SparkyLinux
Sparky 7.1
This is the first update of Sparky 7 – 7.1 “Orion Belt”.
It is a quarterly updated point release of Sparky 7 “Orion Belt” of the stable line. Sparky 7 is based on and fully compatible with Debian 12 “Bookworm”.
Changes:
– all packages updated from Debian and Sparky stable repos as of September 12, 2023
– Linux kernel 6.1.52 (6.5.3-sparky & 5.15.131-LTS-sparky in sparky repos)
– LibreOffice 7.4.7
– Calamares 3.2.61
– KDE Plasma 5.27.5
– LXQt 1.2.0
– MATE 1.26
– Xfce 4.18
– Openbox 3.6.1
– firefox 102.15.0esr (117.0.1-sparky in sparky repos)
– thunderbird 102.15.0
– vlc 3.0.18
– exaile 4.1.3
– removed sparky unstable repo (sparky’s linux kernel is placed in ‘core’ repo now)
– added rpi-imager to all iso images to let you easy manage RPi images
– Openbox: added gnote and parcellite
– MATE: added gnote
– LXQt: added noblenote
– ARM images 7.x are not ready yet
Sparky 7 “Orion Belt” is available in the following versions:
– amd64 BIOS/UEFI+Secure Boot: Xfce, LXQt, MATE, KDE Plasma, MinimalGUI (Openbox) & MinimalCLI (text mode)
– i686 non-pae BIOS/UEFI (Legacy): MinimalGUI (Openbox) & MinimalCLI (text mode)
Make sure that the ‘os-prober’ will be not executed to detect other bootable partitions as default, but Sparky provides a GRUB option to detect other OSes anyway.
But, a next updating of GRUB packages override the option.
To fix that manually, add the line:
GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false
on the end of the file (as root):
/etc/default/grub
Then update grub:
sudo update-grub
live user pasword: live
If you have Sparky 7.0 installed – simply keep it up to date. No need to reinstall your OS.
New iso images of Sparky 7 “Orion Belt” can be downloaded from the download/stable page
Informacja o wydaniu w języku polskim: https://linuxiarze.pl/sparky-7-1/
Facebook Twitter Reddit TumblrSparky 6.7.1 armhf & arm64
This is a minor update of Sparky of the oldstable line 6.7.1 “Po Tolo” targeted to the single board mini computers Raspberry Pi.
It fixes one issue which breaks the Openbox desktop settings in both 6.7 armhf and 6.7-RC1 arm64 images
The second, important change is that the arm64 (aarch64) images have been fully tested at last on a real machine, fixed what should be, and published as a stable (oldstable now) release.
If network doesn’t start automatically (arm64 CLI) start and enable it as follow:
sudo systemctl start NetworkManager
sudo systemctl enable NetworkManager
ARM user:password – pi:sparky
New images of the oldstable line can be downloaded from the download/oldstable page.
Facebook Twitter Reddit TumblrSparky news 2023/08
The 8th monthly Sparky project and donate report of the 2023:
– Linux kernel updated up to 6.5.0, 6.1.50-LTS, 5.15.129-LTS
– Sparky packages of Linux kernel moved from ‘unstable’ repo to ‘core’; the ‘unstable’ repo made misunderstanding of many users thinking that the packages of Debian unstable repo are available to all Sparky branches; the fact was that the Sparky unstable repos offered Sparky build of Linux kernels only; anyway, ‘sparky-apt-unstable’ package can be safetly uninstalled from your systems now
– added to Sparky 6, 7, and 8 repos: rpi-imager, eggs (penguins eggs)
Many thanks to all of you for supporting all our open-source projects. Your donations help keeping them and us alive.
Don’t forget to send a small tip in September too, please.
Important!
Make sure, that Sparky (semi-)rolling is based on Debian TESTING, not stable, so issues, bugs and other problems DO happen sometimes!
Due to changes in Debian and Sparky testing repos, some applications CAN NOT be installed via Sparky APTus, even they are listed in the APTus.
If you are not happy with that, switch to Sparky STABLE, or do something else, but DO NOT complain that on other services or forums. If you like Sparky, simply report your issue at Sparky forums, please.
Dear Sparkers, Linuxiarze, ArchiveOS, and our other services users – our statistics show that of those who block our ads, only 8% have unblocked them, for which we thank you very much; it means that 92% of rest of you are still blocking them, which is, why we need your donations so much and for which we thank you from all over hearts.
PLN 799
$ 10
mBTC 0
* Keep in mind that some amounts coming to us will be reduced by commissions for online payment services. Only direct sending donations to our bank account will be credited in full.
* Miej na uwadze, że kwota, którą przekażesz nam poprzez system płatności on-line zostanie pomniejszona o prowizję dla pośrednika. W całości wpłynie tylko ta, która zostanie przesłana bezpośrednio na nasze konto bankowe.
Penguins’ eggs
There is a new application available for Sparkers: Penguins’ eggs
What is Penguins’ eggs?
penguins-eggs is a console tool, under continuous development, that allows you to remaster your system and redistribute it as live images on usb sticks or via PXE. It supports: Debian, Devuan, Ubuntu and major derivatives: Linuxmint, KDE neon, etc. You can edit derivatives.yaml to easily add more. Supports: Arch Linux, EndeavourOS, Manjaro and RebornOS. eggs is written mostly in typescript and ideally can be used with different Linux distributions.
Installation (Sparky 7 & 8 amd64):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install eggs
License: MIT or GPL Version 2 licenses.
Web: github.com/pieroproietti/penguins-eggs
RPi Imager
There is a new application available for Sparkers: RPi Imager
What is RPi Imager?
Raspberry Pi imaging utility. Graphical user-interface to write disk images and format SD cards. Raspberry Pi Imager is the quick and easy way to install Raspberry Pi OS and other operating systems to a microSD card, ready to use with your Raspberry Pi.
It lets you install Sparky armhf and arm64 image on a SD card via custom image option.
Installation (Sparky 6, 7 & 8):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install rpi-imager
License: Apache License version 2.0
Web: github.com/raspberrypi/rpi-imager
Sparky unstable repo deactivated
Due to misunderstanding of purpose of Sparky ‘unstable’ repo by many Sparky users, specially new ones, the Sparky unstable repo have been deactivated.
Sparky unstable repo features Sparky builds of Linux kernel only, but some of you can think that packages from Sparky unstable repo in Sparky stable, oldstable or testing line can damage your systems. I already received a few messages about that.
They can’t, cause there are only kernel packages only, as I said before…
Anyway, the Sparky kernel related packages moved to Sparky ‘core’ repo now.
Update of ‘sparky-apt-unstable’ 20230802 package disables the unstable repo.
You can also safely uninstall the ‘sparky-apt-unstable’ package.
Sparky APTus 20230802 of the Sparky 6,7 and 8 does not reconfigure the unstable repo during Sparky’s Linux kernel installation any more.
Facebook Twitter Reddit TumblrSparky news 2023/07
The 7th monthly Sparky project and donate report of the 2023:
– Linux kernel updated up to 6.4.7 & 6.1.42-LTS & 5.15.123-LTS
– Sparky 7 APTus: changed Trinity desktop repo from bookworm testing to stable
– Sparky 8 APTus: changed Trinity desktop repo from bookworm testing to trixie testing
– Sparky 7.0 i686 MinimalGUI ISO released
– Sparky 2023.07 & Special Editions of the semi-rolling released
– Openbox wm-logout: fixed logout option; added LockScreen option
– added to repos: teams-for-linux
– live media of the stable line updated up to 7.0.1
Many thanks to all of you for supporting our open-source projects. Your donations help keeping them and us alive.
Don’t forget to send a small tip in August too, please.
We thank all of you, who, after our requests, decided to unblock ads on our pages, these small revenues help us maintain our online services. Unfortunately, most of you are still block our ads, making our income smaller then could be. That’s why your donations are so important to us, so we thank you with all our hearts.
PLN 1558.54
$ 10
mBTC 0
* Keep in mind that some amounts coming to us will be reduced by commissions for online payment services. Only direct sending donations to our bank account will be credited in full.
* Miej na uwadze, że kwota, którą przekażesz nam poprzez system płatności on-line zostanie pomniejszona o prowizję dla pośrednika. W całości wpłynie tylko ta, która zostanie przesłana bezpośrednio na nasze konto bankowe.
Sparky 7.0.1
There is an update of Sparky ISO images of the stable line 7.0.1 out there.
This is a minor update, it mainly fixed an issue of the live config, which did not let you launch password reqiured application without password in live session, such as: Calamares, APTus, GParted, Gufw, etc.
Now, the apps don’t need a password to be launched in live session (excluding MinimalGUI i686).
As usually, all packages have been upgraded from Debian and Sparky stable repos, as of June 26, 2023, so all updates of Debian 12.1 are included.
No reinstallation is required if you have Sparky 7 installed, simply keep Sparky up to date.
The new iso images only fix the live session issue.
Anyway, the live user password is: live
New iso images of Sparky stable can be downloaded from the download/stable page
Facebook Twitter Reddit TumblrTeams for Linux
There is a new application available for Sparkers: Teams for Linux
What is Teams for Linux?
Unofficial Microsoft Teams client for Linux using Electron. It uses the Web App and wraps it as a standalone application using Electron. The official client for Linux from Microsoft is retired by the end of 2022 and is replaced with PWA.
Installation (Sparky 7 & 8 amd64/arm64/armhf):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install teams-for-linux
License: GNU GPLv3
Web: github.com/IsmaelMartinez/teams-for-linux
Sparky 2023.07 Special Editions
There are new iso images of Sparky 2023.07 Special Editions out there: GameOver, Multimedia and Rescue.
The March update of Sparky Special Edition iso images features Linux kernel 6.3.7, updated packages from Debian and Sparky testing repos as of July 22, 2023, and most changes introduced at the 2023.07 release.
If you would like to upgrade Sparky 7 stable to semi-rolling, follow the post:
https://sparkylinux.org/sparky-8-code-name-and-repos/
New iso images of Sparky semi-rolling can be downloaded from the download/rolling page
Facebook Twitter Reddit TumblrSparky 2023.07
This is the July update of Sparky rolling iso images which works on Linux kernel 6.3, and provides updated packages from Debian ‘trixie’ and Sparky ‘sisters’ testing repos.
What’s new:
– all packaged upgraded from Debian and Sparky testing repos as of July 16, 2023
– Linux kernel 6.3.7 (6.4.3 & 6.1.38-ESR & 5.15.120-ESR in sparky unstable repos)
– added new Debian repos: non-free-firmware
– live iso boots with Secure Boot enabled now
– Firefox 102.13.0 ESR (firefox-sparky 115.0.2 & firefox-esr-sparky 115.0.2esr in sparky repos)
– Thunderbird 102.13.0
– Openbox 3.6.1-10
– LXQt 1.2.0
– Xfce 4.18
– MATE 1.26.0
– KDE Plasma 5.27.0
– LibreOffice 7.4.5
– Python 3.11.4
– GCC 12.3.0 as default, but libgcc 13.1.0 is also installed
– systemd 253-rc2
– removed support of i386 architecture from all amd64 iso images
– xscreensaver removed from all iso images (make sure you can install it back, if you want)
– added sparky-locker instead of xscreensaver to Openbox, LXQt and Xfce iso images; it configures and launches i3lock; it autostarts (in 5 minutes) in desktop environments, but small window managers require to add the ‘sparky-locker’ command to their autostart scripts
– added Linux kernel 6.1 ESR to Sparky kernel installation of APTus, alongside to the latest and 5.15 ESR
– new artwork (wallpaper, grub, isolinux, lightdm, slim, plymouth, etc.)
– Openbox iso: removed Lock option from jgmenu
– Openbox wm-logout: added new LockScreen option, and fixed issue of the Logout option
– added a new set of wallpapers via the ‘sparky-artwork-extra’ package; it is provided by our community member Marty; thanks a lot!
– I am not fully happy with the sddm, so there is lightdm installed back instead of sddm (excluding KDE)
– added lightdm-gtk-greeter-settings tool which lets you easy configure the lightdm
Make sure that the ‘os-prober’ will be not executed to detect other bootable partitions as default.
To fix that manually, add the line:
GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false
on the end of the file (as root):
/etc/default/grub
Then update grub:
sudo update-grub
If the grub file does not exist, copy grub.ucf-dist to grub file, then edit.
If you would like to upgrade Sparky 7 stable to semi-rolling, follow the post:
https://sparkylinux.org/sparky-8-code-name-and-repos/
The live user password: live
Sparky 2023.07 amd64 is available in the following versions: LXQt, KDE Plasma, MATE, Xfce, MinimalGUI (Openbox) and MinimalCLI (text mode)
Get new semi-rolling iso images from: /download/rolling/ page.
Info o wydaniu w języku polskim: https://linuxiarze.pl/sparky-2023-07/
Facebook Twitter Reddit TumblrISO MinimalGUI i686
There is iso image of Sparky 7.0 MinimalGUI i686 available to download.
As you know, Sparky 7 still supports i686 architecture (32 bit), but I created only MinimalCLI (text mode) i686 iso image before.
But… I didn’t expect it is still popular and in use, maybe not so popular as amd64, but still is.
So, updated MinimalGUI virtual machine and created and uploaded a new i686 iso.
No reinstallation is required if you have Sparky 6.x installed, simply keep it up to date, or following our Wiki page, upgrade it to version 7.
Download a new iso from /download/stable/ page.
Facebook Twitter Reddit TumblrSparky news 2023/06
The 6th monthly Sparky project and donate report of the 2023:
– Linux kernel updated up to 6.4.0 & 5.15.119-LTS
– Sparky 7.0 Orion Belt of the stable line released; amd64 iso images boot with Secure Boot on now
– removed xscreensaver from all sparky-desktop-xxxxx meta packages, so it will not be installed as dafault any more
– removed kernel 4.9 installation from APTus
– removed packages from APTus of Sparky testing (8): spideroakone, vuze, ddrescue-gui, multibootusb, teams, gtomb, corebird, atom
– new Sparky testing (upcoming 8 ‘The Seven Sisters’) repos set with the ‘sisters’ name
– fixed an issue of mounting usb device during a live usb creating with persistence of the Sparky Live USB Creator
– fixed PayPal donate button; it works back
Many thanks to all of you for supporting our open-source projects. Your donations help keeping them and us alive.
Don’t forget to send a small tip in July too, please
Pulsar
There is a new application available for Sparkers: Pulsar
What is Pulsar?
A Community-led Hyper-Hackable Text Editor, Forked from Atom, built on Electron. Designed to be deeply customizable, but still approachable using the default configuration.
Goals:
– Cross-platform Editing
– Built-in package manager
– Smart Autocompletion
– File system browser
– Multiple panes
– Find and replace
Installation (Sparky 7 & 8 amd64/arm64):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install pulsar
License: MIT
Web: github.com/pulsar-edit/pulsar
Sparky 8 code name and repos
The new, upcoming Sparky 8 code name and repos is set.
The code name is “The Seven Sisters”, and the new repos is “sisters”.
The upcoming Sparky 8, now testing/semi-rolling is based on Debian testing “Trixie”.
If you would like to keep Sparky rolling, means based on Debian testing, do:
1. change Debian repos from “bookworm” to “trixie” at the file:
/etc/apt/sources.list
2. change Sparky repos from “orion” to “sisters” at the file:
/etc/apt/sources.list.d/sparky.list
3. make dist upgrade:
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade
or just the short command (short of Sparky Upgrade):
spu
or use Sparky upgrade script:
wget https://sparkylinux.org/files/sparky-dist-upgrade78
chmod +x sparky-dist-upgrade78
sudo ./sparky-dist-upgrade78
If any problem, before re-booting, launch:
sudo dpkg –configure -a
sudo apt -f
Visit the Wiki page too: https://wiki.sparkylinux.org/doku.php/upgrade_7_to_8
Facebook Twitter Reddit TumblrSparky 7.0 Orion Belt
Sparky 7.0 “Orion Belt” has been released. It is based on and fully compatible with Debian 12 “Bookworm”.
Highlights:
– based on Debian stable 12 “Bookworm”
– all packages updated from Debian “Bookworm” & Sparky “Orion Belt” repos as of June 15, 2023
– Linux kernel 6.1.27 LTS as default (6.3.8 & 5.15.117 LTS in sparky unstable repos)
– Firefox 102.12.0ESR (114.0.1 in sparky repos)
– Thunderbird 102.12.0
– VLC 3.0.18
– LibreOffice 7.4.5
– Calamares 3.2.61
– KDE Plasma 5.27
– LXQt 1.2.0
– MATE 1.26
– Xfce 4.18
– Openbox 3.6.1
– Sparky APTus AppCenter 20230530
– ntp replaced by systemd-timesyncd
– amd64 ISO images have been improved – they can be boot on machines with UEFI motherboards with Secure Boot on; it took me over a week of work, 12 isos and cost me a machine with Windows 10 and Secure Boot
– small changes
Sparky 7 “Orion Belt” is available in the following versions:
* amd64 BIOS/UEFI+Secure Boot: Xfce, LXQt, MATE, KDE Plasma, MinimalGUI (Openbox) & MinimalCLI (text mode)
* i686 non-pae BIOS/UEFI (Legacy): MinimalCLI (text mode)
Sparky 7 still supports old machines x86 (32bit), but only Minimal ISO image available.
ARM images are not ready yet.
Live user/password: live
Make sure that the ‘os-prober’ will be not executed to detect other bootable partitions as default, but Sparky provides a GRUB option to detect other OSes anyway.
But, a next updating of GRUB packages override the option.
To fix that manually, add the line:
GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false
on the end of the file (as root):
/etc/default/grub
Then update grub:
sudo update-grub
Upgrading
Sparky 6 users
If you have Sparky 6 (oldstable now) – simply keep it up to date – it gets security updates up to 2026.
If you would like to upgrade Sparky 6 to the present stable Sparky 7 – follow the Wiki page: wiki.sparkylinux.org/doku.php/upgrade_6_to_7
Or use my upgrade script:
wget https://sparkylinux.org/files/sparky-dist-upgrade67
chmod +x sparky-dist-upgrade67
sudo ./sparky-dist-upgrade67
Sparky 7 users
If you have installed Sparky rolling (7) based on Debian testing – simply keep it up to date – it became stable automatically. No need to reinstall your OS.
If you would like to keep Sparky rolling, based on Debian testing – wait for new Debian and Sparky testing repos to be ready – I will separately post it when ready.
New iso images of Sparky 7 “Orion Belt” can be downloaded from the download/stable page
Many thanks to all our community members for supporting Sparky project.
Send a small tip if you like SparkyLinux.
Informacja o wydaniu w języku polskim: https://linuxiarze.pl/sparky-7-0-orion-belt/
Facebook Twitter Reddit TumblrSparky news 2023/05
The 5th monthly Sparky project and donate report of the 2023:
– Linux kernel updated up to 6.3.5 & 5.15.114-LTS
– updated conky manager which lets you choose 1 of 5 settings now
– improved desktop installation of the cli installer, it displays summary of your choice, and lets you choose again; and added check in – if desktop installation failed, lets you get back to desktop chooser and get other one; sparky 7 only
– OpenOffice suite moved to sparky repos
Many thanks to all of you for supporting our open-source projects. Your donations help keeping them and us alive.
Don’t forget to send a small tip in June too, please.
PLN 789
$ 10
mBTC 0.91761
* Keep in mind that some amounts coming to us will be reduced by commissions for online payment services. Only direct sending donations to our bank account will be credited in full.
* Miej na uwadze, że kwota, którą przekażesz nam poprzez system płatności on-line zostanie pomniejszona o prowizję dla pośrednika. W całości wpłynie tylko ta, która zostanie przesłana bezpośrednio na nasze konto bankowe.
OpenOffice
The Apache OpenOffice suite has been uploaded to Sparky repos now.
What is OpenOffice?
Apache OpenOffice is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose.
The OpenOffice packages were available to install before via APTus AppCenter from a 3rd party repos, but… The 3rd party repos is out of date, so the latest, original packages from the project developer have been moved to Sparky repos now.
If you’d like to install OpenOffice you MUST uninstall LibreOffice before:
sudo apt purge libreoffice libreoffice-*
sudo apt autoremove
Then you can install OpenOffice (Sparky 6 & 7 amd64/i386) :
sudo apt update
sudo apt install openoffice-brand-en-us openoffice-brand-writer openoffice-brand-calc openoffice-brand-impress openoffice-brand-base openoffice-brand-draw openoffice-brand-math openoffice-pyuno openoffice-ooofonts openoffice-ooolinguistic openoffice-debian-menus
License: Apache License Version 2.0
Web: www.openoffice.org
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