Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Have new distro releases become meaningless? (lemdro.id)

submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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When I read through the release announcements of most Linux distributions, the updates seem repetitive and uninspired—typically featuring little more than a newer kernel, a desktop environment upgrade, and the latest versions of popular applications (which have nothing to do with the distro itself). It feels like there’s a shortage of meaningful innovation, to the point that they tout updates to Firefox or LibreOffice as if they were significant contributions from the distribution itself.

It raises the question: are these distributions doing anything beyond repackaging the latest software? Are they adding any genuinely useful features or applications that differentiate them from one another? And more importantly, should they be?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

the deployed architecture of linux is still evolving right now and there are lots of distros experimenting with different approaches

how the basic core OS is structured - immutability, A/B partitions, versioned rollback
how third party applications are executed - containerization, compatibilty, virtualization, bare metal
how software is updated and stored - package management (apt, pacman, nix, flatpak)

i'm sure i've missed other features of new linux distros. this is all really important stuff but has nothing to do with the apps you actually use day to day

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (4 children)

they shouldn't. everything should be rolling.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

no*, no, and no.

*not the ones i'm interested in using.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

No. Kubuntu now has a non-broken KDE Plasma. Fedora 41 has a slightly improved Plasma 6. CentOS Stream 10 with EPEL 10 will have Plasma 6 too, which is a huge step in "being something I could consider switching to".

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

This reminds me of Rob Pikes paper from the year 2000.
http://doc.cat-v.org/bell_labs/utah2000/utah2000.html

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