Catbird Linux 2.3 to upload 2024/02/24 (Boot issue bugfix) ^{(Blog Post)}
Fellow Catbird Linux users, Catbird Linux is being updated to version 2.3 and will be uploaded to SourceForge within 24 hours. The system has received a kernel upgrade to Linux Xanmod kernel 6.6, along with a bug fix which prevented proper booting of the iso file on flash drives. This may affect you if you have set it up using Rufus or Ventoy. Apologies for the inconvenience if this gave you trouble. If you set up a bootable Catbird Linux flash drive and received an error message complaining that the bootloader could not load the kernel, here is the fix for Catbird Linux v2.0 through 2.2: navigate in the root file system to the configuration file /boot/grub/grub.cfg edit the menu entries so they point to the correct file names: initrd.img and vmlinuz (without version numbers) The menu entries should look like this: # Live boot menuentry "Live system (amd64)" --hotkey=l { linux /live/vmlinuz boot=live quiet splash findiso=${iso_path} initrd /live/initrd.img } menuentry "Live system (amd64 fail-safe mode)" { linux /live/vmlinuz boot=live components memtest noapic noapm nodma nomce nolapic nosmp nosplash vga=788 initrd /live/initrd.img } If you are using a multiboot SSD or hard drive set up with an old fashioned grub2 configuration, you can use a grub config similar to this example, which runs on my laptop (booting in bios / non-efi mode): set root=(hd0,1) set default=0 set timeout=10 set gfxmode=1024x768 insmod ext2 menuentry 'Catbird Liinux v2.2 (Debian)' { set isofile="/isofiles/catbirdlinux-2.2.0.iso" loopback loop $isofile linux (loop)/live/vmlinuz boot=live findiso=$isofile threadirqs mitigations=off initrd (loop)/live/initrd.img } menuentry 'Catbird Liinux NEXT v2.3 (Debian)' { set isofile="/isofiles/catbirdlinux-2.3.0.iso.iso" loopback loop $isofile linux (loop)/live/vmlinuz boot=live findiso=$isofile threadirqs mitigations=off initrd (loop)/live/initrd.img } I hope this helps! The new iso will be available shortly. Cheers, Phil Collier / Catbird Linux
Last updated: 2024-02-29

Catbird Linux 2.6 Released ^{(Blog Post)}
Hello Linux Users, Catbird Linux has been upgraded to version 2.6 and is available for download. It is the bootable, self-contained live Linux environment which serves to empower you and deshittify general purpose computing on the desktop. Free as in "freedom," free as in "free beer." This version brings software updates, including a fresh Linux kernel version 6.10. I also fixed a few minor bugs. One of the more important fixes restored function to the Wireguard menu. Cheers, Phil Collier / Catbird Linux
Last updated: 2024-09-25

Catbird Linux v2.8 Released ^{(Blog Post)}
Hello Linux Users, Catbird Linux has been upgraded to version 2.8 and is available for download. It is the bootable, self-contained live Linux environment which deshittifies general purpose computing on the desktop and empowers you to get things done. Catbird Linux is free as in "freedom" and free as in "free beer." The most important item for this upgrade is Linux Kernel 6.12. It brings significant performance improvements and freshened hardware drivers. I am a great fan of the Xanmod Kernels for Linux laptops and workstations, and awaited release of a 6.12 version for inclusion in this Catbird Linux upgrade. Enjoy your more responsive computers with this running! This iso also contains updates for various installed packages. Cheers, Phil Collier / Catbird Linux
Last updated: 2024-12-17

Catbird Linux 2.2.0 Released ^{(Blog Post)}
Hello to All, Catbird Linux version 2.2.0 is released and available for download. This update brings newer versions of system internals, GIMP to version 2.99, and fixes for Audacity.'s VST plugin interface. Cheers, Phil C / Catbird Linux
Last updated: 2024-01-31

Catbird Linux 2.5 Released ^{(Blog Post)}
Hello Linux Users, Catbird Linux has been upgraded to version 2.5 and is available for download. This version brings software updates, including a fresh Linux kernel version 6.9. Note that I have switched this this kernel to micro architecture x86-x64-v2, in order to have compatibility with older computers. That's right, friends: this system can actually run on your old hardware from 2009. I have been using Catbird Linux for a considerable amount of note-taking, prose writing, and multimedia editing. It works, as a Linux system should. And unlike Windows, it works with no surveillance, subscription teases, or questions asked. Cheers, Phil Collier / Catbird Linux
Last updated: 2024-07-23

Catbird Linux v3.1.0 Released ^{(Blog Post)}
Hello Linux Users, Catbird Linux has been upgraded to version 3.1.0 and is available for download. It is the second release in the 3.x series. Although it retains a similar look and feel to its predecessor, there is more firmament under the hood: A more reliable sequence for starting the window manager, based on systemd. Debian upstream appears to be tweaking the Debian Live package, upon which this live computing environment is based, and they changed something which caused some problems getting the Xserver and DWM started. Using systemd service units to initiate the desktop / window manager works like a charm. Most of the utilities and scripts associated with Catbird Linux, such as the wrappers for SuperSDR and Sshuttle, are based on originals stored in my Github repositories. The binaries or scripts are now cloned from the repos to /usr/local/src and symlinked to /usr/local/bin. Maintenance is easier, as they can now be updated with a simple "git pull." Some tools have been changed for efficiency and to use data files in csv format, instead of odd mixtures of spaces and quotations. Csv data can be more easily edited, parsed, and otherwise managed. The Internet Radio Playlist no longer needs a template, and can handle thousands of stations. SuperSDR-Wrapper now also uses csv files, loading parsed SDR server and station data into Pandas dataframes. Note-taking is better now in Catbird Linux: Obsidian now gets its own keybind: Super + O. I crafted a nifty terminal-based note sorter and editor, available with Super + Shift + O. Hit the "F" key for deep, recursive searching through all subfolders. Python-Tgpt replaces the old terminal GPT. This new AI chatbot can use more than 40 models. Quality and speed are quite good. Wezterm multiplexing is set up and running smoothly. Therefore, pop-up terminals available on keys Super + Enter and Ctrl - Alt - T are now set to open a clean Wezterm, with no Tmux. Split your panes with the same key combos: Ctrl + A, \ or Ctrl + A, - (that's the pipe key or dash key, with no shift needed). Separately from the bootable iso file, I have created a converter script which transforms Debian (or its derivatives) into an equivalent Catbird Linux operating system. It can install the scripts, utilities, fonts, and configuration files. If you want to try it on a minimal Debian, Xebian, Mint LMDE, or MX Linux rig, look for it in the downloads section here on SourceForge. Over the last month, I have divided my time equally between Python-Tgpt and the Leo chatbot, which runs in the Brave Browser. The quality of responses varies somewhat between the models used, but they are each useful in exploring different topics and working on software programming. Even their mistakes can teach something useful, if you have enough expertise to discern when an AI is just wrong and you give scrutiny to the error. Catbird Linux is the bootable, self-contained live Linux environment which deshittifies general purpose computing on the desktop and empowers you to get things done. Catbird Linux is free as in "freedom" and free as in "free beer." Cheers, Phil Collier / Catbird Linux
Last updated: 2025-03-27

Catbird Linux Version 2.0 Released! ^{(Blog Post)}
We are now based on rolling Debian (Sid), with improved features, freshened packages, and a smaller iso image.
Last updated: 2023-10-09

Catbird Linux v3.0 Released ^{(Blog Post)}
. * Updated Ipython and JupyterLab. * Debian Sid is in the middle of moving from Python 3.12 to 3.13; both are available in this iso.
Last updated: 2025-02-19

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