Frequently Asked Questions

For the frequently curious.

Where did Shift Linux come from?

Shift Linux is a community project started at Neowin (http://www.neowin.net) by the membership community as a project to bring together Linux enthusiasts to create Neowin's own Linux distribution. It is based off of Morphix Linux (http://www.morphix.org) and has been enhanced and modified to reflect our website's design and talents. It is a Live CD that is installable, and is created under the GPL license and is free to use and distribute. It has the approval of LMI (the Linux Mark Institute).

What are the current versions?

The current version of Shift Linux is version 0.6 with Gnome, KDE, and Lite (XFCE). The idea is to have one version of Shift Linux for computers with lower end hardware, and two versions for more robust systems.

What will be the next release?

We plan to release Shift Linux One next. This will be a new release based on a completely different structure. We will have custom apps and a newly built repository with the most popular applications and packages. More will be forthcoming in the near future.

What repositories will this distribution use?

The repositories will be the same as with the Debian distros. We have used Debian etch repositories for these packages.

Does this distribution contain other packages besides GPL licensed ones?

No, this is a complete GPL based distribution. If you would like other, non-GPL licensed packages, you'll need to download them from the appropriate sites or repositories.

Do you have a Shift Linux forum?

Yes! Please feel free to join us at our forum at Neowin. Thanks to all of the Neowin Shift Linux development and graphics team, as well as the many testers. We greatly appreciate your time and efforts in making this project a successful one!

Can I use Synaptic?

Yes, it is on the Live CD, but it really isn't practical unless you install Shift Linux.