Month: January 2020

MeX 64 bit Linux – Build 200130 – based on upcoming Ubuntu 20.04 LTS with Cinnamon 4.4.8, Calamares Installer and kernel 5.5.0-exton

30
Jan
2020

MeX Linux – NEWS/CHANGES 200130
Mex Linux is no longer based on Linux Mint. MeX Build 200130 is based only on Debian and upcoming Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Long Term Support). I have replaced the original kernel with “my” special kernel 5.5.0-exton. All packages in MeX Linux have been upgraded to the latest version by 200130. This version of MeX uses Cinnamon 4.4.8-unstable. The very nice icon theme Papirus is installed and used.

MORE MeX NEWS 200130
1. The MeX ISO is now a ISO-hybrid, which means that it can very easily be transferred (copied) to a USB pen drive.
2. Another big improvement is that MeX now can run from RAM. Use Boot alternative 4 (load to RAM). When the system has booted up you can eject the disc (DVD)/USB stick. You’ll need at least 2 GB RAM to run MeX that way. The ISO file is of only 1200 MB so MeX will run super fast from RAM!
3. I have replaced Google Chrome with Firefox. Google Chrome is no longer needed to be able to run Netflix in Linux.
4. The best thing with this new MeX build – Create your own installable Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Live DVD with Refracta Snapshot (pre-installed)! The whole “remaster process” is so simple that a 10 year old child can do it.
5. I have installed Calamares Installer as in many of my other Linux builds. Calamares is an installer framework. By design it is very customizable, in order to satisfy a wide variety of needs and use cases. Very easy to use. You can use Calamares to install MeX on both UEFI computers and non UEFI computers (for example VirtualBox and VMware).

Who can benefit from MeX?
All who like Debian/Ubuntu and want a system that is easy to use and maintain. And of course those who want to create their own Ubuntu system in a very simple way with Refracta Snapshot. Regarding MeX also those who want to run a Linux system super fast from RAM and/or like to run Linux from a USB flash drive. And those who want a new kernel – 5.5. (Latest kernel by 200130).

The importance of MeX being based on upcoming Ubuntu 20.04
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS is due to be released on April 23, 2020. MeX Build 200130 is therefore (of course) not the most stable Linux system out there. This version of MeX is not for daily use I would say. Having said that I also must say that I haven’t bumped into any problems when running MeX on my computers. I also must say that this version of MeX is very fast and responsive. Especially if you run MeX from RAM. My guess is that you can avoid all problems if you upgrade MeX every week. I.e. once you have installed the system to hard drive.

SCREENSHOTS
1. The Cinnamon 4.4.8 Desktop with Refracta Snapshot running
2. Samba connection with a Windows computer
3. YouTube running
4. Boot screen when running from DVD/USB
5. The Grub boot screen when running MeX from hard drive
6.  Spotify running (install Spotify with sudo apt-get install spotify-client)

READ MORE…

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at

andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX 10 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Pie 9.0 (also with GAPPS)!
and
about my Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd Pie 9.0 (without GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (with GAPPS)!

1 Comment extonExton Linux Systems

ExTiX 20.2, Build 200127, with KDE Plasma Desktop 5.17, Calamares Installer, Refracta Snapshot, Nvidia Graphics Driver and kernel 5.5.0-rc7-exton

27
Jan
2020

Created with GIMP

ExTiX 20.2 – Build 200127
I have made a new version of ExTiX – The Ultimate Linux System. I call it ExTiX 20.2 KDE Plasma Live DVD. (The previous KDE version was 19.1 from 181228). The best thing with ExTiX 20.2 is that while running the system live (from DVD/USB) or from hard drive you can use Refracta Snapshot (pre-installed) to create your own live installable Ubuntu 20.04 system. So easy that a ten year child can do it!

ExTiX 20.02 KDE Plasma DVD 64 bit is based on Debian and (upcoming) Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. The original system includes the Desktop Environment Gnome. After removing Gnome I have installed KDE Frameworks 5.66.0 with KDE 4.19. KDE Frameworks are 60 addon libraries to Qt which provide a wide variety of commonly needed functionality in mature, peer reviewed and well tested libraries with friendly licensing terms.

The system language is ENGLISH.

Used KERNEL
My special kernel 5.5.0-rc7-exton.

What’s new in Linux kernel 5.5?

NEWS ABOUT ExTiX 20.2 Build 200127 with the KDE Plasma Desktop environment, Calamares Installer and Refracta Snapshot
1. ExTiX KDE Plasma is based on (upcoming) Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Focal Fossa. KDE 4.19 is used as Desktop environment. All packages have been updated to the latest version by 200127. Kernel 5.5.0-rc7-exton is used.
2. I have removed Google Chrome. It is now possible to watch Netflix movies in Firefox.
3. Other included important/useful packages are: GParted, Brasero, GCC and other compilation tools so that you can install packages from source. Furthermore “all” multimedia codecs. Everything the average Linux user could wish for I would say.
4. The best thing with ExTiX 20.2 is that while running the system live (from DVD/USB) or from hard drive you can use Refracta Snapshot (pre-installed) to create your own live installable Ubuntu system. Very easy to do. When starting Refracta Snapshot you will see this.
5. I have installed Calamares Installer as in my other ExTiX builds. Calamares is an installer framework. By design it is very customizable, in order to satisfy a wide variety of needs and use cases. Very easy to use. You can use Calamares to install ExTiX on both UEFI computers and non UEFI computers (for example VirtualBox and VMware).

WHAT’S SO SPECIAL about ExTiX and especially the new version from 200127?
1. The ExTiX ISO’s are ISO-hybrids, which means that they can very easily be transferred (copied) to a USB pen drive. You can even run ExTiX from the USB stick and save all your system changes on the stick. I.e. you will enjoy persistence!
2. Another big improvement is that ExTiX can run from RAM. Use Boot alternative 2 (load to RAM). When the system has booted up you can remove the disc (DVD) or USB stick. You’ll need at least 4 GB RAM to run ExTiX that way. Running from RAM means that the system will run faster than from DVD or USB stick. Everything will be super fast I would say!
3. I’ve replaced kernel 4.20.0-exton with kernel 5.5.0-rc7-exton. Latest by 200127.
4. I have replaced Ubuntu’s installation program Ubiquity (live installer) with Calamares. You can also (still) use Refracta Installer. They work very well. I.e. a new user (your user) will be created during the installation process and you’ll get a chance to change root’s password. Just start any of the installers from the menu under System.
5. The best thing with ExTiX 20.2 is that while running the system live (from DVD/USB) or from hard drive you can use Refracta Snapshot (pre-installed) to create your own live installable Ubuntu 20.04 system.
6. Nvidia proprietary Graphics driver 440.44 (patched for kernel 5.5) is pre-installed in ExTiX 20.2.

The importance of ExTiX 20.2 being based on upcoming Ubuntu 20.04
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS is due to be released on April 23, 2020. ExTiX 20.2 is therefore (of course) not the most stable Linux system out there. ExTiX 20.2 is not for “daily use” I would say. Having said that I also must say that I haven’t bumped into any problems when running ExTiX 20.2 on my computers. I also must say that this version of ExTiX is very fast and responsive. Especially if you run ExTiX from RAM. My guess is that you can avoid all problems if you upgrade ExTiX 20.2 every week. I.e. once you have installed the system to hard drive.

SCREENSHOTS
Screenshot 1 of ExTiX 20.2 Desktop – logged in as the ordinary user extix
Screenshot 2 – ExTiX is running in VirtualBox
Screenshot 3 – the installation using Calamares is ready
Screenshot 4 – Refracta Snapshot has started

READ MORE…

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at

andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX 10 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Pie 9.0 (also with GAPPS)!
and
about my Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd Pie 9.0 (without GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (with GAPPS)!

1 Comment extonExton Linux Systems

exGENT (Gentoo) 64bit Live DVD/USB with LXQt 0.14.1, Calamares Installer and kernel 5.3.7-aufs-exgent – Build 200119 – can be installed in 2 min!

19
Jan
2020

NEWS 200119 about exGENT (Gentoo) 64 bit
I’ve made a new version of exGENT with only a few necessary packages pre-installed. It uses LXQt 0.14.1 as Desktop environment and kernel 5.3.7-aufs-exgent. The ISO file is of 1720 MB. Despite this exGENT version 200119 runs surprisingly fast from DVD or USB. Even in VirtualBox and VMware. Faster than most other Linux live systems. I call my new version exGENT 2020 LXQt Live DVD/USB. It replaces version 180414, 170407 and 170412. Those versions were too old for upgrading. I had to start over and build version 200119 from “scratch”. All installed packages in exGENT have been updated to the latest available version by 200119. Study the full package list.

What’s new in exGENT Build 200119?
The boot loader Grub Legacy has been replaced by Grub2. In exGENT versions before 170309 the file system wasn’t writable when running exGENT live (from DVD). Now you can emerge (install) new programs/packages even while running the system from a DVD or USB stick. If you do that and later decide to install exGENT to hard drive all your changes will follow! (That is if you use the install scripts in /root/install). Furthermore you can install/transfer exGENT to a USB stick with the dd command in Linux or use Rufus or Etcher in Windows. Such installations were impossible before. NOTE: I have not installed Google Chrome. It’s not needed anymore, since Netflix nowadays runs very well in Firefox. About the LXQt Desktop environment: LXQt is a lightweight Qt desktop environment. It will not get in your way. It will not hang or slow down your system. It is focused on being a classic desktop with a modern look and feel. MOST IMPORTANT: Now you can install exGENT to hard drive in two ways. You can still use the install scrips in /root/install. That is the best way to install exGENT on non UEFI computers for example VirtualBox and VMware. The second way is to use Calamares Installer- see below.

Calamares Installer
In exGENT Build 200119 I’ve also included the Calamares Installer version 3.2.17.1 (latest). Use it preferably if you need to install Grub on UEFI computers. You can, however, also use Calamares in VirtualBox and VMware. See a slideshow below when I have used Calamares on a UEFI computer to install exGENT on a USB stick.



If you can’t watch the slideshow in your browser watch this animated GIF.

exGENT Build 200119 is a non Systemd system
exGENT uses OpenRC 0.42.1 init system instead of Systemd. Comparison of different init systems: Read this article.

exGENT Build 200119 unique?
If you have a look at Gentoo’s download site you will notice that the latest Gentoo live system is from 20160704 (!?). Furthermore there are only a few other distros based on Gentoo. The most well-known are Funtoo Linux and Sabayon Linux. Funtoo isn’t a live system. Sabayon is a live system distributed with different Desktops variants. (Not with LXQt though). I have tried some of them on the computers I have access to. None of Sabayon’s variants could run live. Not even in VirtualBox and VMware. My guess is that exGENT has better hardware recognition than Sabayon.

WHO IS exGENT/Gentoo FOR?
Experienced Linux users or those who really want to learn Linux. (Perhaps also for people who are bored with mainstream distributions like Ubuntu).

Screenshots
1. exGENT Build 200119 – root’s Desktop
2. exGENT running Spotify
3. exGENT running Calamares in VirtualBox
4. exGENT running in VirtualBox
5. exGENT running in VMware
6. exGENT Build 200119 – live’s Desktop

READ MORE…

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at

andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX 10 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Pie 9.0 (also with GAPPS)!
and
about my Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd Pie 9.0 (without GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (with GAPPS)!

3 Comments extonExton Linux SystemsLinux

Run Android 10 on your PC :: AndEX 10 (Android-x86_64) with GAPPS (Google Play Store etc.), F-Droid, Aptoide, Google Chrome and Spotify :: Build 200108

08
Jan
2020

NEWS 200108 about AndEX 10 with GAPPS
My first build of AndEX 10 is ready. It has GAPPS (Google Play Store etc), Aptoide App Manager, F-Droid, Spotify, Angry Birds and many other apps pre-installed. My new build of Android x86_64 10 – andex-10-x86_64-gapps-fdroid-aptoide-chrome-1240mb-200108.iso can be installed to hard drive or on a USB stick. You can also run the system live. I.e. from a DVD or a USB stick. On some computers you’ll have to start up AndEX 10 in compatibility mode (VESA) though. The sound and video performance is generally very very good. Google Play Store works very well in this build of AndEX 10. So does the YouTube and Spotify app. I’ve also included two extra app stores – Aptoide App Manager and F-Droid. Use them if you can’t find the app you’re looking for using Google Play Store.

Screenshot – AndEX 10 Build 200108 – the Desktop with many nice apps installed. The apps Facebook, Opera, Fishing Clash, Clash of Clans and CSR Racing 2 are not preinstalled, but they run very well in this AndEX build. Just go to Google Play and install them! (Once you have installed AndEX 10 to hard drive).

MORE ABOUT AndEX 10
My new compiled Android-x86_64 system (10) can run and be installed on almost all newer laptops (and some Desktop computers). For example Acer (Aspire), HP, Samsung, Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo, Thinkpad, Fujitsu, Panasonic and Asus laptops. You can also run AndEX 10 in VirtualBox and/or VMware. Unfortunately with bad video performance and distorted colors – screenshot. I can also mention that I could run my new 10 version on a HP Pavilion 500-317no Desktop Computer and on a Lenovo ThinkStation C30. Also with bad video performance and distorted colors. You can very easy do a “normal” or manual installation to hard drive. A manual installation can also be done to a drive where you already have another Linux system (for example Ubuntu 19.10) installed. Read more about how to install AndEX 10 on the INFO site.

Android 10 was released 190903.

UNIQUE
As far as I know there is no other Android-x86_64 10 system out there. At least not with GAPPS included.

Screenshots
Screenshot 1 – AndEX 10 Desktop 200108 with GAPPS
Screenshot 2 – AndEX 10 running Google Play Store
Screenshot 3 – AndEX 10 running Aptoide App Manager
Screenshot 4 – AndEX 10 running F-Droid
Screenshot 5 – AndEX 10 running the YouTube
Screenshot 6 – AndEX 10 showing all apps
Screenshot 7 – AndEX 10 running Angry Birds
Screenshot 8 – AndEX 10 running Drag Racing
Screenshot 9 – AndEX 10 running 3D Chess
Screenshot 10 – AndEX 10 Fishing Clash
Screenshot 11 – AndEX 10 running CSR Racing 2

READ MORE…

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at

andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX 10 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Pie 9.0 (also with GAPPS)!
and
about my Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd Pie 9.0 (without GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (with GAPPS)!

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