An up-to-date look at free software and its makers
PROJECTS ON THE MOVE
Conary promises a new approach to package management, and the Ecology howto provides tips on sustainable computing. We’ll also look at Stopmotion, a tool for creating cartoons, and we’ll tell you about the latest Debian controversy.
The more distributions, software packages and repositories there are, the worse the problems with package management become. Linux users must contend with unresolved dependencies, incorrect library versions, and overwritten patches. Rpath [1] have adopted a radical approach to simplifying package management. The company mainly comprises former Red Hat managers and developers. The fact that Erik Troan, the inventor of the RPM package management system, and Michael K. Johnson, who headed kernel development and later the Fedora project, are both on board lends credibility to the project. Add a smattering of former maintainers, and you get a team that is loaded with Linux skills. Linux Toolbox Rpath is currently working on their own Linux distribution, which will serve other projects or companies as a basis for special Linux variants. The Rpath team is developing the Conary system [2] to handle package management. And Conary looks set to resolve many of the issues that plague package management systems. Conary is not compatible with other package formats, so it will only work on systems designed to use it out of the box, such as Rpath Linux or Foresight Linux [3] by Ken van Dine. Foresight, which is based on Rpath, comes with the latest versions of Gnome and related technologies, such as Hal and Beagle.
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
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.
News
-
Linux Kernel 6.14 Released
The latest Linux kernel has arrived with extra Rust support and more.
-
EndeavorOS Mercury Neo Available
A new release from the EndeavorOS team ships with Plasma 6.3 and other goodies.
-
Fedora 42 Beta Has Arrived
The Fedora Project has announced the availability of the first beta release for version 42 of the open-source distribution.
-
Dash to Panel Maintainer Quits
Charles Gagnon has stepped away as maintainer of the popular Dash to Panel Gnome extension.
-
CIQ Releases Security-Hardened Version of Rocky Linux
If you're looking for an enterprise-grade Linux distribution that is hardened for business use, there's a new version of Rocky Linux that's sure to make you and your company happy.
-
Gnome’s Dash to Panel Extension Gets a Massive Update
If you're a fan of the Gnome Dash to Panel extension, you'll be thrilled to hear that a new version has been released with a dock mode.
-
Blender App Makes it to the Big Screen
The animated film "Flow" won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 97th Academy Awards held on March 2, 2025 and Blender was a part of it.
-
Linux Mint Retools the Cinnamon App Launcher
The developers of Linux Mint are working on an improved Cinnamon App Launcher with a better, more accessible UI.
-
New Linux Tool for Security Issues
Seal Security is launching a new solution to automate fixing Linux vulnerabilities.
-
Ubuntu 25.04 Coming Soon
Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin) has been given an April release date with many notable updates.