Blue Systems, a German IT company, is a major supporter and sponsor of KDE and Kubuntu. Over the years, the company has hired many developers for KDE development and contributed to the overall improvement of the Kubuntu operating system.
In 2010, the company released Netrunner Linux distro, which was based on Kubuntu. Over the years, Netrunner has undergone many changes and it’s now available in two versions. While the fixed release version of Netrunner is based on Debian GNU/Linux, the rolling release version is based on Manjaro. Just recently, the developers released Netrunner 19.08 Indigo, which is based on Debian Buster 10. So, let’s discuss it in brief.
Also Read: Rolling Release Vs. Fixed Release Distros — Which Linux Distributions Are Better?
What’s new in Netrunner 19.08 Indigo?
Both the fixed and rolling versions of Netrunner feature KDE Plasma desktop. The latest 19.08 version features the Plasma 5.14.5 desktop, KDE Frameworks 5.54, and KDE Applications 18.08.
Talking about the underlying Linux kernel, it’s powered by Linux 4.19. This version was released long back in October 2018. It was also one of the few kernel releases that were pushed by the long-time kernel developer Greg Kroah-Hartman, who took over Linus Torvalds’ role when he went on a break.
As Netrunner aims to deliver an out-of-the-box experience to everyday computer users, you don’t need to install external codecs manually after the installation.
Netrunner also features lots of useful and quality applications to make this experience even better. You get LibreOffice, GIMP, Krita, Inkscape, Kdenlive, GMusicbrowser, Yarock, Steam, etc., preinstalled. You can visit this link to get a complete list of applications and addons.
From a visual point of view, Netrunner 19.08 comes with a darker blue and lighter blue theme that’s combined with a classic gray palette for a pleasant look. The changes have been made in accordance with the Breeze icon theme to establish a visual uniformity.
Netrunner 19.08 System Requirements
To install Netrunner 19.08 ISO on your computer, you need at least 1GB RAM, 10GB hard disk space, and 128MB graphics memory. The developers of the OS recommend at least 1200MB RAM if you’re going to test it in a virtual machine.
You can go ahead and download the latest Netrunner 19.08 Indigo 64-bit ISO file from this link. Give the OS a try if you find it interesting and let us know what you think.
Also Read: Star Labs Linux Laptop Review — A Premium Ultrabook for Open Source Admirers
