The release of the Rhino Linux 2023.3 distribution kit has been presented, implementing a variant of Ubuntu with a continuous update delivery model, allowing access to the latest versions of programs. New versions are mainly transferred from devel branches of Ubuntu repositories, which build packages with new versions of applications synchronized with Debian Sid and Unstable. Desktop components, the Linux kernel, boot screens, themes, the Firefox browser and utilities developed by the project are distributed through a separate Pacstall repository. Installation images that can be loaded in Live mode are prepared for x86_64 (2 GB) and ARM64 (1.9 GB) architectures, as well as for ARM devices PineTab, PineTab2, PinePhone and Raspberry Pi.
Package management is carried out using its own package manager rhino-pkg (rpk), which implements a binding over the package managers APT, Pacstall, flatpak and snap. Rhino-pkg allows you to use one universal utility to perform common operations with various package formats, such as installing, uninstalling, updating and searching for packages. To build the distribution, the LiveBuild toolkit from the Debian project is used with modifications borrowed from VanillaOS. The Calamares installer is used to install the distribution.
To organize the graphical interface, Unicorn's own user environment is used, which is a redesigned version of Xfce, close in style to GNOME, but remaining lightweight. In Unicorn, the developers tried to combine a more modern design with a traditional approach to building a desktop. The Plank Dock is used as the application sidebar, and the native Xfce panel is used as the top panel. To navigate through installed applications, the App Grid mode, implemented on the basis of Lightpad, is used.
Navigation through open windows and virtual desktops is organized using the Xfdashboard package, which implements an interface for switching between applications in the style of GNOME Shell and macOS Expose for Xfce. To quickly launch applications, uLauncher is offered, which provides a search bar for running commands, viewing the contents of directories, searching for programs and files. The project is also developing a first-time setup wizard, an application for exchanging files between different devices (a fork from Snapdrop) and an application for viewing system information and updating the distribution.
In the new version, the Unicorn desktop has been switched to using a unified global menu. Launch of the uLauncher application has been accelerated. The panel implements the effect of increasing the size of icons when hovering the cursor. In the First Setup Wizard, the problem with asking for a password to reboot has been resolved. Improved design of the Calamares installer. The base package includes a timeshift backup system that uses rsync with hard links or Btrfs snapshots to provide functionality similar to System Restore in Windows and Time Machine in macOS. Updated Linux kernel versions: 6.5.5 - in general builds, 6.6.0-rc3 - in builds for Pine64 and 6.5.0 - in builds for Raspberry Pi.
Source: opennet.ru