MX Linux

MX Linux is a Linux distribution based on Debian stable and using core antiX components, with additional software created or packaged by the MX community.[2] The development of MX Linux is a collaborative effort between the antiX and former MEPIS communities. The MX 'name' comes from the M for MEPIS and the X from antiX - an acknowledgment of their roots. The community's stated goal is to produce "a family of operating systems that are designed to combine elegant and efficient desktops with high stability and solid performance".

MX Linux
MX-21.3
DeveloperMX Dev Team
OS familyLinux (Unix-like)
Working stateCurrent
Source modelOpen source
Initial release24 March 2014 (2014-03-24)
Latest releaseMX 21.3[1] / January 15, 2023 (2023-01-15)
Available inMultilingual
Update methodAPT
Package managerApt
Platformsamd64, i686
Kernel typeMonolithic (Linux)
Default
user interface		Xfce, Fluxbox & KDE
LicenseLinux Foundation Sublicense No. 20140605-0483
Official websitemxlinux.org

MX Linux uses Xfce as the main desktop environment, to which it adds a free-standing KDE Plasma version and, in 2021, a stand-alone Fluxbox implementation. Other environments can be added or are available as "spin-off" ISO images.

History

MX Linux began in a discussion about future options among members of the MEPIS community in December 2013.[3] Developers from antiX then joined them, bringing the ISO build system as well as Live-USB/DVD technology. To be listed on the Linux distribution clearinghouse website DistroWatch, MX Linux was initially presented as a version of antiX. It received its own DistroWatch page with the release of the first public beta of MX-16 on November 2, 2016.

  • The MX-14 series was based on Debian Stable "Wheezy", using Xfce 4.10 and then, with the 14.4 release, Xfce 4.12. The MX-14 versions were intended to fit onto a CD, which limited the number of applications that could be included. This series saw the gradual evolution of the MX Tools, a collection of utilities to help users with common tasks that are often complicated and obscure.[4]
  • MX-15 moved to the new Debian Stable "Jessie" using systemd-shim, meaning that systemd is installed but the default init is sysvinit.[3] The size limitation was lifted, enabling the developers to present a full turnkey product. There was a substantial expansion of MX Tools.
  • MX-16 was still based on Debian Stable "Jessie", but with many applications backported and added from other sources. There were further refinements to MX Tools, the import of advanced antiX developments, expanded support, and a completely new icon/theme/wallpaper collection.[5][6]
  • MX-16.1 collected all bug fixes and improvements since MX-16, added a new kingfisher theme, upgraded and streamlined MX Tools, revised documentation, and added new translations.[7]
  • MX-17 changed its base to Debian 9 (Stretch) and brought upgraded artwork, new MX Tools, improved Live operation via antiX and other changes.[8]
  • MX-18 continued the development of MX Tools, introduced a new kernel, enabled whole disk encryption, and added GRUB themes, splash functionality through MX Boot options artwork, and improved localization.[9]
  • MX-19 upgraded its base to Debian 10 (Buster) and its default desktop to Xfce 4.14. It is characterized by new and revised Tools, artwork, documentation, localization, and technical features.[10]
  • MX-21 was released on October 21, 2021. It is based on Debian 11.0 (Bullseye) and is available as Xfce, KDE or Fluxbox versions. Details in the MX Blog.[11]
  • MX-21.1 was released on April 9, 2022. It is based on Debian 11.3 (Bullseye) and is available as Xfce, Xfce AHS, KDE, and Fluxbox versions. Disk Manager returns and for share settings, MX Samba Config app (GUI) is included. Further details are in the MX blog.[12]
  • MX-21.2 was released on August 28, 2022. It is based on Debian 11.4 (Bullseye) and is available as Xfce, KDE, Xfce AHS, and Fluxbox versions. Further details are in the MX blog.[13]
  • MX-21.2.1 was released on September 18, 2022. It is based on Debian 11.5 (Bullseye) and is available as Xfce, Xfce AHS,[14] KDE, and Fluxbox versions. Includes Debian's recent Grub-PC updates. Further details are in the MX blog.[15]
  • MX-21.3 3rd refresh of MX-21, was released on January 14, 2023. Based on Debian 11.6 with bug fixes, new kernels, and many application updates. Available as Xfce (4.18), Xfce AHS, KDE, and Fluxbox versions. Further details are in the MX blog.[1]

Desktop environments

MX Linux has four desktop editions:

  • 'Xfce' is a fast and medium-low resource default desktop environment. 32-bit and 64-bit versions are available. Revision 4.18 was released on December 15, 2022.[16] This update from 4.16 will be sent out to MX 21.x users mid-January '23.[17]
  • 'Fluxbox' a version with very low resource usage. This edition first released on October 21, 2021.[18] 32-bit and 64-bit versions are available.
  • 'KDE' a 64-bit only version. KDE is an Advanced Hardware Support (AHS) version of MX featuring the KDE/Plasma desktop and currently features a long-term supported Linux 5.10.x kernel. This edition was first released on August 16, 2020.[19]
  • 'AHS' a 64-bit only version. (Advanced Hardware Support) with newer graphics drivers, 5.18 kernel (or newer)[20] and firmware for very recent hardware (AMD Ryzen/Radeon RX graphic cards, or 9th/10th/11th generation Intel CPU).[21]

Recent Releases

A table of current MX Linux Development Team supported releases and how long Debian will provide Long Term Support.[22]

VersionReleaseKernel[23]Kernel (AHS)[24]NotesDebian LTS support[25] ends:
Current stable version: MX-21.3 all DE's[1]January 15, 20235.106.0Xfce Desktop Environment upgraded to 4.18To be defined:

roughly July 2024 to June 2026
Current stable version: MX-21.2.1 all DE's[15]September 18, 20225.105.185.19 & 6.0 kernel are in the AHS repo.[20]
Current stable version: MX-21.2 all DE's[13]August 28, 20225.105.18
Current stable version: MX-21.1 all DE's[12]April 9, 20225.105.165.14 & 5.16 Kernel

available in Package Manager[26]
Current stable version: MX-21 AHS[27]November 22, 20215.105.14
Current stable version: MX-21[28]October 21, 20215.10
Older version, yet still maintained: MX-19.4.1April 8, 20215.10June 30, 2024
Older version, yet still maintained: MX-19.4[29]March 31, 20214.19
Older version, yet still maintained: MX-19.3November 11, 2020
Older version, yet still maintained: MX-19.2 KDEAugust 16, 2020
Older version, yet still maintained: 19.2[30]May 31, 2020
Older version, yet still maintained: MX-19.1February 14, 2020
Older version, yet still maintained: MX-19October 21, 2019
Old version, no longer maintained: MX-18all releasesJune 30, 2022
Legend:
Old version
Older version, still maintained
Latest version
Latest preview version
Future release

Features

MX Linux has basic tools like a graphic installer that handles UEFI computers, a GUI-based method to change a Linux kernel and other core programs.

It includes MX Tools,[31] a suite of user-oriented utilities, many of which were developed specifically for MX, while some were forked from existing antiX applications or are existing antiX applications; a couple were imported with permission from outside sources. These tools are also available in Debian Stable-based Linux distributions, and some of the main tools are as follows:

  • Live-USB Kernel Updater
  • Live USB Maker
  • RemasterCC
  • Snapshot
  • Boot Options
  • Boot Repair
  • Cleanup
  • FormatUSB

A particularly popular one is MX-snapshot,[32] a GUI tool to remaster a live session or installation into a single .ISO file.[33] The "cloned" image is bootable from a disk or USB flash drive, maintaining all settings, allowing an installation to be completely backed up, and/or distributed with minimal administrative effort since an advanced method of copying the file system (developed by antiX Linux) uses bind-mounts performing the "heavy lifting".

System requirements

Minimum

  • 8.5 GB hard disk space for installation.
  • 1 GB RAM for i386 and AMD64 architectures.
  • Bootable CD-DVD drive or a USB stick.
  • A modern i686 Intel or AMD processor.

Recommended

  • 20 GB of hard disk space, SSD for faster performance.
  • 2 GB of RAM.
  • modern i686 Intel or AMD processor. Multi-core for good performance.
  • 3D-capable video card for 3D desktop support.
  • SoundBlaster, AC97 or HDA-compatible sound card.
  • For use as a LiveUSB, 8 GB free if using persistence.

See also

References
  1. Dolphin Oracle (15 January 2023). "MX-21.3 "Wildflower" released! – MX Linux". mxlinux.org. MX Dev Team. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  2. Smith, Jesse (1 January 2018). "MX Linux 17". DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD. Copenhagen: distrowatch.com. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  3. "About Us – MX Linux". mxlinux.org. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  4. Igor Ljubuncic (16 January 2015). "AntiX MX-14.3 review". dedoimedo.com. Dedoimedo. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  5. Igor Ljubuncic (14 January 2017). "MX Linux MX-16 Metamorphosis - Winds of change". dedoimedo.com. Dedoimedo. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  6. Smith, Jesse (9 January 2017). "MX Linux 16". DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD. distrowatch.com. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  7. Dolphin Oracle. "MX-16.1 now available – MX Linux". mxlinux.org. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  8. "MX-17 released December 15, 2017 – MX Linux". mxlinux.org. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  9. "MX-18 Continuum Now Available – MX Linux". mxlinux.org. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  10. "MX-19 "patito feo" released! – MX Linux". mxlinux.org. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  11. Dolphin Oracle (21 October 2021). "MX-21 "Wildflower" released! – MX Linux". mxlinux.org. MX Linux. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  12. Dolphin Oracle (9 April 2022). "MX-21.1 "Wildflower" released! – MX Linux". mxlinux.org. MX Linux. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  13. Dolphin Oracle (28 August 2022). "MX-21.2 "Wildflower" released! – MX Linux". mxlinux.org. MX Linux. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  14. Delony, David (29 August 2022). "MX Linux 21.2 "Wildflower" Lands, Keeping Things Simple". MakeUseOf. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  15. Dolphin Oracle (18 September 2022). "MX-21.2.1 "Wildflower" released!". MX Linux. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  16. The Xfce development team (15 December 2022). "Xfce 4.18 released". XFCE Desktop Environment. Xfce Development Team. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  17. Dolphin Oracle (13 January 2023). "Xfce 4.18 will be coming to MX 21 main repos this weekend. – MX Linux". news blog. mxlinux.org. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  18. "MX-21 "Wildflower" released!". mxlinux.org. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  19. "MX-19.4 now available! – MX Linux". mxlinux.org. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  20. Dolphin Oracle (3 November 2022). "Linux 6.0 kernel now available in our ahs repo". Twitter. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  21. "Download Links – MX Linux". mxlinux.org. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  22. Wiki Staff (27 November 2022). "LTS - Debian Wiki". wiki.debian.org. Debian.Org. Retrieved 14 January 2023. Debian Long Term Support (LTS) is a project to extend the lifetime of all Debian stable releases to (at least) 5 years.
  23. Jesse Smith. "DistroWatch.com: MX Linux". distrowatch.com. Atea Ataroa Limited. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  24. "New "Advanced Hardware Support" Repo (ahs for short) – MX Linux". mxlinux.org. 29 November 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  25. wiki staff (12 November 2022). "Debian Releases - Debian Wiki". wiki.debian.org. Debian.Org. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  26. Dolphin Oracle (3 May 2022). "Kernel updates - MX Linux Forum". forum.mxlinux.org. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  27. Dolphin Oracle (22 November 2021). "MX-21 "AHS" iso now available – MX Linux". mxlinux.org. MXLinux. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  28. Dolphin Oracle (21 October 2021). "MX-21 "Wildflower" released! – MX Linux". mxlinux.org. MXLinux. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  29. Dolphin Oracle (31 March 2021). "MX-19.4 now available! – MX Linux". mxlinux.org blog. mxlinux.org. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  30. Dolphin Oracle (1 June 2020). "MX-19.2 now available! – MX Linux". mxlinux.org. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  31. MX Linux Developers (10 October 2021). "Tools To Make Common Tasks Easier". Current Release Features – MX Linux. mxlinux.org. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  32. Bond, Jerry (13 June 2015). "HELP: MX Save system to ISO (Snapshot)". MX Wiki. MXLinux. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  33. Ljubuncic, Igor. "MX Snapshot - Superb system imaging and backup tool". www.dedoimedo.com. Dedoimedo. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
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