Fedora 37 Beta Available

The next iteration of the Fedora 37 operating system has finally reached beta and is now available to download and install. This was announced on Fedora Hyperkitty (https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/test-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/DX2W2NLQZYFHDAVSUKLI7OSGH3B6CJSL/) along with the announcement that the final freeze for Fedora 37 would hit Tuesday, October 4.

In terms of features in Fedora 37, you can look for plenty of changes, such as updates to the LLVM 15 compiler, LXQt 1.1, a preview of the new Anaconda Web-based installer, support for Raspberry Pi 4, Linux kernel 5.19 (the latest mainline kernel), Gnome 43 (which includes a revamped Quick Settings), a new GTK4/libadwaita port of files (which also includes the new adaptive sidebar, icon emblems, and rubberband selection), WebExtension API support in Gnome Web, high-resolution scroll wheel support, direct scanout support (to aid multi-monitor setups), server-side decorations (now with essential color support), as well as a reference KVM VM disk image.

For anyone who wants to test the new beta of Fedora 37, the default x86_64 version can be downloaded from the official Fedora download server (https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/alt/stage/37_Beta-1.5/Workstation/x86_64/iso/). If you'd rather try out one of the spins (such as Cinnamon, KDE Plasma, LXDE, LXQt, Mate, SoaS, Xfce, or i3), they can be downloaded from the Spins directory (https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/alt/stage/37_Beta-1.5/Spins/x86_64/iso/).

Salix 15.0 Available for Installation with Lots of Updates and a More Modern Look

Salix 15.0 is a Linux distribution that is 100 percent compatible with Slackware and defaults to the Xfce desktop environment. The latest release offers a new look and plenty of updates, including Xfce 4.16, GTK+ 3, Firefox 102 ESR, LibreOffice 7.4, Gimp 2.10, and Whiskermenu as the new default panel menu.

According to the Salix developers, "There have been extensive discussions in our forums with respect to how the new release will look and everything has been revamped, including a new GTK theme, a new icon theme, a new window manager theme, and a default wallpaper …"

Salix now has both dark and light themes to help bolster the new modern look of the UI. Other features include desktop usage optimization, high-quality package repositories, fully localized system admin tools, and support for both 32- and 64-bit architecture.

New users should keep in mind that the installation of Salix is 100 percent text-based (ncurses), so it will take a bit of extra skill to get the operating system installed.

Download and install a copy of Salix from the official download page (https://www.salixos.org/download.html) and keep in the know about Salix from the distribution's official blog (https://blog.salixos.org/).

Ubuntu 20.04.5 LTS Release Now Available

As you might expect, there's another point release available for the LTS version of Ubuntu. Although this update doesn't include much in the way of new features, it does offer plenty of bug fixes, security patches, app updates, and kernel 5.15.

If you're already using Ubuntu 20.04, you can get the .5 release by way of the built-in upgrade system, which means there's no need to do a fresh install.

One thing to keep in mind is that 20.04 is not the latest LTS release for Canonical's flagship operating system. That title would belong to 22.04. However, because there are still a large number of users still working with 20.04 (and because it is still supported until April 2025), Canonical continues to push upgrades.

That being said, the .5 upgrade does not install the latest, greatest software to 20.04. For example, LibreOffice upgrades to version 6.4.7.1, Gnome is at 3.36.8, and Firefox is at version 104. To get more updated versions of such software titles, you'll need to either run a distribution upgrade (to migrate from 20.04 to 22.04) or install those packages manually.

If you'd rather do a fresh install of Ubuntu 20.04.5, you can get the ISO image from the official download site (https://releases.ubuntu.com/focal/) and read the full changelog (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/FocalFossa/ReleaseNotes/ChangeSummary/20.04.5) for the new release.