The first beta version of the MX Linux 21 distribution is available for download and testing. The MX Linux 21 release uses the Debian Bullseye package base and the MX Linux repositories. A distinctive feature of the distribution is the use of the sysVinit initialization system, its own tools for configuring and deploying the system, as well as more frequent updates of popular packages than in the Debian stable repository. 32-bit and 64-bit assemblies are available for download, 1.8 GB in size (x86_64, i386).
Features of the new branch:
- Using the Linux Kernel 5.10.
- Updates to many packages, including transition to Xfce 4.16 userland.
- In the installer, the interface for selecting a partition for installation has been updated. Implemented support for lvm if an lvm volume already exists.
- Updated system boot menu in UEFI mode. You can now select boot options from the boot menu and submenus, instead of using the previous console menu.
- By default, to perform administrator tasks through sudo, the user's password request is implemented. This behavior can be changed in the "MX Tweak" / "Other" tab.
- Many small configuration changes, especially in the panel with a new set of plugins by default.
The developers of the distribution emphasize that in this release they are especially interested in testing the new system boot menus in UEFI mode, as well as testing the installer. Testing in a VirtualBox environment is welcome, but for the most part it is interesting to test the deployment of the system on real hardware. Developers are also asked to test the installation of popular applications.
Known Issues:
- The wallpapers are still boring, and the current system monitor of the Conky is still being tidied up. Looks better on some screens than others. This will be fixed after a boring default wallpaper is selected.
- For 32-bit *.iso only: when booting into VirtualBox, an error message appears, and the 32-bit version of the iso image does not have the VirtualBox Guest Additions installed.
- MX Package Installer: The test repository and backups tabs show nothing (for obvious reasons, these repositories do not yet exist or are currently empty).
In the plans:
- Editions with desktops based on KDE and Fluxbox.
- AHS (Advanced Hardware Support) Release: An option to customize the MX Linux distribution repositories that offers the latest updates to the graphics stack subsystems and microcode for new processors. Enhanced hardware support packages can be installed as they are released using the in-house installation and update tools.
Source: opennet.ru