Slax is a Nifty Linux Distribution That Works from USB

Slax is a portable Linux distribution that runs from USB, it aims to create a modular, modern and lightweight Linux distribution which can be carried anywhere in a USB stick. It’s also Debian-based, which allows you as a user to access tons of packages provided by Debian using the apt command. Slax 9.6 was released last November. So we downloaded the latest release and tried it, our experience with it was great so far, see our review below for a detailed tour in Slax.

Sparky 5.6

There are new live/install iso images of SparkyLinux 5.6 “Nibiru” available to download. This it the 4th and the last this year iso image update of the rolling line, which is based on Debian testing “Buster”.

Games: Black Mesa, Overland, Jupiter Hell, Geneshift, Warhammer 40,000 and More

• The Black Mesa team have pushed out a new Linux beta

  Black Mesa, the fan-made recreation of Half-Life has a fresh brew available for Linux gamers that should make it a better experience.

• Preview: Overland, the squad-based survival strategy game is to release in full next year

  Overland, a stylish strategy game where every single step counts is due for a full release next year and it's looking good. It's been quite some time since we talked about it, as we previously highlighted way back in 2016. Since then, it's obviously had a lot of spit and polish.

• Preview: Jupiter Hell, the modern roguelike and spiritual successor to DRL (Doom the roguelike)

  Jupiter Hell is a roguelike I'm following with great excitement, it's serving a the spiritual successor to DRL (previously DoomRL, now called DRL since ZeniMax flexed their legal muscles) and it's looking good. After a rather successful Kickstarter, where they managed to get over £70K in funding it's coming along rather nicely.

• You can grab Geneshift completely free to keep for the next 48 hours

  Geneshift, the GTA-inspired Battle Royale that also has an extra purchased for a campaign mode and more is currently free for 48 hours.

• The Tyranids are coming to Warhammer 40,000: Gladius in January

  While Warhammer 40,000: Gladius is a pretty good strategy game, it did feel somewhat limited. Things are about to get hectic, prepare your defences for the Tyranids. Tyranids will be released in the form of a DLC that will be available in January next year as a playable race. The developers say they will be "radically different" to play as due to their gameplay mechanics, although they haven't yet gone into detail on what exactly is different.

• Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus to 'soft launch' on Linux before the holidays

  A developer from Bulwark Studios has detailed their plans to get Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus onto Linux and it sounds good. After releasing for Windows in November, they've pushed out a few patches to improve various aspects of the game. It seems like they've done well with it, since it's sat at a "Very Positive" user rating with over one thousand users giving their thoughts. For the Linux release, they're going to put up an opt-in beta version "before the Christmas holiday" with an aim to release in full once the holiday period is over. See their post here on Steam for more info.

• Verdant Skies, a casual 'life simulation game' has added Linux support

  Inspired by a love for games like Harvest Moon, Verdant Skies from Howling Moon Software is what they're calling a 'life simulation game'. Along with a recent update to the game on Friday, December 14th they also added a Linux version of the game.

• The Rocket League winter event is live, new GamingOnLinux tournaments details!

  Frosty Fest is now live in Rocket League, giving you a chance to earn Snowflakes as you play online to redeem special winter-themed items. As always, it's completely free. The in-game currency cannot be purchased and can only be earned simply by playing the game in online matches. It's just a fun little event for players to earn some fun customisation items.

• The Long Dark has a huge update to revamp the first two episodes, has Unity issues on NVIDIA

  The Long Dark, the survival game pitting you against the harsh environment and wildlife has a big free update out. As they've been talking about for a while, this update is the overhauled versions of Episodes One and Two. With a third episode due at some unspecified time.

Solve a puzzle at the Linux command line with nudoku

Welcome back to another installment in our 24-day-long Linux command-line toys advent calendar. If this is your first visit to the series, you might be asking yourself what a command-line toy even is. We’re figuring that out as we go, but generally, it could be a game, or any simple diversion that helps you have fun at the terminal. Some of you will have seen various selections from our calendar before, but we hope there’s at least one new thing for everyone.