Discover the highlights from this month’s packed DVD!
On the disc
WE CAN COPE WITH SIMPLE
Elementary OS 5.1
ithout a doubt, Elementary OS is one of
the slickest, shiniest Linux distributions
out there. Its Pantheon desktop is often
compared to macOS, and more often than not
that’s meant as a compliment. Elementary OS
aims for beauty through simplicity, a nod to the
oft-shoehorned Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
morsel, “Perfection is achieved, not when there
is nothing more to add, but when there is
nothing left to take away”. So instead of layers of
unnecessary configuration and options,
Elementary OS goes for sane defaults that
people wouldn’t want to change.
Elementary has its own applications (you can
of course add anything from the Ubuntu repos)
that synergise with its delightful desktop. Apart
from a cohesive style, these are pretty unique in
that they save their state automatically. In
theory that means you should never have to
save your work, but that’s a dangerous habit to
get into. Elementary has it’s own AppCenter (it’s
what Pop!_OS’s app store is based on) where
you can find any number of applications to
augment your desktop. It has a pay-what-you-
want model, which might irk the ‘free as in beer’
crowd, but developers need to eat too.64-bit
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
DEFECTIVE DISCS: For basic help on running the disc or in the unlikely event of your
Linux Format coverdisc being in any way defective, please visit our support site at
http://www.linuxformat.com/dvdsupport. Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer advice on
using the applications, your hardware or the operating system itself.DOWNLOAD
YOUR DVD
Get code and DVD images at:
http://www.linuxformat.com
/archivesBack in October, Elementary OS’s versioning
scheme grew up, as it jumped from 0.4 to 5.0.
This point release, codenamed Hera, snuck out a
couple of months later. And we figured it was
well worth including on the disc. There’s a new
Onboarding greeter app to help new users set
up common tasks and show them where the
documentation’s at. Accessibility features have
been tweaked and settings applets can now be
found straight from the Applications Menu
search box. The Calendar, Photos and Music
applications have all been revamped.
This release incorporates Ubuntu’s 18.04.3
HWE stack. There’s now support for Flatpak
applications in AppCenter, and if the Flatpak you
want hasn’t made it to the app store, then
there’s a tool called Sideload you can use to,
well, sideload it. Elementary committed to
Flatpak back in April, citing its sandboxing and
decentralisation features as important in a world
where traditional packaging no longer cuts it.
There’s no shortage of perfectly good
Ubuntu-based distros around, but Elementary
OS is one of only a handful we’d say are doing
something genuinely unique, innovative and
quite pretty.S TART HERE
USING THE LXFDVD
Using Linux for the first time can
be very confusing. It’ll be unlike
anything that you’ve likely operated
before, especially if you’re used to
Microsoft Windows or Apple
macOS.
Generally our DVDs are designed
to be run directly, which is to say
that when you first power on your
PC (or Mac) it should ‘boot’ from
the DVD – so before Windows or
macOS even starts to load – with
Linux running directly from the
DVD. This trick is known as a Live
Disc. It enables you to try out the
various versions of Linux without
having to install or change anything
on your PC. Just remove the DVD,
restart your PC and it’ll be exactly
as you left it.
While many systems will boot
from a DVD when it finds one,
many will not. See below for the
standard process for enabling
booting from a DVD on various
desktops and laptop PCs.
The alternative option is to
locate the ISO file on the DVD and
write this to your own USB thumb
drive and attemp to run that. We
recommend using Etcher from
https://balena.io/etcher that’s
available for Windows, macOS and
Linux. Good luck!BOOT THE DISC
Many PCs should boot
automatically if they’re turned on
with a disc in the drive. If not, many
offer an early Boot Menu accessed
by tapping a key while powering up
from cold: F9 (HP), F12 (Dell,
Lenovo), F8 (Amibios) or F11
(Award BIOS). Alternatively, use
the BIOS/UEFI to adjust the boot
order to start with the optical drive.
Again, this is accessed by tapping a
key during power up, usually Del
but sometimes F1 or F2. Some new
UEFI PCs require access via
Windows: holding Shift select its
Restart option. If you’re still having
problems using the DVD visit:
http://www.linuxformat.com/
dvdsupport
Mac owners: Hold the C key
while powering on your system
to boot from the disc.W
The stylish and privacy-conscious Ephemeral web browser is
available in the AppCenter.REC. SPECS: 4GB RAM, 15GB STORAGEThere’s something calming about a blank desktop, but on
elementary OS it evokes a zen-like state of blissfulness.96 LXF260 March 2020 http://www.linuxformat.comDiscover the highlights from this month’s packed DVD!
On the disc
WECANCOPEWITHSIMPLE
Elementary OS 5.1
ithoutadoubt,ElementaryOSisoneof
theslickest,shiniestLinuxdistributions
outthere.ItsPantheondesktopisoften
comparedtomacOS,andmoreoftenthannot
that’smeantasacompliment.ElementaryOS
aimsforbeautythroughsimplicity,anodtothe
oft-shoehornedAntoinedeSaint-Exupéry
morsel,“Perfectionisachieved,notwhenthere
isnothingmoretoadd,butwhenthereis
nothinglefttotakeaway”.Soinsteadoflayersof
unnecessaryconfigurationandoptions,
ElementaryOSgoesforsanedefaultsthat
peoplewouldn’twanttochange.
Elementaryhasitsownapplications(youcan
ofcourseaddanythingfromtheUbunturepos)
thatsynergisewithitsdelightfuldesktop.Apart
fromacohesivestyle,theseareprettyuniquein
thattheysavetheirstateautomatically.In
theorythatmeansyoushouldneverhaveto
saveyourwork,butthat’sadangeroushabitto
getinto.Elementaryhasit’sownAppCenter(it’s
whatPop!_OS’sappstoreisbasedon)where
youcanfindanynumberofapplicationsto
augmentyourdesktop.Ithasapay-what-you-
wantmodel,whichmightirkthe‘freeasinbeer’
crowd,butdevelopersneedtoeattoo.64-bit
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
DEFECTIVE DISCS: For basic help on running the disc or in the unlikely event of your
Linux Format coverdisc being in any way defective, please visit our support site at
http://www.linuxformat.com/dvdsupport. Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer advice on
using the applications, your hardware or the operating system itself.DOWNLOAD
YOUR DVD
Get code and DVD images at:
http://www.linuxformat.com
/archivesBackinOctober,ElementaryOS’sversioning
scheme grew up, as it jumped from 0.4 to 5.0.
This point release, codenamed Hera, snuck out a
couple of months later. And we figured it was
well worth including on the disc. There’s a new
Onboarding greeter app to help new users set
up common tasks and show them where the
documentation’s at. Accessibility features have
been tweaked and settings applets can now be
found straight from the Applications Menu
search box. The Calendar, Photos and Music
applications have all been revamped.
This release incorporates Ubuntu’s 18.04.3
HWE stack. There’s now support for Flatpak
applications in AppCenter, and if the Flatpak you
want hasn’t made it to the app store, then
there’s a tool called Sideload you can use to,
well, sideload it. Elementary committed to
Flatpak back in April, citing its sandboxing and
decentralisation features as important in a world
where traditional packaging no longer cuts it.
There’s no shortage of perfectly good
Ubuntu-based distros around, but Elementary
OS is one of only a handful we’d say are doing
something genuinely unique, innovative and
quite pretty.S TART HERE
USING THE LXFDVD
Using Linux for the first time can
be very confusing. It’ll be unlike
anything that you’ve likely operated
before, especially if you’re used to
Microsoft Windows or Apple
macOS.
Generally our DVDs are designed
to be run directly, which is to say
that when you first power on your
PC (or Mac) it should ‘boot’ from
the DVD – so before Windows or
macOS even starts to load – with
Linux running directly from the
DVD. This trick is known as a Live
Disc. It enables you to try out the
various versions of Linux without
having to install or change anything
on your PC. Just remove the DVD,
restart your PC and it’ll be exactly
as you left it.
While many systems will boot
from a DVD when it finds one,
many will not. See below for the
standard process for enabling
booting from a DVD on various
desktops and laptop PCs.
The alternative option is to
locate the ISO file on the DVD and
write this to your own USB thumb
drive and attemp to run that. We
recommend using Etcher from
https://balena.io/etcher that’s
available for Windows, macOS and
Linux. Good luck!BOOT THE DISC
Many PCs should boot
automatically if they’re turned on
with a disc in the drive. If not, many
offer an early Boot Menu accessed
by tapping a key while powering up
from cold: F9 (HP), F12 (Dell,
Lenovo), F8 (Amibios) or F11
(Award BIOS). Alternatively, use
the BIOS/UEFI to adjust the boot
order to start with the optical drive.
Again, this is accessed by tapping a
key during power up, usually Del
but sometimes F1 or F2. Some new
UEFI PCs require access via
Windows: holding Shift select its
Restart option. If you’re still having
problems using the DVD visit:
http://www.linuxformat.com/
dvdsupport
Mac owners: Hold the C key
while powering on your system
to boot from the disc.W
The stylish and privacy-conscious Ephemeral web browser is
available in the AppCenter.REC. SPECS: 4GB RAM, 15GB STORAGEThere’s something calming about a blank desktop, but on
elementary OS it evokes a zen-like state of blissfulness.96 LXF260 March 2020 http://www.linuxformat.com