Distro watch
What’s down the side of the free software sofa?
MX LINUX 21
The latest edition of this Debian-based desktop distro has been launched. It comes in three versions with either Xfce, KDE Plasma or Fluxbox, and it’s now built on Debian 11 Bullseye. Many applications have been updated: there’s now installer partition options and a new UEFI live system boot menu has been included, which should make life easier for people who are using this as a live distro. Wi-Fi support has been improved, and Mesa Vulkan drivers are now installed by default. Find out more at https://bit.ly/lxf283mxlinux.
REDCORE LINUX 2102
Redcore Linux is a Gentoo-based distro, and the latest snapshot is available to download. Codenamed Polaris, this release brings new bug fixes, and while the release announcement (which you can read at https://bit.ly/lxf283redcore) admits that “you won’t find many exciting new features inside [this release]”, over 1,300 packages have been updated, and there’s been a mass rebuild of the repository. Even if this isn’t an exciting release, it’s an essential one for Redcore users.
UBUNTU STUDIO 21.10
Ubuntu Studio is a community version of Ubuntu that comes with the KDE Plasma desktop, and is aimed at creative professionals, especially in the audio and video production fields. The latest version, codenamed Impish Indri, is Ubuntu Studio’s 30th release, and will be supported for nine months. The desktop has been updated to Plasma 5.22.5 with the Materia theme and Papirus icons, and numerous applications have been updated. Check out the full release notes at: https://bit.ly/lxf283ubuntustudio.
OPENBSD 7.0
OpenBSD is a UNIX operating system, and the latest version adds support for RISC64 architecture, as well as drivers for Apple M1 systems. This means that support for the likes of the new Mac mini and MacBook Pro 13-inch is improved, although the release announcement (https://bit.ly/lxf283openbsd) notes that it’s “not ready for general use yet.” Still, this is a step in the right direction, and hopefully solid Apple M1 support isn’t too far off.