Distrobox, the versatile tool that integrates containers into the Linux desktop environment seamlessly, has just announced its latest 1.7.2 update, bringing improvements and fixes that enhance both usability and system compatibility.
Not familiar with this great piece of software? In short, it is a tool that allows you to run different Linux distributions (like Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, etc.) simultaneously as containers on your computer.
The best part is that Distrobox integrates these with your desktop environment. This means you can run applications, including GUI ones, inside a container as if they were part of your main operating system. Now, back to the topic.
Distrobox 1.7.2 Key Enhancements
One of the main features of this update is a new default behavior for containers. Now, they will inherit the host’s hostname and use CONTAINER_ID as a prompt distinguisher. This change aims to reduce complications, especially for users running GUI applications and utilizing X11 forwarding.
Distrobox 1.7.2 also brings better support for the Fish shell, ensuring that the “$SHELL” host environment inside the container behaves more reliably. Additionally, improvements in how Distrobox handles the cleanup of exported applications and binaries when a container is deleted make the process smoother and less prone to errors.
Moreover, the latest update also focuses on enhancing POSIX compatibility, thus broadening the range of environments where Distrobox can operate effectively. This is part of an effort to make Distrobox more accessible and functional across different Linux distros.
Bug fixes have not been left out, either. This release addresses several of them, including a critical regression with runc 1.20rc1+ that impacted container functionality. Among other notable fixes and changes are:
- Enhanced handling of environment variables and configurations across all commands.
- Updates to the Continuous Integration actions to ensure tests run smoothly, including adjustments to handle disk space and hostname configurations.
- Documentation improvements to better support the latest Alpine release and include Distrobox in the extra repository.
- Faster dependency installation processes for Debian’s APT, Arch’s Pacman, and Void’s XBPS massively speed up the initialization of new containers.
Check out the release notes for more details and the complete list of novelties in Distrobox 1.7.2.
