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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Balenca vs Ventoy? (slrpnk.net)

submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

33 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I'm curious what the difference is between Balenca etcher and Ventoy for writing isos to a live USB for distro hopping purposes. I see both recommended in fourms. Is there any advantage to using one over the other? Are they both equally safe/secure?

I'm also curious about trying out new distros. I've been using LMDE for about a year now and it's been fine, but I want to expand my knowledge and see whether LMDE is my favorite distro or not. I'm not the most well versed in Linux and don't have any prior programming experience so a beginner/mid level distro is what I'm looking for. I want something I can test out without connecting to WiFi (so not arch).

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

Can you point to some discussion of the ventoy blobs? I had never heard about that and can't find anything that says it's not GPL3.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 months ago (2 children)

This thread made me look at this issue. Realistically it's not a big issue, the VAST majority of the binary blobs are accounted for and have a script or a readme file that shows where they're downloaded from.

That being said I will take a serious look at alternatives.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, that's pretty much where I landed after reading through it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Maybe they are thinking of iVentoy which is not open source but is by the same dev

https://github.com/ventoy/PXE

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

The vast majority of xz's blobs are accounted for, too.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Maybe start here, but there's lots of discussion on the post.

https://lemmy.world/comment/12416453

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Ugh, those GitHub comments are horrible. If I was the author, I would just walk away from the project. People have no shame in making demands for free work.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

You ain't wrong. The level of arrogance stinks. Especially when the author put effort into documenting the sources etc.

There do appear to be a lot of these know-it-all-but-contribute-little types around.

Maybe a few are missing, but simply asking, and I'm sure they'll provide. If someone wants a better build system, they could volunteer to do it themselves.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Should I be worried? I was distro hopping for a bit and put together a Ventoy drive to make that easier, and I used it to boot the install iso for the distro I ultimately decided on for my gaming laptop. It seemed highly recommended and I didn't know about the Ventoy bros at that point.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Probably not. I've used it as well (before I knew about Glim) to preview distros, but I am not using it to do installs, since I can't be certain what's in it.