GParted 1.2.0 Live CD & USB Image: Nimble and Effective

Continuing the theme of Debian based rescue distributions, simply because most of them are built on Debian, I am looking at GParted this week as last one in this short series. GParted is of course known as a tool to work with and edit partitions that is included with most distributions where it could be considered a de facto standard. But it also lends its name to a rescue CD image where it is at the centre of the collection of tools.

Rescatux 0.73: Rescuing GNU/Linux and Microsoft Systems with Rescapp

According to the Distrowatch summary "Rescatux is a Debian-based GNU/Linux live distribution that includes a graphical wizard for rescuing broken GNU/Linux installations." It features a graphical interface where one can choose a task to perform, including the option to restore the GRUB bootloader, Linux and Windows password resets, and Linux file system checks. Being based on Debian (Stable) it is using the Linux kernel 4.19.0-8 and systemd in the background. Right off the bat this could be a problem for machines needing a newer kernel but it was ok for my hardware, the newest machine now being around 20 months old.

Rescuezilla 2.1: Caped Tux to the Rescue?

Rescuezilla, not to be confused with Rescatux which is based on Debian, "is a specialist Ubuntu-based distribution designed for system rescue tasks, including backups and system restoration."(1) It is a fork of Redo Backup and Recovery after that was abandoned and like its predecessor allows a bare-metal restore after any hardware failure directly from the live image. It works as a live CD/USB image and can be used to work with Linux, OS X and Windows, automatically searches a local area network for drives to backup to or restore from and can recover lost or deleted data files. Rescuezilla uses a basic LXDE as graphical desktop. So far the advertisement.

openSUSE "Leap" 15.2 - Any Good?

This is a review I've been wanting to write since forever. Having tried many iterations of SUSE Linux over its long life before, during and after the Novell era, it always left me feeling ambivalent. And I really wanted to like it. The last time I set out to write a review but then canned the idea was for 12.3, when images would work in VMware Player but did not boot on my real hardware. Now THAT is a long time ago and it also means a lot may have changed, hopefully for the better.

Evaluating Artix Linux with OpenRC, KDE Edition

In an article for Distrowatch in July I looked at Artix Cinnamon and Plasma editions with Runit to start up and manage services. That indicated a problem in the sense that if reliant on software written for Systemd that no ready-made Runit service scripts are available for one will have to create their own. Specifically, I had a problem getting my VPN client to work. Let's see if this works any better with the OpenRC flavour of Artix.

Artix Linux Review: Read it on Distrowatch

Back in the day I used to enjoy Arch Linux via Archbang until the release model didn't fit me any more. Artix is an effort to make all the goodness of Arch available to users on a range of different init systems, openrc, runit and s6, with a choice of desktop environments or a basic install image. You can read my experiences with the runit Cinnamon edition in this week's feature story over on Distrowatch Weekly.

Manjaro Linux 19.0 KDE: Read it on Distrowatch

Manjaro Linux is one of those distributions I have tried many times over the years but was always unable to keep for any length of time due to this or that issue cropping up. Whatever it was, the last time I tested it must have been around 2014 or even 2013, which would have made this Manjaro 0.8.x. Manjaro 19.0 looks really interesting and it's brand new. I'm sure lots has changed so, in somebody else's words, test we must. Continue reading on Distrowatch (external link).

Nomadic Working with NomadBSD 1.0.1 - BSD on a stick

Recently I found a bit of time to poke around in the world of Linux and BSD distributions and possibly even get back in to the reviewing business now and then. NomadBSD seemed like an interesting project to try for somebody partial to the Slackware and BSD way of doing things, but still searching for a BSD that is actually working as a day to day OS while being reasonably responsive, i.e. not bloated and running well on old hardware. That means trim and fast, without the desktop environment and a browser gobbling up all the resources.

VirtualBSD was a fine piece but since its demise there hasn't been anything similar to dip your toes into FreeBSD to my knowledge, let alone the other flavors. I reviewed it here seven years ago. How many? Yes, time flies. To say it right away in order not to waste anybody's time, NomadBSD works, and it works beautifully. Well, with a small caveat in terms of connectivity, but we'll come to that.

As alluded to, "NomadBSD is a 64bit live system for USB flash drives, based on FreeBSD®. Together with automatic hardware detection and setup, it is configured to be used as a desktop system that works out of the box, but can also be used for data recovery" according to their website. It fits on a 4GiB USB flash drive and can be booted via BIOS and UEFI. Which is just as well as an old 4GiB Corsair Flash Voyager pen drive is all I had. Additional information on their Github account.

Dr.Web Light: Free Anti-Virus for Android

Over the last couple of months I have checked out several of the lighter, anti-virus only apps for Android that are available free of charge. Among the best in terms of functionality, speed and footprint - in other words truly light applications - were BitDefender and Dr. Web Light. These will be good enough for something like an Android TV box, where one doesn't need features like anti-theft, spam call or MMS protection, and arguably other devices too. Unfortunately, BitDefender does all it's malware signature checking in the cloud so in the end did not qualify for my purposes as this requires a stable connection every time running a scan. YMMV.

Fastidious Elegance - Slackware 14.1: Why take a closer look?

Today I would just like to link to another Slackware user's blog. Aaron W. Hsu has written a review that is slightly different from recounting the usual installation and which applications are included routine. Entitled "Slackware 14.1: Why take a closer look?" it's definitely worth a read for anybody interested in running Linux at all, even if in the end they decide against it.

AntiX 13.2 - More Modern But Still Some Quirks

Blimey, it's been a long time since I reviewed antiX already and it's about time to give it a second look. The overall judgement may have been a bit harsh last time around and I'm going to see whether we can write a more positive piece this time. Some of the issues raised seems were valid though as the distribution has changed a bit since then. Enough of that, let's hop right in.

Review: Linux Shell Scripting Cookbook, Second Edition [eBook], Packt Publishing

A couple of days ago I received an invitation to take a look at the Linux Shell Scripting Cookbook, Second Edition [eBook] and this sounded like an interesting way to spend some time, so here we are. Be aware this is just a quick overview and a more detailed one may come later.

Fedora 19 - Of Schroedingers Cat and Mixed Blessings

Fedora is one of those distributions I try from time to time but that ultimately fail to stay around, usually when it comes to the upgrade process. I last used Fedora 14, after brushes with 12 and 10, the KDE spin of which got slower with every point update to the desktop but whose LXDE spin actually got used for quite a few months. So let's see how Fedora 19 pans out, featuring GNOME Shell 3.8.2, and how/if that has improved since I last tried the Shell when it was freshly released on the unsuspecting public.

Slax 7.0 - Slax Is Back

December 2012 saw the final release of Slax 7.0 after more than three years without an update, quickly followed by several bug-fix point releases. In 7.0.3 the ability to act as PXE server was re-introduced, which had been present in earlier versions but was missing from the early 7.0 branch. I tried it in VMware Player, VirtualBox, from Live CD as intended and installed to external USB connected to an Acer 5551 laptop with ATI graphics, 4 GB Ram and a Phenom II X3 processor.

CRUX 2.8 Review - The Inspiration Behind Arch Linux

This one is well overdue, but the time has finally come. In my defence, I installed CRUX 2.7.1 as far back as summer, but a hard drive failure wiped it all, and since then 2.8 was released. Just as well, so we'll be testing the latest version 2.8. CRUX is a DIY distribution that is perhaps less known than others, but it is the inspiration behind the mighty Arch Linux as the distribution Judd Vinet was originally using. I would point to this dated interview if you want to know more about the origins of Arch.

Absolute Linux 14.0 - Still Needs Refinement

I haven't upgraded to Slackware 14 yet and in a moment of madness obliterated my old install to start all afresh. That leaves some room to try the new release of Absolute Linux first which of course is based on Slackware. So here we go.

CrunchBang 'Waldorf' - Second Time Lucky

As we all know 'Waldorf' is the testing branch of CrunchBang Linux based on the upcoming Debian 'Wheezy'. Two weeks ago I wrote a shortish post about how the latest testing image failed to install, and promptly an update got released with the release announcement pointing to a known bug in the Debian installer. So, time to try again now that we're back home.

Resident Evil: Retribution (Movie, 2012)

The movie starts with recapping the ending of the previous one, tying neatly into the last few seconds where Umbrella Corporation helicopters are on the way to attack Alice and her surviving helpers on the aircraft carrier.
This alone is confusing and tedious as the scene motion is wound back and forth, but it ends with our heroine blasted into the water by an explosion from where she is presumably scooped up, which would explain how she ends up in the corporation's base in the arctic.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky - Late Verdict

Last year I wrote an article very much extolling what a great game the last in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series 'Call of Pripyat' was. Balanced, well-thought out game play, great graphics and so on. Like so many teenage and not any longer so teenage boys I absolutely love post-apocalyptic games and movies and this series falls right in there.

Calcalute Linux Desktop 12 KDE - Keep It Rolling, Baby

Well, I wasn't going to do any reviews until later this year, but several of a recent flurry of releases caught my attention and my  interest and I made some time for checking them out. One of them is Calculate Linux. Others have reviewed it before and found themselves inundated with offers of Russian brides and other more vile advertisements, but I won't let that put me off because, as I can reveal, I like the product itself very much.