Teen dream team reboots Rolling Rhino into Rhino Linux
(2022/10/26)
- Reference: 1666800014
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/10/26/rolling_rhino_reboot/
- Source link:
Rolling Rhino, a project that turned Ubuntu into a rolling-release distribution, is restarting development under a new name: Rhino Linux.
We wrote about [1]Rolling Rhino last spring . Yes, it's another Ubuntu remix, but with a different goal. Most Ubuntu remixes just replace the desktop, bundle a different set of apps, or make other relatively cosmetic surface changes. But Rolling Rhino changes the entire release model, switching the package sources to Ubuntu's in-progress development branches and turning the distro into a continuously-changing rolling release.
According to the latest [2]news update from the project, they're astonished it's done so well:
It began as a proof-of-concept, and the fact that people utilzsed it as a daily driver astounded many and was more stable than anticipated.
The project was founded by a developer who was known as [3]MrBeeBenson – but he now prefers to be called [4]http.llamaz . (Find the nicknames odd? Bear in mind that he's 18 years old – and try to remember what that felt like.) He and co-creator [5]Billy Gilbrech , 19, created some tools to modify Ubuntu's package sources, but over time, in the founder's own words:
Rolling Rhino Remix kept piling on utilities until it simply was no longer just a rolling release flavor of Ubuntu.
So they've decided to start over. The new project is called [6]Rhino Linux , although so far there isn't much info on the site apart from the release [7]announcement . The team are planning to release one final version of Rolling Rhino, probably at the start of November, and support it with another three months of updates. Then, sometime in 2023, Rolling Rhino will be replaced by Rhino Linux.
The new project is still going to be a rolling-release version of Ubuntu, but with different tooling and a different focus. It will ship with the Xfce desktop, and the main tool for installing new software will be [8]Pacstall .
[9]
Pacstall, whose Github [10]page has more information and some instructions, is another tool which describes itself as "The AUR for Ubuntu," and as such reminds us of [11]Una and the [12]MPR repo, which we covered in our [13]article about the creator of Ubuntu Unity .
[14]Update time for Ubuntu: Last version of Linux kernel 5.19.17 hits
[15]Lash#Cat9: A radical new Linux UI for keyboard warriors
[16]Intel DAOS 2.2 and Red Hat Stratis 3.3 released
[17]OpenBSD 7.2: The other other FOSS xNix released, runs on Apple M2 Macs
Long-term Ubuntu users may never have heard of the [18]AUR anyway as it's specific to Arch Linux. The Arch User Repository is a large community-maintained collection of additional software for the [19]Arch Linux rolling-release distro . Arch derivatives such as [20]EndeavourOS and [21]Garuda Linux bundle their own package-installer tools to make it easier to grab software from the AUR.
It looks like the plan is that the base OS will use Ubuntu development packages, but whatever users choose to install on top of that will be built from source by Pacstall. A policy of keeping user customizations separate from the core of the OS could work out… but we would like to hear that the maintainers of Pacstall and the MPR were to work together.
[22]
Rhino Linux may not turn out to be a long-lived distribution, but its creators have got time to sort stuff out. According to their online profiles, [23]"http.llamaz" is 18, Pacstall creator [24]"Plasma" is 17, and co-developer Sourajyoti [25]"wizard-28" Basak is 15. But then again, when Linus Torvalds released the first version of the Linux kernel [26]in 1991 , he was 21.
This jaded vulture is a little older than even Mr. Torvalds, and usually runs LTS releases on anything important. Saying that, in the meantime, those who like both the DEB package format and its tools, but enjoy living on the edge with a rolling-release distro might choose to [27]install SpiralLinux, whose snapshots could save your bacon , then [28]change it to track Debian Sid .
[29]
Still, we wish the Rhino Linux team all possible luck with their project, and we hope that it will lead to great things for all of them. ®
Get our [30]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/29/rolling_release_ubuntu_remix/
[2] https://rollingrhino.org/news#rolling-forward
[3] https://github.com/mrbeebenson
[4] https://github.com/httpllamaz
[5] https://github.com/jbrgilbrech
[6] https://rhinolinux.org/
[7] https://rhinolinux.org/more.html
[8] https://pacstall.dev/
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Y1mt@fgGlNdi3l@eguQDtAAAAAw&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[10] https://github.com/pacstall/pacstall
[11] https://github.com/AFK-OS/una/blob/main/README.md
[12] https://mpr.makedeb.org/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2022/02/04/rudra_sarsawat_ubuntu_projects/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/25/linux_kernel_51917_ubuntu/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/25/lashcat9_linux_ui/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/24/daos_22_stratis_33/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/21/openbsd_72_released/
[18] https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Arch_User_Repository
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/15/arch_linux_20/
[20] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/29/endeavouros_artemis_226/
[21] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/28/garuda_linux_arch_better
[22] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y1mt@fgGlNdi3l@eguQDtAAAAAw&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[23] https://httpllamaz.github.io/
[24] https://github.com/Henryws
[25] https://github.com/wizard-28
[26] https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~awb/linux.history.html
[27] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/20/spirallinux_new_debian_remix_from/
[28] https://www.wikihow.com/Install-Debian-sid
[29] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y1mt@fgGlNdi3l@eguQDtAAAAAw&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[30] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
We wrote about [1]Rolling Rhino last spring . Yes, it's another Ubuntu remix, but with a different goal. Most Ubuntu remixes just replace the desktop, bundle a different set of apps, or make other relatively cosmetic surface changes. But Rolling Rhino changes the entire release model, switching the package sources to Ubuntu's in-progress development branches and turning the distro into a continuously-changing rolling release.
According to the latest [2]news update from the project, they're astonished it's done so well:
It began as a proof-of-concept, and the fact that people utilzsed it as a daily driver astounded many and was more stable than anticipated.
The project was founded by a developer who was known as [3]MrBeeBenson – but he now prefers to be called [4]http.llamaz . (Find the nicknames odd? Bear in mind that he's 18 years old – and try to remember what that felt like.) He and co-creator [5]Billy Gilbrech , 19, created some tools to modify Ubuntu's package sources, but over time, in the founder's own words:
Rolling Rhino Remix kept piling on utilities until it simply was no longer just a rolling release flavor of Ubuntu.
So they've decided to start over. The new project is called [6]Rhino Linux , although so far there isn't much info on the site apart from the release [7]announcement . The team are planning to release one final version of Rolling Rhino, probably at the start of November, and support it with another three months of updates. Then, sometime in 2023, Rolling Rhino will be replaced by Rhino Linux.
The new project is still going to be a rolling-release version of Ubuntu, but with different tooling and a different focus. It will ship with the Xfce desktop, and the main tool for installing new software will be [8]Pacstall .
[9]
Pacstall, whose Github [10]page has more information and some instructions, is another tool which describes itself as "The AUR for Ubuntu," and as such reminds us of [11]Una and the [12]MPR repo, which we covered in our [13]article about the creator of Ubuntu Unity .
[14]Update time for Ubuntu: Last version of Linux kernel 5.19.17 hits
[15]Lash#Cat9: A radical new Linux UI for keyboard warriors
[16]Intel DAOS 2.2 and Red Hat Stratis 3.3 released
[17]OpenBSD 7.2: The other other FOSS xNix released, runs on Apple M2 Macs
Long-term Ubuntu users may never have heard of the [18]AUR anyway as it's specific to Arch Linux. The Arch User Repository is a large community-maintained collection of additional software for the [19]Arch Linux rolling-release distro . Arch derivatives such as [20]EndeavourOS and [21]Garuda Linux bundle their own package-installer tools to make it easier to grab software from the AUR.
It looks like the plan is that the base OS will use Ubuntu development packages, but whatever users choose to install on top of that will be built from source by Pacstall. A policy of keeping user customizations separate from the core of the OS could work out… but we would like to hear that the maintainers of Pacstall and the MPR were to work together.
[22]
Rhino Linux may not turn out to be a long-lived distribution, but its creators have got time to sort stuff out. According to their online profiles, [23]"http.llamaz" is 18, Pacstall creator [24]"Plasma" is 17, and co-developer Sourajyoti [25]"wizard-28" Basak is 15. But then again, when Linus Torvalds released the first version of the Linux kernel [26]in 1991 , he was 21.
This jaded vulture is a little older than even Mr. Torvalds, and usually runs LTS releases on anything important. Saying that, in the meantime, those who like both the DEB package format and its tools, but enjoy living on the edge with a rolling-release distro might choose to [27]install SpiralLinux, whose snapshots could save your bacon , then [28]change it to track Debian Sid .
[29]
Still, we wish the Rhino Linux team all possible luck with their project, and we hope that it will lead to great things for all of them. ®
Get our [30]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/29/rolling_release_ubuntu_remix/
[2] https://rollingrhino.org/news#rolling-forward
[3] https://github.com/mrbeebenson
[4] https://github.com/httpllamaz
[5] https://github.com/jbrgilbrech
[6] https://rhinolinux.org/
[7] https://rhinolinux.org/more.html
[8] https://pacstall.dev/
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Y1mt@fgGlNdi3l@eguQDtAAAAAw&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[10] https://github.com/pacstall/pacstall
[11] https://github.com/AFK-OS/una/blob/main/README.md
[12] https://mpr.makedeb.org/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2022/02/04/rudra_sarsawat_ubuntu_projects/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/25/linux_kernel_51917_ubuntu/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/25/lashcat9_linux_ui/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/24/daos_22_stratis_33/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/21/openbsd_72_released/
[18] https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Arch_User_Repository
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/15/arch_linux_20/
[20] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/29/endeavouros_artemis_226/
[21] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/28/garuda_linux_arch_better
[22] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y1mt@fgGlNdi3l@eguQDtAAAAAw&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[23] https://httpllamaz.github.io/
[24] https://github.com/Henryws
[25] https://github.com/wizard-28
[26] https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~awb/linux.history.html
[27] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/20/spirallinux_new_debian_remix_from/
[28] https://www.wikihow.com/Install-Debian-sid
[29] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y1mt@fgGlNdi3l@eguQDtAAAAAw&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[30] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Go team
badflorist
It's called Debian/sid.
Making OJ out of lemons?
DoContra
As much as I love a) Debian/*buntu and b) rolling release distros, I remain skeptical of trying to beat Ubuntu alpha/beta repositories/Debian experimental/sid into a usable, stable-ish rolling release distro for the simple reason that, outside of Ubuntu post beta, their source of packages isn't really meant to be stable nor up-to-date with upstreams (and at times, it can even break "on purpose").
OpenSUSE got this right with Tumbleweed: it's mostly its own thing, outside the normal route/packaging chain for the non-rolling release. There was (is?) some interest in doing the same in Debian (or, somewhat more radical, changing sid into essentially a rolling distro), but so far it hasn't meshed well enough with enough Debian Developers...
Re: Making OJ out of lemons?
badflorist
I'm not aware of any plan, ever, to change sid into anything besides what it is, table fresh. You can run sid without upgrading or selectively upgrading but, it has to be a lot like a "rolling distro" because where do you think the code comes from for rolling distro's? hint: sid
"Rolling distro" is a bad term because they never really roll away to anywhere, they simply mutate in place. Mutatstro?
Go team
Ubuntu so needs one of these. There regular pain of upgrades is getting to me. Even at two year LTS.