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Distro deluge: Six imminent Linux releases previewed

Summary: A number of interesting new Linux releases are due out in the next few days or weeks. Here's a quick overview of some of them.

J.A. Watson

By J.A. Watson for Jamie's Mostly Linux Stuff |

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New Linux releases on the way

The next few days and weeks will be one of those interesting phases where a number of new Linux releases emerge over a short period. This gallery provides a brief overview of the ones I've been following:

- openSuSE 12.3

- Linux Mint Debian Edition 201303

- Debian 7.0 (Wheezy)

- Korora 18

- Mageia 3

- Ubuntu 13.04

I will be posting details about each of these when they are released — installation, configuration and contents.  For now, here's a very brief look at what's on the way, and how the development cycle has been going.

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Topics: Linux, Open Source, Operating Systems

J.A. Watson

About J.A. Watson

I started working with what we called "analog computers" in aircraft maintenance with the United States Air Force in 1970. After finishing miliary service and returning to University, I was introduced to microprocessors and machine language programming on Intel 4040 processors. After that I also worked on, operated and programmed Digital Equipment Corportation PDP-8, PDP-11 (/45 and /70) and VAX minicomputers. I was involved with the first wave of Unix-based microcomputers, in the early '80s. I have been working in software development, operation, installation and support since then.

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48 comments
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  • UIs are ugly

    and childish. They are simple, elegant, bold and professional like Windows 7, 8 and OS X. Back to the drawing board.
    adacosta38
    Reply 1 Vote

    • Huh?

      "UIs are ugly and childish" (Cannot imagine what a "childish" UI looks like, but compared to Metro, they generally look better.)

      "They are simple, elegant, bold and professional like ...."

      Confused much?
      D.T.Long
      Reply 6 Votes

  • I will make a prediction

    After a year, the combined marketshare of these 6 distros will be less than 1/10th the marketshare of Windows 8.

    I also predict that SJVN will NOT write a single article proclaiming that desktop Linux is dead and how badly it has failed.

    I'm willing to put money on this one.
    toddbottom3
    Reply 1 Vote

    • In my opinion these distros are mostly servers in the skins of desktops

      so little children and noobs probably have difficulty to get along with them....for the next year if i was a shill i would fear from the market share of chrome OS not these distros ;)
      G3niusOwl
      Reply 1 Vote

    • And your point is what?

      More stupidity apparently.
      D.T.Long
      Reply 4 Votes

    • Windows 8 Stinks

      Windows 8 us worse the 3.1
      jimbritttn
      Reply 7 Votes

    • problem with that

      These OSs are not sold. The marketshare statistic is irrelevant in this case. For-profit commercial software *has* to succeed financially or its discontinued and the code is tossed away - what a waste. This for example is what will happen with windows RT. Then the wheel is reinvented over and over again. Open source does not have to worry about commercial "success or failure". Linux continues on its merry way, slow and steady. It has a faithful community of millions and that's all that matters. Please get a life. Why not contribute back to the linux kernel or other open source project. Thank you.
      DrWong
      Reply 12 Votes

      • drwong.......Well Said

        polite and to the point....again well said
        Over and Out
        Reply 4 Votes

    • 10% market share??

      Really going out on a limb there aren't you?

      I'd bet they don't have a combined footprint of 1% of windows 8 in a years time. I would also say that they have not failed or are 'dead'. Not everything is about empire, imperialism and kill all those who think different. So long as the choice is there to install Linux if you want to use it, it's doing it's job. I have windows 8 and Linux (at least RHEL and mint) on all my machines. I see no reason to choose a favourite.

      Don't forget that in 6 months there'll be new ubuntu, korora, 9 months open suse and mageia... Maybe a new LMDE so many of these won't even be the latest version. And before you say anything about reinstalling, you can of course just update from one release to the next like any other proprietary OS.

      That would be why I'd put money on there not being a Linux is dead article from a Linux user; Linux is dead when people stop developing it... No sign of that in the next 12 months :)
      MarknWill
      Reply 5 Votes

    • And why would SJN do such article?!

      Any good reason?!
      AleMartin
      Reply Vote

    • I await the mass exodus...

      ...when all of us benighted desktop Linux users will admit that we're failures by proxy and pay double to replace our Linux installations with something Steve Ballmer would approve of.

      I think it's going to be a long wait.
      John L. Ries
      Reply 4 Votes

    • Hey toddbottom3

      Market share of Windows 8 ??? Linux is dead ???
      Linux doesn't have to worry about market share or Windows 8 because it's free.
      Yes that's right, It don't cost you a penny to use it. Understand? It's free !!!

      You are also free not to use it if you don't like it.

      Most of us Linux users also use Windows so we know the difference.
      Rick Sos
      Reply 5 Votes

  • Hmm. All good distros.

    I'll go with Mageia 3 as it was originally forked from Mandriva. I was a long time Linux-Mandrake user. I'm looking forward to future articles on these distros too.
    Arm A. Geddon
    Reply 1 Vote

    • Arm A. Geddon..I started with Mandrade 5 and it took awhile

      but I worked at it and heve never looked back. I like Charka 2012.2 and Mint14 KDE at present.
      Over and Out
      Reply 1 Vote

      • I've used a lot of distros over the years.

        I started using Linux back in the late 90s with Red Hat, Slackware(very helpful people), etc. and of course; Linux-Mandrake. I've used almost any distro at onetime from Arch to Zenwalk(Xfce one of my favourite desktop Environments). As with desktop environments, I used most of them too, from GNOME, KDE, Enlightenment(another favourite), Window Maker and least I not forget Blackbox.
        Arm A. Geddon
        Reply 1 Vote

  • Distro deluge: Six imminent Linux releases previewed

    It would hurt my eyes trying to stare at those distros all day. I don't see how linux users put up with their OS that tries to treat them like a child. Then you still have the same issues underneath the GUI that is inherent of all linux distos. Work from the inside out boys, not the other way around.
    Loverock-Davidson
    Reply Vote

    • It would hurt your brain

      It is clearly not up to anything beyond spouting MS propaganda and lying about everything else.

      By the way, the "inside" is already better than that of Windows.
      D.T.Long
      Reply 4 Votes

      • Speaking of hurting brains

        Don't hurt yours too badly trying to bring Microsoft Windows into this when they were never mentioned.
        Loverock-Davidson
        Reply 3 Votes

        • Loverock-Davidson..how dare you speak on anything to do with BRAINS

          its obvious that when they were handed out....you were left out in the COLD some where..................
          Over and Out
          Reply 5 Votes

          • I agree

            This guy is either a complete moron or a GNU witty user which is making fun of windows fans...just take a look at his comments on Linux security and telnet ROFL
            G3niusOwl
            Reply 2 Votes
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