My Linux History runs Parallel with Rosa Linux

To begin with, I have never used ROSA Linux. 

I have used Astra Linux and ALT Linux briefly but gave up due to lack of potent Software.

Unlike today, even though number of  software wad huge, the development of individual software progressed in a slow pace.

I started with in Big Scale with Mandriva in late 2009 and early 2010. It was developed in France. 

It had a small computer called "Globe Trotter". The idea was to have a portable   (mini computer in today's parlance) computer which one can carry around. 

Then, I wished I could possess such a one.

Then came a legal dispute around copyright claims. 

It killed the mini computer project in it's infancy.

Name was changed to Mandrake but it did not solve the financial problems of the computer company.

ROSA company probably bought  Mandrake and renamed it as ROSA.

It became OpenMandriva and later SAM and Samity.

SAM Linux was my early entry.

 

I had SAM CD, till lately.

On the way it changed to Samity.

Mageia 

Unity

Samity

PCLinux

Tiny Me

Demo Linux

ALT

Redhat

ROSA ultimately became Redhat and along the way I started hating Redhat due to many reasons. 

So I never took heart to ALT Linux and Russian Linux Distributions in general and ended up as an ardent supporter of Debian Linux. 

Russian got stuck in Redhat and ALT Linux and here I am finishing a book covering my own Linux History and Linux in general.

I had a marathon test of Linux Derivatives including Gnoppix that comes from Singapore.

But the best Linux Distributions come from Germany.

The best Linux computers also come from Germany.

1. Cachy OS based on ARCH Linux

2. Netrunner 

3. Neptune are a few of them.

4. BlueStar Linux

5. SuSe

6. Garuda Linux for Gsmers

7. Knoppix

8. Linux Magazine

France produced a good distribution called Emmabantus but its Version 6 is lagging behind in Kernel development as compared to Trixie and Forky of Debian.

Except for America no other country produce an array of Linux Distributions.

Reborn OS that comes from Amerca is pretty good and easy to install.

Last distribution, I installed in my NUC was Reborn Linux and it is very close to Buddhist Concept of Rebirth.

 

NUC has six other Linux Distributions installed.

 

1. Debian Trixie

 

2. Debian Forky

 

3. CachyOS ARCH based

 

4. BlueStar Linux ARCH based

 

5. MX Linux- Debian Based

 

6. Reborn Linux ARCH based

 

7. Puppy based EasyOS with AbiWord in a 4GB USB stick. 

It uses the entire USB and I have all my current working books, including "Russia Betrayed" in it.

Puppy Linux comes from Australia and works on the principle "Small is Beautiful".

However, LastBig Linux that comes from Australia does not mount on my NUC.

EasyOS 7 version (Excalibur ) and AntiX works on the principle that SystemD should not vandalize system architecture and old computers (including laptops) could be serviced with minimum of effort. I am not a fan of Laptops but a real fan of Mini Computers with a 7 inch Video Display on top. A real innovation that surpasses the Global Trotter and is portable. I prefer a 10" display with impending loss of visual acuity.

Gentoo based Bodhi Linux and Moksha Linux are still batting on but not popular.

1. Ubuntu I dissociated with long time ago.

2. SuSe was my favourite but gave up when it went commercial.

It had a Linux Studio where one can mix and match and make a ones own distribution. I am not sure Chrome Book, Chrome OS and Google cut Linux teeth from SuSe Linux Studio.

3. I had all the Redhat books until I found the Linux Bible.

Only Linux Distribution I hate is Redhat along with Fedora.

Demo Linux

Puppy Linux

 

Knoppix

This piece should not end without giving some accolades to Klaus Knopper. 

He should have won the Nobel Prize but did not. 

He and his wife visually handicapped popularized Live CD/DVD.

My Linux ENTRY should be backdated to 2014 December when I got hold of Knoppix 3.7 CD/DVD. 

They pioneered use of computers by visually handicapped without a monitor but through Audio Playback (Player). For this they should have been honoured by Nobel Prize.

 In my opinion currently Nobel Prize is a political tool which I have no respect.

I went up to Knoppix 9.1 at which point it could not be booted to my NUC with an Integrated Graphic Card.

It had lot of beautiful features including floating Windows, compression of the sfs file and compatibility with NTFS.

When booted, rest of the USB not used can be expanded to a NTFS file where I used to store Puppy Images. I carry Puppy images in Knoppix bootable image.

What was remarkable was he also developed bootable Knoppix image which a doctor can use for keeping patinet record.

I gave it a to a Denctist who was one of my brothers friend who could make use of it knowing very well Ceylonese doctors were not well versed with Linux and they do not keep record of their patients to avoid paying income tax.

 

I urge him to produce one last Knoppix image before he turns 60 and I turn 80 with visual handicap.

Make it Number 10 and the Last and retire from innovations but keep politically active in Linux sphere.

 

I want Linux to become 10% in the PC arena. 

He should not worry about Nobel Prize. 

He should take note of Mini Computers with built-in Visual Display before Chinese swarm the market with cheap products.

By the way, my current interest is on all the Audio Players from 

Audacity

Audacious

Lmms

Juk

Clementine 

DeadBeaf 

Amarok

SMPlayer

MVP 

Rhythmbox

Cmus

Lollypop

Strawberry

Banshee 

Tomahawk 

 

No more activity on Linux after this.

By the way, I discovered a way to install Linux on a Microsoft NTFS partition.

What a turn around!

Russian ROSA Linux is pretty good

It is pretty good but installer is Anaconda. 

I will give it a try but insatllation was a failure.

Yes, I tried 10 tomes and it failed.

It wants to take over my hard disk.

That is how Redhat works.

Russian Linux Distributions

I have tried only Star Linux in the distant past.

I tried MiniOS but it did not boot on EFI System.

I am downloading MiniOS, Star Linux and decert Linux for testing.

 

Not in the list.

Desert Linux 

 

Reproduction from www.distrowatch.com 

 

1. MiniOS (31)
MiniOS is a Debian-based Linux distribution which strives to be lightweight, modular, versatile and customisable. It comes in three editions, "Standard", "Toolbox" and "Ultra". MiniOS "Standard" is a compact system designed for everyday computing tasks, while "Toolbox" is designed for maintenance, diagnostics and recovery of computer systems; it provides a rich set of graphical and console tools for working with disks and partitions, network diagnostics and administration, data security, data and password recovery, hardware fault diagnosis and testing, as well as other utilities. Finally, the "Ultra" variant of MiniOS provides an extensive set of software tools designed both for maintenance and diagnostics of computer systems and for solving a wide range of general office tasks.

2. ALT Linux (49)
ALT Linux was founded in 2001 by a merge of two large Russian free software projects. By the year 2008 it became a large organization developing and deploying free software, writing documentation and technical literature, supporting users, and developing custom products. ALT Linux produces different types of distributions for various purposes. There are desktop distributions for home and office computers and for corporate servers, universal distributions that include a wide variety of development tools and documentation, certified products, distributions specialized for educational institutions, and distributions for low-powered computers. ALT Linux has its own development infrastructure and repository called Sisyphus, which provides the base for all the different editions of ALT Linux.

3. Calculate Linux (72)
Calculate Linux is a Gentoo-based family of three distinguished distributions. Calculate Directory Server (CDS) is a solution that supports Windows and Linux clients via LDAP + SAMBA, providing proxy, mail and Jabbers servers with streamlined user management. Calculate Linux Desktop (CLD) is a workstation and client distribution (with a choice of Cinnamon, KDE Plasma, LXQt, MATE or Xfce desktops) that includes a wizard to configure a connection to Calculate Directory Server. Calculate Linux Scratch (CLS) is a live CD with a build framework for creating a custom distribution.

4. MagOS Linux (74)
MagOS Linux is a Russian desktop-oriented distribution based on ROSA, a distribution that was forked from Mandriva Linux in 2011. It uses the RPM package management. MagOS Linux comes with KDE Plasma desktop by default, but it also ships the lightweight LXQt desktop for older and low-specification computers. Besides the standard upstream packages from ROSA, the project also provides its own RPM package repository (with various network and NVIDIA display drivers), as well as separate modules (in XZM format) with extra hardware drivers, server tools, MATE desktop, Wine emulator, Java software and additional web browsers, including Chromium and Yandex.

5. ReactOS (83)
ReactOS is a free and open-source operating system based on the best design principles found in the Windows NT architecture. Written completely from scratch, ReactOS is not a Linux-based system and it shares none of the UNIX architecture. The main goal of the ReactOS project is to provide an operating system which is binary compatible with Windows. This will allow Windows applications and drivers to run as they would on a Windows system. Additionally, the look and feel of the Windows operating system is used, such that people accustomed to the familiar user interface of Windows would find using ReactOS straightforward. The ultimate goal of ReactOS is to allow people to use it as an alternative to Windows without the need to change software they are used to.

6. Melawy Linux (185)
Melawy Linux is an Arch-based desktop Linux distribution featuring a customised KDE Plasma as the preferred desktop. It uses the alternative XanMod Linux kernel designed for improved performance and responsiveness. Some of the distribution's features include the Calamares installer, a custom-designed rEFInd boot manager, a Plymouth boot screen, and the Simple Desktop Display Manager (SDDM) desktop login manager. Melawy Linux is available in "Base" and "Developer" editions.

7. RED OS (193)
RED OS is an independently-developed Russian Linux distribution for workstations and servers. It uses the RPM and DNG tools for package management. The workstation edition provides a choice of three desktops, KDE Plasma, GNOME and MATE, while the server variant includes a custom server administration utility called RED ADM. The distribution is developed by Russia's RED SOFT, a company that also provides technical support and Linux training, as well as various administration, virtualisation and database software products.

8. ROSA (208)
ROSA is a Russian company developing a variety of Linux-based solutions. Its flagship product, ROSA Desktop, is a Linux distribution featuring a highly customised KDE desktop and a number of modifications designed to enhance the user-friendliness of the working environment. The company also develops an "Enterprise Server" edition of ROSA which is based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

9. TileOS (282)
TileOS is a Debian-based desktop Linux distribution featuring a selection of several Wayland tiling compositors, notably Sway, River, Qtile and miracle-wm. It is based on the latest stable Debian release, with some packages, such as the Mesa graphics drivers, back-ported from Debian's "Testing" repository. The distribution comes with many device drivers and non-free firmware included in the base system, some performance optimizations and system tweaks, additional repositories for installing programs not found in Debian (such as OnlyOffice, VirtualBox, Librewolf, Visual Studio Code and Brave), and the Calamares system installer.

10. Runtu (305)
Runtu is a Russian desktop Linux distribution based on Ubuntu's LTS (long-term support) releases. It features full support for Russian and a variety of extra applications, tools and media codecs. There are two separate editions that are produced with a varying degree of frequency; the "Xfce" edition tend to get more attention while the "Lite" edition, featuring the LXDE desktop, is also released and updated from time to time.

11. ClonOS (307)
ClonOS is a turnkey Open Source platform based on FreeBSD and the CBSD framework. ClonOS offers a complete web-based user interface for easily controlling, deploying and managing FreeBSD jails, containers and Bhyve/Xen hyperviser virtual environments.

12. Ximper Linux (338)
Ximper Linux is a Russian, rolling-release distribution based on ALT Linux's development branch called "Sisyphus". The project develops a custom package manager called EPM which enables installing and removing individual software or upgrading the entire distribution with one command. It also includes PortProton, a tool designed to help users run Windows games on Linux systems. Ximper Linux provides a set of live images, with GNOME or Hyprland, and with a flexible system installer that can be used to build any installation scenario, from a minimal system to a complex workstation with various desktop environments.

13. Astra Linux (347)
Astra Linux is a Russian commercial Linux distribution based on the "Stable" branch of Debian, developed by Russia's Astra Group. It was originally created to meet the needs of the Russian army and intelligence agencies, but was later widely adopted by the educational, healthcare and other state institutions, as well as many industrial companies, in order to reduce dependence on Microsoft Windows and other Western software products. Astra's flagship "Special" edition is a commercial product available for desktops, servers, mobile and embedded devices; it comes with support options and the highest level of security certification. The company also provides the unsupported, free-to-use "Common" edition which is based on an older version of Debian.

14. Uncom OS (350)
Uncom OS is Russian commercial Linux distribution based on Ubuntu's long-term support branch and localised into Russian. It is developed by Advilabs-Rus LLC. Some of the distribution's more interesting features include a custom application store, out-of-the-box support for Flatpak packages, a Windows-style dock panel, extended support for VPN protocols, a custom application for restoring system integrity, and use of Bottles to run Windows applications. Besides commercial "Home", "Business" and "Education" editions of Uncom OS, the company also offers a freely downloadable trial variant for testing purposes.

15. UBLinux (353)
UBLinux is an Arch-based Linux distribution developed by Russia's Yubitex. It provides four editions. The freely-downloadable "Basic Desktop" edition is available for personal and non-commercial use, while "UBLinux Education", "UBLinux Desktop Enterprise" and "UBLinux Server" are commercial products. UBLinux "Basic Desktop" uses Xfce as the default desktop environment and includes various popular applications for Internet, office, multimedia and graphics tasks.

16. AlterOS (359)
AlterOS is a Russian, general-purpose Linux distribution based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It is developed by ALMI PARTNER, a Russian software development company, and available for personal and professional workstations and servers. Some of the features of AlterOS include optimisation of the Linux kernel and the core libraries for modern hardware, the Cinnamon desktop environment, and pre-installed certificates from the Russian Ministry of Digital Development to ensure integration with government systems and compliance with cybersecurity requirements.

    

Recovery of Economy NOT in Sight

Wednesday, November 8, 2023
 

Recovery of Economy NOT in Sight
 

Cricket is not the Only corrupt institution in Ceylon.

These guys who are All corrupt on both sides are trying to Cover Up their sordid affairs with cricket.

Opportunists by default.

Looking for a scapegoat and they found in the name of Cricket.

Yes, it is recovery of Economy and not Cricket that is important for Ceylon.

Theoretically, I am happy that we are ousted from cricket stardom and I.P.L.Only one reason (intermingled with another shoddy political strategy), I can bring out to show how things work in this blessed land of opportunists.

I watched all the pre-qualifying matches we played to qualify for this world cup.

It was Dimutu Karunaratne who restored order in our team.

He is a quality Test Cricketer with correct technique and he did not like being pushed into this arena of 50 over game. Yet, he delivered results and the young team that came up on top of the table lacked physical fitness and stamina to stand up to formidable opposition.

Then comes Angelo Matthews to spoil the soup!

He is totally unprepared and physically unfit to play 50 overs. He never bowled 5 overs and come late to bat when the shine of the ball is gone.  He used this strategy for over 20 years.

Dinesh Chandhimal should have been the better player who could bat from 1 to 6.

This was the late Tony Greg Formula. I am sorry he is no longer with us to help us with this total (cricket) tragedy of ours.

Arjuna Ranatunge and his family is not the solution to our cricketing problems. All of them including the former administrator are greedy of the ICC money. Proper accounting over 25 years is mandatory and ICC should not dispense any money until this is done.

The minister in charge is a joker who used to bring motor vehicle parts from Japan and assemble them inside a ship as fully furnished vehicles and sell them to Africans. Former president probably outsourced his ill gotten money to Africa and then to where I do not know. His son was also involved in this spare part industry. The partially assembled vehicle was taken into custody in his garage and nobody knows what happened to it. Probably ended up in Ethiopia or Nigeria.

Regarding Sumathipala he has now formed a betting consortium and he is now dealing with cyber currency. If this money is confiscated there is some money for the coffers. Ranil has no guts to take action even though he came in with the promise to end corruption.

His bond deals are still in my memory.

He is aiding and abetting.

He is a SLPP Stooge and was rejected by the voters.

My guess is these guys are collecting money for the next round of general elections. If the Election Commission has any backbone they should ask the guys and girls to declare their assets before approving the nominations.

This include JVP.

It will never happen.

Senior Premadasa's assets were "audited out" only 2 years after his demise.

Ranil is called "Suttara Puncha" or  an age old political trickster par excellence. He is diverting attention of  his inability to manage deficit finance, directly to Cricket Chaos. His strategy is to hide his inability to deal with Hunger and Diseases of the masses.

There is a Dhammapada saying that states Hunger and Diseases are the Greatest Ills of Mankind.

There is acute shortage of essential medicine in government hospitals. Things are going to get worse.

Election might oust lot of corrupt guys but substantial number of corrupt guys and girls from both sides would remain to continue the plunder.

Calling for an early election is not the solution.

The longer they stay  in power the bigger is the rejection including losing their deposits to the government coffers.

J.V.P should not consider that they are the rightful owners of the political change.

It was spontaneous and natural rebellion of the youth (J.V.P gave indirect contribution) that brought down the regime head of the past but MPS in Sheep Coats are inside the parliament and they were not sent home. Some of them are marking time until the "Pension Qualification" is satisfied.

Nobody should get Pension or Official Quarters when out of power.

The dissolution of parliament is on the card after 4 years. My close guess is a parliamentary elevations, since they could not get through the Provincial Council (white elephant) Election due to legal matters.

That is to test the ground reality.

Nobody would get 50% at the Presidential Election. 

 

It is possible to abolish the Post of Presidency but Referendum has to be held to confirm it.

J.R.J. the Fox has put lot of restrictions.

Young Premadasa will not "let slip a chance" for another go. He is building up his image at the expense of the Cricket Board and Administration.

The present guy will hang on to the post of presidency without legal rights.

A Hung Parliament is a probability and current Suttra Puncha loves that scenario.

Anything can happen in politics.

I will shut up moment an election is declared and I am away from  home in Australia and my vote is null and void.

There is Big Hole in the Political Bucket, dear Liser, dear Liser!

Cricket in Summary

Three families and their stooges ruined cricket.

1. Sumathipala cohort

2. Dharmadasa cohorts

3. Ranatunge brothers

R.I.P. for Ceylon Cricket.

4. Latest addition is Wijedasa Rajapaksa.

His son is already in the Cricket Board. 

Russian Linux Distributions

 Russian Linux Distributions

I thought with widespread sanctions would be way behind in Linux with only ALT, Ros and ALT Linux drive the economy. They did not have Gnome in the past most of them were based on old Redhat.

I am proven wrong.

I was preparing a book "Russia Betrayed" but delayed its publication, with "Gut Sense" until the current war is over, may be in 2026.

The sanctions have made Russians to discover themselves at least it is seen in the Linux Domain .

I have given a list elsewhere in this blog site. 

They have over 50 distributions of there own

By the way, DESERT Linux is Ukrainian and I won't test it.

I installed Astra Linux and it is restrictive and going to write it over with new Ros.

They even have distribution based on Enlightenment which I was interested in the past. Elive (and Kiro) which comes from Belgium does not let me have a copy of the iso.

I have got ALT Enlightenment distribution from Russia now. 

It is installable but could not proceed with the partitioning of my complicate Partition Table even, Manjaro cannot decipher.

Gnome is very slow to download only 1.9GB. 

Thankfully the direct download link did not break down when I logged out. Russian servers are 24/7 functional.

I am going to try ROSA. 

Competition Among Arch based Distributions

This is my gut feeling and I am 90% correct having gone through over hundteds of installations not virtual but on real Hardware.

Let take Manjaro.

It is a coporative entity used in countries like Israel. While they may have scripts reporting (or scripts added after installation, more than likely) about what is already in the system and deliberately suppress booting of the rival entity.

I think Reborn OS does the same.

To avoid this I install Debian, last of all.

When the installer gives the WiFi password what the distribution does while installing is their pergorative.

I have now decided not to give WiFi password.

Besides, it makes the installation fast.

One can UPDATE after installation.

Then it has no CONTROL over the GRUB.

This is what I used to do with UBUNTU.

I no longer USE UBUNTU and I do not know what they do now.

I am in this game longer than the young developers.

Like UBUNTU, I do not use MANJARO.

I am Currently Installing Russian Astra Linux

It is all at /root level and no user level which is pretty dangerous in Linux.

I do not find an alternative distribution to make it 6 in one System.

Most of them are not compatible in GRUB Boot Loafer.

Emmabantus is one of them.

Astra Linux is the same but I know how to circumvent after installation.

 It ruined my GRUB.

I know the way about it.

No AbiWord by default.

It has almost everything including Blender but cannot add amything new.

Yes, it is well knit but closed society.

No FLATpak for Russia.

It looks like it has two versions.

Simple Common Version for the public and Special Commercial Version which has FLATpak.

This commercial version is news to me.

What can I say, when somthing simple as Variety Wallpaper can snooze on you, Russians have adopt safety stamdsrds.

Unable to configure Synaptic Package Manager out of Russian Debian Repository.

I would try configuring it to Australia ( musy be blocked by default) when I get my GRUB back to normal.

I did not try it after coming to Australia fearing that I would be sent back to Ceylon. Afterall Linux is global so wny fear a Russian Distribution.

Unlike in the past I did not have to presd F2 key to get English.

It is all new Debian based and pretty easy.

However, I prepared the Partitions before instaltion since using Russian method may harm my Partition Table.

I was short on partitions because I have reserved few partions for NTFS3.

Only /var is missing.

It automatically detected SWAP.

Installation is fairly brisk compared to my previous encounters.

It's selection of Graphic CODE for the integrated Graphic Card is admirable.

1486 files for its Fly Desktop.

Now I remember Rassians has its own Window Manager called Fly.

Thank YOU, Star Linux.

Well I made big mistake of using Terminal for Installation without realizing it.

With few key stroke and careful look at the boot menu solved the problem.

I have no patience for a graphic installer and getting to Russian Repository would have been dicey.

If it breaks I am stuck.

Applications are basic and limited.

I gave 25GB for /root partition.

I have to give Moscow or Kelingrad as the location and change to Australia after installation.

No libe UPDATE as in Debian.

They also have a distribution called Desert and I would report on it later.

Iso image is 5.6GB.

X Server is well and truly intact.

I think Fly is based on XFCE.

I hope it would give me a beautiful boot up Plymouth.

I have no hesitation to recommend this distribution to our African friends.

I hope VLC and Audacity is in the media bundle.

Browser is Yandex and not Firefox.

It got Firefox and Yandex is probably for the Chinese. 

LibreOffice is there by default.

I did not time the installation and is probably over 30 minutes.

That gave me time to finger type this blog piece with help of Google.

Thank YOU again Star Linux.

It is detecting NTP.

There is Astra extra postinstallation configuration.

Password for BlueStar Live Session

AI was not useful for finding the Password for Gparted in a Live Session of BlueStar.

Gparted is essential for partitioning before installation.

I tried demo which MX Linux use but did not work.

Tried live did not work

Empty did not work

I was running out of options.

Tried guest for root.

It did not work.

Tried user and it worked.

It is also finiky with WiFi password.

It is almost elaborate as you are a server administrator.

Installation is over.

BlueStar Linux has the most beautiful KDE Desktop. One can add Gnome later on top of it.

My Advice for KDE

I am a Scientific man.

I do not do things just for the fun of it.

KDE should first do a customer Survey to begin with.

In should do its own survey to see amount of resource of the memory footprint.

Should stop emulating Windows.

It should have its own soul like Trinity desktop.

I spent lot of time removing stuff I never use.

It should have its own installer.

Using platform independent Calamares in not a good ploy.

It should have several varieties of KDE just like wall papers.

It should have its own repository.

Let customer or user pick the add-on.

I tried the KDE distribution and it is bulky.

Debian KDE is smoother.

List above is enormous but with perseverance it cam be achieve.

The basic Distribution fit in with a 4GB USB. Rest of the features should be accessed during Installation.

Putting everything in one DVD is not the right way.

Most distribution use XFCE for online installation and let one pick and choose the desired desktop.

Look at how CachyOS does it.

That is why it is on top of www.distrowatch.com.

You are at the bottom of 100 distributions.

Nitrux is doing a hash of a things and it is on the bottom, too.

Why I call KDE is a pain in YOUR Back

Why I call KDE and KDEN-Live is a pain in YOUR Back.

I started with Trinity.

Trinity is the Legacy KDE.

The Trinity Desktop Environment (TDE) is a complete software desktop environment designed for Linux and Unix like operating systems, intended for computer users preferring a traditional desktop model, and is free/libre software. Born as a fork of KDE 3.5 in 2010, it was originally created by Timothy Pearson, who had coordinated Kubuntu remixes featuring KDE 3.5 after Kubuntu switched to KDE Plasma 4.

TDE is now a fully independent project with its own personality and development team, available for various Linux distributions BSD and DilOS.

It is currently led by Slávek Banko. 

KDE has become a behemoth, now. 

It started accumulating things not relevant to the desktop which included KATE, Kwrite, LibreOffiec and many K utilities.

By the way, LibreOffice is also a behemoth. I just removed it and saved 1.2GB. 

After over 25 years KDE has decided to come out with a Distribution which has not solved its own problems. 

I tried it but I prefer Debian's KDE Desktop. 

By the way, ARCH based BlueStar Linux KDE is the most beautiful for me. I have it in my NUC System.

I hate its KWalletMaanger, too.

It has a few good utilities. 

 

I keep the good ones and remove the bad ones. 

 

Spectacle comes first and closely followed by Akergator. 

 

Kruler and Kmagnifier are pretty interesting. 

 

Because of its padding rule it has lost its key components. 

 

These are constructive  and not destructive views simply because it is a Linux derivative and I want it to succeed.

Too, many cooks spoils the broth/soup. 

LinuxTracker is down-Why?

LinuxTracker is down-Why?

 

Yes, LinuxTracker is down for couple of days.

 

I know it because I could not get EasyOS Excalibur from them. 

 

In a circuitous manner, I got it through some help from www.distrowatch.com.

 

This breaks down happens, only in December but this is the first time in November.  I guess Linux guys are having an early holiday.

 

This is the time, hackers are active and they can be deadly.  

TrixiePup64Wayland-Another Puppy

 I found another Puppy called" TrixiePup64Wayland".

It is probably coming from Debian 13 Trixie.

I love it because it has Synaptic Package Manager.

It already has AbiWord but I installed additional libraries.

Installed Audacity, too.

Hope they retain them when I boot just like EasyOS. 

It saved the file as sfs file in one of my NTFS3 folder as EXT4 of 512MB.

Just like in the old day. 

It won't boot on Debian.

I removed it including the Image file for good.

 

EasyOS Excalibur - Version, 7

With some difficult I found its image and installed it on a USB.

My only requirement to carry my book files written in AbiWord.

Yesterday, I couldn't install AbiWord but today I managed it but could not access my hard disk to copy the files.

Fortunately, I had few copies in a USB and copied them.

One has to wait till it saves the current session which is pretty SLOW which is helpful with old machines with limited RAM.

Thank YOU.

It is long time since I Revited Puppy Linux.

My own reasons for using Debian

My own reasons for using Debian 

My own reasons for using Debian are;

1. It is very stable.

 

2. Its Debian Installer is distribution dependent unlike the Calamara Installer which is distribution independent.

 

3. I prefer the old Debian graphic installer which is very easy to use.

 

4. Its window management is stable and smooth.

 

5. Besides, I am a Debian user for a long time.

I do not want to fiddle with the programs,     I regularly use. Due to long term use I am very comfortable with Debian.

 

6. SNAPs are in containers and are very bulky.

 

7. Debian still has Synaptic Package Manager to which one can fall back, if the SNAP installer fails. Flatpak is based on container sandboxes to mitigate the dependency problems, if there are any.

 

8. Box utility lets me test drive live distributions.

 

9.  OBS lets me play music and videos.

 

10. I am hesitant of daily updates.

In reality, I can schedule and configure them on weekly or monthly basis, if I desire,so.

 

11. The integration of SNAP and Synaptic by Debian is smooth and  the same application is not installed twice.

 

12. Ubuntu lets one duplicate and install two packages (one in a separate SNAP container) of the same application.

Of course, I had Ubuntu as a separate distribution installed in my NUC and it was not difficult for me to find the inconsistencies.

 

13. Ultimately, I erased Ubuntu and installed fourth instance of Gnome in my NUC, in case I need to test some applications, I rarely use.

I have installed Netrunner, to have the occasional feel of the KDE desktop.

 

14. Lately, I found a way to install Debian packages such as Ulaucher, MutlSystem USB, Opera and Vivaldi browser using Debian Package Installer, which is called GDebi Package Installer.

 

15. What is different in different distributions is the desktops type.

 

16. Debian has a Live DVDs for most of the Desktops and one can pick and choose the distribution one needs, having tested them on a Live Session.

 

17. Different distributions have different plans and some of them are heavily involved in commercial activities which include Redhat, Fedora, Zorin and SuSe Linux.

To my dislike, Ubuntu is  also slowly but surely moving towards a commercial base. Of course, that is their choice, to which they are entitled.

 

18. These commercial entities either pay or entice the YouTube presenters to twists the narrative in favour of a particular distribution, thereby bending and twisting the ideology of Free Software Protocol.

The ultimate plan is to direct the newbie user to a particular distribution.

I do not like that ploy.

 

19. Tuxedo and Pop OS come to my mind.

 

20. There is nothing wrong in this approach for corporate guys with business ventures but an average user buying these product except a USB or a DVD is surreptitiously exploited.

 

21. Nobody, in my long exposure to Linux has asked me for an image of Linux. In any case,I won't dish out my USBs with Linux distributions written on them, free of charge. USBs have become expensive and nowadays are of high capacity. What is available in Australia is 32GB or higher. A typical good distribution is under 4GB and writing an image on 32GB USB wastes 28GB of the total capacity.

EasyOS is the only distribution that uses the full capacity of the USB. The last version of the  distribution is based on excalibur but I prefer the scarthgap. 

 

I have erased all my USBs with a Linux distribution written on them and kept a few of the 4GB and 8GB USBs for testing Linux images. The reason being, I can use the Box Utility to test them instead of writing them on USB sticks and booting which is time consuming, to say the least.

Gedit to Gambase but NO Bluefish Code Cruncher

Now that I have dispensed with Gnoppix it is time for me to list few of the Old Text Editor Flames of mine.

 

I started with Bluefish which is not supported now.

Most of them are Python based.

 

New ones are neo-vim, ranger and tilde.

 

All of them take about 50MB 

 

1. joe

 

2. gedit 

 

3. jed 

 

4. jEdit

 

5.  cream

 

6. Lyx

 

7. Xournal

 

8.  Notepadqq

 

9.  AbIWord

 

10.  Vim

 

11. Emacs  both terminal and client

 

12. TeXdoctk 

 

13. Sigil ebub editor 

 

14. GVim was my favorite 

 

15. Xournal 

I did the Unthinkable-Installed Linux on a NTFS Partition

I did the Unthinkable-Installed Linux on a NTFS3 Partition.

It is NTFS3 which is not allowed under Debian. 

I would report to you if the attempt is successful.

This is a good lesson to Manjaro who cannot count the number of EXT4 partitions in my NUC.

This is also a lesson to Omarchy which cannot coexist with other  Linux distributions.

All these jobs are done with PYTHON and Python must be a must for computer addicts.

Yes, it is a success and even Debian now reads the NTFS files. 

This is all done by Gnoppix.

I can remember Original Knoppix in spite of using Reifers file system could extend the partition in the USB to NTFS, if I wanted.

It went dormant in 1991 and my old Knoppix USBs cannot boot on my NUC.

It is revising Original Knoppix but through Debian Base. 

It comes from Singapore.

It let me configure WiFi on live session but when installed it would configure only the Ethernet which I do not use and by doing so, asking contribution of money for additional services to which I will not contribute.

 I was and I am totally against their AI policy which probably Microsoft is using (that is why NTFS3 is supported) with their copilot snooze on Linux users.

DO NOT Use it.

Do not sign with them. 

Shun it like scrapies or  leprosy.

However, it has ton of Linux applications including Synaptic Package Manager and is is good for a newbie to learn what is in store in Linux.

KDE version is huge but XFCE version is light in applications. 

Installation is awfully slow.

Why I do not know.

This distribution works on /Root Permission which is dangerous.

Gparted does not work on installation.

A single packages can be removed when running.

Guy who produced this may have worked with Gnome Team and Mark Shuttleworth but he has forgotten Golden Rules of Linux.

I am erasing it NOW.

Only thing that came out of Gnoppix Saga is I got to know there is something called NTFS3. 

That is the Minimum Knowledge about Windows, I have now.

I am back to normal.

 

 

LaTeX

 Wednesday, November 19, 2025

 LaTeX

LaTeX is not proprietary, but a free, open-source software distributed under the LaTeX Project Public License (LPPL). 

It is available to use for free, with no license fees, and can be supported by donations. 

Origin

TeX, the original typesetting system, was created by Donald Knuth and released under an open-source license. 

LaTeX, a macro package built on TeX, was later developed by Leslie Lamport and is also free software.

Licensing 

The LPPL is a free software license that is compatible with the Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG). 

While the LPPL is not compatible with the GNU General Public License (GPL), it requires modified files to be clearly distinguishable from the originals to prevent "dependency hell".

Availability

LaTeX is available for most operating systems and is included in many TeX distributions. You can download and use it without paying for a license.
    

Support 

The developers invite users who are satisfied with LaTeX to support its maintenance and development through donations to the TeX Users Group

Debian 14 (Forky) - Tit Bits

Debian 14 (Forky) - Tit Bits

Forky has lot of nice things.

Thank You.

But it is still Bit Unstable.

It cannot handle multi tasks as is by Trixie. But after some automatic UPDATES it seem to perform well with File Manager with some cool effects.

I use several File Mamgers and I am not sure the changes are application based or kernel basedd.

When I cut and paste a Linux Image it gives a running grsphic commentary so that I do not log out or switch off while task is not finished which I occasionally do.

I am back to normal and no outstanding jobs one week before December. I think I can have a cool December ( it is summer here and little rain was a welllcome change.

It hangs on multi tasks since it reacts instantly to even my keyboard lapses by ether freezing or closing the Firefox.

I am a multi tasking guy and that is why I use Linux.

Few things, I noticed.

It starts from the left bottom hand corner.

It used to from top where my I focuses of automatically.

File manager is streamlined but finding thrash took some time.

Going for Thrash and emptying is one of my automatic responses to keep my home folder empty of unnecessary files. 

Left hand corner  panel is almost frozen and one has to drag the right hand corner a long stretch to get it expanded.

Most of the functions are dedicated to right and left hand mouse clicks which a bit different to the old habits.

I do not look at the mouse but concentrate on the keyboard since I am not a touch typist.

I am a KO KO (Ko Ko is where where in Ceylonese Sinhala vernacular) typist and still look at the keys. 

 I won't switch my long books to forky until they are ready to be published and only for save keeping.

I work on AbiWord and LibreOffice which is 28.2 may have many other chages in features for no valid reason.

One should not change some thing working even in a new edition of Linux.

That is the bottom line. 

Garuda Linux to Test Your System

I do not like both TimeShifts and Btrfs file sydtem. Because I like Octspi and Arch Linux I am going to install one instsnce. 

If it does not give me Additional Applications, I am going to ERASE it.

I love birds but not mythical birds.

It takes inordinate system resources and very slow in installing and it looks like it take 45 minutes to install.

It crashed and I cannot log out.

I won't recommended it

I used keyboard short cut to log out and I am Installing Cachy Linux on the failed partitions.

Under Reborn OS when I run Box Utility, Image writing and downloading  and running Firefox

CPU is to full capacity (only two in my NUC)

Swap to 50% capacity.

Network almost in full throttle.

Hard disk up to full and 25%.

My Guess is if YOU are running make sure

1. 32GB RAM

2. Multi CPU

3. SWAP at least twice of the RAM 64GB 

4. High capacity Hard Disk. 

I am sorry I do not have SPACER in my Trixie to give more accurate information. It is discontinued since there is no developer support to SPACER.

 

 

Endeavor OS is so Simple I cannot get AbiWord Installed

For a me who believe in "Small is Beautiful" decided to Install Endeavor OS in a spare Partition.

Installation took 18 minutes  3 minutes faster than an average Linux Installation but I was left with Firefox and lot of information from the Web without how to install AbiWord.

 

I am Installing Reborn OS, which is the easiest of all ARCH Distributions from which I can install anything from ARCH Repository including almost all the Desktops. 

No for Budgie Desktop 

My problem is I am firmly grounded on GNOME and I do not want to try KDE.

By the way, BlueStar Linux has a good KDE Desktop with the ability  to customize it.

I do not want to waste my time customizing KDE.

 

Endeavor OS completely miss my GRUB file.

 

It does not have panels or slides in between waiting periods of installation.

 

It looks like Reborn OS is finishing installation before I finish this blog piece faster than Endeavor OS including my AbiWord.

 

Reborn OS has a beautiful Boot Up Plymouth.

Problem with Manjaro Exists

Problem with Manjaro Exists 

I wondered why I did not use Manjaro for long time. 

It is the same old problem.

 

It cannot read a complicated Partition Table of mine.

 

I have 33 partitions with only two of then being FAT, one EFI and the Other Big FAT file to store Linux images below 4GB.

This is the reason I wand the developer guys to keep it simple and below 4GB for installation and after installation one can add more applications. 

 

FAT File cannot store big files. 

 

I have to go to FAT since lately Debian does not support proprietary NTFS file system.

Manjaro by the way is above 4GB. I cannot install it at all.

 

If I want to install it I have to erase my hard drive and install it first, and install others Linux distributions later. 

I have done this in the past. It can coexist with other ARCH derivatives, then.

I hope they sort out this inability to read EXT4 files when they are above 15 partitions. SuSe had the same problem and that is why I left SuSe long time ago. 

 

I am going to try Endeavor OS instead. 

It was big failure. 

 

I tried Garuda Linux gamer iso and ditched it.

 

I am investigating whether they have a desktop derivative. It may be because I used NFTS partition.

Garuda Linux Gnome Install

All my life I never tried Garuda Linux, simply because it is a Gamer based distribution and come from a non English country.

On top of that it used Btrfs file system which I hate.

Since  it based on ARCH and if I do not make few line about it in my book it is unfair. I have included it under Gamers wothout checking.

Password is Garuda and I listened to a YouTube presentations any way.

I am glad it did not mess up my Partition Table while configuring Btrfs.

ARCH is on top of Linux and I haven't sern it on www.distrowatch.com.

Installation script is no different to other ARCH Distributions except there are no graphic interval between line of code or moving to next slide.

Installation is brick except wrting Btrfs file system.

I hope it would not mess up with my GRUB which is very unlikely.

These guys have done a wonderful job promoting Linux.

Time spent on graphic is well spent.

Image is under 4GB, 3.2GB exact which is excellent.

It is a gamer console in Gnome and I cannot install additional applications except game condoles. 

I am going to ERASE it after two bootups.

SZBOX S7 and Mini Stick with Linux

SZBOX S7 and Mini Stick with Linux

 

It is time to retire all the bulky and heavy LAPTOPS with batteries hard to come by with mini PC and mini USB sticks.

I am glad I did not publish my book on Linux Essentials.

I need to expand the chapter with HiGOLE mini PC.

SZBOX S7 is a hand held mini PC which looks like a cellphone.

In fact, a cellphone/tablet and mini PC combo.

Price around $500/= when upgraded but bare born is 270.

7" inch scree Alder Lake-N

INTEL inside.

16GB DDR5 and 128GB NVMe SATA without and operating system in which I can install Linux.

It is really worth for the price quoted.

It is portable.

Compact with a kick stand.

It is productive with enough video capability.

Impressive array of ports for connectivity.

Ideal for students and data handlers.

Dave space, save money and save energy.

Money saved can be used for a monitor of your choice.

7200 mill Ampere battery which last for 7 to 8 hour without changing requirement.

Intel WiFi 6 with Bluetooth 5 and Audio and HDMI video ports.

This is the perfect niche market product for a digital nomad or old potato-couch tech enthusiast like me. 

However, with some visual handicap, I prefer a bigger screen but with ability increas fond size I can make a blog piece on the fly.

Thank You guy for YouTube presentation and the tech guys who design these products.

Sky is the limit if you put mind into a productive and portable tool.

SZBOX-S1 is a DDR5 RAM in a USB stick Frame is even smaller. This stick is meant to be attached to a monitor with HDMI IO port. It is not suitable for games but ideal for a workspace where space is limited. It can hide behind the big TV but switching on and off will be cumbersome. I think if you have a portable mini TV this stick make it a work companion in a restricted space. SZBOX S7 is seven inch and with visual handicap I would go for 10" mini TV and this mini Stick. I won't recommend it for a car TV since watching TV while driving should be prohibited to prevent (RTA) road traffic accidents.

Portable Operating System on a Stick.

There is another stick with DDR4 which I can stick on my NUC with DDR 4. I fear sticking a DDR5 stick which different bus speeds might burn my NUC (CI) circuit board.

Do not stick these on an OLD PC even by accident.

This is a DDR4 RAM integrated into a mini Circuit Board and a USB port IO.

It has HDMI port for video and SD slot for DATA.

Thinks are getting smaller and nanometer chips are coming out. There enough holes in the modified plastic frame for heat dissipation. I want use this with over 10 USB sticks booting many Linux Distribution.

This stick is Linux compatible for Linux enthusiasts.

Linux is not Resource Hungry When Running my NUC

 Linux is not Resource Hungry When Running my Intel NUC

 I bought my Bare bone NUC in Ceylon and had been hacking it on daily basis.

I always worried it might break down.

Lately I begin to test it while running.

Dual CPU

Integrated graphic card

Memory 8GB.

with downloading TuX racer, writing this blog piece  

and having Pingus game running by the side

CPU and GPU use is below 25%.

Memory Below 2,5GB 

SWAP not used and disk 1.6GB.

All this because I am running Linux, that is also not Gnome but BlueStar Linux which has the mast beautiful KDE desktop.

CRON jobs and Daemons allocate the resources perfectly and my NUC will run for my life. I still want buy a Mini PC with Audio Video output, just for fun.

If I used Microsoft Windows my NUC would have been dead by now.

Windows in the BIOS is blocked by default.

No dual booting at all. 

 SZBOX S7 and Mini Stick with Linux
 
It is time to retire all the bulky and heavy LAPTOPS with batteries hard to come by with mini PC and mini USB sticks.
I am glad I did not publish my book on Linux Essentials.
I need to expand the chapter with HiGOLE mini PC.
SZBOX S7 is a hand held mini PC which looks like a cellphone.
In fact, a cellphone/tablet and mini PC combo.
Price around $500/= when upgraded but bare born is 270.
7" inch scree Alder Lake-N
INTEL inside.
16GB DDR5 and 128GB NVMe SATA without and operating system in which I can install Linux.
It is really worth for the price quoted.
It is portable.
Compact with a kick stand.
It is productive with enough video capability.
Impressive array of ports for connectivity.
Ideal for students and data handlers.
Dave space, save money and save energy.
Money saved can be used for a monitor of your choice.
7200 mill Ampere battery which last for 7 to 8 hour without changing requirement.
Intel WiFi 6 with Bluetooth 5 and Audio and HDMI video ports.
This is the perfect niche market product for a digital nomad or old potato-couch tech enthusiast like me. 
However, with some visual handicap, I prefer a bigger screen but with ability increas fond size I can make a blog piece on the fly.
Thank You guy for YouTube presentation and the tech guys who design these products.
Sky is the limit if you put mind into a productive and portable tool.

SZBOX-S1 is a DDR5 RAM in a USB stick Frame is even smaller. This stick is meant to be attached to a monitor with HDMI IO port. It is not suitable for games but ideal for a workspace where space is limited. It can hide behind the big TV but switching on and off will be cumbersome. I think if you have a portable mini TV this stick make it a work companion in a restricted space. SZBOX S7 is seven inch and with visual handicap I would go for 10" mini TV and this mini Stick. I won't recommend it for a car TV since watching TV while driving should be prohibited to prevent (RTA) road traffic accidents.

Portable Operating System on a Stick.
There is another stick with DDR4 which I can stick on my NUC with DDR 4. I fear sticking a DDR5 stick which different bus speeds might burn my NUC (CI) circuit board.
Do not stick these on an OLD PC even by accident.

This is a DDR4 RAM integrated into a mini Circuit Board and a USB port IO.
It has HDMI port for video and SD slot for DATA.
Thinks are getting smaller and nanometer chips are coming out. There enough holes in the modified plastic frame for heat dissipation. I want use this with over 10 USB sticks booting many Linux Distribution.
This stick is Linux compatible for Linux enthusiasts.

China Syndrome

Friday, May 27, 2022
China Syndrome

I was intrigued by the fact that why China is currently Communist and is resistant to Buddhism.
 

I have found the answer.

Their religion was drug intoxication from ancient times.

MaO Tse Tung killed at least 3 millions to arrest this pan-drug-addiction syndrome that made China a Vasal State.

The Chinese are known for herbal  medicine.

In their quest for plant medicine they discovered addictive psychoactive drugs.

Manna Mushroom is one of them.

The story of South America is similar and they have more variants including Ayahuasca.

The problem is meditators (try to induce endogenous relaxants), alcoholics (temporary euphoria and later toxicity) and drugs addicts from Afghanistan (opioids), all fall into same to the same boat.

ADDICTION.

I have gone into detail how meditators end up with strokes and the latest was one of my classmates who died within 6 months is meditation practice.

Let me dish out a small passage from a book I never read but fished out from the attic few days ago.

Since the early days of humankind chemical substances have been available when consumed, alter some kind of behaviour or experience.

Often the effects are powerful and mysterious that the substances that produced these were incorporated into religious rituals of the society.

The power of these substances took on mystical qualities of their own.

Read also Philadelphia Experiment.

In other words, almost all religions originated from this fantasy.

Buddhism as it practiced today is no different.

I have introduced this subject briefly in my book "Charms of Alcohol" at Amazon Books. 

ISO is over 4GB (XFCE) and over 5GB (KDE).

Most likely I am going to erase it if WiFi is not available. 

Six Linux Distributions in my NUC under 24 Hours

Yes, that nasty Encounter with Brazilian BIG Linux (which I hate now) made me to install six Linux Distributions under 24Hours. I lost all the Linux images stored on two NTFS files. Then, I also realized Debian has shuned NFFS files for good (NTFS is proprietary). I did not lose  any DATA and quickly copied the DATA on NTFS files to my HOME folder which is never ERASED. 

This was done under Live BiG Linux when I realized BIG Linux has done enough damage to my System.

I hate Btrfs and I never use TimeShifts. 

My independent DATA SAVE Protocol, I use from my Thesis writing time has saved me from catastrophe.

However, I decided to save the five books I am currently working on two USBS.

Well, I have not lost a file since I started using Debian GNOME.

Six Linux Distributions in my NUC under 24Hours 

 

Six distributions I installed in my Single NUC are:

 

1. Debian 14 Testing Forky

 

2. Debian 13 Trixie (I am finishing five books on Trixie)

 

 4 ARCH Distributions.

 

Top of them is Catchy OS

Next is Manjaro 

3 and 4 are a close tie

 

BlueStar Linux half a neck ahead of Reborn OS.

 

I have KDE  in five of them for Testing and most beautiful KDE, by the way, is  BlueStar Linux that comes from Germany.

 

No for Tuxedo

No for POP OS

No for Zorin

 

Non committal on UBUNTU and Linux Mint.

 

I HATE all the distributions that RUN on Root and UBUNTU tops the list. It is a big security RISK. 

Way to avoid is to have a USER account under Root.

 

I now have 33 Partitions and only two are FAT.

 

One is tiny EFI and other is for storing Redundant DATA.

 

I am giving up on Puppy Linux except Easy OS on a 4GB USB. 

None of my books are saved there since it does not support AbiWord. 

 

I write my books on AbiWord.

KIRO Linux which comes from Belgium is a security RISK. I

t has the wallpaper Variety which is a back-end utility that is used for spying.

 

BEWARE of  all wallpapers that come with KDE which can be used for snooping and spying.

 

Adobe Software of Apple was known snooping as well as carry malware.

Reborn OS is most User Friendly ARCH Distribution to install and update Software.

No command line at all.

Final Update on Big Linux and XivaStudio

For 3 days I was trying to get Big Linux to work for me and it failed me.

First I would dispense the good things.

1. WiFi configuration is OK but finding it icon was not easy.

2. It lets you customize the system.

Really too much of it.

3. Animations and wallpapers are good.

Beyond that everything esle was irritating to say the least.

1. It messed up with my boot menu.

USB priority was changed.

2. Destroyed my GRUB and it formatted the EFI Partition and installed dark Plymouth theme.

3. Installing Blender was a big hassle.

4. Selection of Audio utilities was not outstanding.

5. I had to fish to find Gparted.

6. Messed up with my Partition Table.

Two NTFS patitions were not accessible.

7. Bootwith Root Permission.

I made a User Account to avoid root permission.

I am erasing it with Manjaro.

Reason I avoid Manjaro is it is too, easy.

I gave it a try because it was Manjaro based but it abused the Manjaro liberal policy by adding lot of unnecessary stuff.

It has too many kernels and the latest kernel did not boot. When the USB does not boot it put the blame on the User and the USB. Utter shame.

It comes from Brazil and preferred language is Portuguese.

I did all this since there going to a very bad entry in my book.

One should do the little things well and then only the Big Image get establihed.

I do not recommend it to a newbie.