MX-21 “Wildflower” released!

[abarbarian]

MX-21 “Wildflower” released!

 

Looks like MX-21 has entered a stable state. So am downloading via torrent right now. I use the Xfce version but have had good reports on the KDE versions of MX over the years.

 

MX-21 Torrent Files

 

MX Linux XFCE Review (2021)

 

Quote

In this post, we’ll take a look at MX Linux’s desktop and try to figure out what makes MX Linux the most popular distro according to DistroWatch.com. I will also point out its flaws.

 

Well it looks like the 1.87 GB .iso has finished downloading via torrent. So I guess I will spend the next couple of hours loading it to a usb stick and then installing it on my ole ToughBook laptop. Strange to think that in just a few hours I can have a brand new up to date super stable operating system installed along with a whole host of very useful programs for free and can run it on my old hardware. Seems like a much greener option than some of the alternative operating systems out there.


 

 

[abarbarian]

Am in a position to try out MX-21. I placed the .iso on to a usb stick with Ventoy,

 

https://forums.scotsnewsletter.com/index.php?/topic/79474-linux-fringe-distros/&do=findComment&comment=468578

 

One reason for using Ventoy is that fact that you can add ordinary files to the usb aswell as the .iso's. This means that I can put my KeePassX and Zim storage files on the usb and can easily access them after doing an install.

 

 

I'll post back if I have any success.

 

[abarbarian]

Booted up from Ventoy, which is a pretty slick program I must say. This is on my main Skylake built rig and loaded the live os toram.

 

Wallpaper is luverly and MX found my ethernet connection straight away. Runs smooth as silk, installed Keepassxc with no problems at all. Am very impressed with this XFCE live version so far.

 

Of to try and install on my old ToughBook.

 

[abarbarian]

Darn it don't you hate it when things go wrong.

 

I spent three or four minutes trying to set up my wireless connection on MX-21 and then realised that I did not have a wireless dongle plugged in. Then to top it all I tried logging in here and forgot I had the caps lock on so got booted out and had to wait for 14 minutes before logging in.

 

Time I put to good use. Updated the install and installed KeePassXC and Zim.

Wireless connected straight away after I plugged in the dongle. Did not even have to set it up, guess it got the info from the MX-19 install somehow.

 

So here is a screen shot of the ToughBook install.

 

 

Everything seems to work ok and whilst there is a slight slow down with FireFox, I do have music playing in the background, for a modern os on an old laptop things are running pretty darn smoothly.Here is some information on the laptop with MX-21 installed and running.

 

System:    Host: <filter> Kernel: 5.10.0-9-amd64 x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: N/A 
           parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.10.0-9-amd64 
           root=UUID=<filter> ro quiet splash 
           Desktop: Xfce 4.16.0 tk: Gtk 3.24.24 info: xfce4-panel wm: xfwm4 dm: LightDM 1.26.0 
           Distro: MX-21_x64 Wildflower October 20  2021 base: Debian GNU/Linux 11 (bullseye) 
Machine:   Type: Laptop System: Matsu****a product: CF-52AJCBUAE v: 001 serial: <filter> 
           Mobo: Matsu****a model: CF52-1A v: 001 serial: <filter> BIOS: Phoenix v: 1.00L15M30 
           date: 11/07/2007 
Battery:   ID-1: BATA charge: 30.8 Wh condition: 73.3/86.6 Wh (85%) volts: 11.9/11.1 
           model: Panasonic CF-VZSU29A type: Li-ion serial: <filter> status: Charging 
CPU:       Topology: Dual Core model: Intel Core2 Duo T7300 bits: 64 type: MCP arch: Core Merom 
           family: 6 model-id: F (15) stepping: B (11) microcode: BA L2 cache: 4096 KiB 
           flags: lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 ssse3 bogomips: 7979 
           Speed: 1074 MHz min/max: 800/2001 MHz boost: enabled Core speeds (MHz): 1: 839 2: 859 
           Vulnerabilities: Type: itlb_multihit status: KVM: VMX unsupported 
           Type: l1tf mitigation: PTE Inversion 
           Type: mds status: Vulnerable: Clear CPU buffers attempted, no microcode; SMT disabled 
           Type: meltdown mitigation: PTI 
           Type: spec_store_bypass status: Vulnerable 
           Type: spectre_v1 mitigation: usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer sanitization 
           Type: spectre_v2 mitigation: Full generic retpoline, STIBP: disabled, RSB filling 
           Type: srbds status: Not affected 
           Type: tsx_async_abort status: Not affected 
Graphics:  Device-1: AMD RV550/M71 [Mobility Radeon HD 2300] vendor: Matsu****a driver: radeon 
           v: kernel bus ID: 01:00.0 chip ID: 1002:7210 
           Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.11 driver: ati,radeon 
           unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa resolution: 1920x1200~47Hz 
           OpenGL: renderer: ATI RV515 v: 2.1 Mesa 20.3.5 direct render: Yes 
Audio:     Device-1: Intel 82801H HD Audio vendor: Matsu****a driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel 
           bus ID: 00:1b.0 chip ID: 8086:284b 
           Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.10.0-9-amd64 
Network:   Device-1: Intel 82566MM Gigabit Network vendor: Matsu****a driver: e1000e v: kernel 
           port: 1800 bus ID: 00:19.0 chip ID: 8086:1049 
           IF: eth0 state: down mac: <filter> 
           Device-2: Ralink MT7601U Wireless Adapter type: USB driver: mt7601u bus ID: 3-1:3 
           chip ID: 148f:7601 serial: <filter> 
           IF: wlan0 state: up mac: <filter> 
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 133.56 GiB used: 13.50 GiB (10.1%) 
           ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Micron model: M550 MTFDDAV128MAY size: 119.24 GiB block size: 
           physical: 4096 B logical: 512 B speed: 3.0 Gb/s serial: <filter> rev: MU01 
           scheme: MBR 
           ID-2: /dev/sdb type: USB vendor: SanDisk model: Ultra Fit size: 14.32 GiB block size: 
           physical: 512 B logical: 512 B serial: <filter> rev: 1.00 scheme: MBR 
Partition: ID-1: / raw size: 113.36 GiB size: 111.02 GiB (97.94%) used: 6.50 GiB (5.9%) fs: ext4 
           dev: /dev/sda1 
           ID-2: swap-1 size: 5.87 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) fs: swap swappiness: 15 (default 60) 
           cache pressure: 100 (default) dev: /dev/sda2 
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 55.0 C mobo: N/A 
           Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A 
Repos:     No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list 
           Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian-stable-updates.list 
           1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bullseye-updates main contrib non-free
           Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.list 
           1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bullseye main contrib non-free
           2: deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security bullseye-security main contrib non-free
           Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mx.list 
           1: deb http://mxlinux.mirrors.uk2.net/packages/mx/repo/ bullseye main non-free
Info:      Processes: 213 Uptime: 46m Memory: 3.84 GiB used: 1.32 GiB (34.3%) Init: SysVinit 
           v: 2.96 runlevel: 5 default: 5 Compilers: gcc: 10.2.1 alt: 10 Shell: quick-system-in 
           running in: quick-system-in inxi: 3.0.36 

 

Mind you this old laptop with a 2007 Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 can still run a clip in VLC whilst downloading another clip while I type this post. An pretty darn smoothly at that, I wonder if the Microsoft and Windows latest os's can do something similar ?

Did I mention that I managed to install and update etc etc in just over an hour. Could probably have done it in less time but I am nearly 70 and get a tad distracted whilst doing things.

Has Mx-21 got my vote. Yup it sure does.Whats not to like a free os upgrade that comes with almost all the programs you would need for normal daily stuff, that takes just a couple of hours to download and install and customise slightly, an ensures that you can keep your old hardware running for a while longer, thus helping to save the planet. Yup it sure do.

 

[sunrat]

I tried MX-21 KDE version a couple of weeks ago in KVM-QEMU. I like the wallpaper.

But it still is way to full of stuff I don't use so would never use it as a daily driver. It does work quite well though and is especially suitable for n00bs new explorers. We regularly point users to MX from Debian User Forums when they have trouble understanding simple concepts in Debian like installing firmware.

[Hedon James]

I'm surprised Barbarian didn't choose the MX-Fluxbox version.  Would be really easy to swap out minimal Fluxbox for WindowMaker! 

[raymac46]

I'm having a few problems with IT right now as I have issues with my vision. But I did manage to get MX-21 Flux version installed in VBox. Very nice.

[abarbarian]

11 hours ago, Hedon James said:

I'm surprised Barbarian didn't choose the MX-Fluxbox version.  Would be really easy to swap out minimal Fluxbox for WindowMaker! 

 

The ToughBook is my backup pc and all I ever do with it is a bit of surfing, music listening and anime watching. So I just use MX pretty much as it comes out of the box. I prefer XFCE over Flubox for this.

 

Besides I have not managed to reinstall Window Maker on my Arch set up yet

[raymac46]

I have tried out both the Xfce and the Flux version in VBox. However I don't have an actual piece of hardware to try them on. I think that's the only way to really check how they work. My only VBox install right now is Manjaro Xfce and I like that better than MX.

Getting the Flux setup the way I wanted it to be would require a lot of digging and configuring which I can't do now because of my vision issues. So my verdict is: both distros are great if you can use them straight out of the box and accept the config as the developers set it.

Edited November 8, 2021 by raymac46

[abarbarian]

49 minutes ago, raymac46 said:

which I can't do now because of my vision issues.

 

Hope you manage to sort out the vision issues.

[raymac46]

I have double vision caused by some nerve failure in my left eye. I can see OK with an eye patch but limited depth perception. A stroke or autoimmune disease has been ruled out.

The medics thimk it'll improve with time. In the meantime I have to be careful about blood sugar and hypertension. I have been forbidden to drive and I am stumbling around the house.

 

Edited November 8, 2021 by raymac46

[sunrat]

1 hour ago, raymac46 said:

I have double vision caused by some nerve failure in my left eye. I can see OK with an eye patch but limited depth perception. A stroke or autoimmune disease has been ruled out.

The medics thimk it'll improve with time. In the meantime I have to be careful about blood sugar and hypertension. I have been forbidden to drive and I am stumbling around the house.

 

 

That sucks Ray. Hope it does get better.

I've been blind in one eye for 60 years and lack of depth perception sucks although I don't really know what it is. The brain adapts somehow.

[raymac46]

The family doc has put me on a new BP medication and so far it's working. My systolic BP is now in the normal range and that is positive.

[sunrat]

6 hours ago, raymac46 said:

The family doc has put me on a new BP medication and so far it's working. My systolic BP is now in the normal range and that is positive.

 

My BP is always in normal range when I check it at home. It's always high when my doctor checks it!

[raymac46]

The BP reading is at home with my Omron BP monitor. I too have "white coat syndrome" at the doctor's office.

BTW I have reinstalled MX-21 Flux in VirtualBox, It is a superb implementation of Fluxbox with a panel and a dock that can be configured with GUIs or by editing the text files. It's almost as good as LXQt. Posting from it now.

 

 

Edited November 10, 2021 by raymac46

[raymac46]

It would be interesting to see if you Flux aficianados could try out the MX-21 Flux version and see what you think. They seem to have thought of everything but my opinion is that a true Flux expert will find it overconfigured and - dare I say - bloated.

I think it's real purty and probably worth a spin in VBox to see how stable it is long term.

[sunrat]

MX-KDE is overconfigured as well, changing defaults which any experienced KDE user would expect. For example, the embedded terminal in Dolphin should be launched with F4 but they changed it to F12. I complained about this but they said they, the devs, liked it that way. F12 should launch Yakuake if it is installed.

[raymac46]

Call me naive but I don't see the point of taking a simple Window Manager and dressing it up with a panel and dock - especally if it's hard to configure them. Might as well go with a light Desktop Environment like LXQt.

With MX Flux I have 3 ways to launch Chromium browser (not including the Terminal.) Each way requires more than one mouse click. I'd be happy to have an icon somewhere but I can't drag and drop it onto the dock. I have to rummage through a text file, or watch a YouTube video to figure out how to get an icon on the dock. Seems a bit counterintuitive but hey...

Edited November 10, 2021 by raymac46

[abarbarian]

On 11/9/2021 at 12:46 AM, sunrat said:

I've been blind in one eye for 60 years

 

Always thought you were the pirate sort. Do you have a wooden leg and a pet parrot too

 

On 11/9/2021 at 2:17 PM, raymac46 said:

The family doc has put me on a new BP medication and so far it's working.

 

Glad to here that you got a fairly easy fix to the problem.

 

On 11/9/2021 at 9:19 PM, sunrat said:

My BP is always in normal range when I check it at home. It's always high when my doctor checks it!

 

Strange cars you have over there. I just look at me fuel gauge to see how me BP is doing.

 

10 hours ago, raymac46 said:

Call me naive but I don't see the point of taking a simple Window Manager and dressing it up with a panel and dock - especally if it's hard to configure them. Might as well go with a light Desktop Environment like LXQt.

With MX Flux I have 3 ways to launch Chromium browser (not including the Terminal.) Each way requires more than one mouse click. I'd be happy to have an icon somewhere but I can't drag and drop it onto the dock. I have to rummage through a text file, or watch a YouTube video to figure out how to get an icon on the dock. Seems a bit counterintuitive but hey...

 

Well you probably have three or four different ways to open up a program in Window Maker, all pretty easy to set up.

 

An you can have an icon which will require one click to open up a program.

 

An you have any amount of ways to configure Window Maker from a very simple to use gui program plus even more esoterik methods too.

 

Window Maker is probably too simple to use for modern folk who just love to struggle with fancy shmancy stuff and moan about it afterwards

[abarbarian]

Do cool stuff with live-usbs

 

Avery informative article on some of the fancy stuff you can do with a usb and MX.  

 

 

 

[Hedon James]

On 11/10/2021 at 6:07 PM, raymac46 said:

Call me naive but I don't see the point of taking a simple Window Manager and dressing it up with a panel and dock - especally if it's hard to configure them. Might as well go with a light Desktop Environment like LXQt.

With MX Flux I have 3 ways to launch Chromium browser (not including the Terminal.) Each way requires more than one mouse click. I'd be happy to have an icon somewhere but I can't drag and drop it onto the dock. I have to rummage through a text file, or watch a YouTube video to figure out how to get an icon on the dock. Seems a bit counterintuitive but hey...

 

Sorry I missed this before Ray, but this is easily addressed in the "keys" file of the .fluxbox directory.  The "keys" file is a way to configure "hot keys" for custom actions in Fluxbox.  There are some pre-configured keys provided by default, so just add your custom keys to the top of the file.  For instance, here are my entries at the top of my keys file:

 

# open specific applications with keybinding
# terminal
Control Mod1 t :exec qterminal
# File Manager
Control f :exec pcmanfm-qt
# launcher
# Control l :exec mylaunchpad
# synapse
# Control s :exec bash -c 'GTK_IM_MODULE="" synapse'
# skippy-xd expose
# Control e :exec skippy-xd
# force quit
Control x :exec xkill
# root menu
Control m :RootMenu

 

Obviously, the # is just an indicator not to execute that line.  I typically use a 2-line format for each hotkey, where the first line starts with a # and is just a descriptor of the hotkey; the 2nd line is the actual hotkey code.  For instance:

# terminal is my description for the hotkey to invoke a terminal on the screen and

Control Mod1 t is the combination of hotkeys i want to use to invoke the terminal.  Mod1 is the "alt" key and if memory serves correct Mod2 is the "fn" key....I've only ever used Control & Mod1 (capitals are important).  And finally:

:exec qterminal tells Fluxbox to "execute qterminal command", which is what you would do to start a program in a terminal (could also be Rox Terminal, Gterminal, Terminator, or whatever terminal program you prefer).  Fluxbox as a built-in terminal, invisible to the user, invoked by "run" (irrelevant to this discussion, other than to say that "Fluxbox Run" is analagous to "terminal execute").

 

So let's say the terminal command to run Chromium is "chromium".  And let's say you want "Control b" ("b" for "Browser") to be your hotkey combo to launch Chromium (could be "c" for Chromium, or whatever you want it to be).  Your new entries at the top of the .fluxbox/keys file should be:

# web browser (or perhaps chromium, or whatever reminds YOU what the next line is for)

Control b :exec chromium

Save your changes to file, and "Restart Fluxbox" from the Fluxbox Settings Root Menu (your machine doesn't re-boot, but Fluxbox re-boots its configuration and windows on screen may "flash" for a second....perhaps not if you blink & miss it!)

 

Tada....you now have a hotkey combo for Chromium.  Using just your keyboard, press "Control" and "b" simultaneously and Chromium will launch!  I have hotkeys setup for quick access to things like a terminal (Control t), file manager (Control f), etc....  You get the picture.  Just be careful you don't use the same key combination twice, LOL!

 

Alternatively, I have a few "frequently accessed favorites" setup in the top of my Root Menu.  Control m invokes by Fluxbox Root Menu and my 5-6 most frequently used/favorite programs are listed at the top of my Root Menu, where I can arrow down and "enter" to select.  Mousers may argue that its "more clicks" to accomplish the same thing than mousing over a launcher, but the hotkeys and/or arrow/enter combination is definitely faster.  Conversely, if you're not a good typist, it's nice to not have to lift your mouse hand as frequently, and re-position every time for correct typing. 

 

Use what works for ya!  Enjoy Buddy!

 

Edited January 12, 2022 by Hedon James

[abarbarian]

MX-21 desktop with one of the included wallpapers. Includes four different task bars/docks just to show the ease with which you can customise the distro to suit yourself.

The left and right hand side bars have no icons on them as I could not be bothered populating them. The bar at the bottom shows some of the included offerings I was trying out just to see what they looked like. I normally use the icons shown on the top bar but with the bar vertically on the left of screen showing all the time. If I were using this on my main pc I would use the auto hide feature.

It took two clicks on a mouse to create a new task bar/dock and a couple of clicks to size it up and move it. Hardest part was clicking away to place the icons, all that clicking and thinking at the same time fair wore me out.

I guess you can obtain different icons and icon sets and more dock/task bar items but I do not need any more so am not sure how easy that might be.

You can add your favourite program icons to the task bar/dock also with just a couple of clicks.

If I was not so in love with Window Maker and Arch I could see myself tricking out and using MX full time.

 

[abarbarian]

15 things to do after installing MX Linux

 

The article is from 2021 but is still relevant.

 

You could probably find all the tweaks eventually the tips just speed things up a bit. I found these particularly helpful,

 

I find single click very difficult to control as I have quite a sensitive mouse and clumsy hands with twitchy fingers.

4. Enable Double Click 

I managed to find a conky that matched my new wallpaper very closely,

5. Customize The Desktop Clock

This just made booting a tad nicer

 

8. Turn OFF The Boot Menu

All adblocking is great, no idea if this makes a great deal of difference but I set it up just in case

 

9. Enable AdBlocker

Blimey I saved over 1 GB with just a couple of clicks

 

11. Uninstall Unnecessary Apps & Packages

This reminded me to install redshift. However I had to search my zim files to work out how to set it up for my use. There is no help from the program installed that I could see.

 

12. Install & Enable Redshift

All the above took around half an hour in total. Most of that was playing around with conky.