The GeckoLinux project is pleased to announce major updates to all editions of the Static branch, built from openSUSE Leap 15.4. This series of spins has significantly better support for new hardware thanks to the much newer kernel in openSUSE Leap 15.4. Most packages and desktop environments also have have significant new versions compared to the previous release built from openSUSE Leap 15.3. For this GeckoLinux release, permissions have been relaxed for easier printer administration without the root password. Apart from the major openSUSE updates, there are other no other major tweaks to the GeckoLinux configuration, which was already significantly improved in the previous release. GeckoLinux Static users with existing installations can simply update their systems with these simple GUI instructions.
GeckoLinux Static 154.220822 editions
- Cinnamon 4.6
- XFCE 4.16
- Gnome 41
- Plasma 5.24 / KDE Framework 5.90 / KDE Apps 21.12
- Mate 1.26
- Budgie 10.6
- LXQt 1.0
Known issues
Unfortunately SUSE has shipped updates to the samba* packages for Leap 15.4 that break access to SMB/CIFS network shares via the GVFS system (in Nautilus, Nemo, Caja, Thunar, PCManFM, etc). GeckoLinux Static 154.220822 editions requiring that functionality have been shipped with older versions of those samba* packages, so until this bug is fixed do not update those packages.
Users of the GeckoLinux Static edition should be aware that SUSE will be replacing openSUSE Leap after version 15.5 with a radically different Linux product currently in early development as "ALP" (source). So unless something changes, current openSUSE Leap installations (and by extension GeckoLinux Static installations) will no longer be supported a few years from now. It should be noted that openSUSE Tumbleweed and GeckoLinux Rolling are not expected to undergo any fundamental changes in the near future. As an alternative to openSUSE Leap the GeckoLinux project recommends SpiralLinux, which is built directly from Debian Stable with the same conveniences and development principals as GeckoLinux Static.
GeckoLinux overview
GeckoLinux spins are generated directly from unmodified openSUSE and Packman packages sourced from those official upstream repositories, and the installed system can be updated directly from those same official sources. GeckoLinux is focused on eliminating pain points and polishing its unique out-of-the-box configuration on top of the stable and flexible openSUSE base. Proprietary media formats play out of the box, and additional user-installed multimedia applications work automatically with restricted media codecs thanks to the prioritized inclusion of the Packman repository. Proprietary hardware driver and firmware support has also been included as much as possible. Google and Skype repositories are also configured out-of-the-box for optional user installation of proprietary applications from those vendors. Third-party RPM packages can be easily installed using the graphical YaST package manager, and various configuration tweaks are included to modify openSUSE's default package management behavior. GeckoLinux uses the Calamares system installer, providing easy and flexible options for reliable installation of the live system. Important note: Non-English language packs are available and easily installable. Please see the wiki entry for more information.
Please download GeckoLinux from https://geckolinux.github.io and find more information about what makes GeckoLinux different from openSUSE. Thanks a lot, have fun!