Not yet seconds ago.
False
Not yet seconds ago
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DistroWatch Weekly
A weekly opinion column and a summary of events from the distribution world
DistroWatch Weekly NovaCustom
DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 1177, 15 June 2026
Welcome to this year's 24th issue of DistroWatch Weekly! RakuOS is one of the increasing number of Linux distributions that embrace Fedora's Silverblue or Kinoite to build immutable systems with atomic updates and Flatpak support. But RakuOS attempts to be somewhat different and more flexible. While most similar projects simply disable the traditional package managers (RPM, DNF) to preserve the immutability of the base system, RakuOS allows their use on "overlays". How does this approach work? Read our review below to find out. Also in the review section, a look at the recent release of the Manjaro-based TROMjaro distribution. In the news part of the weekly, we bring an update on Ubuntu MATE which missed the last two regular releases, report about an issue concerning Asahi Linux users who dual-boot with macOS, present an attempt to revive the Antergos distribution, and follow the security incidents affecting Arch's AUR repository. Also in this week's edition, a Q&A column that explores the possibility of setting variables across multiple shells, an opinion poll about using more than shell, and an introduction to two new distributions that were added to the DistroWatch database last week - butrelinux and Abora OS. We hope you enjoy the start of the new week and wish you all great reading!
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This week's DistroWatch Weekly is presented by TUXEDO Computers. The NovaCustom PrivacyGuard Laptop is ideal for anyone who prioritizes privacy. Comes with Dasharo coreboot open source firmware and Zorin OS Pro, free from influence of Big Tech.
Content:
* Review: RakuOS 44 and TROMjaro 2026.05.08 TUXEDO
* News: Ubuntu MATE updates status of distribution, Asahi Linux fixes dual-boot issue with macOS 27, Antergos gets new life, Arch Linux suffers repeat incidents in AUR repository
* Questions and answers: Setting variables across multiple shells
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* Opinion poll: Do you use more than one shell on a regular basis?
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* New distributions: StryxOS, CobaltX, Lumina Linux, Illogical Impulse ISO
* Reader comments
Feature Story (By Jesse Smith) Archives
RakuOS 44 • Issue 1177 (2026-06-15): TROMjaro 2026.05.08, Ubuntu MATE updates, Asahi fixes dual-boot issue with macOS 27, AUR infected with malware, setting variables across shells
• Issue 1176 (2026-06-08): Redcore Linux 2601, the problem with minimal system requirements, Red Hat account linked to compromised npm repositories, COSMIC to get frosted glass effect, openSUSE shows off system extension manager, Origami merges with RakuOS
The first thing I noticed when I started looking at RakuOS was text near the top of the project's website with the slogan: " Atomic Linux that doesn't take away your package manager. " This puzzled me at first because I've never known atomic systems which prevented the use of, or conflicted with, any package manager. Then the realization dawned on me that the developers were confusing the terms "atomic" and "immutable", which was an early warning sign. The website goes on: Traditional atomic Linux systems force a painful trade-off: keep the system immutable, or layer packages slowly with rpm-ostree or similar. RakuOS removes that compromise entirely. RakuOS uses a persistent overlay system mounted directly on /usr . Your base system is always pristine - but you can install any native package you want, and it survives every system update. • Issue 1175 (2026-06-01): PineTab2 with various distros, less common words of wisdom, Canonical shutting down Ubuntu's Pastebin, Murena nears 100k users, DistroWatch turns 25
• Issue 1174 (2026-05-25): Solus 4.9, Linux tablets, Haiku boots on Apple M1 machines, Fedora drops Deepin packages, Mint improves Nemo performance
On the surface this sounds like a good idea, however it shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what atomic package management is. Atomic packages are ones which either are, or are not, installed. There is no "in between" moment when, if the system crashes, a package is only half-installed or half-updated. This can be achieved through a number of methods, such as snapshots, symbolic links, and mounted modules. Immutable distributions are quite another thing, where the base operating system is mounted in a read-only configuration. This prevents changes from being made to the core operating system while it is running. • Issue 1173 (2026-05-18): Sylve on FreeBSD, the benefit of BleachBit, Debian commits to reproducible builds, Debian publishes updated install media, Haiku introduces SMP support on ARM64 processors, Rocky Linux creates opt-in security repository, Fedora reconsiders AI tools, KDE receives generous donation
• Issue 1172 (2026-05-11): Fedora 44, dealing with extra fonts, Fedora plans to provide AI tools, problems with Ubuntu's new coreutils, TrueNAS extends its development cycle, postmarktetOS improves the boot splash screen, Redox ports tmux
It is possible for atomic distributions to also be immutable, and it is possible for immutable operating systems to be atomic, but the RakuOS project treats the terms of entirely separate design choices as interchangeable and this is a bad sign. • Issue 1171 (2026-05-04): Xubuntu 26.04, extending memory with VRAM, Ubuntu plans AI features, Devuan developer forks GTK2, Mint introduces hardware enablement builds, Linux running on a PlayStation 5, local kernel exploit found in Linux
• Issue 1170 (2026-04-27): ENux 5.2.1, picking a second distro, AlmaLinux expands CPU support, FreeBSD publishes Status Report, Ubuntu MATE skips 26.04 release
Reading further, from what I was able to put together from the website, RakuOS is an immutable Linux distribution based on Fedora, with a choice of KDE Plasma, GNOME or COSMIC desktops. It combines an immutable, read-only base system with the full package flexibility of a traditional Linux distribution using overlays. While the core system is immutable and can be rolled back if an upgrade fails, the system's overlay lets the user install any package, either through the DNF package manager or the distribution's own software centre, which is called RakuOS Software. Installation of Flatpak packages is also supported. Some useful tips for package management and system upgrades are offered in the distribution's FAQ. • Issue 1169 (2026-04-20): Lakka 6.1, free software and source-based distributions, FreeBSD Foundation publishes compatible laptop list, Debian holds Project Leader election, Haiku progresses ARM64 port, Mint to extend development cycle, Linux 7.0 released
• Issue 1168 (2026-04-13): pearOS 2026.03, EndeavourOS 2026.03.06, which distros are adopting age verification, Arch adjusts its firewall packages, Linux dropping i486 support, Red Hat extends its release cycle, Debian's APT introduces rollbacks, Redox improves its scheduler
The three desktop editions (Plasma, GNOME, and COSMIC) are offered for x86_64 machines only. Each edition is offered in two builds, one for Intel and AMD video cards with the other build for NVIDIA video cards. I downloaded the COSMIC edition's ISO which is 4.2GB in size. • Issue 1167 (2026-04-06): Origami Linux 2026.03, answering questions for Linux newcomers, Ubuntu MATE seeking new contributors, Ubuntu software centre is expanding Deb support, FreeBSD fixes forum exploit, openSUSE 15 Leap nears its end of life
• Issue 1166 (2026-03-30): NetBSD jails, publishing software for Linux, Ubuntu joins Rust Foundation, Canonical plans to trim GRUB features, Peppermint works on new utilities, PINE64 shows off open hardware capabilities
The live environment boots directly into the COSMIC desktop. A panel is placed across the top of the screen. The panel holds buttons on the left for opening a workspace overview and the application menu. There is a clock in the middle of the panel and a system tray to the right. A single icon on the desktop offers to launch the distribution's system installer. There is a dock at the bottom of the COSMIC interface where we can launch applications and open the application menu. The application menu, in this case, is a grid of icons which takes up most of the desktop. • Issue 1165 (2026-03-23): Argent Linux 1.5.3, disk space required by Linux, Manjaro team goes on strike, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA driver support and builds RISC-V packages, systemd introduces age tracking
• Issue 1164 (2026-03-16): d77void, age verification laws and Linux, SUSE may be for sale, TrueNAS takes its build system private, Debian publishes updated Trixie media, MidnightBSD and System76 respond to age verification laws
Installing • Issue 1163 (2026-03-09): KaOS 2026.02, TinyCore 17.0, NuTyX 26.02.2, Would one big collection of packages help?, Guix offers 64-bit Hurd options, Linux communities discuss age delcaration laws, Mint unveils new screensaver for Cinnamon, Redox ports new COSMIC features
• Issue 1162 (2026-03-02): AerynOS 2026.01, anti-virus and firewall tools, Manjaro fixes website certificate, Ubuntu splits firmware package, jails for NetBSD, extended support for some Linux kernel releases, Murena creating a map app
RakuOS uses the new Fedora installer. Something which stood out right away is that while the installer was slow to respond when I trialed it on Fedora 44, the interface was responsive when I was running RakuOS. The installer walks us through picking our language and keyboard layout. We are asked to set our clock and pick a timezone. When I got to partitioning, the problems started (just as they had when running Fedora). • Issue 1161 (2026-02-23): The Guix package manager, quick Q&As, Gentoo migrating its mirrors, Fedora considers more informative kernel panic screens, GhostBSD testing alternative X11 implementation, Asahi makes progress with Apple M3, NetBSD userland ported, FreeBSD improves web-based system management
• Issue 1160 (2026-02-16): Noid and AgarimOS, command line tips, KDE Linux introduces delta updates, Redox OS hits development milestone, Linux Mint develops a desktop-neutral account manager, sudo developer seeks sponsorship
My first time through the process I took the installer's suggestion for an automatic partition layout and accepted the idea of placing /boot on an ext4 filesystem and the root filesystem on a Btrfs volume. I was then asked if the partition should be encrypted and was prompted to make up a username and a password for myself. The installer began copying files to my disk and it almost immediately failed with an error message indicating it had run out of space on the drive. I examined the partitions RakuOS had taken over and discovered they were both (the /boot and root filesystems) less than 5% full. • Issue 1159 (2026-02-09): Sharing files on a network, isolating processes on Linux, LFS to focus on systemd, openSUSE polishes atomic updates, NetBSD not likely to adopt Rust code, COSMIC roadmap
• Issue 1158 (2026-02-02): Manjaro 26.0, fastest filesystem, postmarketOS progress report, Xfce begins developing its own Wayland window manager, Bazzite founder interviewed
• Issue 1157 (2026-01-26): Setting up a home server, what happened to convergence, malicious software entering the Snap store, postmarketOS automates hardware tests, KDE's login manager works with systemd only
RakuOS 44 - running the system installer on COSMIC • Issue 1156 (2026-01-19): Chimera Linux's new installer, using the DistroWatch Torrent Corner, new package tools for Arch, Haiku improves EFI support, Redcore streamlines branches, Synex introduces install-time ZFS options
(full image size: 553kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels) • Issue 1155 (2026-01-12): MenuetOS, CDE on Sparky, iDeal OS 2025.12.07, recommended flavour of BSD, Debian seeks new Data Protection Team, Ubuntu 25.04 nears its end of life, Google limits Android source code releases, Fedora plans to replace SDDM, Budgie migrates to Wayland
• Issue 1154 (2026-01-05): postmarketOS 25.06/25.12, switching to Linux and educational resources, FreeBSD improving laptop support, Unix v4 available for download, new X11 server in development, CachyOS team plans server edtion
I launched the installer and tried again. This time I opted for manual partitioning, using the "storage editor" tool. It refused to touch any partitions, insisting they were still mounted. I checked and, as stated, the partitions were still being accessed, apparently by the previous installer process. I decided to reboot the live environment and start over from scratch. • Issue 1153 (2025-12-22): Best projects of 2025, is software ever truly finished?, Firefox to adopt AI components, Asahi works on improving the install experience, Mageia presents plans for version 10
• Issue 1152 (2025-12-15): OpenBSD 7.8, filtering websites, Jolla working on a Linux phone, Germany saves money with Linux, Ubuntu to package AMD tools, Fedora demonstrates AI troubleshooting, Haiku packages Go language
In the spirit of starting fresh, I wanted to remove the old partitions before running the system installer and discovered there are no graphical partition managers included with the RakuOS live desktop. There is the trusty cfdisk command line tool and I made use of that. I wiped out the old partitions RakuOS had touched and created new ones, both ext4 for /boot and root. I ran the installer and dived in once more. • Issue 1151 (2025-12-08): FreeBSD 15.0, fun command line tricks, Canonical presents plans for Ubutnu 26.04, SparkyLinux updates CDE packages, Redox OS gets modesetting driver
• Issue 1150 (2025-12-01): Gnoppix 25_10, exploring if distributions matter, openSUSE updates tumbleweed's boot loader, Fedora plans better handling of broken packages, Plasma to become Wayland-only, FreeBSD publishes status report
When I got to the disk partitioning section of the installer I took an option to manually assign mount points to existing partitions. Here I ran into yet another problem. My small /boot partition showed up as an option which could be assigned to a mount point, but the larger root partition did not. It was simply not an option from the "assign mount point" drop-down menu. The partition did show up when using command line tools such as df, cfdisk, and lsblk, but not from within the system installer. • Issue 1149 (2025-11-24): MX Linux 25, why are video drivers special, systemd experiments with musl, Debian Libre Live publishes new media, Xubuntu reviews website hack
• Issue 1148 (2025-11-17): Zorin OS 18, deleting a file with an unusual name, NetBSD experiments with sandboxing, postmarketOS unifies its documentation, OpenBSD refines upgrades, Canonical offers 15 years of support for Ubuntu
I ended up working around this limitation by opening the storage editor from the installer, re-formatting each partition, and (in the process) assigning the partitions mount points. Then, when I returned to the installer, I was able to select "use configured storage" as an option to keep the mount points I'd set up in the storage editor. This was a lot of back and forth, but I felt like I was making progress. • Issue 1147 (2025-11-10): Fedora 43, the size and stability of the Linux kernel, Debian introducing Rust to APT, Redox ports web engine, Kubuntu website off-line, Mint creates new troubleshooting tools, FreeBSD improves reproducible builds, Flatpak development resumes
• Issue 1146 (2025-11-03): StartOS 0.4.0, testing piped commands, Ubuntu Unity seeks help, Canonical offers Ubuntu credentials, Red Hat partners with NVIDIA, SUSE to bundle AI agent with SLE 16
The installer asked me again to make up a username and password combination and then almost immediately crashed, reporting the target drive was out of space. The partitions were, upon inspection, about 1% full. There seems to be something terribly wrong with the process of transferring the RakuOS image to the local drive and it is reporting incorrect error messages. • Issue 1145 (2025-10-27): Linux Mint 7 "LMDE", advice for new Linux users, AlmaLinux to offer Btrfs, KDE launches Plasma 6.5, Fedora accepts contributions written by AI, Ubuntu 25.10 fails to install automatic updates
• Issue 1144 (2025-10-20): Kubuntu 25.10, creating and restoring encrypted backups, Fedora team debates AI, FSF plans free software for phones, ReactOS addresses newer drivers, Xubuntu reacts to website attack
Deciding I'd wasted enough time and that I was unlikely to get further, I decided to shift focus to another distribution I had not used. • Issue 1143 (2025-10-13): openSUSE 16.0 Leap, safest source for new applications, Redox introduces performance improvements, TrueNAS Connect available for testing, Flatpaks do not work on Ubuntu 25.10, Kamarada plans to switch its base, Solus enters new epoch, Frugalware discontinued
• Issue 1142 (2025-10-06): Linux Kamarada 15.6, managing ZIP files with SQLite, F-Droid warns of impact of Android lockdown, Alpine moves ahead with merged /usr, Cinnamon gets a redesigned application menu
* * * * * • Issue 1141 (2025-09-29): KDE Linux and GNOME OS, finding mobile flavours of Linux, Murena to offer phones with kill switches, Redox OS running on a smartphone, Artix drops GNOME
• Issue 1140 (2025-09-22): NetBSD 10.1, avoiding AI services, AlmaLinux enables CRB repository, Haiku improves disk access performance, Mageia addresses service outage, GNOME 49 released, Linux introduces multikernel support
TROMjaro 2026.05.08 • Issue 1139 (2025-09-15): EasyOS 7.0, Linux and central authority, FreeBSD running Plasma 6 on Wayland, GNOME restores X11 support temporarily, openSUSE dropping BCacheFS in new kernels
• Issue 1138 (2025-09-08): Shebang 25.8, LibreELEC 12.2.0, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, the importance of software updates, AerynOS introduces package sets, postmarketOS encourages patching upstream, openSUSE extends Leap support, Debian refreshes Trixie media
I tried downloading TROMjaro next, a Manjaro-based distribution featuring a custom Xfce desktop. My initial download attempt failed. It turned out the Nextcloud instance where the files were hosted was unavailable/off-line. The Nextcloud server reported it was "Temporarily suspended due to bandwidth limitations." The TROMjaro download page has an alternative download and I was able to find a working, though somewhat slow mirror, and fetched the 5.7GB file. • Issue 1137 (2025-09-01): Tribblix 0m37, malware scanners flagging Linux ISO files, KDE introduces first-run setup wizard, CalyxOS plans update prior to infrastructure overhaul, FreeBSD publishes status report
• Issue 1136 (2025-08-25): CalyxOS 6.8.20, distros for running containers, Arch Linux website under attack,illumos Cafe launched, CachyOS creates web dashboard for repositories
TROMjaro runs on x86_64 machines only and is available in just one edition featuring the Xfce desktop. Compared with its parent, TROMjaro offers several user-friendly utilities, such as a Layout Switcher with six different layouts and a Theme Switcher with several accent colours. It also provides various enhancements, including the integration of the Chaotic-AUR software repository with pre-built binary packages. The distribution reportedly ships with a selection of custom wallpapers and icon packs, along with extra configuration options in the Settings Manager. The latest version of TROMjaro swaps out the Celluloid video player for an alternative called Clapper. • Issue 1135 (2025-08-18): Debian 13, Proton, WINE, Wayland, and Wayback, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, KDE gets advanced Liquid Glass, Haiku improves authentication tools
• Issue 1134 (2025-08-11): Rhino Linux 2025.3, thoughts on malware in the AUR, Fedora brings hammered websites back on-line, NetBSD reveals features for version 11, Ubuntu swaps some command line tools for 25.10, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA support
The live desktop • Issue 1133 (2025-08-04): Expirion Linux 6.0, running Plasma on Linux Mint, finding distros which support X11, Debian addresses 22 year old bug, FreeBSD discusses potential issues with pkgbase, CDE ported to OpenBSD, Btrfs corruption bug hitting Fedora users, more malware found in Arch User Repository
• Issue 1132 (2025-07-28): deepin 25, wars in the open source community, proposal to have Fedora enable Flathub repository, FreeBSD plans desktop install option, Wayback gets its first release
Booting from the live medium brings up an error message (always a poor omen) which says "Unable to contact settings server." When this window is dismissed we are shown a login page. The page prompts for the password for the default "tromjaro" user. I tried variations of "manjaro", "tromjaro", "root", "live", and just a blank password. None of these worked. I found a page on the project's website which said "TROMjaro" is the password, but this one was also rejected. I then realized if I switched the login screen from the default user and tried to sign in as "root", then the "TROMjaro" password would allow me to sign into a desktop session. I'm not sure why the developers decided to make users sign in instead of using auto-login or why they post the password for a non-default user. Both choices seem designed to keep users from testing the live environment. • Issue 1131 (2025-07-21): HeliumOS 10.0, settling on one distro, Mint plans new releases, Arch discovers malware in AUR, Plasma Bigscreen returns, Clear Linux discontinued
• Issue 1130 (2025-07-14): openSUSE MicroOS and RefreshOS, sharing aliases between computers, Bazzite makes Bazaar its default Flatpak store, Alpine plans Wayback release, Wayland and X11 benchmarked, Red Hat offers additional developer licenses, openSUSE seeks feedback from ARM users, Ubuntu 24.10 reaches the end of its life
The live Xfce desktop is set up with an application dock down the left side of the desktop. There is also a panel across the top of the display. A few windows open when we first login. One is the Emote emojii picker app. A second window is the help guide for the emojii picker which explains how to use it. A third window represents the EasyStroke Gesture Recognition app. I'm not familiar with this third application and it doesn't have any welcome message to explain what it does. EasyStroke looks to be a launcher of some kind which uses touch or mouse gestures to trigger commands, though even the project's GitHub page doesn't explain what it does. • Issue 1129 (2025-07-07): GLF OS Omnislash, the worst Linux distro, Alpine introduces Wayback, Fedora drops plans to stop i686 support, AlmaLinux builds EPEL repository for older CPUs, Ubuntu dropping existing RISC-V device support, Rhino partners with UBports, PCLinuxOS recovering from website outage
• Issue 1128 (2025-06-30): AxOS 25.06, AlmaLinux OS 10.0, transferring Flaptak bundles to off-line computers, Ubuntu to boost Intel graphics performance, Fedora considers dropping i686 packages, SDesk switches from SELinux to AppArmor
Dismissing these three windows reveals a sole icon on the desktop for launching the Manjaro system installer. • Issue 1127 (2025-06-23): LastOSLinux 2025-05-25, most unique Linux distro, Haiku stabilises, KDE publishes Plasma 6.4, Arch splits Plasma packages, Slackware infrastructure migrating
• Issue 1126 (2025-06-16): SDesk 2025.05.06, renewed interest in Ubuntu Touch, a BASIC device running NetBSD, Ubuntu dropping X11 GNOME session, GNOME increases dependency on systemd, Google holding back Pixel source code, Nitrux changing its desktop, EFF turns 35
Installing • Full list of all issues
The graphical system installer quickly walks us through picking our language, timezone, and username/password. The installer offers easy manual and guided partitioning options. The latter defaults to using Btrfs with no swap. The installer quickly copied its packages to my hard drive and reported it had finished successfully. When I tried to restart the computer the desktop popped up a new error: "Received error while trying to log out. Session manager must be in idle state." I had to open a terminal and shutdown using a command line tool since the Xfce session refused to exit.
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Early impressions
When my new copy of TROMjaro booted it presented me with a graphical login screen. This time I was able to sign in easier and I was presented with the Xfce desktop and a welcome screen which also acts as a first-run configuration wizard.
Star Labs
The wizard asks us to choose a desktop layout with six options: Windows, MX Linux, Unity, macOS, GNOME, or Topx. This buffet of options controls where the desktop panel is placed and whether there is an application dock on the screen. Picking a new layout requires providing the admin password, but only this first time. If we return to the layout manager later, we can change the desktop arrangement without providing a password.
The next screen of the wizard asks us to select a theme with an array of light, dark, and medium options. We're then asked to pick our wallpaper from a variety of options. The wizard asks if we want to enable a content blocker, which is implemented by TBlock. TBlock offers to block advertising as well as some types of news, adult imagery, gambling websites, and sites known to spread misinformation. It does this by editing our hosts file, which should work with any tools which do not use their own, custom DNS look-up service.
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
The penultimate screen of the welcome window offers to open the settings manager panel and then we are asked to send a donation to the distribution. View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. 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.
What sets TROMjaro apart from its parent?
Since, under the surface, TROMjaro is essentially Manjaro Linux I want to focus on what sets this child apart from its parent. I had written earlier in the year about what it was like to run Manjaro. So, for the purposes of this review, I will focus on what TROMjaro offers beyond its parent. Random Distribution
Custom Xfce desktop and layout
Red Office Linux
Abalinux
I think getting us to pick a layout and theme up front is a nice feature. It helps the user customize their environment in a few important ways before we even start using the desktop. It also means that if there is something we don't like about the desktop presentation, it's likely our own fault. I went with the MX style layout (a single panel on the left) and mostly liked it. The widgets shift properly on the panel and its icons look good on the vertical panel. I liked the dark theme I picked, so it's nice to know I've learned over the years what works for me.
RedOffice was a Chinese office software based on OpenOffice. The developers have released a Linux version bundled with a complete operating system - RedOffice Linux 0.98.
TROMjaro 2026.05.08 - the welcome window Status: Discontinued
Abalinux is a Debian-based Linux distribution developed by the government of the autonomous community of Galicia in Spain and localised into Galician. It is primarily intended for use in educational facilities in the region, but it is also suitable for general desktop deployments. The distribution features the KDE Plasma desktop and a vast collection of pre-installed software for web, education, office, graphics and multimedia. Abalinux, consisting of free and open-source software components, intends to be fast, robust, flexible, secure and easily upgradable.
TROMjaro 2026.05.08 - the welcome window
(full image size: 68kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
Status: Active
My one complaint was with the font. The default font for most elements is Ubuntu Condensed and it's unusually tall and thin. It looks like it was created by someone trying to write a horror novel in the 1800s using a quill. It is easy to change fonts in Appearance settings module and there are several good options from which to choose.
Tips, Tricks, Q&As
Questions and answers: An overview of Linux desktop environments
TROMjaro 2026.05.08 - adjusting the font Tips and tricks: Quick tricks to fix small problems on Linux
(full image size: 121kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels) Questions and answers: Adopting Wayland and delta-Deb packages
Questions and answers: Comparing init systems
Earlier I mentioned the welcome window offers to help us change the layout of the desktop. This tool, the Layout Switcher, can also be launched as a stand-alone application. The Layout Switcher presents us with six different layouts and we can change the desktop's layout at any time with a few clicks. The panel and the dock change positions and orientations almost instantly and do not require us to logout to apply the changes. I like that when we adjust the panel's orientation the widgets rotate to match the new layout. This makes it easier to read the clock, for example, when the panel is rotated. The distribution also ships with a stand-alone Theme Switcher with several accent colours and different desktop themes. I appreciated both of these tools and how easy they were to use. Questions and answers: Considering a Microsoft Linux distro
Tips and tricks: Check free disk space, wait for a process, command line spell-check, shutdown PC when CPU gets hot
Questions and answers: What information is shared from different desktop environments?
TROMjaro 2026.05.08 - changing the desktop layout Tips and tricks: Running Mandriva "Cooker"
(full image size: 68kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels) Tips and tricks: Bash command line short-cuts and tips
Tips and tricks: GRUB Customizer
Integration of the Chaotic-AUR repository with pre-built binary packages More Tips & Tricks and Questions & Answers
The TROMjaro distribution reportedly connects with the Chaotic-AUR software repository to provide additional binary packages. Software management is primarily handled by Pamac. This software centre offers a modern, easy to navigate interface. By default we are connected with the TROMjaro repository (which appears to be the Manjaro repository in all but name). Pamac also connects with Flathub and Chaotic-AUR.
TROMjaro 2026.05.08 - adjusting the font Tips, Tricks, Q&As
(full image size: 121kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels) Questions and answers: Legal concerns over cloning visual elements
Questions and answers: Alternatives to GNOME 3
Earlier I mentioned the welcome window offers to help us change the layout of the desktop. This tool, the Layout Switcher, can also be launched as a stand-alone application. The Layout Switcher presents us with six different layouts and we can change the desktop's layout at any time with a few clicks. The panel and the dock change positions and orientations almost instantly and do not require us to logout to apply the changes. I like that when we adjust the panel's orientation the widgets rotate to match the new layout. This makes it easier to read the clock, for example, when the panel is rotated. The distribution also ships with a stand-alone Theme Switcher with several accent colours and different desktop themes. I appreciated both of these tools and how easy they were to use. Questions and answers: Considering upgrade pros and cons
Tips and tricks: Transitioning from PC-BSD to TrueOS
Questions and answers: Comparing Linux and BSD
TROMjaro 2026.05.08 - changing the desktop layout Tips and tricks: Advanced file systems, network traffic, running a script at login/logout
(full image size: 68kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels) Tips and tricks: Copying columns of text, organizing files, creating torrents
Questions and answers: The new Arch Linux system installer
Integration of the Chaotic-AUR repository with pre-built binary packages Tips and tricks: Filtering ads with a Pi-hole
Tips and tricks: Creating a SOCKS proxy for web browsing
The TROMjaro distribution reportedly connects with the Chaotic-AUR software repository to provide additional binary packages. Software management is primarily handled by Pamac. This software centre offers a modern, easy to navigate interface. By default we are connected with the TROMjaro repository (which appears to be the Manjaro repository in all but name). Pamac also connects with Flathub and Chaotic-AUR. More Tips & Tricks and Questions & Answers
I tried installing a few packages from the official repository and from Flathub, with both working well. When I tried to install new packages from the Chaotic-AUR repository the action failed with an error saying the packages were corrupt or had failed their verification check. I tried fetching a few different packages that were provided by Chaotic-AUR and they all failed with the same error. This verification errors suggestion either the verification key is outdated or the packages have been corrupted. I suspect the repository's key was updated at some point and this has broken verification on TROMjaro.
TUXEDO
I tried installing a few packages from the official repository and from Flathub, with both working well. When I tried to install new packages from the Chaotic-AUR repository the action failed with an error saying the packages were corrupt or had failed their verification check. I tried fetching a few different packages that were provided by Chaotic-AUR and they all failed with the same error. This verification errors suggestion either the verification key is outdated or the packages have been corrupted. I suspect the repository's key was updated at some point and this has broken verification on TROMjaro.
TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite
TROMjaro 2026.05.08 - failing to install packages from Chaotic-AUR 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!
(full image size: 83kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
TROMjaro 2026.05.08 - failing to install packages from Chaotic-AUR
(full image size: 83kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels) 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!
A selection of custom wallpapers and icon packs
Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
A selection of custom wallpapers and icon packs
The TROMjaro website mentions the distribution ships with custom wallpapers and icon packs. I can confirm that, yes, there are some extra wallpapers beyond what Xfce supplies. There are not many, and none which stand out, in my opinion. The same can be said for icons - there are a few icon packs available, providing fairly standard options. Star Labs
Extra configuration options in the Settings Manager
At first I thought this features, offering extra configuration options, meant the distribution simply included links to the aforementioned TROMjaro appearance and layout modules and these two tools would be included in the Settings Manager panel. It turns out there are quite a few useful shortcuts in the settings manager beyond these custom TROMjaro tools. These extras include a module for editing cron jobs, a backup tool, a firewall manager, and a few other system-level configuration tools. Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. 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.
TROMjaro 2026.05.08 - the settings panel and application menu
The TROMjaro website mentions the distribution ships with custom wallpapers and icon packs. I can confirm that, yes, there are some extra wallpapers beyond what Xfce supplies. There are not many, and none which stand out, in my opinion. The same can be said for icons - there are a few icon packs available, providing fairly standard options.
Extra configuration options in the Settings Manager Star Labs
At first I thought this features, offering extra configuration options, meant the distribution simply included links to the aforementioned TROMjaro appearance and layout modules and these two tools would be included in the Settings Manager panel. It turns out there are quite a few useful shortcuts in the settings manager beyond these custom TROMjaro tools. These extras include a module for editing cron jobs, a backup tool, a firewall manager, and a few other system-level configuration tools.
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
TROMjaro 2026.05.08 - the settings panel and application menu View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. 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.
(full image size: 164kB, resolution: 1920x1080 pixels)
In the past, I have mentioned that Linux control panels are sometimes sparse or distributions include too many separate control panels for accomplishing system configuration. I liked that TROMjaro placed most (though not all) of its settings modules in one panel for convenient access.
Swaps out Celluloid video player for Clapper
The latest snapshot of TROMjaro has replaced the Celluloid video player with Clapper. I verified Clapper was installed by default. The application offers a simple video player with a queue and not many other options or features. Clapper appears to be intended to streamline media playing rather than adding new features. I confirmed that could play video and audio files out of the box with Clapper and ran into no issues.
This is a minor change, but when I consider how badly Celluloid has worked for me on most Linux distributions over the past few years, I am happy to see a project offer an alternative.
Conclusions
My experiment with TROMjaro got off to a poor beginning. The distribution failed to load its desktop session, the login screen defaults to signing in a user account which has different credentials than the ones displayed on the project's website, and the live session's desktop does not logout properly. This provided an unusually poor first impression. Cluttering up the live desktop with multiple windows, none of which were necessary (or particularly useful) did not help.
After I got TROMjaro installed the experience improved greatly. The first-run wizard is easy to navigate and adjusts the "big picture" desktop settings which will be applicable to the most people. The theme switcher is smooth and can adjust the desktop without requiring the user to logout. The other tools, while perhaps less grand in their visual effects, also worked well. I like being able to switch themes and backgrounds with a few clicks.
The change in video players, while a smaller detail, was welcome. Celluloid has not offered a good experience for me on most distributions and Clapper, while it is minimal in its feature set, worked without any problems.
The one big disappointment I ran into post-install was with the Chaotic-AUR repository. I like the idea of having pre-built packages from the Arch Linux User Repository, saving users from needing to build AUR packages at install time. However, there seems to be an issue with the verification process which blocks Pamac from downloading from the Chaotic-AUR repository. I checked the Chaotic-AUR website for news which might indicate out of date keys or other problems, but none has been published on their news page, at the time of writing.
The main question, in my mind, about TROMjaro is: does it improve on its parent? In some ways, some small ways, it does. It makes configuring the desktop layout and themes easier, it makes trying out new icons and workflows easier, and it has a solid video player. However, there are more areas in which TROMjaro causes more problems than its parent and in more serious ways. The problems with the live session and the package manager issues harm key elements of the operating system while the benefits are mostly cosmetic.
TROMjaro presents us with a classic case of a project taking one step forward, offering pleasant, new tools, while taking two steps backward by damaging features which were already working. The project needs to sort out the foundation before its cosmetic improvements can shine.
* * * * *
Visitor supplied rating
TROMjaro has a visitor supplied average rating of: 10/10 from 3 review(s).
Have you used TROMjaro? You can leave your own review of the project on our ratings page.
TROMjaro has a visitor supplied Have you used TROMjaro? You can leave your own review of the project on our ratings page.
Miscellaneous News (by Ladislav Bodnar)
Ubuntu MATE updates status of distribution, Asahi Linux fixes dual-boot issue with macOS 27, Antergos gets new life, Arch Linux suffers repeat incidents in AUR repository
Those users who enjoy the classic desktop look on their Ubuntu desktop have been certainly disappointed by the absence of Ubuntu MATE from the recent Ubuntu release calendar. Fortunately, there is hope that the community project will soon return to its former glory. Thomas Ward, member of Ubuntu Community Council and Ubuntu Technical Board, has recently responded to questions about the future of the project: " There is a new team working on Ubuntu MATE who have stepped up to help take over flavor management. They haven't formally introduced themselves yet, but I can safely say that other developers have stepped up for the future of the MATE flavor, despite its prior team lead having stepped down. Ultimately, this means that they are working to cover the missed items and gaps, and may quite possibly have a 26.10 release in October of 2026, which I believe they most likely are targeting. This also means that bugs in the MATE environment and in packages they normally would have shipped had they have a 26.04 release are still going to get attention and fixes. So, effectively, nothing has changed. The only difference is that there was no 26.04 installer image released. " The post also explains how to install the latest Ubuntu with the MATE desktop without the official installation media."
* * * * *
The Asahi Linux project, which develops a Fedora remix compatible with Apple's Silicon MacBooks, has issued a warning to users dual-booting their computers not to upgrade to macOS 27. According to this social media post, the upcoming version of macOS, currently in beta testing phase, makes any existing Asahi Linux partition invisible and therefore unbootable: " PSA for #AsahiLinux users: Do NOT upgrade to macOS 27 Golden Gate! Apple has changed how the boot picker and Startup Disk applications detect valid OS boot volumes. When using either from macOS 27, your Asahi partition will not be visible! We believe this to be a bug, and have filed a report (FB22994760). If you have already upgraded to the beta and noticed that your Asahi partition has disappeared, do not stress. Your Asahi partition is still there, and you have not lost any data. " The problem was fixed on Saturday with the version 0.8.3 of the Asahi installer: " We have tagged and released v0.8.3 of the Asahi Installer, which includes a fix to make Asahi installations visible to the macOS 27 boot picker and Startup Disk applications. If you installed the macOS 27 beta and have been affected, please re-run the installer from macOS. "
* * * * *
Antergos, an Arch-based Linux distribution discontinued in 2019 after some seven years of development, was briefly revived on SourceForge as a community project called Antergos NeXT: " Antergos NeXT is a modern revival of the Antergos Linux distribution, which was discontinued in 2019. Built on Arch Linux with archiso, it features a fixed and maintained Cnchi installer with Python 3.14 compatibility, 522 verified packages, and KDE Plasma as the default desktop environment. " Unfortunately, the attempt to give a new life to an old favourite was short lived; after 9to5Linux discovered a serious bug in the new release, the developer removed the Antergos NeXT project from SourceForge and created a new one, called Pulsar Linux, on GitHub. No releases were available for download at the time of publishing this article.
* * * * *
There is trouble in Arch's AUR (Arch User Repository). Reports started to come in on Friday about a new maintainer adopting some packages and adding malicious commits to them. The compromised packages now include a post-install script that installs atomic-lockfile, a package that appears to be able to extract some private data from the user's computer. Campbell Jones posted an update about the situation earlier today: " We are currently experiencing a high volume of malicious package adoptions and updates in the Arch User Repository. We are actively working to track down existing malicious commits and attempting to prevent additional malicious commits from being pushed. While this is happening, and while we work to create a more permanent solution, users may see issues with the following: creating new accounts on the AUR; pushing package updates; adopting or creating new packages. " After the initial attempt to mitigate the damage, a new and more sophisticated attack was reported on the Arch's AUR mailing list on Saturday. FOSS Force provides a summary of the latest developments in this post.
* * * * *
These and other news stories can be found on our Headlines page.
Questions and Answers (by Jesse Smith)
Setting variables across multiple shells
Ghost-in-the-shells asks: How can I set an environment variable so it gets assigned to every user's shell, no matter what shell they are running (fish, bash, zsh, etc)?
DistroWatch answers: There are a few approaches you could take to setting variables which would be accessible across multiple shells. Presumably, if you have access to set the environment variables for other users then you are the system administrator. This gives you a couple of options, one which will be more popular than the other.
The option you probably want to use is to look in the /etc/shells file which is a text file that lists all the shells on the system. You can then look up the location of the shell's global configuration file (most shells have one) and add your environment variables to each shell's configuration file. Typically, the manual page for each shell includes a reference to where this file resides. The manual pages for bash and dash, for instance, mention the global configuration information for these shells can be found in /etc/profile.
As an example, let's say I looked up a list of shells on my system with the following command:
$ rev /etc/shells | cut -f 1 -d '/' | rev
bash
dash
tcsh
As we can see in the example, I have three shells: bash, dash, and tcsh. I could then check the location of tcsh's global configuration file by reading the shell's manual page. This can be accomplished by running "man tcsh". The manual page explains the global configuration is kept in /etc/csh.cshrc, so any environment variables should be set in this file.
The benefit of the above approach is that it won't matter which shells your users prefer, they will all end up with the same environment variables. The drawback to this approach is it takes some work up front to find where each shell keeps its configuration and duplicate the same variable data for each shell. If you need to update the variables in the future, you will need to edit each shell's configuration file.
The second approach you could take, and it probably won't be as popular, is (since you are the system administrator) you can provide just one shell. If every user is running the same shell you will need to only set the variables in one place and not worry about the existence of other shells. The second approach is quick and easy, but it is limiting, especially for your users.
* * * * *
Additional answers can be found in our Questions and Answers archive.
Released Last Week
RELIANOID 7.10.0
RELIANOID, a Debian-based Linux distribution featuring an open-source load-balancer, has reached version 7.10.0: " We are glad to present both RELIANOID 7.10.0 Community edition and RELIANOID 8.6 Enterprise edition, delivering significant improvements in security, system stability, observability, and load balancing capabilities. Both versions share a modernized Debian 12.14 base and introduce key enhancements in monitoring, FarmGuardian health checks, and system reliability, while Enterprise Edition extends further with long-term kernel support, advanced governance, and extensive security hardening. RELIANOID 7.10.0 Community edition focuses on strengthening the platform foundation with an operating system upgrade, improved monitoring capabilities, and enhanced system maintainability. The system is now based on Debian 12.14, incorporating the latest upstream security patches and stability improvements, ensuring a more secure and reliable base for production and testing environments. A key enhancement in this release is the introduction of the new FarmGuardian check_curl method, enabling advanced HTTP and HTTPS health checks. This provides more flexible and accurate backend validation, improving load balancing decisions and overall service reliability in modern web application environments. " Continue to the release notes for further information.
RefreshOS 3-0
eXybit Technologies has announced the release of RefreshOS 3-0, a major update of the project's beginner-friendly, desktop Linux distribution based on Debian 13 and featuring the KDE Plasma desktop: " RefreshOS 3 'Colorful Cosmos' is officially here, bringing the biggest visual and usability upgrade the project has seen so far. Built on Debian 13 with KDE Plasma 6, RefreshOS 3 introduces a cleaner, smoother, and more refined desktop experience designed to feel modern without becoming complicated. From the new Reload menu to updated visuals, custom icons, cursors, and window styling, nearly every part of the system has been reworked to create a desktop that feels polished from the moment it boots. This release also continues the goal RefreshOS has always had at its core: making Linux feel approachable, complete, and enjoyable for everyday users. Drivers, media support, firmware, power optimization, and essential applications are already included and configured so users can spend less time setting things up and more time actually using their computer. Whether you are gaming, creating content, working remotely, studying, or simply browsing the web, RefreshOS 3 was built to deliver a desktop experience that feels fast, reliable, and genuinely refreshing. " Visit the distribution's news page to read the full release announcement.
RefreshOS 3-0 - running the KDE Plasma desktop
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SysLinuxOS 13.2
Franco Conidi has announced the release of SysLinuxOS 13.2, an updated build of the project's Debian-based distribution made primarily for system integrators and network administrators. The new version uses the Btrfs filesystem on new installation and integrates the Snapper utility for managing snapshots of Btrfs subvolumes. " SysLinuxOS 13.2 is a substantial revision of how the system handles storage, backups, recovery and boot. The release introduces Btrfs as the default filesystem and builds an integrated snapshot, rollback and backup layer on top of it. All of these capabilities are preconfigured and active from the first boot, with no additional setup required. New installations use Btrfs with the standard @ subvolume for root and @home for home. Calamares performs the partitioning and subvolume layout automatically during guided installation, with no manual configuration. Btrfs enables capabilities that are not available on ext4 - instant snapshots, full system rollback, and native incremental backups. In SysLinuxOS 13.2 these features are integrated and preconfigured out of the box. As soon as SysLinuxOS 13.2 is installed, Snapper is configured and active. The following operations are automatic: a baseline snapshot is created at the end of the installation, providing a clean reference point; each apt install, upgrade or remove operation creates a pre/post snapshot pair.... " Read the detailed release announcement for more information.
GLF OS Quasar
Gaming Linux FR has announced the release of GLF OS Quasar, a major update of the project's NixOS-based distribution focused on gaming. This version updates the GNOME desktop to version 50 and introduces numerous enhancements: " Based on NixOS 26.05, Quasar delivers a major update to the GLF OS ecosystem with a modernized software stack, new gaming features, numerous fixes, and several improvements aimed at content creators. GLF OS Quasar introduces a refreshed visual identity with brand-new exclusive wallpapers for both light and dark editions. ROCm support has been added to improve compatibility between DaVinci Resolve and AMD RDNA graphics cards. Faugus Launcher is now fully maintained and packaged by the GLF OS team, improvements include Battle.net compatibility fixes, EA App compatibility fixes, Protonfixes patch integration, packaging and maintenance provided directly by GLF OS. New gaming compatibility runners, Proton-GE GLF and Proton-CachyOS have been added. Quasar further strengthens system security with Dirty Frag mitigations, Copy Fail protection, Improved suspend, resume and hibernation handling for NVIDIA systems. Updated to GNOME 50.1, bringing numerous stability, performance and usability improvements. " See the full release notes, in French and English, for further information.
GLF OS Quasar - running a customised GNOME desktop
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* * * * *
Development, unannounced and minor bug-fix releases
* AnduinOS 2.0.0-beta2, the release announcement
* Ufficio Zero Lorena-5_2
* SysLinuxOS 13.2
* Dharma Linux 26.2
* Berserk Arch 2026.06.08
* NuTyX 26.06.01
* Bluestar Linux 7.0.11
* StratOS 2026.06.05
* SolydXK 13-202606
* Talos 1.13.4
* Chimo Linux 2026-06-08
* MODICIA O.S. 6.12.90
* Proxmox 9.1 "Mail Gateway"
* HardenedBSD 15-build-17
* Qubes OS 4.3.1
* Home Assistant OS (HAOS) 18.0-rc1
* Linuxfx 11.26.06
* Tribblix 0m40
* NebiOS 10.2.2
* Linux Q83 13.12
Upcoming Releases and Announcements
Summary of expected upcoming releases
* 2026-06-16: FreeBSD 15.1 (see release schedule)
* 2026-09-15: Fedora 45 Beta
* 2026-09-24: Ubuntu 26.10 Beta
* 2026-10-15: Ubuntu 26.10 (see release schedule)
* 2026-10-20: Fedora 45 (see release calendar)
Opinion Poll (by Jesse Smith)
Do you use more than one shell on a regular basis? How many command line shells do you use regularly?
Zero
This week's Questions and Answers section talked about applying variables across multiple shells. This week we would like to hear if our readers tend to use one command line shell or multiple shells on a regular basis. Let us know which shell(s) you are using in the comments. One
Two
You can see the results of our previous poll on checking system requirements in our previous edition. All previous poll results can be found in our poll archives. Three
Four
Five
More than five
Website News (by Ladislav Bodnar)
New distributions added to database
butrelinux
butrelinux is an immutable Linux distribution derived from the CentOS-based edition of Bluefin. It features the KDE Plasma desktop. The distribution uses the Anaconda system installer for hard disk installation, includes support for NVIDIA graphics cards, and provides out-of-the-box support for Distrobox containers and Flatpak packages.
butrelinux 20260608
(full image size: 2.8MB, resolution: 2560x1600 pixels)
Abora OS
Abora OS is general-purpose Linux distribution based on NixOS. It boots into a text-mode installation wizard that offers the user various options, including a choice of over 20 desktop environments, window managers and Wayland compositors, as well as several application bundles for a range of use cases. Some of the distribution's other features include out-of-the-box support for flatpak packages, Limine bootloader, command-line system management layer called ANIX, application management layer called TinyPM, and several custom Abora system management tools.
Abora OS 3.0.0
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* * * * *
New distributions added to waiting list
* StryxOS is a Debian-based Linux distribution featuring the KDE Plasma desktop.
StryxOS 2026-06-07
(full image size: 4.0MB, resolution: 2560x1600 pixels)
* CobaltX is an Arch-based Linux distribution featuring the KDE Plasma desktop and focused on gaming.
CobaltX 0.1.0
(full image size: 0.3MB, resolution: 2560x1600 pixels)
* Lumina Linux is an Arch-based Linux distribution featuring the KDE Plasma desktop.
Lumina Linux 2026.06.08
(full image size: 3.6MB, resolution: 2560x1600 pixels)
* Illogical Impulse ISO is an Arch-based Linux distribution featuring a highly customised Hyprland Wayland compositor.
Illogical Impulse ISO 2026.06.08
(full image size: 1.3MB, resolution: 2560x1600 pixels)
* * * * *
DistroWatch database summary
* Number of all distributions in the database: 1,208
* Number of active distributions in the database: 489
* Number of dormant distributions: 39
* Number of discontinued distributions: 680
* Number of distributions on the waiting list: 192
* Number of distributions waiting for evaluation: 159
* * * * *
This concludes this week's issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The next instalment will be published on Monday, 22 June 2026. Past articles and reviews can be found through our Weekly Archive and Article Search pages. 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)
Tip Jar
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Reader Comments • Jump to last comment
1 • Arch AUR (by Pumpino on 2026-06-15 01:28:15 GMT from Australia)
This isn't the first incident of malicious code in the Arch AUR, though I think it's the most serious. I use Manjaro as my main distro and have Arch on another partition. There are two or three packages from the AUR that I rely on. Whilst they weren't affected, they could have been. I think the AUR approach is flawed. I might be overreacting, but I've switched to Debian Testing as my main distro (which I already had installed).
2 • Environment Variables for All Shells (by Carl Commenter on 2026-06-15 04:13:51 GMT from United States)
Environment variables exported in the system profile appear across login shells. Normally /etc/profile scans /etc/profile.d contents. Of course systemd has wrappers and mechanisms beyond, but here's the non-systemd answer.
Each shell reads something first. Bash or dash read /etc/profile directly; zsh reads /etc/zsh/zshenv and /etc/zsh/zprofile, the latter calling /etc/profile in bash emulation mode. Fish has a start-up waterfall of its own, but can work off /etc/profile like the rest, if not assigned as login. Use bash/zsh/dash for login, then invoke fish in a terminal. Fish will then inherit all login environment variables.
3 • Shell variables (by Keith S on 2026-06-15 04:27:48 GMT from United States)
I use ksh and bash regularly, mostly ksh because it's what I learned first. I usually don't modify the bash variables from whatever they are by default on a Linux distribution. I have a ksh config file that I copy over once I settle in with a distro.
4 • Arch AUR & shells (by Geoff on 2026-06-15 05:45:42 GMT from New Zealand)
@1 - it was rather a nasty shock to read of the malware invasion in the AUR. I happen to run the same as you, Manjaro. I may have one or two AUR apps by now, it has been my main system for nearly 4 years. What I did is simply turn AUR support off for now. See where the dust settles, then make further decisions. I mean, "they" nailed IBM/RedHat's NPMs last week.. big iron IBM. NPM seems to have become a malware playground this year.
As for shells - bash, especially for scripts. But over time zsh for the command line and bash only in scripts.
5 • RakuOS and the likes (by Microlinux on 2026-06-15 07:21:42 GMT from France)
As a long-time Linux user with two and a half decades of experience (I teach Linux, Git, Docker, Ansible etc. at our local university) I've been a regular reader of Distrowatch since the early days.
After reading the RakuOS review, I have a suggestion. The site should sport a selection menu with some broad categories. And a distinct "Unusable crap" category. :o)
6 • Tromjaro, just cosmetic changes (by Hank on 2026-06-15 07:22:48 GMT from Germany)
The main question, in my mind, about TROMjaro is: does it improve on its parent?
IMHO it does not, but asks for donations, for the work done by others, call it Leeching
because that is what it is. Slap on some cosmetics and call it a distro is getting more and more common.
Compare with the original, you will quickly see through the make money fast tactics.
Ridiculouse download size.
7 • How many command line shells do you use regularly? (by Jake on 2026-06-15 09:43:15 GMT from United States)
How many command line shells do you use regularly? Zero: 20 (4%)
More proof you don't have to be a tech geek to use Linux.
8 • The S in AUR stands for security (by Fiuz on 2026-06-15 11:04:17 GMT from France)
@1 Same here, still exclusively using Manjaro for more than 3 years and not enabling AUR is the first recommendation that I've read.
Now, AUR has 107k packages, 1.5k infected packages is about a good percent but it doesn't mean many people have been using theses.
More frightening are the 13k unmaintained packages that any bad actor could run some LLM during few weeks to pretend to maintain and get some reputation from it, then add some malware in it undetected.
There is too many packages and not enough people to ensure good quality and basic security, to trust AUR on its own. It may be more secure to build from source or using another package manager like Nix.
9 • Arch AUR (by Slappy McGee on 2026-06-15 11:53:50 GMT from United States)
It seems so simple: There have always been warnings about that particular repository. Non-Arch based distros with repos that feature non-free software and tools seem like the way to go. It's been years that we've seen these warnings with AUR.
10 • Shells (by Cág on 2026-06-15 12:00:26 GMT from Germany)
I just use dash without history everywhere. It is small and fast, and it makes one write pure POSIX scripts.
11 • AUR and Shells (by pwplant on 2026-06-15 12:17:56 GMT from Bulgaria)
@1 - there is no point at being angry with Arch. They just did what was logical and should happen long time ago - free as possible software hub. More precisely and more relevant to Linux - package hub. Of course they will grab attention of hackers, all such places will if not already. The question is only to put some measures, such as more stringent reviews for anonymous/new contributors and ability to somehow apply community metrics from proven users. Also reproducible builds may help and those packages should be preferentially build by chosen community users - they may spot things in the process.
As for Shells I think it is more than normal users to use different shells. Also, those variables need to be declared in more shell neutral way. Preferably within some declarative config files, that are more readable and may be read by some fast utility as helper. Who knows, this way loading of shell may happen to be faster and config will look more readable and shell independent. But the way it is done now is relatively good, no much reasons to complain.
Vote for two shells as I also use Mac from time to time, but recently thinking to try more shells in my default Linux setup.
12 • RakuOS and the likes (by That's not the point on 2026-06-15 13:23:55 GMT from Italy)
@5 What should really be useful, would be use a sharp cut. If a distro fails even to be at least usable, Distrowatch might issue a warning and, if no explanation and/or correction is provided within a reasonable amount of time, suspend it and, later on, evict that from the list.
One team may even release a junk distro, but this doesn't mean Linux community should sustain that all the same. Advertising trash doesn't make that stink less.
13 • RakuOS review (by Elvis Beethoven on 2026-06-15 13:59:41 GMT from United States)
@5 @12 Jesse is reminded, or admonished, at times to "please don't review only popular distros and dive deeper into the Linux world," or some such.
When he does that we often see these strange aspects of those offerings. The RakuOS review had me googling (with A.I.) the definitions of immutable and atomic Linux distros. That clarification had me admiring Jesse even more for including this particular review as it is a very nice teaching moment about those two approaches to distro development.
Let's not disparage the choices of what to review, because Distrowatch is a place to learn. And let's not disparage those distros much at all because it seems they are learning too (although sometimes I do wonder why some distros are released at all in the conditions we often see.. for our bug reporting?).
14 • three shells (by qiki on 2026-06-15 18:01:54 GMT from Germany)
I tend to lean towards three shells: dash/sh (when speed matters), zsh (when elegance is called for) and bash (which does the work most of the time).
That means I reserve zsh for privileged (root access granted) accounts, [da]sh for system-work script development, and bash for unprivileged users (which is everyone else).
15 • Fedora Installer (by Matt on 2026-06-15 18:43:38 GMT from Canada)
I don't know what you try to do when you install Fedora, but there is not anyone else in the entire world that encounters the problems that you do. I installed Fedora 44 KDE with a custom partition layout (the 2GB ext4 /boot partition makes no sense whatsoever when GRUB can boot from btrfs) and did not encounter a single issue. The installation went without a hitch and, upon rebooting, the system booted and ran normally.
16 • RakuOS review (by Walt on 2026-06-15 20:54:50 GMT from United States)
I really don't understand why Jesse even did this review in the first place. The distro is very new and in development. He didn't mention that Origami Linux just merged with it. I had no problems installing it on a laptop on June 6th and it is still running on that laptop. If I had any issues I got on discord and posted the problem and one of the developers asked me questions and came up with a solution. I have been using linux for 28 years now and have seen many distros come and go. When I first heard about RakuOS I went to the web site and it looked interesting. Instead of putting something down, why not ask the right people about why you are having issues in the first place, It may turn into a learning experience for you and the DEVS. The one thing I have always hated about the Linux community is the hatred and negativity it brings. I can really understand why people try linux and go right back to windows and a lot of times it is because they ask questions and get crapped on. Instead of saying this distro is unusable give it a chance to evolve and work out its problems.
17 • I'm henry the 8th I am (by mandatory on 2026-06-15 22:50:43 GMT from The Netherlands)
> I can really understand why people try linux and go right back to windows and a lot of times it is because they ask questions and get crapped on.
People are, for the most part, dumb. They don't know how to teach themselves. That's how a lot of us grew up, feeding ourselves knowledge.
If someone is so sensitive they get turned off by a post, maybe they deserve to boil in the sick stew that is Windows.
18 • RakuOS and what should be really done (by That's not the point on 2026-06-16 07:08:16 GMT from Italy)
@13 Whenever a developer or white-hat hacker finds an issue, they usually warn the owner in private before having that published, so that the owner can thank them and fix that.
If Distrowatch has got such an approach, well done. Otherwise, please don't assert having RakuOS painted as a fiasco is "learning".
I've got my thoughts about distros and what they should be prepared for, but they're mine. What everyone must share, however, is the believe that if we want Un*x to really grow, people must be addressed to do a good job, in a very professional (and maybe somewhat old-fashioned) way. If they're able to, they're welcome, but it some think just messing with that is enough, they should be treated as a potential menace for the community.
Every serious distro developers have their own bug report, forum and repo for managing problems, and report them when something faulty is found is the correct way to work. I hope that Distrowatch does that _before_ exposing them.
19 • RakuOS and what should be really done (by Necio on 2026-06-16 08:57:58 GMT from United States)
@22, Jesse and DW are not hacking, white hat or black. They are writing a review, the equivalent of a test drive. The job of the reviewer is to publish their experience, not to find and report bugs. Publishing is not "exposing" them, although should the distro developers read the reviews here and elsewhere, they may learn something. Over the years, I've tried quite a few distros after they're reviewed here. Sometimes my experience differs from slightly to a lot from that of the DW reviewer. Once in a while I'll post here about it. With RakuOS, the installer failed. No, I didn't bother to submit a bug report. I deleted it and went on to something else. Not my job to report to the developers every time I casually try a distro.
20 • RakuOS (by Green eggs and tofu on 2026-06-16 10:07:29 GMT from Singapore)
@22, "Whenever a developer or white-hat hacker finds an issue, they usually warn the owner in private before having that published, so that the owner can thank them and fix that." Vulnerabilities are not the same as an installer that won't install. By all means, vulnerabilities should be reported to the developers first, but the purpose is not to save them from the embarrassment of public exposure; it is to protect users from malicious actors. If developers publish a distro with an installer that won't install, they deserve to be publicly flogged. ( Not literally, of course.)
21 • Do you use more than one shell on a regular basis? (by *NIX Guy on 2026-06-16 11:40:58 GMT from United States)
Three: Korn Shell, Bourne Shell, and Bourne-Again Shell.
As I Support AIX, FreeBSD, RHEL, Debian, and Arch, I tend to use the default shells for each platform.
I do allow my users to use their preferred shells on most systems by request. Ese they get the default
I do use other shells and *NIX flavors from time to time, but these are what I use daily.
22 • Shells (by JD on 2026-06-16 12:55:40 GMT from Italy)
I use sh on FreeBSD and bash on Linux.
23 • DW approach and reviews (by Elvis Beethoven on 2026-06-16 13:02:46 GMT from United States)
@18 "If Distrowatch has got such an approach, well done. Otherwise, please don't assert having RakuOS painted as a fiasco is "learning"."
Well, that's what I got from the review, characterizations aside ("fiasco"), I learned not just about that distro but also about atomic and immutable.
That review served myriad purposes, as just about all of them do here. When Jesse expresses puzzlement or disappointment or joy or pleasantness or boredom (my favorite) with a distro or some aspect of a distro then my ears perk up and I read on.
24 • Shell variables (by Anders on 2026-06-16 20:28:52 GMT from Denmark)
"Ghost-in-the-shells asks: How can I set an environment variable so it gets assigned to every user's shell, no matter what shell they are running (fish, bash, zsh, etc)?"
The straightforward answer is to set it in /etc/environment or /etc/security/pam_env.conf (cf. man (5) pam_env.conf) on GNU/Linux and in /etc/login.conf on BSD systems.
25 • Avoid PAM for Env Vars (by Carl Commenter on 2026-06-17 03:44:46 GMT from United States)
@24 Experiments long ago taught me to avoid PAM for environment variables. Just set sane defaults which profile scripts can later modify. PAM files to set variables offer no language features like if-then.
Here's my pam_env.conf and notice the complexity PAM needs for $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR compared to scripting.
https://pastecode.dev/s/ithutw8d
26 • Arch alternative (by Sidder on 2026-06-17 13:05:34 GMT from United States)
@1
Try Debian net install selecting the lxde
Desktop
After the install change the repository to Sid
Then install time shift which you can take snapshots to roll back to
If need be . Bleach bit is another go to item to quickly clear
The apt and any other temp item if needed
Number of Comments: 26
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