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sparky

Sparky SU 0.1.11

The Sparky SU provides small and simply, Yad based front-end for su (spsu) allowing users to give a password and run graphical commands as root without needing to invoke su in a terminal emulator.

But running applications as root is deprecated, so…

Even the ‘spsu’ script is still available, there is also a new, small, simply and Yad based front-end to sudo called ‘spsudo’. It lets you run an application using your password, instead of root’s. It can be used in desktop launchers for example.

The tool checks does the password field is empty, and return to the main window if so, but it does not check is the password correct, it just quit if is not.

Installation:

sudo apt install sparky-su

Usage of ‘spsudo’ :

spsudo command

or:

sparky-sudo command

Usage of ‘spsu’ (if you really need) :

spsu command

or:

sparky-su command

spsudo    spsu

See also the Wiki page: https://wiki.sparkylinux.org/doku.php/sparky_su

Edit: ‘sparky-su’ 0.1.12 provides an option which verify used password via the ‘sparky-pass-check’ tool.

Delta Chat Desktop

There is a new tool available for Sparkers: Delta Chat Desktop.

What is Delta Chat?

Delta Chat is like Telegram or Whatsapp but without the tracking or central control. Delta Chat does not need your phone number… Delta Chat doesn’t have their own servers but uses the most massive and diverse open messaging system ever: the existing e-mail server network.
Chat with anyone if you know their e-mail address, no need for them to install DeltaChat! All you need is a standard e-mail account.

It is a cross-platform application so can be installed on (minimal requirements): Android 4.1 Jelly Bean or iOS 11, iPhone 5s or iPad 5/Air/Mini or Windows 7, macOS 10.10 Yosemite, Ubuntu 12.04, Fedora 21 or Debian 8 or compatible systems.

Installation 64 bit only:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install deltachat-desktop

or via APTus-> IM tab.

Delta Chat Desktop

The project page : delta.chat/en/
Copyright © 2019 DeltaChat contributors.
License: GPL-3.0-or-later

 

Sparky 2020.04~dev0

Call for testers!

It is a development release of Sparky which is based on Debian testing “Bullseye”.

Goals:
• added support of installation Sparky on UEFI machines with Secure Boot; the live system should be booted with Secure Boot off; after installation the Secure Boot can be turned on
• both installers: Calamares and Sparky’s Advanced provides support of such installation
• Calamares updated up to version 3.2.22
• disabled updating package list by Calamares; if you install Sparky with active Internet connection, Debian or Sparky server can be temporary off or they are not reachable, it breaks/stops the installation, but not any more now

Important!
I do not have a machine with UEFI motherboard and Secure Boot. All tests I performed on a virtual machine using QEMU/KVM so please test it and report whatever you get.

The development iso images of Sparky MinimalGUI & MinimalCLI x86_64 can be downloaded from download/development page

 

Picom

There are new tools available for Sparkers: Picom & Sparky Picom Manager.

What is Picom?

Picom is a standalone compositor for Xorg, suitable for use with window managers that do not provide compositing. Picom is a fork of compton, which is a fork of xcompmgr-dana, which in turn is a fork of xcompmgr.

Installation:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install picom

so it removes the ‘compton’ package.

It been tested on Debian Buster and Bullseye/Sparky 5 and 6 i686, amd64 and armhf.

The project page : github.com/yshui/picom
The project developers: check the CONTRIBUTORS file
License: MPL-2.0 AND MIT

What is Sparky Picom Manager?

Sparky Compton Manager has been forked to Sparky Picom Manager and provides a simple, Yad based GUI to start & stop Picom, load a sample configuration file, and edit it as well.

Installation:

sudo apt install sparky-picom

Sparky Picom Manager

 

Sparky 5.11

A quarterly update point release of live/install media of Sparky 5.11 “Nibiru” of the stable line is out. This is a release based on Debian 10 “Buster”.

Changes:
– the base system upgraded from Debian stable repos as of March 1, 2020
– Linux kernel 4.19.98 LTS (PC)
– Linux kernel 4.19.97 LTS (ARMHF)
– added 9 new nature wallpapers captured by Aneta, Pavbaranov and me
– Sparky repository changed to the named “nibiru” (“stable” works as before); no need to manually change the repo; see also: https://sparkylinux.org/sparky-named-repos/
– Firefox 68.6.0 ESR
– Thunderbird 68.6.0
– LibreOffice 6.1.5

System reinstallation is not required; if you have Sparky 5.x installed make full system upgrade:

sparky-upgrade

or:

sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade

or via the System Upgrade tool.

Sparky 5 is available in the following flavours:
– amd64 & i686: LXQt, Xfce, MinimalGUI (Openbox) & MinimalCLI (text mode)
– armhf: Openbox & CLI (text mode)

New iso/img images of the stable line can be downloaded from the download/stable page.

Sparky Upgrade text tool

There is a tool available for Sparkers, which lets you make full system upgrade in a text mode via just one command: Sparky Upgrade.
The tool was introduced in Sparky APTus Upgrade 0.3.15.

The Sparky APTus Upgrade offers a GUI to make your system upgrade, but if you prefer a text based tool, the Sparky Upgrade should cover your needs.

How does it work?
1. It checks does the Debian and Sparky servers are online.
– if not, stops the process
– if yes, asks you for your password
2. It refreshes package list and inform you about updates.
– enter “y” (yes) to make the upgrade
– enter “n” (no) to stop it, that all.

Run the tool as a regular user:

sparky-upgrade

Sparky Upgrade

See also the Wiki page: https://wiki.sparkylinux.org/doku.php/aptus_upgrade

 

March 2020 donation report

Many thanks to all of you for supporting our open-source projects, specially in this difficult days. Your donations help keeping them alive.

Thanks a lot!
Dziękuję bardzo!
Vielen Dank!
Merci beaucoup!
Muito obrigado!
Mnohokrat dakujem!
どうもありがとう !

Don’t forget to send a small tip in April too, please 🙂

Country
Supporter
Amount
Poland
Krzysztof M.
PLN 50
Poland
Wojciech H.
PLN 2
World
Gernot P.
$ 10
World
John C.
$ 5
World
Tom C.
$ 15
Brazil
Walacy D.
€ 2.45
Poland
Robert C.
PLN 50
Poland
Andrzej M.
PLN 5
Poland
Krzysztof B.
PLN 141
Slovakia
Tomas H.
€ 10
Poland
Marek B.
PLN 10
Switzerland
Rudolf L.
€ 10
Germany
Alexander F.
€ 10
World
Karl A.
€ 1.66
Poland
Wojciech Z.
PLN 100
Poland
Małgorzata R.
PLN 39.87
Germany
Anja G.
€ 15
Poland
Jacek G.
PLN 40
World
Agostino M.
€ 30
Poland
Stanisław G.
PLN 20
Poland
Krzysztof P.
PLN 30
Poland
Andrzej P.
PLN 10
Poland
Krzysztof Ś.
PLN 100
Germany
Jork S.
€ 5
Poland
Robert C.
PLN 50
Poland
Janusz L.
PLN 50
Germany
Wolfgang L.
€ 12
Japan
Okamoto Y.
€ 200
Total:
€ 296.11
PLN 697.87
$ 30

Sparky news 2020/03

The 3rd monthly #stayhome report of 2020 of the Sparky project:

• Linux kernel updated up to version 5.6.0
• ChourS2008 translated a few Sparky wiki pages to Russian, thanks a lot
• Nemoman keep translating Sparky wiki pages to Hungarian, thanks a lot
• I keep translating wiki pages to Polish as well
• Sparky 2020.03 & 2020.03.1 of the rolling line released
• Sparky 4.12 of the oldstable line released
• added to our repos: ClipGrab, CudaText
• Sparky repos changed to the named: oldstable-> tyche; stable-> nibiru; testing-> potolo; the old ones work as before alongside to the new ones; see also: sparkylinux.org/sparky-named-repos/
• added Chines (zh_CN) fonts and other stuff to be installed via APTus-> System-> Install Locales tool (v0.4.27)

In this difficult days I only wanna say: #stayhome my friends.

Sparky 2020.03.1

New iso images of Sparky 2020.03.1 of the (semi-)rolling line have been generated.

This is a minor update of the live/install media which provides:

• fixed issue which doesn’t let you boot Sparky 2020.03 copied to an USB stick
• Sparky repository changed to the named “potolo” (“testing” works as before)
• all packages updated from Debian testing repos as of March 27, 2020

No reinstallation is required, simply make full system upgrade.

New rolling iso images can be downloaded from the download/rolling page.

Sparky named repos

New Sparky named repositories have been created, alongside to the present ones:
• oldstable-> tyche
• stable-> nibiru
• testing-> potolo

What is it for?
Developing and providing packages to Sparky based on Debian testing only was quite easy, it was just one branch, developed as a rolling release. No changes in repos required then.

Everything changed after releasing Sparky on Debian stable and keeping the oldstable line as well.

Every big upgrade, means from testing to a new stable, and stable to a new oldstable required manual changes in the repo lists.

To avoid that, the named repos will let you smoothly upgrade your Sparky installation without any manual change. It will be done via a regular upgrade using the package manager/upgrade tool only.

So…

What to do now?
No need to change Sparky repos manually, simply make system upgrade as you do.

Packages:
• sparky4-apt on Sparky 4 Tyche
• sparky5-apt on Sparky 5 Nibiru
• sparky6-apt on Sparky rolling (upcoming 6 Po Tolo)
install the new Sparky repo automatically.

Let me know at our forums, if you find any problem with that.
Wiki pages of Sparky repos have been already updated.

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