Three months after its previous 1.8 release, Distrobox, a user-friendly tool that lets you spin up containerized Linux environments on top of your current operating system by leveraging Docker and Podman under the hood, has just released version 1.8.1.
Although the spotlight is on its latest bug fixes, the update also brings notable improvements to package manager handling, NVIDIA integration, and overall performance. Here’s more on that in detail.
A new clone function for the distrobox assemble command makes duplicating existing environments more straightforward. Moreover, Zsh users will appreciate the reworked completions, which fix issues with completing container names and provide a more intuitive command-completion experience.
Under the hood, version 1.8.1 now more effectively handles platform-specific checks when creating containers for different architectures, resolving problems encountered with “alien architectures.”
Regarding NVIDIA support, the development team focused on making it easier to harness GPU capabilities within containerized environments. In light of this, they refined the integration process to automatically skip certain files whenever a directory is already a read-only mount point, preventing unwanted conflicts.
It is worth also mentioning that Distrobox 1.8.1 simplifies detection for 32-bit drivers, which can be a lifesaver for users reliant on legacy software. Plus, devs cleaned up instructions for the NVIDIA Container Toolkit, tackling bugs that could otherwise hinder a hassle-free setup for GPU-accelerated workflows.
Lastly, issues surrounding locale handling and shell prompts for certain distributions have been resolved, making for a more polished user experience. The fixes also include providing a default prompt for Fish Shell users.
For more details on the new release, see the changelog.
