Shift Linux 0.5 (RC-1) Is Released
Posted by Dave Legg on 23 August 2007 - 16:46 · 42 comments & 21012 views
Shift Linux is a project that was created by the Neowin community. Shift is Debian based, therefore it has access to all of the software and applications as other Debian distributions. Neowin's Shift Linux is designed to give the user an experience of being part of the Neowin community as well as having a simple, easy-to-use Live CD that can be installed to your hard drive, if you enjoy the way our distribution works. Shift is a free, GPL-based Linux distribution that can be freely distributed or modified. There are no restrictions with Shift.

Shift Linux 0.5 (RC-1) will include three fully branded versions: KDE, Gnome, and Flux, all Live CDs. Included in this version are most of the most popular packages to include wireless support and a desktop installer.

Please feel free to try out these versions and post any bugs that you may find. Comments on how we can improve this distribution may also be posted on the Shift Linux website, and bug reports can be posted on the project bug tracker.

Download: Shift Linux Gnome 0.5 (RC-1) - (Torrent)
Download: Shift Linux KDE 0.5 (RC-1) - (Torrent)
Download: Shift Linux Fluxbox 0.5 (RC-1) - (Torrent)
View: Forum Discussion


There are 42 additional comments
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Quote this comment Reply to this comment #1 Posted by Kreuger on 23 Aug 2007 - 16:51
Only the gnome version seems to load. The other two are just on constant loading status..

Edit: The gnome one isn't downloading. Must be heavy server load.
(4 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #2 Posted by bangbang023 on 23 Aug 2007 - 16:56
Why don't you guys torrent this one up?
Quote this comment #2.1 Posted by vetmarkjensen on 23 Aug 2007 - 17:03
In the Neowin forum thread, it mentions a torrent for these files.
Quote - (ste @ Aug 23 2007, 11:16) [snapback]588800658[/snapback]
Torrent for Gnome

Torrent for KDE

Torrent for Fluxbox
Tracker index: http://tracker.ste-roberts.be
note these are being seeded by my dedicated server, so c'mon.

Quote this comment #2.2 Posted by bangbang023 on 23 Aug 2007 - 17:08
Those links should be added to the story then. It would help with distribution immensely.
Quote this comment #2.3 Posted by vetmarkjensen on 23 Aug 2007 - 17:14
Quote - (bangbang023 said @ #2.2)
Those links should be added to the story then. It would help with distribution immensely.
I agree. That's why I posted the torrents in my reply.

Would be nice to have them at the top (hint-hint)
Quote this comment #2.4 Posted by DaveLegg on 23 Aug 2007 - 17:38
Quote - (markjensen said @ #2.3)
Quote - (bangbang023 said @ #2.2)
Those links should be added to the story then. It would help with distribution immensely.
I agree. That's why I posted the torrents in my reply.

Would be nice to have them at the top (hint-hint)


Added
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #3 Posted by Barney on 23 Aug 2007 - 17:04
The links seem to work for me........
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #4 Posted by Kreuger on 23 Aug 2007 - 17:20
Quote -
In the Neowin forum thread, it mentions a torrent for these files.
Thanks Mark
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #5 Posted by david13lt on 23 Aug 2007 - 17:32
Downloading Gnome version as fast as my internet can
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #6 Posted by +StevoFC on 23 Aug 2007 - 17:57
I'm downloading the gnome version straight from neowin, then will seed the torrent (as long as comcast doesn't screw it up)
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #7 Posted by Mike Mayer on 23 Aug 2007 - 18:47
Seeding all three now.
(1 reply) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #8 Posted by Foub on 23 Aug 2007 - 18:59
Where do I go to get the Kernal version? I want to try it out on VirtualBox first.
Quote this comment #8.1 Posted by Barney on 23 Aug 2007 - 19:03
This is a Live CD. You can run it without installing it to your hard drive. Just boot up your computer with it in the CD-ROM. You'll get the experience of Linux without the worries of installing it.........

Type "uname -a" to see the kernel version, once th CD has booted up, and you open the terminal window.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #9 Posted by NightmarE D on 23 Aug 2007 - 19:57
Downloaded the Gnome version and currently posting this from the LiveCD. I think I'll go ahead and throw in another hard drive to install this to. I'm enjoying it. The Live CD is pretty fast. Usually they're slow loading for me and takes a minute for anything to open. If I didn't know it was the Live CD I 'd think it was actually installed to the hard drive.
(1 reply) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #10 Posted by Foub on 23 Aug 2007 - 21:57
One question. Why isn't there a XFCE desktop version? Isn't that suppose to be one of the most common desktops as well?
Quote this comment #10.1 Posted by h3xis on 25 Aug 2007 - 05:15
Not really. A recent survey was just conducted (I can't find it or I would post it) that appeared on Digg and the number of users who used xfce was pretty low.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #11 Posted by bibutteryboy on 23 Aug 2007 - 22:00
This is great!
another...um....Linux...eh....version...
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #12 Posted by PatrynXX on 24 Aug 2007 - 01:43
any screenshots? probably stick with Kubuntu for now. but will check it out on live cd
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #13 Posted by one321 on 24 Aug 2007 - 01:45
I'll download all three and help seed. This should be cool. I'm sure this could be discussed to death, but which would you say is the best: Gnome, KDE, or Fluxbox?
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #14 Posted by whocares78 on 24 Aug 2007 - 04:16
just a note to all the all torrents are illegal folks that seem to complain so much about torrents around here, NOTE: a perfectly LEGAL use of torrents
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #15 Posted by aeron on 24 Aug 2007 - 05:06
Well, the good new was: it ran. Eventually.

I got hit up with errors, skimming the bootup I saw 'this failed' or 'that failed' everywhere. One thing got stuck in a loop for a while (networking stuffs), but after somehow sitting through it all it loaded.

Also, couldn't set up my wireless stuff. Didn't have admin/root priveledges, looked stuff up from another computer, nothing worked. One place said there was no password, so I leave it blank and the program starts again but stops, saying I don't have admin/root (didnt keep prompting for pword like normal, just quit)
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #16 Posted by cork1958 on 24 Aug 2007 - 08:42
Alright! That much closer to the REAL release. Even if this is a Live cd, I'll wait for the final version. Linux is weird enough without trying some RC/beta.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #17 Posted by peachey on 24 Aug 2007 - 09:16
and don't forget you can also digg this apparently. http://digg.com/linux_unix/Shift_Linux_0_5_RC_1_Released
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #18 Posted by balupton on 24 Aug 2007 - 12:38
Screenshots?
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #19 Posted by Kreuger on 24 Aug 2007 - 14:15
Quote -
Flux

http://crimsonredmk.googlepages.com/flux1.png
http://crimsonredmk.googlepages.com/flux2.png
http://crimsonredmk.googlepages.com/flux3.png

Gnome

http://crimsonredmk.googlepages.com/gnome1.png
http://crimsonredmk.googlepages.com/gnome2.png
http://crimsonredmk.googlepages.com/gnome3.png

KDE

http://crimsonredmk.googlepages.com/kde2.png
http://crimsonredmk.googlepages.com/kde3.png
http://crimsonredmk.googlepages.com/kde4.png
(2 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #20 Posted by IceBreakerG on 24 Aug 2007 - 15:27
I downloaded it and tried out the gnome version as a live cd. It didn't recognize many of the parts on my laptop (Dell Inspiron 9300) that the Ubuntu versions have been doing for over a year. My screen is 1920x1200 and it set it to 1024x768 which is not pretty. I don't think it detected my onboard audio either (during the set up it said no soundcard found). Good try, but i'll stick with Windows Vista and Ubuntu when I want to use linux.
Quote this comment #20.1 Posted by Barney on 24 Aug 2007 - 17:09
Since hardware varies so much from computer to computer, not everyone will get the same experience. I would think that a desktop may have a different experience. As you can see from our screenshots, it does boot up well on our test computers. However, I appreciate the bugs found so we can iron out any of them.

Thanks.
Quote this comment #20.2 Posted by IceBreakerG on 25 Aug 2007 - 12:52
Not a problem. I'm not a huge linux user, and don't know too much about using it, but I have used it in the past. But if you were interested in my hardware configuration for reference:

Dell Inspiron 9300
2.0Ghz Intel Pentium M CPU
Mobile Intel 915GM Chipset
nVidia GeForce Go 6800
SigmaTel C-Major Audio (Onboard)
Alps Touchpad
True Life LCD (1920x1200 Native Resolution)
Intel Pro Wireless 2915ABG w/Bluetooth

Hope this helps. The only things I that didn't work (I was at work when I tried it and can't put my laptop on the network) were it didn't detect my lcd as being a 1920x1200 display or my gpu (generic gpu) and no soundcard was found.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #21 Posted by Barney on 24 Aug 2007 - 19:09
And we made Distrowatch again!

http://distrowatch.com/?newsid=04432
(3 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #22 Posted by Barney on 24 Aug 2007 - 20:59
Downloaded as of 24 August 2007:

Shift Gnome: 1971

Shift KDE: 2852

Shift Flux: 289
Quote this comment #22.1 Posted by simon360 on 24 Aug 2007 - 21:28
Wow...
Quote this comment #22.2 Posted by peachey on 25 Aug 2007 - 02:52
Wow....
Quote this comment #22.3 Posted by Powerless on 25 Aug 2007 - 15:42
Ah, actual downloads i.e. complete file transfer.

Or requests for download?
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #23 Posted by Ricmacas on 25 Aug 2007 - 09:26
I think Linux Mint is better for personal use. But that distro looks too recent. It needs some development and then I will use it .
I like things made for neowin users, but if the screenshots are true, I just think it's a good start for a distro.
I recommend you to use Ubuntu drivers some way ( I think they're opensource ).
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #24 Posted by *John* on 25 Aug 2007 - 15:42
<<removed>>

Last edited by bangbang023 on 25 Aug 2007 - 17:03
(4 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #25 Posted by bangbang023 on 26 Aug 2007 - 00:00
Good work guys. I haven't really given it a whirl since I'm petrified of Linux after a past experience, but one thing I noticed in all of this is the visual presentation. The themes need some work. Something using the blue of the header and footer of the Shift theme would really tie things to Neowin beautifully.
Quote this comment #25.1 Posted by Barney on 26 Aug 2007 - 01:11
Thanks, BangBang.....the current theme is not the final one. We are saving that for the release of our final release of Shift Linux 0.5 in November. The theming should be tied together nicely by then.

BTW: Put one of our isos in your computer and boot it up.... it will not hurt a bit.
Quote this comment #25.2 Posted by bangbang023 on 26 Aug 2007 - 01:14
Quote - (Barney said @ #25.1)
BTW: Put one of our isos in your computer and boot it up.... it will not hurt a bit.

I've been considering it, lol. I have some personal usage that really turns me away from Linux, but I have mad respect for what you guys have done. I love seeing some real technical work being brought back to Neowin and the fact that it's a whole friggin Linux distro is amazing.
Quote this comment #25.3 Posted by Kreuger on 26 Aug 2007 - 01:58
Quote -
I've been considering it, lol. I have some personal usage that really turns me away from Linux, but I have mad respect for what you guys have done. I love seeing some real technical work being brought back to Neowin and the fact that it's a whole friggin Linux distro is amazing.
Thanks dude, we appreciate the support. Although we haven't built it from scratch, it's still a lot of hard work and we're proud of how far it's come and still going.
Quote this comment #25.4 Posted by simon360 on 26 Aug 2007 - 01:59
Quote - (bangbang023 said @ #25.2)
Quote - (Barney said @ #25.1)
BTW: Put one of our isos in your computer and boot it up.... it will not hurt a bit.

I've been considering it, lol. I have some personal usage that really turns me away from Linux, but I have mad respect for what you guys have done. I love seeing some real technical work being brought back to Neowin and the fact that it's a whole friggin Linux distro is amazing.

Try it, then make a podcast about it

Interview one of the admins if you have to, or all of them, I just want my NeowinCast back!!!
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #26 Posted by CrimsonRedMk on 26 Aug 2007 - 03:12
As a developer on this project, I'm just letting you all know that in the Shift Linux subforum, there is a new topic just for requests (drivers, software).
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #27 Posted by Advancer on 26 Aug 2007 - 12:17
The Gnome version really makes me want to try out Linux again. Once it hits the final release, I will give it a go.
I'm not an experienced Linux user, so I rather wait for it to be final, so that the chances to encounter bugs etc will be minimal. Keep up the good work guys!
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