The Elive team has released version 3.8.46, marking the debut of the highly anticipated Enlightenment E26 desktop in an alpha state, alongside the stable and refined E16 desktop for daily use. This version includes numerous system enhancements such as improved EFI support, better bootloader architecture, BTRFS integration with real-time compression, and a swapfile creation option. Other updates include Wi-Fi captive portal login integration, automatic screen rotation for tablet-like devices, improved Windows compatibility via Wine, and enhanced menu and application organization. With Linux kernels 6.11.10 and 6.1.0 and a Debian Bookworm base, Elive 3.8.46 delivers innovation while maintaining rock-solid stability.
One of the most notable changes is that the default kernel is now optimized using AutoFDO. Profiling workloads are run through a diverse set of tests, including sysbench, CachyOS Benchmarker, Git operations, kernel compilation, and several miscellaneous benchmarks. Currently, the profiling is done on a Zen5 machine, but in the future, we plan to support merging multiple profiles for even broader optimization. RustiCL has replaced the default OpenCL driver in the Mesa stack, bringing improved performance and compatibility. Additionally, we now use scx_loader for sched-ext scheduler management in the kernel-manager. This allows for more seamless switching between schedulers and ensures they are properly configured using a dedicated configuration file. We've also enabled Bluetooth support, enhancing the user experience for most users.
The latest release 24.04.1.11 of Starbuntu presents the new Linux kernel 6.8.0-51. In addition, the Starbuntu program for setting the user and system language has been updated. Moreover, the program for enabling remote accesses has been improved.
We are proud to announce our new stable release version 2024.12, code-named 'Adventgrenze'. This Grml release brings you fresh software packages from Debian 'Trixie' and enhanced hardware support, and it addresses known bugs from previous releases. With version 2024.12, Grml, for the first time ever, supports 64-bit ARM CPUs (arm64). As previously announced, releases for 32-bit x86 PCs have been discontinued. With the grml32 flavor removed, we've introduced UEFI 32-bit boot support on our Grml amd64 flavor to ensure 64-bit PCs with 32-bit firmware can use this release. New features: grml-lang - support language settings for UK/GB; grml-vnet - replace tunctl + brctl with ip(8); grml-paste - the Grml paste service is gone, the script uses paste.debian.net now; cpu-screen: replace C source implementation with implementation in Perl (to get arch all packages) + hide....
We are starting the path to remove RSA from the IPFire web UI and SSH. On new installations, RSA keys won't be generated any more. On existing installations, this update removes the RSA key from the web UI, but we keep the RSA key for SSH to not break any monitoring tools, etc. We still believe that RSA is strong enough to be used in today's world, but since there is sufficient browser and SSH client support for Elliptic Curve Cryptography which is considered to be much stronger, we want to raise the bar for any potential future attacks on RSA. IPFire is also now using post-quantum cryptography for SSH key exchanges: Streamlined NTRU Prime sntrup761 and X25519 with SHA-512 (sntrup761x25519-sha512) and Module-Lattice-based Key-Encapsulation Mechanism (MK-KEM, mlkem768x25519-sha256) have been enabled.
The NethSecurity 8.4 milestone introduces significant updates aimed at enhancing network security and monitoring. Key features include detailed traffic insights per host, improved OpenVPN accounting with exportable user connection data, and the addition of two-factor authentication for heightened security. Experimental features such as IPS with Snort 3, WireGuard VPN management, and IP/MAC binding expand functionality for advanced users. Additional updates include enhanced real-time monitoring, router traffic management improvements, and a built-in speed test utility. Users can update via package or full image methods, with over 20 bug fixes ensuring reliability. Feedback and subscriptions are encouraged to support ongoing development.
We are pleased to announce T2 24.12 as a major update with a total of 37 pre-compiled base install ISOs for various Glibc, Musl and uClibc combinations are available for 25 CPU ISAs: Alpha, Arc, ARM(64), Avr32, HPPA(64), IA64, Loongarch64, M68k, Microblaze, MIPS(64), Nios2, OpenRISC, PowerPC(64), RISCV(64), s390x, SPARC(64), SuperH, i486, i686, x86-64 and x32. On most architectures the release still boots with as little as 512MB of RAM or even less, and ISO downloads are less than 2GB for base Wayland desktop with Firefox. Initial support for running on Nintendo Wii U was contributed and Linux kernel scrollback buffer handling restored. Support and stability was improved for SPARC64, Intel Itanium IA-64, Sony PS3, Sgi Octane and O2. This release also ships a significant larger desktop package selection even for non mainstream RISC architectures, including LibreOffice, OpenJDK and Qemu. The Cosmic Desktop was also added as new, next-generation, Rust-based desktop environment.
We're excited to introduce our brand-new Installer for /e/OS, now in beta! Our team has been working tirelessly to make installing /e/OS on your device simpler than ever. This new Installer will replace the Easy Installer, offering you a seamless, step-by-step process to get /e/OS up and running on compatible devices. No more juggling multiple tools or complicated instructions! Also, if you're already hosting or planning to host a flash party, the Installer will be a game-changer, making the process faster, smoother, and more accessible for everyone.
Device drivers, acpiout(4) - fix brightness controls on certain machines; re(4) - add support for Realtek/Killer E2600 Ethernet; uftdi(4) - add support for a range of Brainboxes USB serial adapters; urtwn(4) - add support for the Mercusys MW150USV2 Wi-Fi adapter; viac7temp(4) - add the driver to amd64 GENERIC; virtio(4) - various fixes; apei(4) - new driver for ACPI platform error interfaces; Userspace, shmif_pcapin(1) - new utility program for shmif(4) tests; pax(1) - fixes for various edge cases, particularly when creating files; xsetwallpaper(1) - install the manual page; envstat(8), powerd(8), traceroute(8) - add support for CRUNCHOPS to enable building rumpified programs as crunched binaries; httpd(8) - create mobile-friendly directory listings; ifconfig(8), document parameters for lagg(4) interfaces; sshd(8) - fixed unsafe use of functions in signal handler (CVE-2024-6387); getentropy(3) - expose the now standardized interface to POSIX.1-2024 applications; ftp(1) - update to version 20241129.
The new release 24.04.1.10 of Starbuntu presents the new Linux kernel 6.8.0-50. In addition, Starbuntu now has got the manual pages in German. Moreover, the program for creating or removing app menu categories has been improved.