CloudLinux Commits over One Million Dollars to CentOS Replacement

Whether you use CentOS for your servers or your desktop, the embroiled Linux distribution has recently found itself in a state of tumult. You're probably wondering where to go now?

If you're not in the know, Red Hat has decided to end CentOS as it stands, in favor of the rolling release, CentOS Stream. This decision has placed a large number of the Linux community in fit of pique, looking for a new distribution to handle what CentOS handled with agility, security, and reliability.

That's where CloudLinux comes in. On December 15, 2020, the company whose goal is to increase the security, stability, and availability of Linux servers announced it was sponsoring Project Lenix, which will create a 1:1 binary compatible fork of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (starting with version 8 and moving forward).

CloudLinux has, for 10 years, been building a hardened version of CentOS Linux for data centers and hosting companies, so they certainly have the knowledge and skills to pull this off.

The reason behind the move? First off, CloudLinux has the infrastructure, software, experience, and staff. Second, CloudLinux assumes this move will put them on the map, so businesses will finally discover their rebootless update software (https://www.kernelcare.com/) and Extended Lifecycle Support offering (https://www.cloudlinux.com/extended-lifecycle).

The first release of Project Lenix will arrive in the first quarter of 2021.

Read more about Project Lenix in the CloudLinux official blog announcement: https://blog.cloudlinux.com/announcing-open-sourced-community-driven-rhel-fork-by-cloudlinux.

Linux Mint 20.1 Beta Released

Fans of Linux Mint are everywhere, and they're vocal about their love for the distribution. So it should come as no surprise that their Christmas has come a bit early this year, thanks to the release of the beta version of Linux Mint 20.1, Ulyssa.

Linux Mint 20.1 is based on the latest Long Term Support release of Ubuntu Linux (20.04). And, like always, Linux Mint (even in its beta form) is available to install with one of three outstanding desktop environments: Cinnamon, MATE, and Xfce.

Along with all of the goodness that comes with Ubuntu 20.04, Linux Mint Ulyssa has gained a few new features of its own, including two new color schemes (pink and aqua); a new tool for sharing encrypted files over a network (called Warpinator); a new Web App Manager, which can turn any website into a panel-pinnable "app" that behaves like a normal desktop application; and of course the new Hypnotix IPTV client, which allows you to watch television shows within the app.

Finally, Linux Mint 20.1 comes with Linux Kernel 5.4 and the default Cinnamon desktop is 4.6.

It should be noted that, as of Linux Mint 20.1, 32-bit support has been dropped, so you'll only be able to download the 64-bit version.

You can download the beta version of Linux Mint 20.1, with either the default Cinnamon desktop (https://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=284), MATE (https://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=285), or Xfce (https://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=286).

Remember, this is a beta release, so you might not want to install it on a production desktop machine.

Manjaro Linux 20.2 Unleashed

Aside from the regular expected updates, such as kernel 5.9, Pamac 9.5.12, and GNOME 3.38.2, the 20.02 release from the developers of Manjaro Linux has a few added surprises that might intrigue many a user.

One of the coolest features to be found in Manjaro "Nibia" is borrowed from System76's Pop!_OS. This feature is called Pop Shell and makes it possible to quickly enable automatic window tiling with a click of a button. For anyone who likes their application windows to always be perfectly organized on their desktop, this new tiling feature will go a long way to scratch that itch.

But Manjaro Linux 20.2 isn't just limited to one tiling option. If your device happens to have a touchscreen, you can opt for the Material Shell extension, which enables touch-friendly automatic window tiling. So whether you have a standard mouse interface or a touch interface, you can enjoy window tiling.

The Manjaro Application Utility has also received a number of improvements, such as the ability to easily select your favorite browsers, office suites, and even password managers.

One other interesting new tidbit is that when using Gnome with non-NVidia GPUs, Manjaro 20.02, it will default to Wayland instead of X11.

For more information on Manjaro Linux "Nibia," check out the release information: https://forum.manjaro.org/t/manjaro-20-2-nibia-got-released/41034) and download your own ISO (https://manjaro.org/download/.