News

Shift Placed on Indefinite Hold

We regret to inform our readers, fans, and users, but Shift Linux has been placed on hold until further notice. Here is the original forum post from Simon Andrews, the Shift Linux project leader:

I think many have seen this day coming for a while.

We've made the decision to end Shift Linux, for a number of reasons. The biggest one is that we simply don't have the time. CrimsonRedMk and I have both school and other projects to work on (mine with Neowin mostly, and his on numerous other things, Firefly included).

We also can't really generate the interest on Neowin. We have tried, and there are spurs of activity, but for the most part it has been quiet in these forums. A lot of this also relates back to the lack of time: any time we have for Shift goes into Shift itself, and not promoting it.

Finally, we could never define the right purpose, and when we did we always veered off the path we wanted.

I am very unhappy to have to do this, but the time has come to let Shift go. Anyone interested in developing a Linux distro should consider helping out Firefly Linux. It's a great project that spawned from Shift.

Thanks to all of you for the support you have given. In particular, thanks to Barney for starting this adventure. We have done amazing things, and the potential was great, but the time and dedication needed was just not worth it. Also, thanks to CrimsonRedMk who did a kick ass job developing a majority of the developing and did an amazing job spearheading our Arch Linux conversion. Thanks also to DaveLegg for hosting our website and putting a lot of time into developing it, and to Ste for hosting our repository. Everyone else, too: advisors, developers, users: you all helped so much with this project. There are far too many to name.

A huge thanks to the Neowin administration. The support we have received from the site has been phenomenal, through promotional space on the front page and other venues of support.

- Simon

Organizing Meeting on Sunday, January 18, 1:00 PM EST

We will be holding a Shift Linux "organizing meeting" on Sunday of this weekend. Everyone is encouraged to come, as we want to get everyone's ideas out in the open, and really think about where we want to go with Shift.

To join us, just join #shiftlinux on Neowin IRC. For information on Neowin IRC, please check out the Neowin IRC page. You will need to set your account up there to connect. We recommend doing that early, so you don't need to deal with any problems later.

I hope we'll see you there!

Shift Linux to be based on Arch

As part of our new direction, I am proud to announce that Shift Linux will be moving away from Ubuntu, and instead switching over to Arch Linux. There are many reasons for this, including a more customizable distribution for us as developers to work with, and a faster and more streamlined start point.

A New Direction

Since its incarnation in 2006, Shift Linux has had an ambitious team behind it. We have always strived to be “more than just another linux distribution”, a goal which has never been more important than it is now. Over the next little while, Shift will be reborn and redefined, moving farther away from traditional Linux roots, and into something newer. Linux will always be our core, but on top of that, we need to use new technologies, both those that exist and those which we can only imagine, to build something fresh. Today, Shift Linux will move forward.

Shift Linux 0.6.5 Released

Shift Linux 0.6.5 is the first public preview release of Shift Linux One. The version number may be confusing, but the team is focused on a solid 1.0 release soon. Shift Linux comes in 3 different flavors, Gnome, Lite, and KDE. All 3 are based on brand-new Ubuntu Hardy Beta 1 packages.

A Call For Developers

The Shift Linux team is looking for capable developers to assist in creating ground-breaking new versions of Shift. This volunteer effort has produced a variety of distros that have been downloaded worldwide.We need enthusiastic team players who have had some experience in working with programs, scripts, and code.

If you are interested in joining our friendly, "can-do" team, please e-mail: barneyt@neowin.net.

Shift Linux 0.6 Released

Shift Linux 0.6 has been released in Gnome, KDE4 and Lite versions (XFCE4 and Fluxbox) for less powerful computers. These are Live CDs that are fully loaded with all of the popular packages, as well as a fully functional installer. Please feel free to download them and try them out !

http://www.shiftlinux.net/download/release/0.6.2

For the Shift Linux 0.6 Lite, please use the Flux link.

Shift Linux pre 0.6 KDE4 release

We are happy to announce that we have released a Shift Linux pre 0.6 KDE4 version for you to try. KDE4 was just released on the 11th, and we wanted to try this new desktop version with our distribution. We have based this test version on Ubuntu and have incorporated all of the latest packages. It has not been branded, but it does contain a working installer.

This is BETA software!, please use caution when installing it on your system

Shift Linux 0.5 Final Released!

The Shift Linux live CD and the links to the Neowin technical website are 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.

Brand new Shift website launched

The brand new website for Shift Linux, a Linux distribution created and maintained by Neowin members, has been launched, with a brand new design, new features, and increased efficiency.