Distro of the Week

Distro of the Week

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Bluesky site for "Distro of the Week" by Larry Cafiero (@lcafiero.bsky.social) at http://www.distrooftheweek.com. One new Linux distro - and once in awhile a BSD-based OS - reviewed every Wednesday, as well as Bits & Bobs compiled on Saturdays.

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Distro of the Week
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Go, Larry! #SeaGL2026

Larry Cafiero@lcafiero.bsky.social

Made it! In Seattle for the Seattle GNU/Linux conference Friday and Saturday at the U of Washington. I speak on Friday at 11. If you're in the neighborhood, drop by. #SeaGL2026 pretalx.seagl.org/2026/talk/Q7...

pretalx.seagl.orgChoosing a Distro SeaGL 2026This is a presentation about how to pick a Linux distribution. For new users, it can be a guide. For intermediate and experienced users, it can be a refresher as to what's out there.
Distro of the Week
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Ubuntu 26.10 was released to a lukewarm response from the Linux media. While its advances may not be profound, the improvements offered provide users with the next step in the natural order of the distro, and serves as a foundation for improvements to come later. distrooftheweek.com/2026/10/20/u...

distrooftheweek.comUbuntu 26.10 ‘Stonking Stingray’While press reception may be lukewarm, Ubuntu’s latest version packs a punch By Larry Cafiero Like April, October is a busy month in the Linux universe, for no other reason than two of the to…
Distro of the Week
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Bits & Bobs, from Distro of the Week, recaps the Linux news of the week every Saturday. Today we wish KDE a happy birthday, look at Peppermint OS venture in to Void territory, and others. Enjoy! distrooftheweek.com/2026/10/17/b...

distrooftheweek.comBits & Bobs: Happy Birthday, KDECompiled by Larry Cafiero Marcus Nestor of 9 to 5 Linux, among other outlets, reported on Wednesday that KDE is celebrating its 30th birthday while also releasing the KDE Plasma 6.8 desktop environ…
Distro of the Week
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Asmi - pronounced like “us” and “me and is Sanskrit and Hindi that means “I am” or “I exist” - is this week's Linux "Distro of the Week." Based on Debian with the Xfce desktop, it aims to provide a modern Xfce experience with a wealth of distro-specific tools. distrooftheweek.com/2026/10/13/d...

distrooftheweek.comDistro of the Week: Asmi 13.6 LinuxIndian distro based on Debian provides a hefty toolset, setting it apart from others By Larry Cafiero Today’s Distro of the Week comes to us all the way from India, and comes with an interesting st…
Distro of the Week
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Bits & Bob, from Distro of the Week, recaps the week's Linux news and presents it in bite-sized form. Read about Debian's art contest for Forky, aerynOS presenting Budgie, Gnome 52 update, and more. Enjoy! distrooftheweek.com/2026/10/10/b...

distrooftheweek.comBits & Bobs: ‘Forky’ artwork soughtCompiled by Larry Cafiero Marcus Nestor at 9 to 5 Linux reported on Thursday that Debian 14 “Forky” artwork proposals are now open for submission, with the final release of Debian 14 operating syst…
Distro of the Week
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Had an interesting couple of days last week choosing this week's Distro of the Week, but a German distro based on Debian came through. Along with being a fast and solid Linux distro, VailuxOS's goal is to help Windows users convert, which is a noble cause indeed. distrooftheweek.com/2026/10/06/9...

distrooftheweek.comDistro of the Week: VailuxOS 1.6.1.4German distro based on Debian opts to make it easy for Windows refugees By Larry Cafiero After a trying day last week while choosing a distro for this week’s column, augmented with an unusually wid…
Distro of the Week
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This ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

This Panda Eats Pumpkins@annie.redpanda.fun

Video thumbnail from a KDE conf asks "Are we really going to use the same desktop UI forever?" Yes. Please. For the love of god, please don't do a GNOME. I used to be excited about new OSes, new desktop paradigms, until AI made it apparent no one in tech has any good ideas anymore. Just stop.

Distro of the Week
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Bits & Bobs, from Distro of the Week, takes a look at Linux news from the past week every Saturday. Today, Tails gets an update, a new antiX release, Debian's massive fix, and the age-old question of will the Budgie DE appear on aerynOS anytime soon? distrooftheweek.com/2026/10/03/b...

distrooftheweek.comBits & Bobs: Tails 7.14 gets updateCompiled by Larry Cafiero Bobby Borisov at Linuxiac reported on Wednesday that The Amnesic Incognito Live System – otherwise known in the Linuxsphere as Tails – has made several updates focused on …
Distro of the Week
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We get mail, part deux: A reader suggested we test-drive a Spanish distro based on Debian Testing. We obliged, and found that Soplos Linux Tyron not only performed remarkably, but wowed us on a few different levels as well. distrooftheweek.com/2026/09/29/d...

distrooftheweek.comDistro of the Week: Soplos Linux TyronSpanish distro based on Debian excels on many fronts, could be good for new users By Larry Cafiero We get mail, part deux . . . where we take suggestions from our readership, and one reader comment…
Distro of the Week
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Bits & Bobs, appearing every Saturday on Distro of the Week, reviews the week's Linux news. Today we look at a variety of items, including a Cosmic update, PeppermintOS changes, and other news. distrooftheweek.com/2026/09/26/b...

distrooftheweek.comBits & Bobs: Cosmic 1.9 releasedCompiled by Larry Cafiero Marcus Nestor at 9 to 5 Linux reported on Thursday that the Cosmic 1.9 desktop has been released, with improvements including upgrades on the Cosmic Viewer, Cosmic OSK, an…
Distro of the Week
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We visit Brazil, not exactly a hotbed of Linux development, but they do OK nonetheless. This week, Distro of the Week test-drives Mauna Linux 25.3 MATE, based on Debian and, as it turns out, a standout in the country's Linux lineup. distrooftheweek.com/2026/09/22/d...

distrooftheweek.comDistro of the Week: Mauna Linux 25.3Debian-based distro from Brazil adds much to its nation’s rep in Linuxsphere By Larry Cafiero When it comes to creating and maintaining Linux distros, Brazil doesn’t jump out as the first place you…
Distro of the Week
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Distro of the Week presents Bits & Bobs every Saturday, bringing you the week's Linux news. This week there is no shortage of it: Gnome, Debian, Fedora, and seven old-school programs still thriving in the Linuxverse. Enjoy! distrooftheweek.com/2026/09/19/b...

distrooftheweek.comBits & Bobs: Gnome 51 releasedCompiled by Larry Cafiero Michael Larabel at Phoronix reported on Wednesday that Gnome 51 was released, complete with improved frame scheduling among it many improvements. “Gnome 51 debuted today w…
Distro of the Week
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This week's Distro of the Week - Artix Linux - is unique in the Arch-based distro universe insofar as it is missing systemd, offering OpenRC and dinit instead in its latest version. This makes for an interesting distro worth a look. distrooftheweek.com/2026/09/16/d...

distrooftheweek.comDistro of the Week: Artix Linux XfceArch-based distro minus systemd making waves in the Linuxsphere By Larry Cafiero As of late, it seems that more and more distros are based on Arch Linux – by the way – than any other distro, which …
Distro of the Week
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When Distro of the Week looked at SparkyLinux a year ago, we liked the Debian-based Polish distro. Fast-forward a year, and SparkyLinux 8.4 - code-named Seven Sisters, keeping with the distro's constellation motif - made several improvements to be even better. distrooftheweek.com/2026/09/09/d...

distrooftheweek.comDistro of the Week: SparkyLinux 8.4Polish distro based on Debian continues to impress and is still a joy to use By Larry Cafiero When we last left SparkyLinux – back in July of last year reviewing version 7.7 for FOSS Force – the di…
Distro of the Week
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Today's first weekly Bits & Bobs - featuring a summary of the week's Linux news every Saturday - has a wealth of information regarding Linux happenings this week. Read on . . . distrooftheweek.com/2026/09/05/b...

distrooftheweek.comBits & Bobs: Six best distro for kidsCompiled by Larry Cafiero Linux Stans presented an interesting article on Thursday rating the six best Linux distro for kids today, which came up with some fascinating results. Long gone are the da…
Distro of the Week
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We get mail: A reader suggested this week's Distro of the Week - Fluff Linux - and we obliged by taking it on a test drive. This American distro, based on Arch with the KDE Plasma desktop environment, impressed on several levels. distrooftheweek.com/2026/09/02/d...

distrooftheweek.comDistro of the Week: Fluff LinuxAmerican distro based on Arch and featuring KDE Plasma stands out as a pleasant surprise By Larry Cafiero Today’s Distro of the Week comes from our proverbial mailbag, sort of. From time to time, w…
Distro of the Week
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This week's Distro of the Week is Garuda Linux. After a year, they developed an update more than worthy of mention. This Arch-based distro even changed the naming convention of its distro to dragons. No small feat there. Welcome to Garuda Temeraire Xfce! distrooftheweek.com/2026/08/26/d...

distrooftheweek.comDistro of the Week: Garuda TemeraireA year of improvements, but this German distro remains true to its Arch-based roots By Larry Cafiero Back in April, we took Garuda Broadwing Mokka on a test drive on FOSS Force. If memory serves, t…
Distro of the Week
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This week's Distro of the Week is Poland's Linux Q83 13.14 Kopernik, a Debian-based distro which shows much promise once you get past the default desktop photo. Why it ranks in the 90s on Distrowatch is a mystery when it should be rated much higher. distrooftheweek.com/2026/08/19/d...

distrooftheweek.comDistro of the Week: Linux Q83 13.14Polish distro based on Debian is a winner, and should be ranked higher in Distrowatch By Larry Cafiero Following up our review of MX Linux last week, we didn’t want to go for another famous Linux d…
Distro of the Week
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This week's Distro of the Week is MX Linux 25.2 Infinity. As with the previous iteration of this distro - reviewed by yours truly in October - I was not sure that the developers could improve on it. Silly me. They did. distrooftheweek.com/2026/08/12/distro-of-the-week-mx-linux-25-2-infinity/

distrooftheweek.comDistro of the Week: MX Linux 25.2Greco-American distro upholds high standards while breaking new ground By Larry Cafiero When we last left MX Linux – and this was back in October when I was writing Distro of the Week for FOSS Forc…
Distro of the Week
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This week's Distro of the Week is a British Linux distro that believes presenting a blank canvas for the user to fill with his or her own wants and needs is the way to go. Ladies and gentlemen - that covers most of you - introducing Peppermint OS. distrooftheweek.com/2026/08/05/d...

distrooftheweek.comDistro of the Week: Peppermint OSBritish distro based on Debian offers a blank canvas for users to explore By Larry Cafiero Which distro, right from the start, gives you the option to set up your distro the way you actually want i…
Distro of the Week
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For Bits & Bobs today, it's all Arch Linux all the time, by the way. Arch disables AUR again, a long-time Arch developer resigns, and - to top it all off - Arch releases its August ISO. distrooftheweek.com/2026/08/03/b...

distrooftheweek.comBits & Bobs: Arch disables AUR againBy Larry Cafiero Bill Toulas of BleepingComputer.com reported on Friday that Arch is disabling its Arch User Repository – otherwise known as AUR – to stem the flow of malware and malicious takeover…
Distro of the Week
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Cosmic desktop environment gets an update, not all GPLed stuff is out of the FreeBSD kernel, and an update on Stonking Stingray. Just another end-of-the-week of Linux news on Bits & Bobs. distrooftheweek.com/2026/07/31/b...

distrooftheweek.comBits & Bobs: Cosmic 1.5 releasedMarcus Nestor at 9 to 5 Linux reported on Wednesday that computer maker System76 released version 1.5 of the Cosmic desktop environment. Based on Rust, the desktop environment’s improvements are ge…
Distro of the Week
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Like how gravity works or the ending of the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey,” one of life’s mysteries is why the Turkish Linux distro Pardus doesn't top of the list of all-time greats. Distro of the Week takes Pardus 25.2 Xfce for a spin, and again we're impressed. distrooftheweek.com/2026/07/29/d...

distrooftheweek.comDistro of the Week: Pardus 25.2 XfceTurkish distro based on Debian maintains its latest version’s sky-high standards By Larry Cafiero When I first took this week’s Distro of the Week out for a spin – and that was when I was at …
Distro of the Week
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LibreOffice gets an update, KDE Plasma gets a new tool, and why DOES your Linux box actually perform as well as it does? Just another weekend of Linux news on Bits & Bobs. distrooftheweek.com/2026/07/27/b...

distrooftheweek.comBits & Bobs: LibreOffice updatedBy Larry Cafiero Not exactly Linux-specific, but close enough . . . Bobby Barisov of Linuxiac reported on Friday that LibreOffice had released an updated verstion of the 26.2 series – this one 26.2…
Distro of the Week
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This week's article is another Linux first for us: We test-drive a Spanish Devuan-based distro, free of systemd and using LibreX as the X server. Ladies and gentlemen -- that covers most of you -- welcome to the versatile Vendefoul Wolf Excalibur Xfce. distrooftheweek.com/2026/07/22/v...

distrooftheweek.comVendefoul Wolf Excalibur XfceDevuan-based distro brings speed, performance to wide range of hardware By Larry Cafiero And the hits just keep on coming . . . Not only was last week a week of firsts for Distro of the Week, we fo…
Distro of the Week
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Apologies! The weekend was a little light on Linux news, so Bits & Bobs had to reach a bit. Hopefully, the week will get better for Friday's edition, but bienvenidos a DebConf26 en Argentina! distrooftheweek.com/2026/07/20/b...

distrooftheweek.comBits & Bobs: KDE Plasma 6.8 adds server-side shadowsBy Larry Cafiero Bobby Borisov on Linuxiac reported on Friday that KDE Plasma 6.8 will improve the visual consistency of applications by adding server-side shadows to windows that do not draw them …
Distro of the Week
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In today's Bits & Bobs on Distro of the Week: How to use AUR safely, Gnome making improvements on testing, and finally Void Linux getting a new package manager. Enjoy! distrooftheweek.com/2026/07/17/b...

distrooftheweek.comBits & Bobs: How to use AUR safelyBy Larry Cafiero Senthilkumar Palani (aka SK) wrote in OS Technix on Thursday a guideline regarding how to safely use the Arch User Repository (AUR), which was compromised to the tune of over 1,500…
Distro of the Week
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This week's Distro of the Week is a first for the column. Not only is it our first Greek Linux distro, we finally -- FINALLY! -- downloaded and used a distro based on Slackware. distrooftheweek.com/2026/07/15/d...

distrooftheweek.comDistro of the Week: Slackel 9.0 MATEDespite dated menus, pop-ups, Greek distro based on Slackware excels on many fronts By Larry Cafiero We have a couple of notable firsts here at Distro of the Week: First and foremost, we are trying…
Distro of the Week
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Linux Mint goes Wayland. Tuxedo OS switches Linux bases. And what is going on with KDE anyway? Find out by reading Bits & Bobs from Distro of the Week. Enjoy! distrooftheweek.com/2026/07/10/b...

distrooftheweek.comBits & Bobs: Linux Mint to provide Wayland support for CinnamonBy Larry Cafiero Marcus Nestor at 9 to 5 Linux reported on Wednesday that full Wayland support is on the way for the Linux Mint Cinnamon edition version 6.8. According to the article, “Linux Mint p…
Distro of the Week
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This week's "Distro of the Week" take a trip south - way south, incidentally - to Chile, where the Chilean Linux distro OmegaLinux is put through its paces. Once based on Lubuntu, it's now based on Arch, and its performance upticks show. Enjoy! distrooftheweek.com/2026/07/08/o...

distrooftheweek.comOmegaLinux Next Deep Blue SeaTossing Lubutnu for Arch, Chilean distro offers much for those with limited resources By Larry Cafiero For today’s Distro of the Week, we’re going to go south of the border – way south, apparently …
Distro of the Week
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It's a girl! Hannah Montana Linux returns, along with 18 years of updates and a new Debian base. Also, are these desktop environments really forgotten, or are they just not part of the Gnome/KDE juggernaut? You decide. Monday's Bits & Bobs is available. distrooftheweek.com/2026/07/06/b...

distrooftheweek.comBits & Bobs: Gnome 51 ready for testingBy Larry Cafiero Marcus Nestor on 9 to 5 Linux reported on Friday that Gnome has released the alpha version of Gnome 51 for public testing “to give the community a first taste of the new feat…
Distro of the Week
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LazyLinux is a misnomer. Not only is it not 'lazy,' it stands head and shoulders above many Linux distros. Based on Void Linux - of all distros - it is also the only distro from Armenia - of all places. Have a read of this week's Distro of the Week here . . . distrooftheweek.com/2026/07/01/d...

distrooftheweek.comDistro of the Week: LazyLinux XfceArmenian offering based on Void checks all boxes, and the distro’s anything but ‘lazy’ By Larry Cafiero Sometimes you have a list of distros to choose from and you put them in a n…
Distro of the Week
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Today's Bits & Bobs from Distro of the Week provides answers to the age-old question: Of all the distros based on Arch Linux, which is the best? There's a list out there thanks to HowToGeek.com. Read on . . . distrooftheweek.com/2026/06/29/b...

distrooftheweek.comBits & Bobs: Best Arch-based distro?By Larry Cafiero Hand it to Dibakar Ghosh at HowToGeek.com for taking the time to do this, and while the story is a couple of weeks old, it bears repeating today. Ghosh took the time to test nine –…
Distro of the Week
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It's Wednesday, so that can only mean one thing: Distro of the Week. This week, what does Poland have to offer in the Linux realm? One example is Mabox 26.04 Openbox, proving that Arch-based (or adjacently, Manjaro-based) distros are safe to use. Enjoy! distrooftheweek.com/2026/06/24/m...

distrooftheweek.comMabox 26.04 OpenboxManjaro-based distro works well overall, appeals to more experienced users on the Linux spectrum The Openbox desktop on Mabox 26.04 shows a clean look. By Larry Cafiero With all the hubbub around t…