Distro watch
What’s behind the free software sofa?
FREEBSD 13.2
Linux Format is the home of open source, including alternative -nix operating systems, such as FreeBSD. Although the OS is a popular choice for servers, it supports a number of desktop environments and window managers for those willing to manually install the packages. The latest stable release includes better support for installing on SD cards, updated versions of OpenSSH and OpenSSL, and integration for VPN interface using WireGuard. Read more at www.freebsd.org.
CACHYOS 20230917
CachyOS was first released in late 2022. It’s based on Arch Linux with a heavily optimised kernel BORE (Burst-Oriented Response Enhancer) scheduler. The distro has its own repositories, and desktop packages are compiled with LTO and x86-64-v3 optimisation, security flags and performance improvements, especially for older Nvidia and AMD cards. Downloads are available for multiple desktop environments including Plasma and Gnome. The OS also supports multiple boot environments and has its own Firefox-based browser. https://cachyos.org/download
KAOS 23.09
Kaos describes itself as a “lean KDE distribution”. Although it’s inspired by Arch, the operating system is built from scratch and maintains its own package repositories (managed via Pacman). Besides using Plasma 5.27.8, it also bundles the Qt toolkit, as well as the LibreOffice suite. The current build is based on v6.4.16 of the Linux kernel. The KaOS team has also recently released a ‘preview’ ISO using the Plasma 6 desktop. https://kaosx.us/news/2023/kaos09.
MANJARO 23.0.2
Manjaro Linux is a fast, desktop-orientated OS based on Arch Linux. Its developers claim that the distribution is designed to be user-friendly. The fact that it follows a stable rolling release model is good proof of this, as well as the fact that it uses Pacma, a graphical front-end for Pacman. Installation is handled by the ever-intuitive Calamares. The latest Manjaro release ‘Uranos’ is available with Gnome 44, Plasma 5.27 LTS or the Xfce 4.18 desktop environments.
FATDOG64 900
Based on Puppy Linux, this is a 64-bit desktop build, which as the name suggests, is a somewhat more porky install than the original Puppy iteration. Version 900 is based on Linux From Scratch 11.3 (replacing LFS 8.2 that the 800 series was using), and the release notes point out that this has initial HiDPI support with Kernel 6.1.46. For full details, rush to https://distro.ibiblio.org/fatdog/web/900.html.