NEWS about ArchEX 210305 A new version of ArchEX (Arch Linux Live) is ready! In this new version, which I call ArchEX 2021, I have added the Deepin 20.1 (latest) Desktop environment. Deepin (made in China!) is devoted to providing a beautiful, easy to use, safe and reliable system for global users. I came to like Deepin very much when I installed it in ExTiX 21.1. So I thought why not install Deepin also in ArchEX?
REPLACEMENT This version (210305) of ArchEX replaces version 200930. I’ve replaced Yaourt with Yay – Yet Another Yogurt – An AUR Helper Written in Go. I came to know that Yaourt is dead. I.e. Yaourt is not being developed anymore. So in the new version of ArchEX I have upgraded all included packages, installed a new kernel (5.11.2 – second latest stable kernel by 210305) and replaced Yaourt with Yay.
Read about my Android-x86 Systems – 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX 10 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Pie 9.0 (also with GAPPS)! and about my Android 11, 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 4 and 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd 11 (without GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (with GAPPS)!
NEWS 200119 about exGENT (Gentoo) 64 bit I’ve made a new version of exGENT with only a few necessary packages pre-installed. It uses LXQt 0.14.1 as Desktop environment and kernel 5.3.7-aufs-exgent. The ISO file is of 1720 MB. Despite this exGENT version 200119 runs surprisingly fast from DVD or USB. Even in VirtualBox and VMware. Faster than most other Linux live systems. I call my new version exGENT 2020 LXQt Live DVD/USB. It replaces version 180414, 170407 and 170412. Those versions were too old for upgrading. I had to start over and build version 200119 from “scratch”. All installed packages in exGENT have been updated to the latest available version by 200119. Study the full package list.
What’s new in exGENT Build 200119? The boot loader Grub Legacy has been replaced by Grub2. In exGENT versions before 170309 the file system wasn’t writable when running exGENT live (from DVD). Now you can emerge (install) new programs/packages even while running the system from a DVD or USB stick. If you do that and later decide to install exGENT to hard drive all your changes will follow! (That is if you use the install scripts in /root/install). Furthermore you can install/transfer exGENT to a USB stick with the dd command in Linux or use Rufus or Etcher in Windows. Such installations were impossible before. NOTE: I have not installed Google Chrome. It’s not needed anymore, since Netflix nowadays runs very well in Firefox. About the LXQt Desktop environment: LXQt is a lightweight Qt desktop environment. It will not get in your way. It will not hang or slow down your system. It is focused on being a classic desktop with a modern look and feel. MOST IMPORTANT: Now you can install exGENT to hard drive in two ways. You can still use the install scrips in /root/install. That is the best way to install exGENT on non UEFI computers for example VirtualBox and VMware. The second way is to use Calamares Installer- see below.
Calamares Installer In exGENT Build 200119 I’ve also included the Calamares Installer version 3.2.17.1 (latest). Use it preferably if you need to install Grub on UEFI computers. You can, however, also use Calamares in VirtualBox and VMware. See a slideshow below when I have used Calamares on a UEFI computer to install exGENT on a USB stick.
If you can’t watch the slideshow in your browser watch this animated GIF.
exGENT Build 200119 is a non Systemd system exGENT uses OpenRC 0.42.1 init system instead of Systemd. Comparison of different init systems: Read this article.
exGENT Build 200119 unique? If you have a look at Gentoo’s download site you will notice that the latest Gentoo live system is from 20160704 (!?). Furthermore there are only a few other distros based on Gentoo. The most well-known are Funtoo Linux and Sabayon Linux. Funtoo isn’t a live system. Sabayon is a live system distributed with different Desktops variants. (Not with LXQt though). I have tried some of them on the computers I have access to. None of Sabayon’s variants could run live. Not even in VirtualBox and VMware. My guess is that exGENT has better hardware recognition than Sabayon.
NEWS 190128 about DebEX Budgie – a Refracta Build
A new version of DebEX Barebone with Budgie Desktop 10.4 and kernel 5.0.0-rc3-exton (equivalent to Kernel.org’s second latest kernel 5.0-rc3) is ready. All packages have been updated to the latest version as of January 28, 2019. DebEX Barebone is now based on Debian Buster (upcoming Debian 10). Most important: The ISO has decreased from 1330 MB to 925 MB, which makes it easier to run the system live from RAM. That ability allows DebEX Budgie to be very fast, since reading and writing data from/to RAM is much faster than on a hard disk drive. You can use the Calamares 3.2.3-2 Installer Framework to install DebEX Budgie to your computer in any language. You can even use Calamares in VirtualBox and VMware – i.e. non-efi computers. Watch this animated GIF.
The real McCoy
DebEX is a pure Debian system. I.e. no traces of Ubuntu, Kubuntu etc. New releases of Ubuntu are always based on Debian unstable. So is DebEX.
Important about Refracta
You can use the Refracta Snaphot (pre-installed in all three versions of DebEX) to create your own installable Debian Live DVD once you have installed DebEX to hard drive. I mean change everything and then create a whole new Debian live system. When you start Refracta it will look like this. You don’t even have to install DebEX to hard drive before you can use the Refracta tools. If you have plenty of RAM you can create a new (your own!) Debian system while running DebEX from DVD or a USB stick. Please note that the whole Refracta process (creating your new ISO) will only take 10 – 50 min! You’ll find your ISO in /home/snapshot.
Spotify
You can easily install Spotify in DebEX (even while running the system live). Just run the command sudo apt update followed by sudo apt install spotify-client. Watch a screenshot when Spotify is running in DebEX Budgie.
Rolling distribution
Debian/DebEX are rolling distributions, which implies that once you have installed the system on the hard drive there is no need for re-installations (which otherwise is common in the Linux world). This means, for example, that you can go on and install Gnome or/and KDE in DebEX Budgie.
NEWS about ArchEX 210305
