NuTyX 15.05: Child of Linux From Scratch

Software

Before adding more applications, you will probably want to make a list at the available programs [2]. Despite what initially looks like a fairly small selection, given a package list with just 1,050 applications, you will find that virtually all the major standard programs are available. For example, you will find classics such as LibreOffice, Gimp, VLC, Thunderbird, and MPlayer in the distribution's repositories, plus one or two more exotic offerings.

The developers place a special focus on the availability of web browsers. In addition to the kings of the hill, Firefox and Chromium, you can choose from lean and fast alternatives like Midori, QupZilla, and Dillo. When it comes to file managers or management tools, NuTyX also impresses with good choices; this, however, cannot be said for the choice of multimedia tools. The distribution shows some deficits in terms of video and audio processing; for example, the package list does not contain the HandBrake video transcoder or the Audacity audio editor (Figure 2).

Figure 2: The package list is not huge, but it does include programs for all popular application fields.

Like all other package managers, Cards gives you the option of keeping the system up to date. To do this, become root and then type cards diff at the prompt. The tool then checks the installed packages and shows you the obsolete versions. Typing cards sync updates your collection of software. Alternatively, you can type

cards install -u <package>

to update individual packages. Typing cards help or cards --help lists all of the options for Cards.

Special Features

Although the Xfce and KDE desktops typically have localization tools, NuTyX does not currently support retroactive changes to the language settings for the GUI. If you need to modify the locale, become root and call the installer with the setup-nutyx start command.

Another "special feature" of the operating system becomes apparent in the context of the network connection. Although NuTyX detects existing network adapters during the installation and automatically sets them up, the operating system can get into trouble if you have more than one network interface card. In this case, you will probably want to set up the network connection manually .

Removable Media

Although modern distributions automatically detect and mount removable media such as USB memory sticks or external hard disks, you have to perform this task manually with NuTyX. To do so, first create a mountpoint in the GUI or a terminal window in the form of the target folder in which the data from the drive in question will appear later on. Then, mount the drive with root privileges using the command:

# mount -t <filesystem> /dev/<device ID> \/path/to/mountpoint>

If you want the drive to be mounted permanently and automatically at boot time, instead of just once, then you need to have a matching entry in the /etc/fstab file. This entry

/dev/sdb1 /media/ntfs-usbdisk \
     ntfs auto,user  0 0
/dev/sdc1 /media/daten \
     vfat auto,user  0 0

shows an example of integrating a hard disk formatted with NTFS and mounting a USB stick formatted with FAT.

Buy this article as PDF

Express-Checkout as PDF
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)

Buy Linux Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
 
SUBSCRIPTIONS
 
TABLET & SMARTPHONE APPS
Get it on Google Play

US / Canada

Get it on Google Play

UK / Australia

Related content

  • NuTyX Now Available with Cards 2.6.3

    NuTyx 23.04.2 has been updated across the board and supports 13 different Linux desktops.

  • Personal Touch

    Thierry Nuttens, the developer of NuTyX, shares a behind-the-scenes look at a small Linux distribution.

  • Updates on technologies, trends, and tools

    In the news: NuTyX with Cards 2.6.3; System76 Teases In-House Built Laptop; Ubuntu 23.04 Beta; OpenMandriva Lx 23.03 Rolling Release; carbonOS: A New Linux Distro; Ubuntu Flatpak Remix Adds Flatpak Support Preinstalled; and LPI Announces IT Security Essentials Certification.

comments powered by Disqus
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters

Support Our Work

Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

Learn More

News