The release of the GeckoLinux 999.210517 distribution is now available, which is based on the openSUSE package base and pays special attention to desktop optimization and details, such as high-quality font rendering. The distribution comes (1.6 GB) in a Rolling version, built on the Tumbleweed repository and its own Packman repository. The 999 in the version number denotes Rolling releases and is used to avoid intersecting with the Static releases that are built on openSUSE releases.
A notable feature of the distribution is the provision of downloadable live builds that support both live mode and installation on permanent drives. The builds come with desktop environments such as Cinnamon, Mate, Xfce, LXQt, Pantheon, Budgie, GNOME, and KDE Plasma. Each environment features optimal default settings (e.g., font settings are optimized) considering each desktop, along with a carefully curated selection of applications.
The core includes proprietary multimedia codecs that are ready to use out of the box, with additional proprietary applications available through repositories, including Google and Skype repositories. The TLP package is used for optimizing power consumption. Installing packages from the Packman repositories is a priority since some openSUSE packages have restrictions related to the use of patented technologies. By default, recommended packages are not installed after setup. The option to remove packages along with their entire dependency chain is provided (so that after an update, the package is not automatically reinstalled as a dependency).
The new version is notable for its default switch to the Btrfs file system with Zstd compression enabled, as well as the activation of the zRAM mechanism for storing the swap partition in a compressed form and the implementation of the EarlyOOM handler to respond to memory shortages in the system. For users of AMD Ryzen chips, the xf86-video-amdgpu driver has been included. The language set installation script has been improved. Package versions have been updated, including Linux kernel 5.12.3, Firefox 88, GNOME 40, Cinnamon 4.8.6, Plasma 5.21.5 / KF5 5.82 / KDE apps 21.04, Budgie Desktop 10.5.3, LXQt 0.17, Xfce 4.16, and Mate 1.24.
Source: opennet.ru
