Clearing out the Tumbleweeds | LINUX Unplugged 588
Nov 10, 2024
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Explore the revival of classic SUSE Linux with a trip down memory lane. The hosts troubleshoot a broken device while sharing engaging tech updates. Reviving nostalgia, they discuss significant historical releases and the community initiatives like the Tuxies awards. The challenges of an aging Linux system lead to discussions on backups and Nix OS installation. The episode also highlights essential security solutions and celebrates listener contributions while diving into the latest distributions like Fedora and Ubuntu.
DistroSea offers a convenient way to test over 50 Linux distributions in a browser, reflecting the trend towards cloud-based solutions.
The discussion on classic SUSE releases emphasizes the nostalgia and historic significance of specific versions within the Linux community.
Brent's system troubleshooting illustrates the challenges of maintaining Linux installations and highlights the seamless transition to NixOS for better stability.
Deep dives
Exploring DistroSea for Linux Testing
An online platform called DistroSea allows users to test over 50 operating systems, including various Linux distributions, directly in their web browser. This service eliminates the need for downloads or installations, enabling users to have a virtual machine experience right from their browser interface. The hosts discuss their experience testing the XFCE version of OpenSUSE Tumbleweed through DistroSea, praising its appearance and ease of use. The ability to access such a wide array of Linux distributions conveniently highlights the growing trend towards cloud-based solutions in software testing.
Chronicling Favorite SUSE Versions
The hosts reflect on various versions of SUSE Linux throughout its history based on audience feedback. SUSE 9.3, notable for being the first version to ship with Linux 3 and featured a new KDE desktop theme, received votes from the community as a favorite. However, Chris expresses a preference for SUSE 9.1, which marked significant milestones, including active directory support via Samba 3.0 and the introduction of the Riser FS file system. These discussions highlight the importance of nostalgia in technology as the hosts reminisce about user experiences from years past.
Brent's Broken Tumbleweed Machine
The episode shifts focus to Brent’s longstanding issues with his primary Linux machine running Tumbleweed, which has faced multiple package management challenges over time. Brent discusses how repositories he added years ago may be contributing to the growing instability of his system, leaving him unable to install or update applications. The hosts devise a plan to intervene and fix the broken system through a live troubleshooting session. This real-time troubleshooting reveals the complexities and struggles often faced by Linux users, emphasizing the need for regular maintenance and timely updates.
Transitioning to NixOS with KExec
The discussion progresses to the hosts’ decision to replace Brent's problematic Tumbleweed installation with NixOS through a process called KExec, which facilitates a seamless transition. They use a KExec tarball from the NixOS community to boot into a fresh environment, overcoming initial challenges around Brent's Lux encrypted setup and graphical output. This approach highlights the flexibility and robustness of NixOS while easing the transition from an older system to a more modern, manageable setup. By adopting new technology, the hosts aim to optimize Brent’s machine, which has become critical for his podcast activities.
Community Engagement and Future Directions
Engagement with the community is emphasized as the hosts solicit feedback for the upcoming Tuxies awards and discussions about their experiences with Linux distributions. They express gratitude for the continued support from listeners through boosts and memberships, showcasing how community contributions are vital to the show's sustainability. The conversation touches on the value of sharing user experiences and establishing connections with fellow enthusiasts at events like LinuxFest Northwest. As they look towards episode 600, the hosts reinforce the importance of community involvement in shaping the future of the podcast.
Fountain 1.1.6 is now live on iOS and Android — Our latest release contains more bug fixes than ever before - plus we have improved navigation by making the bottom nav bar persistent across all pages.
Planet Nix — CFP Submission Deadline: December 9th, 2024
Annual Membership — Put your support on automatic with our annual plan, and get one month of membership for free!
bees: Best-Effort Extent-Same, a btrfs dedupe agent — bees is a block-oriented userspace deduplication agent designed for large btrfs filesystems. It is an offline dedupe combined with an incremental data scan capability to minimize time data spends on disk from write to dedupe.
markfasheh/duperemove: Tools for deduping file systems — Duperemove is a simple tool for finding duplicated extents and submitting them for deduplication. When given a list of files it will hash their contents on an extent by extent basis and compare those hashes to each other, finding and categorizing extents that match each other.