Fedora to get new Anaconda installer|
|• Issue 950 (2022-01-10): The Common Desktop Environment, preventing logins at specific times, Haiku runs WINE port, Dolphin gains privileged file actions|
|• Issue 949 (2022-01-03): Top Picks of 2021, answering questions about PinePhone, UBports introduces new fixes and features, CentOS Linux 8 reaches its end of life|
|• Issue 948 (2021-12-20): PinePhone running Manjaro and Plasma Mobile, protecting family computers from children, using Wayland for gaming, getting Linux on Apple's M1|
|• Issue 947 (2021-12-13): JuNest, the year of the Linux desktop, Fedora to adopt Wayland for all video cards, Zorin OS provides Lite edition|
|• Issue 946 (2021-12-06): OpenSnitch application firewall, review of a textbook of Coreutils examples, UBports gets new apps, T2 SDE starts bug bounty program|
|• Issue 945 (2021-11-29): LockBox 1.0, dealing with low memory issues, Debian makes APT safer, MX Linux offers advanced hardware support|
|• Issue 944 (2021-11-22): Fedora 35, running custom login scripts, FreeBSD publishes status report, AlmaLinux team answers questions|
|• Issue 943 (2021-11-15): Waydroid, comparing LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce, Pop!_OS to get its own desktop environment, porting games to OpenBSD|
|• Issue 942 (2021-11-08): MX Linux 21, comparing kernel efficiency, Linux Mint polishes desktop applications, Rocky Linux team answers community questions|
|• Issue 941 (2021-11-01): Brave web browser, finding words and truncating audio files, TruneNAS SCALE launched, DragonFly BSD can create FAT volumes|
|• Issue 940 (2021-10-25): Ubuntu 21.10, sandboxing Steam, setting up a firewall, AlmaLinux OS launches ELevate|
|• Issue 939 (2021-10-18): Auxtral 3, virtual terminal speeds, Ubuntu speeds up Snap, Qubes experiments with Debian's reproducible builds|
|• Issue 938 (2021-10-11): Pyabr OS, benefits to compiling your own kernel, an alternative to Snap, Redcore provides fix for Portage issues|
|• Issue 937 (2021-10-04): Getting started with Ansible, Wayland and clearing history, exploring the status of Btrfs, projects dealing with certificate issues|
|• Full list of all issues|
|Star Labs
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|Random Distribution |
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Vine Linux
Vine Linux is a supreme Linux distribution with integrated Japanese environment for desktop PCs and notebooks. Project Vine was founded by six members of the Project Japanese Extension (JPE) in 1998 and has been developing Vine Linux with help of many members and volunteers. Vine Seed, the development version of Vine Linux, is a public software repository, which all developers are welcome to join and contribute to. Out-of-the-box Kanji support is available throughout most applications and Japanese input support is provided by either the FreeWnn (or Wnn6 in the commercial "CR" edition) or the Canna input server.
Status: Active
|Linux Training
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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!
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|Star Labs
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Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the StarLite and the StarBook. 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.

3.0.8 2018-03-19

3.0.8 2018-03-19

3.0.8 2018-03-19

3.0.8 2018-03-19

3.0.8 2018-03-19

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| DistroWatch Weekly
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|DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 749, 5 February 2018
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Welcome to this year's 6th issue of DistroWatch Weekly!
Linux distributions come and go, but it is rare to see discontinued distributions return from the dead. This week we begin with a look at the resurrected projects of Freespire and Linspire. Robert Rijkhoff explores these two distributions and reports on both their history and present condition. In our News section we discuss Red Hat acquiring CoreOS and its Container Linux distribution. Plus we report on Korora slowing its release cycle and celebrate the Open Source Initiative turning 20 years old this week. Then, in our Myths and Misunderstandings column, we tackle the often confusing topics of X.Org, Wayland and Mir. We are also happy to share a list of new operating system versions released last week and we provide a list of the torrents we are seeding. In our Opinion Poll we ask how many of our readers are using commercial distributions such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Linspire. We wish you all a fantastic week and happy reading!
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Content:
- Review: Freespire 3 and Linspire 7.0
- News: Red Hat acquiring CoreOS, Korora slows release schedule, the OSI turns 20
- Myths and misunderstandings: Wayland, X.Org and Mir
- Released last week: Linux Lite 3.8, Emmabuntus 9-1.01, OPNsense 18.1
- Torrent corner: 4MLinux, Archman, Emmabuntus, KDE neon, Lite, Manjaro, OPNsense, Pardus Topluluk, SwagArch
- Opinion poll: Commercial Linux distributions
- New distributions: Anarchy Linux
- Reader comments
|Feature Story (by Robert Rijkhoff)
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Freespire 3 and Linspire 7.0
Towards the end of last year a company called PC/OpenSystems announced that it had bought the trademarks for Linspire and Freespire and that a new version of both distros had been released. The announcement got a fair bit of attention as Linspire and Freespire were discontinued distros with a turbulent history. Before we get into the review proper we need to talk about the distros' past.
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The past
Linspire started life in 2001 under the name Lindows. The original name was a playful reference to its ambition: developing a Linux operating system capable of running major Microsoft Windows applications. The name was changed to Linspire in 2004 after a lawsuit brought by Microsoft was settled out of court. Linspire's ambition remained the same and as part of the settlement the distro could include codecs for proprietary media formats such as MP3 and WMA.
Unsurprisingly, Linspire was often criticised by the free software community. Richard Stallman famously said of the distro that "No other GNU/Linux distribution has backslided so far away from freedom." Of course, the focus on features over freedom was exactly what made the distro appealing to many users.
Back in the day Lindows/Linspire was based on Debian. The distro had to be purchased; the Wayback Machine shows the license fee was $49.95 in 2006. As far as I can tell compatibility with major Microsoft Windows applications never really materialised but the distro did introduce a graphical user interface for installing software. The feature, called Click 'N' Run (or CNR), was essentially an early software centre.
Freespire entered the stage in 2005 as a free (as in beer) version of Linspire. Both Linspire and Freespire were acquired by Xandros in 2008 and discontinued not long after. Xandros Linux also didn't survive - its latest stable release is from 2007.
The present
PC/OpenSystems, the new owner of the Linspire and Freespire trademarks, is not new to the world of Linux distros - it already develops Black Lab Linux. The company bought the trademarks to, in its own words, differentiate its product line. They are hoping Linspire will appeal to enterprise and home users alike.
Both Freespire and Linspire are derivatives of Xubuntu 16.04. The distros are only available for the 64-bit x86 architecture and Xfce is the only supported desktop environment. Freespire is still the community edition and freely downloadable while the ISO for Linspire costs $79.99. The license fee will give you a year's worth of phone and e-mail support and a system with various common proprietary codecs pre-installed. The inclusion of the codecs is no longer part of the above-mentioned settlement with Microsoft - PC/OpenSystems has to pay patent-holders to include them.
Freespire 3
I first tried Freespire. The ISO is a 1.5GB download and boots to a live environment where you can try the system before deciding whether or not to take the plunge. Freespire's desktop has a traditional look: the panel is placed at the bottom; window decorations such as title bars and buttons have a bevel effect and the wallpaper is dark blue with diagonal gradients and the Freespire logo.
Freespire 3 - Freespire's Xfce desktop
(full image size: 654kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
The installer is a modified version of Ubiquity. Unfortunately, the modifications are not improvements. The first issue I encountered was that the link to the release notes on the first page of the installer took me to a dodgy on-line survey about the UK economy. I asked PC/OpenSystems how it is possible that the link to the release notes goes to a phishing site - they were able to reproduce the bug but could not explain how or why this happened. A second tweak in the installer is that the slides that are normally displayed when Ubiquity installs the system have been replaced with a tiny little window that shows information about what the installer is doing. The size of the window adjusts itself to the amount of information that needs to be displayed and therefore changes in size all the time. The installer did get the job done but it wasn't a very pleasant experience.
Freespire 3 - The release notes page
(full image size: 168kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
The reason why the installer has been tweaked has to do with the ubuntu-restricted-extras package, which provides support for DVD playback, Microsoft fonts, Flash and codecs for common audio and video files. Normally, the package is only installed if you tick the relevant box in the installer. In Freespire the meta-package was installed even though I had opted not to tick the box. This surprised me because a blog post on the PC/OpenSystems website from December 2017 claimed that Freespire 3 would appease what the company refers to as "GNU purists". Apart from some binary blobs in the kernel the distro would be fully libre (and the binary blobs could be removed in a future release).
Freespire 3 - Installing third-party software
(full image size: 360kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
I did check with PC/OpenSystems what Freespire's stance on software freedom is and the company has now released a new ISO (Freespire 3.0.6). In the new version the restricted extras package is never installed - even if you tick the box you will not get the extras package. The checkbox is due to be removed from the installer and the company is apparently working with the Free Software Foundation to make Freespire fully libre.
A final thing worth noting about the installer is that we can set up our partitions as we wish. The release announcement for Freespire and Linspire suggests that file systems such as XFS and Btrfs are only available in Linspire but that is not the case.
While exploring Freespire I quickly discovered that the main difference between stock Xubuntu and Freespire is the look and feel. After changing the theme to Greybird and switching the panel to Xubuntu Modern I was left with Xubuntu. Even the collection of pre-installed software is roughly what you find in Xubuntu (you can compare the packages yourself). The most noteworthy differences are that Freespire comes with three file managers (Thunar, GNOME Files and a program called Worker) and that Thunderbird and LibreOffice are not installed - instead we get the Geary e-mail client and Abiword and Gnumeric for word processing and spreadsheets. Interestingly, Linspire does come with Thunderbird and LibreOffice pre-installed. Silly as it might sound, I suspect the reason why Thunderbird and LibreOffice have been removed in Freespire is that it may encourage people to purchase Linspire.
Freespire 3 - Worker, Thunar and GNOME Files
(full image size: 246kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
There were a few applications I hadn't come across before. In the category Games we get DOSBox, which describes itself as a shell that runs DOS programs; under Accessories we get Midnight Commander and under Settings we find a Domain Blocker, which is a parental control application.
Freespire 3 - Running various desktop utilities
(full image size: 339kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
Freespire does not have its own repositories. The distro does add a Skype repository, even though Skype itself is not installed. The old Click 'N' Run application has been replaced with GNOME Software, while the more advanced Synaptic package manager is also pre-installed.
This is, then, essentially Xubuntu. The only real modifications are in the installer: the link to the release notes has been, let's say, monetised, and if you download the latest ISO the "restricted extras" package will not be installed (even if you tick the relevant box in the installer). Other than that Freespire is Xubuntu 16.04 with a different default theme. If you are an eagle-eyed reader you might have noticed that the link to the installer in the live environment is called "Install Freespire 16.04" - this should of course have been "Install Freespire 3". Selecting "Help" from the application menu opens the documentation for Xubuntu 16.04, complete with Xubuntu branding. In Firefox we get various Ubuntu bookmarks. The name of the Freespire menu icon is xubuntu-logo.png. If you change the software settings so that you are notified of any new version of the distro you will be notified that Ubuntu 17.10 is available. Everywhere you look you see that this is Xubuntu with a few artificial modifications.
Linspire 7
The Linspire ISO is quite a bit larger (2.3GB) and the installation didn't go smoothly. In the live environment I found that the Google Chrome browser failed to launch and the installer appeared to hang. The install window didn't display any information but I could see that the Ubiquity process was running, although it didn't appear to make any progress. After about 40 minutes I decided to reboot the laptop and try again.
Linspire 7.0 - Trying to install the distribution
(full image size: 625kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
The second time both the live environment and installer worked better. I could launch Chrome (although the browser didn't open the link to the release notes) and the installer was working, albeit slowly. The installation took over an hour and at various points the installer appeared to have frozen. At least I got some information about what the installer was trying to do and it did eventually finish.
Linspire 7.0 - The custom installer retrieving files
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Linspire always installs the ubuntu-restricted-package, regardless of whether or not you tick the box to install the codecs and other proprietary goodies. This is in fact one of the main selling points of the distro: PC/OpenSystems has license agreements with Microsoft, Apple, Oracle and (unspecified) other companies that allows the company to include various (unspecified) codecs and the Java stack in its distributions.
Other than the codecs there is, again, nothing that sets the distro apart from Xubuntu. The Linspire release announcement mentions the availability of ZFS as one of the major features but, as I suspected, ZFS was not listed among the usual file systems. It is of course possible to use ZFS on Linspire, simply because it is possible to use ZFS on Ubuntu. However, getting ZFS to work on Linspire is not as easy as selecting it at the partitioning stage. I might add that the release announcement for Freespire and Linspire is misleading in that it suggests that ZFS is not available in Freespire. The fact is that there is no difference between Ubuntu, Freespire and Linspire when it comes to support for ZFS.
Linspire 7.0 - Chrome, Xfce Terminal and Skype
(full image size: 454kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
As I have already mentioned, the software collection in Linspire and Freespire is slightly different. In Linspire, Firefox has been replaced with Google Chrome and instead of Geary you now get Thunderbird (although I couldn't detect the promised Exchange add-on). LibreOffice 5.4 is provided via a PPA and we also get VLC, ClamAV, Bleachbit and VirtualBox. You again get the Skype repository and this time Skype is actually installed as well. In addition, you also get a WINE repository out of the box. Like Freespire, Linspire does not have its own repositories.
Performance, bugs and Xfce
It almost goes without saying that both Freespire and Linspire worked perfectly fine. On both my laptop and in GNOME Boxes the distros were responsive and stable - nothing crashed and I didn't encounter a single bug. Of course, it is Xubuntu that should get the plaudits for that. Freespire and Linspire are stock Xubuntu with a different theme and a slightly different set of default applications.
On the topic of bugs and default applications, one reason why I didn't encounter any bugs might be that Apport is not pre-installed in Freespire and Linspire. Apport is Ubuntu's crash reporting tool. It intercepts program crashes, collects debugging information and allows you to send the information to the Ubuntu developers via a graphical interface. As a replacement, Freespire and Linspire have their own "bug reporting tool": users can submit bug reports by leaving a comment on their Blogger blog. To date, not a single bug has been reported.
Linspire 7.0 - Reporting bugs
(full image size: 514kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
As for the Xfce desktop environment, I like the desktop. It is unassuming and fairly customisable. One thing to be aware of in both Freespire and Linspire is that the default panel configuration hasn't been saved. Instead, the developers have simply modified the default theme, which means that you have no way of going back to the default configuration if you change the panel layout.
Freespire 3 - Theme settings
(full image size: 364kB, resolution: 1366x768 pixels)
Other than that the only minor annoyance is that Google Chrome and most GNOME applications stick out like a sore thumb. In Xubuntu the window decorations of GNOME applications have a similar look and feel if you stick with the default Greybird theme, although windows are missing the maximise and close buttons (you only get a minimise button). In Freespire and Linspire GNOME applications use a completely different theme with flat macOS-style buttons. I guess there is no perfect solution to integrating GNOME applications in a non-GNOME desktop environment.
Conclusions
Before I started my trial I was under the impression that Freespire and Linspire were quite different from stock Xubuntu. The Linspire blog, for instance, talks about binary blobs in "our" kernel and proprietary packages provided by vendors to Linspire. As I quickly learned, Linspire doesn't have its own repositories (let alone a custom kernel) and the proprietary packages are provided via the ubuntu-restricted-extras package. Similarly, the lead developer recently wrote on his blog that people who claim that Linspire is just a Xubuntu respin should "mind their own business" because they have no idea how much work has gone into customising Linspire over the last 18 months. When I asked the company if they could give some examples of how Linspire is different from Xubuntu I was told that, actually, their aim is to stay as close to Xubuntu as possible.
It would be unfair, however, to dismiss Freespire and Linspire as Xubuntu clones. The distros have two interesting selling points. Firstly, PC/OpenSystems can legally ship certain patent-encumbered codecs. Of course, anyone can install the ubuntu-restricted-extras package but in some jurisdictions doing so may be illegal. It is probably fair to say that few people care about such legalities but if you prefer to play by the rules then Linspire is worth a look.
Secondly, Linspire's main feature is the support license. You don't pay $79.99 for Xubuntu with a Linspire sticker - you buy a year's worth of support. Linspire might be an attractive option for small businesses and organisations that want to run Linux with a support contract. Similarly, I reckon many home users will like the idea of being able to get professional support for their Linspire box(es).
That said, it is disappointing that the only real customisations (as in code changes) are regressions: the installer is far from a finished product. It is also unfortunate that Freespire lacks direction. The new Freespire was presented as an almost fully libre distro, yet the initial release clearly was the exact opposite. Only after pointing this out did PC/OpenSystems quietly release a new ISO.
The main issue I had with the distros was something else though: the marketing/PR/spin. I have already mentioned various examples of dubious claims. I would like to add one more example, just because it nicely illustrates my gripe: the Freespire page claims that, unlike Freespire, Linux Mint is difficult to install. PC/OpenSystems arrived at that conclusion based on its own research: a whopping three people were asked to install Freespire, Ubuntu and Linux Mint and the "sample group" apparently struggled to install Mint.
This type of marketing is needlessly negative. I would rather see the company work with, say, the Trisquel developers, who have already solved the issue with the checkbox in the Ubiquity installer and who may also be able to help Freespire become an FSF-approved distro. I would love to see a proper bug tracking tool so that I would have an easy way to report issues. And I think it would also be nice if PC/OpenSystems would start sharing the code it claims to produce.
In short, I think both Freespire and Linspire are on to something. I like the idea of a fully libre Xubuntu spin and I am sure there is demand for Linspire. I just hope history won't repeat itself.
* * * * *
Hardware used for this review
My physical test equipment for this review was a Lenovo Thinkpad X220 with the following specifications:
- Processor: Intel Core i3-2520M, 2.5GHz
- Memory: 8GB of RAM
- Wireless network adapter: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205
- Wired network adapter: Intel 82579M
* * * * *
Visitor supplied rating
Freespire has a visitor supplied average rating of: 7.6/10 from 23 review(s).
Have you used Freespire? You can leave your own review of the project on our ratings page.
|Miscellaneous News (by Jesse Smith)
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Red Hat acquiring CoreOS, Korora slows release schedule, the OSI turns 20
Red Hat has announced that the company is in the process of acquiring CoreOS, the organization which develops Container Linux. Container Linux is a very lightweight distribution optimized for running containers and it provides automated updates. Red Hat has published a blog page which covers the reasons behind the acquisition and what CoreOS's team will bring to the Red Hat ecosystem. "We believe Red Hat and CoreOS are a natural fit due to our respective open source business models and emphasis on enabling customers to build and deploy applications across the hybrid cloud. CoreOS can expand Red Hat's technology leadership in containers and Kubernetes and enhance core platform capabilities in OpenShift, Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat's integrated container portfolio. Bringing CoreOS's technologies to the Red Hat portfolio can help us further automate and extend operational management capabilities for OpenShift administrators and drive greater ease of use for end users building and managing applications on our platform."
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The Korora team develops a Fedora-based distribution which offers users a more complete desktop experience with multimedia support. The Korora distribution typically publishes new versions shortly after the Fedora project releases a new version. The Korora team is going to change their release schedule and only offer new versions of Korora after every other Fedora version. "All this is done in our spare time along side our job, family and personal responsibilities. For a very small team, currently three people plus the occasional input from others, this is a lot of work. It means that often Korora has to take a back seat when real life intrudes. Consequently we have decided that in future there will an annual Korora release in line with only the even number Fedora versions. That means there won't be a Korora 27 but we are planning to have Korora 28 available soon after the final release of Fedora 28."
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The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is "a non-profit corporation with global scope formed to educate about and advocate for the benefits of open source and to build bridges among different constituencies in the open source community." The organization promotes and provides resources for people wanting to learn more about open source software and licensing. The OSI is celebrating its 20th anniversary this week. "The Open Source Initiative is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2018. In the true open source spirit, we would like to invite you and the open source community to participate. This is a great opportunity to highlight yours and your organization's open source success story. Please join and help us make this celebration a true representation of the passion, diversity, and creativity of the open source software community!" The OSI has set up a website with more information and invitations for community members to participate in the celebration.
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These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
|Myths and Misunderstandings (by Jesse Smith)
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Wayland, X.Org and Mir
At the beginning of the year we covered a discussion taking place on a FreeBSD mailing list where developers were debating whether to enable Wayland support in FreeBSD ports by default. After some discussion, Kevin Oberman made a good point, one which could probably be posted as a footnote to any conversation about Wayland: "There seems to be general confusion on what Wayland is and what it does."
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There tends to be a general misunderstanding as to what Wayland is (or is not), how it gets used and how it co-exists with other display technologies such as X.Org or Mir. Today I would like to clear up some common misunderstandings about these technologies.
X.Org is the classic method of displaying graphical elements on a Linux (or BSD) system. The X.Org display server is one component of many making up a desktop environment and its applications. At the top level we have applications, the arrangement of the application windows is handled by a separate task called a window manager. The window manager sits on top of the X.Org display server, which is responsible for drawing everything on the screen. From a practical point of view, we might run the Firefox browser as an application. The position and behaviour of the Firefox window is handled by a window manager like Openbox. The drawing of the window and its contents is handled by X.Org.
When some developers decided it was time to replace the aging X.Org software with a new, more streamlined design, we got two new main approaches in the open source community. The first was called Wayland and the second was called Mir. Let's focus on Wayland first.
"Wayland is a protocol for a compositor to talk to its clients as well as a C library implementation of that protocol." In order words, Wayland might be considered a method programs can use to draw applications on the screen. The Wayland website describes the idea as follows: "The Wayland architecture integrates the display server, window manager and compositor into one process. You can think of Wayland as a toolkit for creating clients and compositors. It is not a specific single compositor or window manager."
Put another way, Wayland takes the work of displaying items and managing windows (jobs previously handled by X.Org and a separate window manager) and melds those jobs into one. In theory, this should make things more simple. Before we were running Firefox on a window manager which talks to a separate display server. Now we simply run Firefox on a Wayland implementation which knows how to be both a window manager and a display server. The new approach is more streamlined.
Where people tend to get confused about Wayland is with the idea that there is no one Wayland implementation. Wayland defines a protocol for managing windows and displaying them, but there is no one central Wayland compositor & window manager. Each desktop environment is expected to create its own implementation of Wayland. For a desktop environment, such as GNOME or KDE Plasma, to support Wayland, the desktop developers must create their own version of Wayland.
In this way X.Org is different from Wayland. For most practical purposes there is one X.Org implementation that can be used by each desktop environment. With Wayland, each desktop environment needs to have a Wayland implementation written for it.
Backtracking a bit, Mir was the name of a technology similar to Wayland. But while Wayland was the name of a protocol anyone could implement, Mir is both the name of a protocol and a specific implementation of the Mir protocol. Put another way, the Mir software implements the Mir protocol. Mir started as a separate project from Wayland while attempting to do approximately the same thing: offer a simpler, lighter alternative to X.Org.
In the past year, the developers of the Mir software have decided to expand its scope. The Mir software now understands both the Mir protocol and the Wayland protocol. In short, the Mir software is now an implementation of Wayland.
One potential benefit to the Mir software now speaking the Wayland protocol is Mir can be used as a desktop-neutral display server for smaller desktop projects. GNOME and KDE are relatively large projects and were able to pioneer adopting the Wayland protocol with each desktop project creating its own Wayland implementation. (KDE created KWin/Wayland, GNOME wrote Wayland support into Mutter.) Smaller teams, such as those working on MATE and Xfce, may struggle to find the time to create their own versions of Wayland for their desktop environments. With this in mind, smaller desktop projects are looking at using Mir as a common component to reduce their work supporting Wayland.
One nice thing about the new Wayland approach is that it can co-exist alongside the old X.Org software. As FreeBSD developer Johannes Lundberg stated recently: "Libraries that are common for X and Wayland like mesa-libs, Qt5 and GTK30 will get a bit bigger in order to enable Wayland. This is completely transparent to X users and does not affect X-related stuff in anyway. Using Wayland compositors like Sway or Weston is still completely optional and they can co-exist with any X server and X11 window manager." In most cases we can not only have both Wayland and X.Org desktop sessions on the same operating system (the way Fedora and Ubuntu do), X.Org programs can typically be run on a Wayland session.
At this point, most implementations of Wayland (such as those used by KDE and GNOME) are ready for general, day to day use. However, possibly because there are still some corner cases to work out, or because X.Org sessions continue to work well, most distributions continue to use X.Org desktop sessions.
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Myths and misunderstandings can be found in our Myths and Misunderstandings archive.
|Released Last Week
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OPNsense 18.1
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OPNsense is a FreeBSD-based specialist operating system (and a fork of pfSense) designed for firewalls and routers. The latest release, OPNsense 18.1, is built on FreeBSD 11.1 and includes PHP version 7.1. The new release also features strict interface binding for OpenSSH connections and a new Realtek network driver, version 1.94. "We humbly present to you the sum of another major iteration of the OPNsense firewall. Over the second half of 2017 well over 500 changes have made it into this release, nicknamed 'Groovy Gecko'. Most notably, the firewall NAT rules have been reworked to be more flexible and usable via plugins, which is going to pave the way for subsequent API works on the core firewall functionality. For more details please find the attached list of changes below. The upgrade track from 17.7 will be available later today. Please be patient. Meltdown and Spectre patches are currently being worked on in FreeBSD, but there is no reliable timeline. We will keep you up to date through the usual channels as more news become available. Hang in there!" Further details can be found in the project's release announcement and press release.
Emmabuntus 9-1.01
Emmabuntüs is a desktop Linux distribution with editions based on based on Xubuntu and Debian's Stable branch. It strives to be beginner-friendly and reasonably light on resources so that it can be used on older computers. The project's latest release is based on Debian and includes several bug fixes along with support for a wider range of wireless network cards. "As a reminder, this version includes the UEFI support for the 32- and 64-bits architectures, and integrates the essential 'Debian Beginner's Handbook', updated for the Stretch version by our friends of the 3HG Team led by our mate arpinux, this handbook being available in both French and English versions. Also included are our latest presentation and installation tutorials already published on the Developpez.com site, as well as the one concerning the printer configuration under Debian, also available in both French and English languages. This Debian Edition 2-1.01 version includes the following fixes and enhancements: Based on Debian 9.3 Stretch. Workaround concerning the display freeze at startup bug in the Linux 4.9 kernel...." More details can be found in the project's release announcement.
Linux Lite 3.8
Jerry Bezencon has announced the release of Linux Lite 3.8, an Ubuntu-based distribution featuring the lightweight Xfce desktop. "Linux Lite 3.8 Final is now available for download. There have been a number of changes since the 3.6 release. This is the last release for Series 3.x. Linux Lite 4.0 Final will be released on June 1st, 2018. The changes for Linux Lite 3.8 include - more support for LibreOffice, regional support for DVDs, a Font Viewer/Installer and we now have our own Google-based Search page as the home page in Firefox. We've also added TLP for Laptops to Lite Tweaks. We've added a Thesaurus (Synonyms) to LibreOffice for the US language... If you have DVDs that are from another region other than your own, you can now easily change region so that it will play in VLC. Insert your DVD, open a terminal and type regionset and follow the on-screen instructions." Further information and screen shots can be found in the project's release announcement. Download (MD5): linux-lite-3.8-64bit.iso (1,027MB, torrent, pkglist).
Linux Lite 3.8 -- The welcome screen
(full image size: 1.2MB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
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Development, unannounced and minor bug-fix releases
|Torrent Corner
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Weekly Torrents
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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: 729
- Total data uploaded: 17.7TB
|Upcoming Releases and Announcements
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Summary of expected upcoming releases
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|Opinion Poll
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Commercial Linux distributions
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This week we discussed a few commercial Linux companies, including Red Hat and PC/OpenSystems. We would like to find out how many of our readers currently run a commercial Linux distribution. If you do run a
commercial Linux system, do you enjoy the extra technical support, are you giving back financially to the open source community, do you feel commercial distributions offer a better experience? Please let us know your reasons for purchasing your operating system in the last week's edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives.
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Commercial Linux distributions
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|I run a commercial distribution: ||15 (1%)|
| I run both commercial and no-cost distributions: ||146 (6%)|
| I run no-cost distributions only: ||2020 (90%)|
| I do not run a Linux distribution: ||74 (3%)|
|DistroWatch.com News
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Distributions added to waiting list
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- Anarchy Linux. Anarchy Linux is an Arch Linux-based distribution offering users an installation disc with a live desktop. Anarchy Linux's default desktop is Xfce.
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DistroWatch database summary
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This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 12 February 2018. Past articles and reviews can be found through our Article Search page. 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)
- Bruce Patterson (podcast)
|Tip Jar
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|Linux Foundation Training
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|TUXEDO
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| Archives
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|• Issue 988 (2022-10-03): SpiralLinux 11.220628, finding distros for older equipment and other purposes, SUSE begins releasing ALP prototypes, Debian votes on non-free firmware in installer|
|• Issue 987 (2022-09-26): openSUSE's MicroOS, converting people to using Linux, pfSense updates base system and PHP, Python 2 dropped from Arch|
|• Issue 986 (2022-09-19): Porteus 5.0, remotely wiping a hard drive, a new software centre for Ubuntu, Proxmox offers offline updates|
|• Issue 985 (2022-09-12): Garuda Linux, using root versus sudo, UBports on the Fairphone 4, Slackware reverses change to grep|
|• Issue 984 (2022-09-05): deepin 23 Preview, watching for changing to directories, Mint team tests Steam Deck, Devuan posts fix for repository key expiry|
|• Issue 983 (2022-08-29): Qubes OS 4.1.1, Alchg Linux, immutable operating systems, Debian considers stance on non-free firmware, Arch-based projects suffer boot issue|
|• Issue 982 (2022-08-22): Peropesis 1.6.2, KaOS strips out Python 2 and PulseAudio, deepin becomes independent, getting security update notifications|
|• Issue 981 (2022-08-15): Linux Lite 6.0, defining desktop environments and window managers, Mint releases upgrade tool, FreeBSD publishes status report|
|• Issue 980 (2022-08-08): Linux Mint 21, Pledge on Linux, SparkyLinux updates classic desktop packages, Peppermint OS experiments with Devuan base|
|• Issue 979 (2022-08-01): KaOS 2022.06 and KDE Plasma 5.25, terminating processes after a set time, GNOME plans Secure Boot check|
|• Issue 978 (2022-07-25): EndeavourOS 22.6, Slax explores a return to Slackware, Ubuntu certified with Dell's XPS 13, Linux running on Apple's M2|
|• Issue 977 (2022-07-18): EasyOS 4.2, transferring desktop themes between distros, Tails publishes list of updates, Zevenet automates Let's Encrypt renewals|
|• Issue 976 (2022-07-11): NixOS 22.05, making a fake webcam, exploring the Linux scheduler, Debian publishes updated media|
|• Issue 975 (2022-07-04): Murena One running /e/OS, where are all the openSUSE distributions, Fedora to offer unfiltered Flathub access|
|• Issue 974 (2022-06-27): AlmaLinux 9.0, the changing data of DistroWatch's database, UBports on the Pixel 3a, Tails and GhostBSD publish hot fixes|
|• Issue 973 (2022-06-20): openSUSE 15.4, collecting distro media, FreeBSD status report, Ubuntu Core with optional real-time kernel|
|• Issue 972 (2022-06-13): Rolling Rhino Remix, SambaBox 4.1, SUSE team considers future of SUSE and openSUSE Leap, Tails improves Tor Connection Assistant|
|• Issue 971 (2022-06-06): ChimeraOS 2022.01.03, Lilidog 22.04, NixOS gains graphical installer, Mint replaces Bluetooth stack and adopts Timeshift, how to change a MAC address|
|• Issue 970 (2022-05-30): Tails 5.0, taking apart a Linux distro, Ubuntu users seeing processes terminated, Budgie team plans future of their desktop|
|• Issue 969 (2022-05-23): Fedora 36, a return to Unity, Canonical seeks to improve gaming on Ubuntu, HP plans to ship laptops with Pop!_OS|
|• Issue 968 (2022-05-16): Quark 21.10.2, finding a phone for running Linux, Haiku imports new wireless drivers, NVIDIA open sources kernel modules|
|• Issue 967 (2022-05-09): Running Linux distros on Android with UserLAnd, setting up fiels in new home directories, Fedora keeps BIOS support|
|• Issue 966 (2022-05-02): Ubuntu 22.04, running applications from a data partition, EndeavourOS publishes hot fix, Unity desktop revived|
|• Issue 965 (2022-04-25): Peppermint 2022-02-02, Mint tests new upgrade tool, the state of firmware on Debian, splitting and merging files|
|• Issue 964 (2022-04-18): postmarketOS 21.12, running macOS software on Linux, EndeavourOS tests new window manager, running a Raspberry Pi without non-free firmware|
|• Issue 963 (2022-04-11): dahlioOS 220222, defining storage terms and finding parent distros, Gentoo revitalizes live media, Fedora to phase out BIOS support, Mint's new upgrade tool|
|• Issue 962 (2022-04-04): MassOS 2022.03, Neptune 7.0, Debian begins Project Leader election, new sandbox tools for FreeBSD, tracking Linux installs, home directory permissions|
|• Issue 961 (2022-03-28): Zenwalk GNU Linux 15.0, working with doas and Nextcloud, measuring gaming performance on Fedora, GNOME publishes new desktop release|
|• Issue 960 (2022-03-21): Pardus 21.1, tracking filesystem changes, changing FreeBSD's root filesystem live, Univention offers new client management tool|
|• Issue 959 (2022-03-14): Hos OS 3.1, getting updates without a network connection, OpenBSD running on M1 chips, Haiku gains wireless USB support, FreeBSD publishes quarterly update|
|• Issue 958 (2022-03-07): XeroLinux, rolling back package updates, Mint prepares for desktop changes, making minimal application images on Alpine|
|• Issue 957 (2022-02-28): Pop!_OS 21.10, transferring bookmarks to new formats, Zorin offers new documentation, installing Debian on an Apple M1 computer|
|• Issue 956 (2022-02-21): Running guest distros in Distrobox, how the BSDs work, managing software on Fedora Silverblue, new features in UBports|
|• Issue 955 (2022-02-14): Slackware Linux 15.0, imaging a drive and compressing it, a tool for gathering system information, installing an OS on the Raspberry Pi over the network|
|• Issue 954 (2022-02-07): PlagueOS and Ultramarine Linux, running UBports as a home server on the PinePhone, System76 launches tool to improve desktop performance|
|• Issue 953 (2022-01-31): CalinixOS and HefftorLinux, Ubuntu MATE running on GPD Pocket 3, Polkit vulnerability, UBports gets web browser video chat|
|• Issue 952 (2022-01-24): UBports on PinePhone, basic and practical security tips, openSUSE offers multi-distro support, Mint updates hardware support|
|• Issue 951 (2022-01-17): instantOS Beta, where to learn about Linux command line, Mint streamlines Firefox packaging, Fedora to get new Anaconda installer|
|• Issue 950 (2022-01-10): The Common Desktop Environment, preventing logins at specific times, Haiku runs WINE port, Dolphin gains privileged file actions|
|• Issue 949 (2022-01-03): Top Picks of 2021, answering questions about PinePhone, UBports introduces new fixes and features, CentOS Linux 8 reaches its end of life|
|• Issue 948 (2021-12-20): PinePhone running Manjaro and Plasma Mobile, protecting family computers from children, using Wayland for gaming, getting Linux on Apple's M1|
|• Issue 947 (2021-12-13): JuNest, the year of the Linux desktop, Fedora to adopt Wayland for all video cards, Zorin OS provides Lite edition|
|• Issue 946 (2021-12-06): OpenSnitch application firewall, review of a textbook of Coreutils examples, UBports gets new apps, T2 SDE starts bug bounty program|
|• Issue 945 (2021-11-29): LockBox 1.0, dealing with low memory issues, Debian makes APT safer, MX Linux offers advanced hardware support|
|• Issue 944 (2021-11-22): Fedora 35, running custom login scripts, FreeBSD publishes status report, AlmaLinux team answers questions|
|• Issue 943 (2021-11-15): Waydroid, comparing LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce, Pop!_OS to get its own desktop environment, porting games to OpenBSD|
|• Issue 942 (2021-11-08): MX Linux 21, comparing kernel efficiency, Linux Mint polishes desktop applications, Rocky Linux team answers community questions|
|• Issue 941 (2021-11-01): Brave web browser, finding words and truncating audio files, TruneNAS SCALE launched, DragonFly BSD can create FAT volumes|
|• Issue 940 (2021-10-25): Ubuntu 21.10, sandboxing Steam, setting up a firewall, AlmaLinux OS launches ELevate|
|• Issue 939 (2021-10-18): Auxtral 3, virtual terminal speeds, Ubuntu speeds up Snap, Qubes experiments with Debian's reproducible builds|
|• Issue 938 (2021-10-11): Pyabr OS, benefits to compiling your own kernel, an alternative to Snap, Redcore provides fix for Portage issues|
|• Issue 937 (2021-10-04): Getting started with Ansible, Wayland and clearing history, exploring the status of Btrfs, projects dealing with certificate issues|
|• Full list of all issues|
|Star Labs
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Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the StarLite and the StarBook. 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.
|Shells.com
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Your own personal Linux computer in the cloud, available on any device. Supported operating systems include Android, Debian, Fedora, KDE neon, Kubuntu, Linux Mint, Manjaro and Ubuntu, ready in minutes.
Starting at US$4.95 per month, 7-day money-back guarantee
|Random Distribution |
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SELKS
SELKS, a product of Stamus Networks, is a Debian-based live distribution designed for network security management. It provides a complete and ready-to-use Suricata IDS/IPS ecosystem with its own graphic rule manager. The system also includes Kibana IDS/NSM dashboards (for visualising logs and other time-stamped data) a Scirius (a rules management interface for Suricata). SELKS is released under the GNU GPLv3 licence.
Status: Active
|Linux Training
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|TUXEDO
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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.
|Star Labs
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|
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Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the StarLite and the StarBook. 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.

3.0.8 2018-03-19

3.0.8 2018-03-19

3.0.8 2018-03-19

3.0.8 2018-03-19

3.0.8 2018-03-19

3.0.8 2018-03-19

3.0.8 2018-03-19

3.0.8 2018-03-19

3.0.8 2018-03-19