[conspire] DVD/CD collection update

Fri Apr 5 21:59:12 PDT 2013

Tomorrow (Saturday) is _not_ a CABAL meeting.  

Here is a list of the latest update to our library of distros on optical 
discs (the list being always available online at 
http://linuxmafia.com/cabal/installfest/#distros):

1 Three live CD distros usable to install an advanced desktop 
based on Debian-unstable:

Aptosid XFCE 2012-01 "Thanatos" (2012-12-91) for i686 and x86_64
Aptosid KDE Full 2012-01 "Thanatos" (2012-12-01) i686/x86_64 dual-arch (1 DVD)
Semplice Linux 3.0.0 build 300.5 "Pulse (2013-02-02) for i386 and x86_64
Siduction 12.2.5 "Paint It Black" Development Release GNOME Edition 
   (2012-12-23) for i386 and x86_64
Siduction 12.2.0 "Riders on the Storm" LXDE, KDE, XFCE, and Razor-Qt 
    Editions (2012-12-09) for i386 and x86_64

Some years ago, a group of mainly German developers implemented a
brilliant idea:  Release installable live CDs every calendar quarter to
run a desktop system closely compatible with the Debian-unstable rolling
distribution.  This was called 'Sidux' (after Debian-unstable's branch
namde, 'sid'.)  The installed system gets maintained by tracking
Debian-unstable packages plus a repo of Sidux fixup packages to fix
tranitory glitches in the stream of Debian-unstable packages as they 
came out.

Sidux was a great success (and regularly released XFCE and KDE4 discs), 
but was eventually troubled by an internal squabble:  They set up a
Sidux foundation, the guy in charge of that foundation fought with the
developers, and the developers found it easiest to just raname
themselves, which is when the project became 'Aptosid' (and the
foundation guy was left with a trademark and nothing to do with it).

A while later, Aptosid saw another, more-serious schism.  A bunch of
them accused the rest of being desktop-hostile and unfriendly to
outsiders, and left to create a near-identical distro, Siduction,
producing live CDs with the GNOME, KDE4, LXDE, XFCE, and Razor-Qt
desktops.

Both Aptosid and Siduction promised quarterly releases, and both have
become lax about that, FWIW.

Recently, a third near-identical effort emerged, Semplice Linux,
defaulting to _no_ DE (Desktop Environment), but rather the sleek, fast
Openbox window manager.

I just now reinstalled a desktop machine at work with Semplice Linux.
Pretty nice.  I notice it defaults to the trendy lightdm display manager
(graphical login util):  As a fan of simplicity in software, I replaced
that with old-school xdm, and Openbox with my familiar Window Maker.

2.  Debian itself.

Debian GNU/Linux 7.0RC1 "wheezy" (2013-02-17) Install DVD1 (GNOME) for
i386 and x86_64 (1 DVD each)

Beta installer of Debian 7, currently testing branch and in freeze in
preparation for release.

3. Live CDs featuring the Enlightenment 17 DE.

Bodhi Linux 2.3.0 (2013-03-31) for i386 and x86_64
Elive 2.1.35 beta (2013-03-30) for i386

Very similar distros, except Bodhi is an Ubuntu derivative and Elive is 
a Debian one.  Enlightenment 17 (E17) is a pleasantly elegant and fast
DE, worth trying if you haven't seen it.

4.  RedHattish stuff:

Fedora 18 "Spherical Cow" (2013-01-15) GNOME install editions for 
   i686 and x86_64 (1 DVD each)
CentOS 6.4 (2013-03-09) for i386 (2 DVDs) and x86_64 (2 DVDs)
CentOS 5.9 (2013-01-16) for i386 (2 DVDs) and x86_64 (2 DVDs)

Fedora is Red Hat's experimental branch, occasionally a little
wild'n'wolly, fast-moving, no commercial support.  CentOS is 
exactly the same as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, recompiled independently,
and with no bundled support contract or corporate branding.  CentOS
is very probably the most common Linux in the corporate world.

5.  For performance freaks

antiX 13 beta 2 (2013-03-05) for i486
Arch Linux  2013.04.01 (2013-04-01) for i686/x86_64

antiX is a lightweight offshot of SimplyMEPIS, based on Debian-testing,
and using the IceWM window manager by default.

Arch Linux is an independently produced minimalist rolling distribution.
As a very rare departure from other Linux distros, it uses a BSD init,
and is targeted at "the competent Linux user" (their wording).
System architecture is clean and simple.

6.  Linux Mint in two flavours.

Linux Mint 14.1 "Nadia" Mate and Cinnamon DVDs (2012-11-20) for i386 and x86_64 (1 DVD each), 14 "Nadia" XFCE DVDs (2012-12-21) for i386 and x86_64 (1 DVD each), and 14 "Nadia" KDE DVDs (2012-12-23) for i386 and x86_64
Linux Mint Debian Edition 201303 MATE 1.4/Cinnamon 1.6 (2013-03-22) for i686 and x86_64(1 DVD each)

Man, the Linux Mint people have an impressive lineup.  The main distro
is an improved, saner Ubuntu with good DEs (no Unity), good artwork,
etc.  The second line is a 'semi-rolling distribution' compatible with
Debian-testing with aesthetics very similar to the main (Ubuntu-based)
edition.

Note that Linux Mint is where MATE and Cinnamon come from, the escape
pathss for traditional GNOME users tired of Unity and of GNOME3 antics
from the freedestkop.org people.

7.  Latest Ubuntu LTS

Ubuntu 12.04.2 LTS "Precise Pangolin" (2013-02-14) DVD Edition for i386 and x86_64 (1 DVD each)

I've picked up the latest refresh of the current Long-Term Support
series.

8.  Kano's latest

Kanotix 2013 (2013-3-05) dual-arch i686/x86_64

JÃ¶rg "Kano" Schirottke  started his live-CD as a set of modifications
to the Knoppix live CD, one better suited for installation.  Many 
other live CDs have been formed as schisms from Kanotix.  E.g., Kano
moved from using a pure Knoppix base to using Debian-unstable, and then
in 2006 suddenly decided to switch to Debian-stable, a basically dumb
move that annoyed many developers and immediately inspired the Sidux
project.  

Oddly enough, although Kano professes to follow Debian-stable ever since
2006, his current Kanotix 2013 release is closely based on current
Debian-testing, 7.0 'wheezy", which will when released be the _next_
Debian-stable branch.

9.  The most famouse live CD of all

Knoppix 7.0.5 DVD (2012-12-22) for i486

10.  Europe's finest rpm-bsaed distribution

OpenSUSE 12.3 (2013-03-13) for i686 and x86_64 (1 DVD each) and 12.3 Non-Open-Source Add-ons disk for i586 and x86_64 bi-arch (1 CD)