The new Starbuntu version 24.04.1.15 includes a thorough overhaul of the boot process and the entire desktop environment as well as the graphical design of the file manager. The calendar software was cleaned up and enriched by an annual calendar.
One of our more exciting changes will be the inclusion of our brand-new Hello Rhino application. Written in Rust and using IcedTK, this application serves to help provide useful links to our homepage, blog, Discord community and documentation. Hello Rhino will automatically launch after post installation to help jumpstart the Rhino journey. Hello Rhino was created by a new contributor, so we would like to extend a big thank you to Sundaram Krishnan for making this possible. The Unicorn Desktop finally has dynamic workspaces, bringing extra efficiency and flexibility to the already powerful Unicorn Desktop. Previously, with static workspaces, you were restricted to a maximum of four, or had to manually create and manage the number of spaces yourself. Unicorn will now automatically create a new workspace each time the previous ones have an application open on them, and once there are no applications open on a workspace, it will be destroyed. The decision to incorporate this feature draws inspiration from desktop environments like GNOME, and the expandable workflow they provide.
Choosing a power mode allows you to balance between power saving and performance optimization. The following power modes are available on all computers: Power-saver mode: Limits performance to conserve energy. Balanced mode: Adjusts performance based on your needs. On supported systems, an additional Performance mode is available. This mode maximizes performance at the cost of increased power consumption. Power-saving modes reduce performance but can extend battery life, reduce heat generation, lower CPU frequency, and decrease fan noise. Note that the system may override user settings based on the selected mode to adjust display brightness or make temporary adjustments to further reduce power consumption or enhance performance. In Cinnamon, you can select the power mode by navigating to Preferences -> Power Management.
The new Starbuntu version 24.04.1.14 includes an improvement to the background slideshow, where image switching is now seamless. In addition, a background image can now also be set using the Eye-Of-Gnome image viewer. Furthermore, the program that determines the corresponding app for an open window has been significantly revised. The second terminal emulator gnome-terminal now runs stable and saves resources.
Highlights niclude: Debian 12.9 Bookworm base. This release includes all updates from the Debian and MX repositories. Some highlights since our 23.4 release include: Xfce 4.20 core packages (Xfce isos and pi respin). MX PackageInstaller has UI improvements and better version display for packages in third party repositories. Screenshots from Debian Screenshots are also available. Extra warnings on live system if persistence has been ask for on boot media that is read-only. Tweaks to default fstab file as set by installer. Additional fallback modes in installer. Many many bug fixes. Many many language updates. Many new applications in our MX Test repository. All kernel updates: The standard Xfce, KDE, and fluxbox isos are all updated to the latest 6.1.123 kernel. AHS now uses the 6.12.8 liqourix kernel, with auto-updates enabled. The MX Raspberry Pi Respin has also been updated with the latest packages available from the MX and RPiOS repos.
The vulnerabilities described below were identified during an external security audit by Radically Open Security and disclosed responsibly to our team. We are not aware of these attacks being used against Tails users until now. These vulnerabilities can only be exploited by a powerful attacker who has already exploited another vulnerability to take control of an application in Tails. If you want to be extra careful and used Tails a lot since January 9 without upgrading, we recommend that you do a manual upgrade instead of an automatic upgrade. Prevent an attacker from installing malicious software permanently. In Tails 6.10 or earlier, an attacker who has already taken control of an application in Tails could then exploit a vulnerability in Tails Upgrader to install a malicious upgrade and permanently take control of your Tails. Doing a manual upgrade would erase such malicious software.
EasyOS Scarthgap-series and Daedalus-series version 6.5.4 have been released, addressing critical issues and introducing improvements. Updates include fixing xkbcomp warnings, resolving issues with running X11 apps in containers, updating the pRun application launcher to version 1.7, and correcting a bug affecting orange-ball menu entries. Additionally, Avidemux 2.8.1 has been compiled for Scarthgap, making it available as a menu entry. These updates enhance system stability and usability. Downloads and detailed change logs are available online, with feedback welcomed via the forum.
The latest version 24.04.1.13 of Starbuntu contains some bug fixes, especially regarding the Openbox applications menu, the language change and the editable calendar. In addition, some desktop configuration files have been improved.
Calamares installer rebased on top of KaOS Linux fork for more feature options as well as on-screen keyboard functionality. Toggle added for on-screen keyboard. On-screen keyboard now comes up within the installer instead of taking up half the screen Network check has been removed. Nobara can be installed completely offline from any ISO downloaded. Mesa - we have noticed with a few benchmark videos throughout the past year that sometimes games may not run with Vulkan at all (very rare). This can happen as a regression because we shipped Vulkan built from git. Moving forward we have changed that. Nobara will now ship with the latest stable Vulkan drivers that come with the latest Mesa release, however, we've added mesa-vulkan-drivers-git to the driver manager so users can easily swap back and forth between the two whenever they please.
The latest release 24.04.1.12 of Starbuntu contains a bundle of bug fixing, particularly regarding the call of recent used documents, the handling of the directory shortcuts '.' and '..' and the exclusion of certain desktop files from the applications menu. Moreover, the program that enables user switching has been improved.