14 DAY TRIAL // Netrunner 2014.09, a GNU/Linux distribution based on Manjaro, featuring KDE as the default desktop environment, has been released and is now available for download.
If you are a Netrunner fan, you already know that the system is based on Kubuntu. That is still true, so you don't have to worry about the future of the distribution if you are already using it. Right now there are two different versions of the Linux distro, one that still relies on Kubuntu, and a new one, based on Manjaro.
The new build follows a rolling release model, but that was to be expected. Manjaro is based on Arch Linux and the latter uses the same model. This means that updates for the operating system will arrive on a regular basis and not by point releases. There are some advantages and disadvantages to this updating method, but that's a different discussion entirely.
A new Netrunner that looks like the old Netrunner
Netrunner 2014.09 is based on Manjaro, and that means that a number of packages will be quite different, including some of the most visible ones, like the file manager, for example.
"Netrunner Rolling 2014.09 - 32bit and 64bit versions have been released. Our sponsor bluesystems just released Netrunner Rolling 2014.09, which is based on Manjaro 0.8.10 (update-pack 10) - you can find currently in our stable branch. Bluesystems maintains their own repository to add additional packages and tweaks to their release."
"All the upcoming fixes and features for our 0.8.11 release you can already find in these install medias. Netrunner Rolling is 100% compatible with Manjaro and can be used to get yourself a nice themed KDE desktop with extra features installed," say the devs in the announcement.
The latest KDE version has been implemented in this Netrunner, 14.4, and we don't take into consideration the newly-released Plasma 5 and all the other packages. It will be interesting to see what will happen when the 14.4 branch reaches end of life and how long it will take for the Netrunner developer to get the new desktop ready.
According to the changelog, Baloo has replaced Nepomuk, Single-Click default is now used, a number of wallpapers and a main cursor theme have been added, and the system is based on Linux kernel 3.14.18.
A complete list of changes and improvements can be found in the official announcement. You can download Netrunner 2014.09 right now from Softpedia. There are two versions of this distribution, one for 32-bit and another for 64-bit. If you have an older computer, you might want to grab the 32-bit version of Netrunner, just in case.
