CRUX 3.4 released: lightweight Linux distribution
CRUX is a lightweight Linux distribution for the x86-64 architecture targeted at experienced Linux users. The primary focus of this distribution is “keep it simple”, which it reflects in a simple tar.gz-based package system, BSD-style initscripts, and a relatively small collection of trimmed packages. The secondary focus is a utilization of new Linux features and recent tools and libraries. CRUX also has a ports system which makes it easy to install and upgrade applications.
There are many Linux distributions out there these days, so what makes CRUX any better than the others? The choice of distribution is a matter of taste, really. Here are a few hints about the tastes and goals of the people behind CRUX. CRUX is made with simplicity in mind from beginning to end. Making it easy to create new and update old packages is essential; updating a package in CRUX is often just a matter of typing pkgmk -d -u. The usage of ports helps keep your packages up-to-date; not the latest bleeding-edge-alpha version, but the latest stable version. Other features include creating packages optimized for your processor, eg. by compiling with -march=x86-64, and avoiding cluttering the filesystem with files you’ll never use, eg. /usr/doc/*, etc. If you need more information about a specific program, other than information found in the man-page, Google usually knows all about it. Finally, it strives to use new features as they become available, as long as they are consistent with the rest of the goals.
In short, CRUX might suit you very well if you are:
- A somewhat experienced Linux user who wants a clean and solid Linux distribution as the foundation of your installation.
- A person who prefers editing configuration files with an editor to using a GUI.
- Someone who does not hesitate to download and compile programs from the source.
See page for author [GPL or GPL], via Wikimedia Commons
CRUX 3.4 has been released.
Toolchain updates
CRUX 3.4 comes with a multilib toolchain which includes glibc 2.27, gcc 7.3.0 and binutils 2.29.1
Kernel
Linux 4.14.40
Xorg
CRUX 3.4 ships with Xorg 7.7 and xorg-server 1.20.0
Image
The ISO image is processed with isohybrid and is suitable for burning on a CD and putting on a USB drive. UEFI support is available during installation with dosfstools, efibootmgr, and grub2-efi added to the ISO.
Incompatible changes
Important libraries have been updated to new major versions which are not ABI compatible with the old versions. We strongly advise against manually updating to CRUX 3.4 via ports, since these changes will temporarily break the system. Please note that there may still be packages that needs updating that are not included on the ISO. These packages will need to be updated/rebuilt manually.
