14 DAY TRIAL // The developer of the openSUSE-Based GeckoLinux open-source operating system announced the release of a major update to both the GeckoLinux Static and NEXT series.
The biggest change of the new GeckoLinux releases is that they are now built using the KIWI OS image builder instead of the older SUSE Studio, which was merged into SUSE's OBS (Open Build Service) last year. This gives GeckoLinux a smoother and more reliable boot process, better hardware detections, and boot splash screen support.
Additionally, this major change no longer forces users to enter passwords for the default live session user account, provides a much cleaner ISO build process and structure that's up-to-date with OpenSuSE's standards, and introduces persistence support for Live USBs, allowing users to run GeckoLinux as a portable OS.
"The announcement of the merging of SUSE Studio with the Open Build Service forced me to look for an alternative build method because of the non-free software that GeckoLinux includes," says the developer. "After considerable trial and error, I am confident that Kiwi will be the best way forward."
GeckoLinux Static and NEXT 423.180107 improve Calamares installer
The latest release of the distribution is version 423.180107, which improves the Calamares installer to install the bootloader on (U)EFI systems, as well as to fix an issue with the GeckoLinux Static Xfce edition where the Calamares installer won't start due to a configuration error.
GeckoLinux is built entirely from unmodified openSUSE and Packman packages all the included software updates are coming directly from these upstream servers, which means that users are always getting the latest security patches, and it's distributed as multiple editions with various popular desktop environments.
While GeckoLinux Static is based on openSUSE Leap, and GeckoLinux NEXT is powered by the rolling release model of openSUSE Tumbleweed. You can download the GeckoLinux Static and NEXT 423.180107 releases right now from our website. Existing users are urged to update their installations immediately.