Another approach to Arch Linux
Labor of Love
© Photo by Michael Fenton on Unsplash
SDesk aspires to be the Fedora of Arch Linux. We talk to Stephen Byrne about his passion project.
These days, distributions are large-scale projects. Major distributions such as Debian and Fedora are often the size of medium-sized corporations, with dozens of middle management roles, thousands of contributors, and well-developed methodologies. By contrast, SDesk [1] is reminiscent of the earliest days of free software, when distributions were often a labor of love for a single developer. Based on Arch Linux, SDesk is full of individual small design choices, including the option to add parental controls to an account during installation, the Marwaita icons and themes, Gnome extensions enabled by a single click, and the default Swirl Web Browser. Many of SDesk's idiosyncratic choices are enhancements to Arch Linux, such as the inclusion of SELinux. Here, Stephen Byrne, SDesk's developer, talks about his ongoing solo project.
Linux Magazine (LM): Tell readers about yourself and your involvement with free/open source software.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
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
-
PwnEscape Poses VM Vulnerability
A guest-to-host escape flaw in Linux KVM, named PwnEscape, might be yet another means of attacking Linux.
-
Linux Mint 27 Set for a Christmas Release
The developers behind Linux Mint have announced a Christmas release, and it looks like Santa's sack will be brimming with features.
-
Is Linus Torvalds Vibe Coding?
The creator of Linux has added AI into his process for Linux kernel development, and it's more than just for debugging.
-
openKylin 3.0 Released with Expanded AI Integration
The latest release features a pre-installed AI agent to help perform tasks.
-
DigitalOcean Ends Open Source Credits Program
In a change that has surprised many open source developers, DigitalOcean has decided to sunset its Open Source Credits Program.
-
Office 365 Available for Testing on Linux via Bottles
Linux users can now test the official Office 365, thanks to Mirko Brombin's work on Bottles.
-
Dutch Government Turns to Open Source for Digital Sovereignty
Following in the footsteps of other European countries, the Netherlands is looking to increase its sovereign digital infrastructure with open source software.
-
Linux May Soon Work on Snapdragon X2-Based PCs
If you're thinking about buying a Snapdragon X2-based desktop or laptop, Linux may soon be an option.
-
KDE for People Initiative Calls for AI Ban in Plasma
A new community of KDE wants the project to adopt a strict no-AI policy for KDE Plasma.
-
KDE Sets Ambitious Goals for 2026 and Beyond
KDE Connect reveals the goals for the Linux desktop darling, with one of those goals long overdue.