Slashdot Mirror
Linux.com Raves About New Snap-Centric 'Nitrux' Distro (linux.com)
An anonymous reader quotes Linux.com:
What happens when you take Ubuntu 17.10, a new desktop interface (one that overlays on top of KDE), snap packages, and roll them all up into a pseudo rolling release? You get Nitrux. At first blush, this particular Linux distribution seems more of an experiment than anything else -- to show how much the KDE desktop can be tweaked to resemble the likes of the Elementary OS or MacOS desktops. At its heart, however, it's much more than that... This particular take on the Linux desktop is focused on the portable, universal nature of snap packages and makes use of a unique desktop, called Nomad, which sits atop KDE Plasma 5... The desktop includes a dock, a system/notification tray, a quick search tool (Plasma Search), and an app menu. Of all the elements on the desktop, it's the Plasma Search tool that will appeal to anyone looking for an efficient means to interact with their desktops. With this tool, you can just start typing on a blank desktop to see a list of results. Say, for example, you want to open LibreOffice writer; on the blank desktop, just start typing "libre" and related entries will appear...
Skilled Linux users should have no problem using Nitrux and might find themselves intrigued with the snap-centric Nomad desktop. The one advantage of having a distribution centered around snap packages would be the ease with which you could quickly install and uninstall a package, without causing issues with other applications... In the end, Nitrux is a beautiful desktop that is incredibly efficient to use -- only slightly hampered by an awkward installer and a lack of available snap packages. Give this distribution a bit of time to work out the kinks and it could become a serious contender.
The GUI-focused distro even includes Android apps in the menu -- although Linux.com's reviewer notes that "on two different installations, I have yet to get this feature to work. Even the pre-installed Android apps never start."
Skilled Linux users should have no problem using Nitrux and might find themselves intrigued with the snap-centric Nomad desktop. The one advantage of having a distribution centered around snap packages would be the ease with which you could quickly install and uninstall a package, without causing issues with other applications... In the end, Nitrux is a beautiful desktop that is incredibly efficient to use -- only slightly hampered by an awkward installer and a lack of available snap packages. Give this distribution a bit of time to work out the kinks and it could become a serious contender.
The GUI-focused distro even includes Android apps in the menu -- although Linux.com's reviewer notes that "on two different installations, I have yet to get this feature to work. Even the pre-installed Android apps never start."
The desktop is the new terminal, with autocomplete?
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
Look, I'm not going to judge your GUI based on the fact that KDE has been a disaster for years or that you're based on a non-LTE Ubuntu distro that's going to be EOL before you finish getting your wireless driver working right or the fact that you think typing in your GUI to search for an application is a new innovation...
But if you include "beautiful" in your tagline, the very first screenshot you use to advertise yourself better actually be beautiful, and not this piece of junk. Did the person who made that UI even know what margins are?
Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
Funny, when I start typing on the command line, and hit tab, the same thing happens. Only then, after I select the application, I'm free to type the name of the file that I want to open, too. And any options that I want to select.
And, from what I recall, those aspects were present in the command line, oh, back when I started with TOPS-20 in the mid 1980s, and might not have been new, then. Indeed, as I recall with the TOPS-20 command line, you were free to type a question mark at the start of any argument to see what the possible values were; now THAT was a sweet thing, because it eliminated 75% of the times I needed to look up the documentation.
And, if the reader does not care to recognize computer history quite that old because of some encephalopathic imperfection, add-ons like Launchy have been doing exactly the same thing (type on the Windows desktop automatically engages searching for applications) for just over a decade now (since early 2007), and works under Linux, too.
So, new feature? In no way or sense, except a perhaps incredibly narrow one such as "the developers never heard of it because they're too inexperienced."
Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
Waiting for the inevitable "whelp, it uses systemd, so I'll never bother with it", or similar.
We get it. Systemd is the new evil. I even empathize a little. Doesn't mean that efforts trying to make desktop Linux should be crapped on, too.
I pronounce it Nigh-Trucks Like Nitrous.
nxos.org disables scrolling (except on mobile, apparently) so that text is cut off at the bottom if the browser viewport isn't as tall as the designer expected.
Seeing that they can't design Web pages properly hardly inclines me to try the software.
Yet another pointless distro.
Yes, beauty is in the eyes of the beer-holder.
I have been using KDE since its beginning, every foray into other desktops have made be go back to KDE, which I set up as I like it, colors, icons etc.
I have NEVER seen a prepackaged desktop that I liked. Every effort to design some desktop theme will result in a failure. This is Linux, you customize it, it is not Apple "look and feel" shit. I'm in charge, desktop themers go make yourself useful with something else.
The current trend of desktops are very white, small icons, weak pastel colors, thin borders, and so on. Abhorrent to these eyes.
I could tell you how I'm customizing my desktop, by I will not. You should set your own one up as YOU like it. Linux means choice, do no impose your taste on others, for fux ache.
Apple's dock concept needs to die, while designers like it because its "simple" in reality its more complicated to use than a traditional taskbar and is a less efficient use of space.
As a user of Gentoo for over a decade and on behalf of the other users of Gentoo, fugoff!
not just this one, but they all do something similar
"enjoy your music" like holy fucking shit finally an operating system that plays music, thank god its 3rd bullet point on the homepage
Nope I like Slackware. I like how you install a base system and then add the programs you need. Instead of these distros with six terrible web browsers and 20 half assed clones of the same text editor.
Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
The distro uses Systemd and it's .deb based so it's passing on all the Ubuntu/Debian packages that require Systemd as well. Not a troll, just info for people who don't want Systemd.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
To LTE, or not to LTE, that is the question.
It is kind of a new distribution right?.
3G should be good enough for anyone.
I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
...one that overlays on top of KDE...
The last time I used KDE (about a couple years ago), I dismissed it as being too bloated to survive. Now a distribution is taking KDE and building atop it? Has KDE gone through a significant slimming down recently?
What's with the Android apps in that screenshot? Is this a desktop linux distro, or an android os?
I wanted to try it, but there is no .iso to install with. Only some weird .img file for a USB stick. Eventually found a VirtualBox appliance that converted over to VMWare okay.
It's okay... the visuals are fine. I mean, it's a desktop, I only use it to launch apps and open terminal windows. The bundled apps are mostly the usual crapware, form over function, but you can install better ones. And as ever, the mouse wheel doesn't work very well without hacks.
So basically it's a pretty average distro with an annoying, scroll-breaking website and no simple way to install in a VM.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
In Ubuntu/Debian/Fedora/CentOS please specify which "20 half assed clones of same text editor" are you referring to?
Most distros have same packages, written by other people not even related to distributions.
But for some reason the rest of the Linux user community is forced to deal with different package names, different package managers, missing or incompatible packages, jank on jank inside of a jank 2 miles outside of jank central - its just offensive to the user. A total disregard for _my_ personal time when I just want to get shit done and have to deal with troubleshooting the freeware shit others put out without regard for the craftsmanship.
Not Slackware. We need a DIY distro. Sure, it's a niche and most people won't want it, but it needs to exist.
+1 Funny! I'm sure the commenter was referring to LTS, I just repeated his mistake without thinking.
I wanted to try it, but there is no .iso to install with. Only some weird .img file for a USB stick.
Welcome to the 21st century!
1) Copy image file to USB stick
2) Reboot, enter bios, make the USB stick the first boot device
3) Continue boot
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
A complete disgrace when a bunch of virgins who jack off to anime children being raped by tentacles can do a better job than you at setting up a proper looking UI.
"Sir, your ideas intrigue me. Do you have a newsletter I can subscribe to?"
Welcome to Tentux, the UI driven by Anime and tentacles!
A dingo ate my sig...
Please tell me, how can (un)installing one application cause issues with other applications that will not be caused when both applications are installed as snaps?
Explanation here. Basically, Snaps include most of the dependencies they need to run, so installing or upgrading one package is much less likely to break another by changing system-wide library versions and other dependencies. Probably uses a lot more disk space, but that's cheap enough these days that it's probably worth using it to avoid the Linux equivalent of DLL Hell.
'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
Wrong.
Dont conflate context with standards.
When I'm using a Linux distribution I expect it to be working and to have been tested by average-to-above-average-competence developers.
When you come to Slashdot and you decide to post and read comments, you are agreeing to a social contract that stipulates that your opinion will be challenged, and your stupidity highlighted.
If developers have to have everything polished from the get go, nothing would ever be developed.
That's fair, but maybe you shouldn't call your UI "beautiful" right out of the gate if you're blatantly violating basic UI principles for no good reason.
Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
You should set your own one up as YOU like it. Linux means choice, do no impose your taste on others, for fux ache.
I'm not talking about high-level things like the color scheme or the actual usability of it. Did you look at the screenshot I linked to? I doubt there is any convenient way to tweak that desktop so that it doesn't have asymmetric margins around highlighted icons. Heck, they're not just asymmetrical, the bottom of that highlight border is actually cutting through the text.
Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
Citation of what? Someone else's opinion? Wrong.
When you argue with me, you argue with my opinion.
Bringing 'citations' is conceding the point that your opinion is not enough on its own merit.
Please elevate your game and bring some substance to this conversation.
Thanks
Well, sure, that's why I said I wasn't judging them based on those things. I'm judging them based on their margins and borders committing fundamental sins against design.
Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
Welcome to the 21st century!
enter bios, make the USB stick the first boot device
On my shiny MacBook Pro I want to run it under a VM.
Since it's built on KDE, I'm going to go ahead and assume it's going to run like a turd on less powerful machines.
Nonsense, KDE runs nicely even on wimpy machines like ancient netbooks. You might want to turn off some 3D desktop effects.
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
Yes, damn those distributions that force you to use their browser instead of installing what you like.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
You reach the most people by making it work easily on a VM. iso is the way to go for that. I have to agree, stupid to go with img only. Makes them look like a bunch of rookies.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
LOL
How is this flamebait. This guy is hilarious
What tool do I use to copy it? Why can't I just boot it directly in a VM?
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Uhm? I thin snaps work better when your libraries for each app require different version. I've seen this most apparent in packages from outside repositories which don't get maintained with the distro itself, and with WINE, where general compatibility may improve, but individual titles break.
I hope the web design isn't a preview for their user interface, because it is terrible.
There is a "Post Anonymously" checkbox in close proximity to the submit button, and "Done" on the iOS keyboard,... The above comment was mine,...
I'm not sure if you responding to me, but I have no qualms with Debian/Ubuntu/Fedora/CentOS/KDE/RPM/APT/QT5/GTK3.
I just figured LTS had acquired a new name while I wasn't looking. I guess not.
I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
The distribution shouldn't be installing with effects enabled that the system can't handle. I was briefly using Linux Mint with KDE 1-2 years ago and it was very choppy no matter what I did. Installed it on a netbook and it was almost unusable. Went to elementary OS and it was smooth by comparison. I've never been able to use KDE on anything low powered and have it work smoothly, but perhaps things are drastically better now.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Why can't I just boot it directly in a VM?
You can. <facepalms at some of the replies in this thread>
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
did typing in a search query become an efficient way to navigate a desktop interface?
I've never been able to use KDE on anything low powered and have it work smoothly, but perhaps things are drastically better now.
I can still run modern KDE on an ancient Pentium M. You must be "holding it wrong".
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
How do I boot the image in VM Ware without using a USB drive?
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
It depends on your definition of 'work'. It will be functional, but elements will take time to draw and it will get in your way.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
How do I boot the image in VM Ware without using a USB drive?
Boot from the image without copying it to the USB key.
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
Except the last time I remember actually having a problem like that was ~2007. It's really only an issue for proprietary applications that are no longer maintained, and who uses those on Linux?
This space intentionally left blank
It depends on your definition of 'work'. It will be functional, but elements will take time to draw and it will get in your way.
OK, let's define "works" as "works well". No, the 2D UI does not take significant time to draw, unless you have misconfigured your effects settings.
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
VMWare does not support ".IMG" image files. You have to convert them manually.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
I've got a netbook I bought for $295 in 2009, for which the 3D graphics driver was dropped 7 years ago. It has no trouble running kubuntu.
This space intentionally left blank
I'll make a point of setting Kubuntu against Lubuntu next time I install on my atom machine and see which is snappier.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
The conversation was about the "new snap-centric Nutrix distro" until someone decided that Arch, Gentoo and Slackware should somehow be tossed out of existence as they don't fit their opinion of a proper Linux. Even though the User Interface is independent of them. It's quite straightforward to do whatever you want with these distros, in fact users are encouraged. They're not a corporation, not beholden to anyone and not trying to work some angle on their users. You can't have too many Linux distros, it's self regulating, if one is no good people stop using it. And actually Gentoo is a meta-distribution, it can be used to make a distro, as Google uses it to make ChromeOS. It's not for everyone but should get more credit than it does.
Use KVM.
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
Ideally, one would be able to install an Android container to run Android apps on a desktop Linux operating system. Only app publishers' dependence on Google Play Store and Google Play Services keeps this from being a reality.
Then mount the image in your VM as a virtual USB Mass Storage device. Or write it to a physical flash drive and enable USB passthrough in your VM. Both .iso and .e4fs are disk images; they just use a different file system.
That's idiotic, why would I write to a physical flash drive to load an OS to a virtual machine? It kind of defeats the purpose of being virtual in the first place. Sure img can be converted to vmdk, but I'm lazy and it's not worth it to me to go through all that effort. If they don't want lazy people to see their OS than fine, but that's probably 70% of the people any new linux distro might target, and it seems like a bad decision to me.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Here's a utility that creates a .vmdk descriptor file for a .img:
https://sourceforge.net/projec...
How DARE you suggest the emperor actually has no clothes on! Can you not see the finery he's wearing?
Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
plasma desktop search alone is enough to turn the disk into a dog. And to add insult to injury they try to make it difficult to turn off because reasons
Somewhat true, at least in the past. I used to always turn it off (contrary to your claim, that is easy) but just now I noticed I have it on, with no apparent overhead. Now turning it off for comparison. The point is, you can turn it off. No idea what you're going on about.
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
"A total disregard for _my_ personal time when I just want to get shit done and have to deal with troubleshooting the freeware shit others put out without regard for the craftsmanship." - stop spending time ranting in slashdot to get your "shit done"and contribute to the "freeware shit" you happily freeload by fixing it.
"The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
is that down to your inability to make them work for you?
"The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
bad workmen always blames their tools
"The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
that's a "disclaimer" not a fact like "it won't work", if others have it working fine on lesser kit then it still works.
"The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
have you heard of something on the internet called a search engine? you must be new to the internet.
"The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
Was it worth the visit?
Doesn't it just bring monolithic apps bundled with libraries that can't be individually updated except by the person building the snap package? Sounds like a security risk. Is that the case or am I misunderstanding?
Twinstiq, game news
Hey I installed Kubuntu on my little media box last night and I have to say.. I was pleasantly surprised! You're right, it runs very smoothly and even looks pretty good. So much different than my Linux Mint experience.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.