What is DevNix?
DevNix is a Fedora remix aimed at hackers. It is a Fedora Remix, currently based on Fedora 30. It was created by John "NanoDano" Leon.
The primary goals of DevNix are:
- Provide a desktop that is ready for development in many programming languages for many tasks including: web application development, desktop GUI applications, game development, security tools, and more.
- Includes documentation that can be used offline.
- Include customizations that improve developer efficiency.
- Have a cohesive look and feel that imitates the DevDungeon color scheme.
- Can be used as a LiveCD or installed to disk.
- Can be used to follow along with DevDungeon streams and tutorials
Donate
If you like DevNix, a $5 donation would go a long way. Any amount is appreciated but not required. Cryptocurrency like Bitcoin and Etherium can be donated using DevDungeon's StreamLabs donation page.
Download DevNix
You can download the latest version of DevNix as an .iso disk image.
- DevNix-Workstation-30.1-x86_64.iso (4.1 GB)
- SHA1 checksum (
6cfb5cf094305b4253bd13be0003a9c6f43877a9) - GPG signature of SHA1 checksum
- DevDungeon public GPG key
While not required, I recommend you verify the checksum and the GPG signature.
If you don't know how or why to verify a checksum, read How to Verify a Checksum.
If you don't know how or why to verify a GPG signature, read How to Verify a GPG Signature.
Installation
You install DevNix just like you would most other typical Linux distributions.
It comes packaged as a .iso file that a virtual machine can boot directly
or it can be burned to a DVD or USB flash drive and loaded on a physical machine.
If you want to burn the image to a DVD or USB disk, I recommend using Etcher,
the dd system utility,
unetbootin,
or the Fedora Media Writer
tool which comes with DevNix.
To use DevNix in a virtual machien, I suggest using VMWare Player, VirtualBox, virtmanager, or Gnome Boxes to install as a virtual machine. Virtmanager and Gnome Boxes comes with DevNix.
Insert the DVD disk, USB drive, or .iso in to your machine and boot from it.
A graphical installer will greet you and guide you through the install process.
Stability
DevNix 30 Workstation is a new release, the first ever of the DevNix family. It has not been widely tested and is subsequently marked as a testing/pre-release installation. If you have any problems or suggestions, the feedback is greatly appreciated. You can file a DevNix GitHub Issue or email nanodano@devdungeon.com.
Frequently asked questions
Who is DevNix for?
DevNix is not for everyone. There are a few things you should ask yourself:
- Do you have limited disk space? DevNix is not intended to be lightweight and comes with a lot of packages and documentation requiring more disk space than a base Fedora install.
- Will you use it for programming? DevNix comes with a plethora of development tools and documentation. It is perfect for following along with DevDungeon streams and tutorials, using in a classroom environment, or when working without the internet.
- Do you want lots of reference code and sample projects? DevNix comes with all of the DevDungeon repositories in
/usr/src/DevDungeonthat provide useful references and projects to hack on. - Do you want to be like NanoDano? This will get you one step closer. ;)
Many of the customizations are my preferences and may not be the preferences for everyone. You can, of course, modify them to suit your needs, but if you want to customize everything yourself from scratch, go with a base Fedora 30 install. The sources used to create DevNix are included in /usr/src/DevNix so you can create your own version.
Why was DevNix created?
DevNix was created to provide an environment that is ready for development out-of-the-box. It can take a lot of work to customize a desktop to suit your preferences and over time it became more work. By packaging all the desired tools and settings I also wanted to create a distribution that was good for use offline so including documentation and software was a higher priority than keeping disk space usage to a minimum. Another goal was to provide a Linux distribution that everyone could use to follow along with DevDungeon streams and tutorials.
Where can I learn more?
If you want to full understand the system, learn more about Fedora at
- https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/docs/
- https://ask.fedoraproject.org/en/questions/
- https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Fedora_Project_Wiki
To and learn exactly how DevNix is built and what customizations were done, refer to the source code at https://github.com/DevDungeon/DevNix.
There are all kinds of hidden gems that you will likely not find without reading through the full documentation. There are many little improvements and performance tricks I have learned over the years. I'm sure some of them will provide value for you as well!
I'm just learning to program, is it good for me?
Yes! It comes with everything you'll need to get started programming. You will have the tools and learning resources ready to go.
I'm a veteran hacker, is it good for me?
Yep! It will have many of the tools you love and expect as well as some customizations you may not have known about.
Since the build instructions are available online completely free, you can review every customization, modify any of it, or build your own modified version.
Can I undo any of the customizations I don't want?
Of course! Since everything is documented in the source, you can see each and every tweak that was done, and modify it or undo it completely if you don't want it.
Why did you choose Fedora as a base distribution?
Fedora was chosen as a base system because:
- It is will supported and has committed backing
- Proven to be stable
- Does not include any non-free software in standard repos
- Does provide proprietary software repos by explict opt-in
- Knowledge transfers well to CentOS or Fedora Server for servers
- Wide support of RPM packaging.
To understand why I chose Fedora over another distribution, you can read more in my post Ubuntu vs Debian vs Fedora vs Arch vs Linux Mint.
Can I run it as a LiveCD?
Yes, you can run it as a LiveCD on your physical machine or inside a virtual machine like VirtualBox or VMWare Player.
Can I run install directly on my hardware?
Yes, you can install it in a virtual machine or to your physical disk.
Who made the wallpaper?
Casey Weeks created the wallpaper used in DevNix. You can view his portfolio at https://www.behance.net/caseyweeks.