After all the news and waiting, Ubuntu 21.04 Hirsute Hippo Beta release is finally available to download. Unlike previous Ubuntu …

Ubuntu 21.04 Hirsute Hippo Beta Is Here: How To Update From Ubuntu 20.04, 19, 18 Read More »

The post Ubuntu 21.04 Hirsute Hippo Beta Is Here: How To Update From Ubuntu 20.04, 19, 18 appeared first on Fossbytes .

GNOME is one of the most popular desktop environments out there. While many people have a love-hate relationship with the same, it powers most popular distributions like Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, and Fedora. The new version of GNOME, i.e., GNOME 40, was one of the most awaited releases in the Linux community, and you can finally try it thanks to Red Hat releasing its Fedora 34 Beta with GNOME 40. In this article, let’s look at the latest changes and GNOME 40 features. Let’s get started.

GNOME 40 Features, Changes And Improvements

App Icons

The official GNOME 40 website terms this release as “The next step in focused, distraction-free computing.” The icons have been completely revamped and look a lot minty with vibrant colors with more curved radii.

They remind me of Deepin’s icons, with the only difference being the slight curvatures on the edges and a little more character to the internal icon shapes. They also look a lot minimal and are not overly done, which I really like.

Overall, they give quite refreshing vibes for someone like me who has been using GNOME for a long time.

App Dock Changes

We’re used to seeing the ol’ default dock on the left side of the screen in GNOME but, this time, as soon as you log in, you’ll be greeted with a clean desktop displaying just the wallpaper.

To peek at the dock, you’ll have to click on “Activities” on the top right corner of the screen. Along with that, you’ll also be able to see the workspaces, which you can now switch between, instantly thanks to the trackpad gestures, which we’ll talk about later.

The dock also now has a thin separating line that differentiates your favorite apps and the apps you’ve opened, which are not your favorite similar to what we find on the iPadOS.

I really like how the workspaces flatten even more when you click on the “Show applications” icon. Sure it’s not a big deal but, subtle details do matter. As someone who’s used to the Dash to Dock extension, it took me some time to get used to this, but I’m sure the same will be available for GNOME 40 as soon as other distributions start adopting it.

Workspace Gestures

I’m used to working with vertical workspaces but getting used to the newly introduced horizontal workspaces would take a lot of time.

Either way, I like the three-finger gestures and find it a lot intuitive. This also saves a lot of time and effort. Swiping up with three fingers reveals the favorite apps dock, and doing the same once more shrinks the workspaces and reveals the apps.

Similarly, you can swipe left or right from any app to switch between workspaces using three-finger gestures. You can also do the same by holding the Super + Alt keys, using the side arrow keys, and holding Super +Alt and the scrolling wheel.

Revamped GNOME App Designs

GNOME apps were already great, to begin with, but this revamp takes them to the next level. They’re visually appealing yet minimal. Overall, the apps look great.

• 
• 
• 

The files app (Nautilus) comes with default options to select to modify your preferences and return desired results.

Similarly, the Web app (Epiphany) gains new features like pinned tabs, unread indicators, and many more. The place bubbles on the new Maps apps look great as well.

GNOME 40 Other Features

Some of the other minute features worth mentioning are; the compose key using which you can easily use special characters like , ½, and ℃. The Wi-Fi interface now finds the most relevant Wi-Fi networks first. Browsing and searching the keyboard shortcut settings is also easier now.

As of now, you can experience GNOME 40 in Fedora 34 Beta . Since GNOME 40 is based on GTK4, all the GTK apps need to be adapted, which is a challenge. Hence, it’ll be interesting to see if other Distro communities would really adapt to GNOME 40.

When you put yourself in the developers’ shoes, building apps again for GTK4 just because of visual changes doesn’t seem rational at all and is a lot of work, to begin with. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.

What do you think of these new GNOME 40 features and GNOME 40 in general? Are you satisfied with the release, or were you expecting more new features and improvements? Do let us know in the comments section below.

The post GNOME 40 Features Overview In Fedora 34 Beta — What Has Changed? appeared first on Fossbytes .

Kali Linux ended last year with the release of v2020.4 . Its maker Offensive Security has now announced a new version, Kali Linux 2021.1, as the first release this year.

The latest version 2021.1 comes with enhancements to existing features, new hacking tools, and an updated core packages.

New Features In Kali Linux 2021.1

Starting with core components, v2021.1 has upgraded the Linux kernel to its latest long-term support version 5.10 and desktop environments Xfce and KDE Plasma to version 4.16 and 5.20 , respectively.

One of the highlight features of Kali Linux 2021.1 is the addition of command-not-found package by default.

The Command-Not-Found not only suggests you install a package when it’s not already installed, but also points out the typo error with the correct word and gives the original message of “command not found” for an invalid command that doesn’t exist in Kali.

As you may know, in the previous version 2020.4, Kali Linux partnered with CrackMapExec (CME) tool author byt3bl33d3r.

To further extend the partnership and support with more tool authors, Kali is now teaming up with BC Security for exclusive early access to “ Empire ” ( powershell-empire ) and “ StarKiller ” and Joohoi for its Fuzz Faster U Fool ( ffuf ) tool.

As usual, the latest Kali version has also added more new tools (to the network repositories), such as Airgeddon, Arjun, Chisel, GitLeaks, DumpsterDiver, and HTTProbe.

Among other key updates, this is what Kali Linux 2021.1 has included:

• Workarounds for several terminals ( mate-terminal , terminator , tmux , konsole , and tilix )
• Upgraded BusyBox and Rucky tool to version 1.32.0 and 2.1
• New boot-animation for Kali NetHunter
• Preliminary support of Kali ARM for Parallels on Apple Silicon and Raspberry Pi 400’s wireless card

How To Download Or Upgrade To Kali 2021.1?

If you want to get your hands on all of the above-mentioned features, you can download the new Kali 2021.1 images available for several platforms from here .

Or, if you’re already using Kali Linux, you can easily upgrade your system to the latest v2021.1 by running commands:

$ echo "deb http://http.kali.org/kali kali-rolling main non-free contrib" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list

$ sudo apt update && sudo apt -y full-upgrade

$ [ -f /var/run/reboot-required ] && sudo reboot -f

The post Kali Linux 2021.1 Released With New Features: How To Download Or Upgrade appeared first on Fossbytes .

Mint and Ubuntu are the two most popular Linux Distros among beginners. Some of the reasons they’re popular are their simple and delightful easy-to-use UIs, especially Mint’s UI, which resembles Windows in many ways. In this article, let’s compare Linux Mint Vs Ubuntu, check out the similarities and differences, and determine which one’s better for beginners.

Linux Mint Vs Ubuntu: What Are The Differences?

1. User Experience And Interface

While Ubuntu ships with GNOME, Linux Mint ships in three flavors – Cinnamon, XFCE, and MATE, out of which Cinnamon is the most preferred Desktop Environment.

• 
• 

Ubuntu (Left) Vs Linux Mint (Right)

Ubuntu essentially looks like…Ubuntu, and Linux Mint Cinnamon resembles quite a lot to Windows XP/Vista/7.

That said, if you’re someone who’s coming from Windows, I’m pretty sure you’ll like Linux Mint.

2. The Cinnamon vs. GNOME Showdown

Both Cinnamon and GNOME have their own perks, but I like Cinnamon over GNOME. Cinnamon consumes significantly lesser memory than your usual Ubuntu Desktop, making Mint the best distro for old PCs .

I’ve tried both Ubuntu and Linux Mint, and the difference in performance was second to none on my 8th Gen Intel i5 machine. But, if you’re someone who’s running ancient hardware, you might be able to see the difference.

3. Pre-installed Applications

Many people, including me, hate bloatware, but the set of apps that come pre-loaded in Linux Mint, even though they’re too many, are all essential apps that you’ll definitely use at some point.

Whereas, to get started with Ubuntu, you’ll need to install many apps as it comes with almost nothing except the LibreOffice Suite and a bunch of other non-useful applications.

4. Ubuntu Vs Mint: Customizations Options

Customization is another area where Mint has an edge over Ubuntu. I know that you CAN customize Ubuntu, but I’d pick Mint’s pre-built customization options any day.

5. Ubuntu and Mint System Requirements

While Ubuntu has become a more spec demanding OS in the past few years, Linux Mint requires the least system resources among both.

If you own an ancient PC, then you should be better off with Mint. Here are the minimum specs requirements for Mint:

• 1GB RAM (2GB Recommended)
• At least 20GB of free disk space.
• A Dual-core processor
• 1024×768 screen resolution

6. Software Center And Snap Support

Ubuntu’s software center is slower than the one on Mint, which is blazingly fast. Also, Mint doesn’t support Snaps by default.

Like many other open-source developers, Mint’s developers don’t like how Canonical practically controls the Snap format, which is a valid point of view.

7. Linux Mint and Ubuntu For Programming

I’ve used both Linux Mint and Ubuntu for development purposes, and both the distros offer a similar experience. None of them has unique programming/development features that would act as a differentiating factor between them.

That said, if you’re looking for a distro solely for Development, do check out Solus in our best non-Ubuntu-based distros that are beginner friendly article.

8. Mint vs Ubuntu For Gaming

As Linux Mint is just a prettier version of Ubuntu, there’s not much difference in both the distros’ gaming capabilities. As long as you have the latest NVIDIA or Mesa (AMD) drivers, you should be good to go.

Also, if you need the best Linux gaming distros, we’ve got you covered! Check out our best Linux gaming distros article.

Which One’s The Best For Beginners?

On an old PC and for beginners, Linux Mint is the clear winner. On more modern hardware, the choice is not quite as clear. Both distros offer different experiences, and at the end of the day, it all boils down to your personal desktop preferences.

If simplicity is what you adore, Linux Mint is a better choice. But, if customizations are what you crave, Ubuntu is a great choice. Don’t like either of them? Make sure to check out our best Linux distros to try out in 2021 article.

The post Linux Mint vs. Ubuntu: Which One’s Better For Beginners? appeared first on Fossbytes .

The development of the Mageia 8 Linux distribution has again surpassed its estimated final release date (end of January 2021), which was previously revised last month during its Beta 2 release.

Nonetheless, continuing the slow and steady development, the first release candidate (RC1) of the upcoming Mandriva Linux-Based Mageia 8 has been announced .

The latest Mageia 8 RC1 comes with several core package updates such as:

• Linux Kernel 5.10.12 LTS
• Systemd 246
• Glibc 2.32
• GCC 10.2.1, LLVM 10.0.1
• RPM 4.16.1.2
• Chromium 88 (x86_64-only)
• Firefox 78.7 (ESR)
• LibreOffice 7.0.4.2
• Plasma 5.20.4
• GNOME 3.38.3
• Cinnamon 4.8.3
• Xfce 4.16
• Mate 1.24
• PHP 8.0.2
• Java 11, Python 3.8.5, Rust 1.48.0, Ruby 2.7.2

Additionally, Mageia has removed support for Java 8 (though still available) and updated the Java stack to version 11.

It has also added improvements in the Netinstall ISO image, which now permits installation over Wi-Fi connections with WPA encryption.

Furthermore, Mageia 8 RC1 now uses the new GL Vendor Neutral Dispatch (GLVND) that lets you install Mesa and third-party GL drivers in parallel. It also enables additional performance and functionality for hybrid GPU configurations.

Another important change that Mageia 8 brings for AMD graphic cards based on the Southern Islands family and Sea Islands family is the change of default driver from old Radeon DRM driver to the new AMDGPU kernel driver.

If you want to test the Mageia 8 RC1 right now, grab the torrent file or direct ISO image of the pre-release from here . As usual, the images are available for both the 32-bit (with Xfce) and 64-bit (with Plasma, GNOME, and Xfce) systems.

Until its stable version arrives, you can also check out its official release notes to keep track of all new features coming in for Mageia 8.

The post Mageia 8 RC1 Is Out With Linux Kernel 5.10 And Other Package Update appeared first on Fossbytes .