Chakra GNU/Linux

Chakra GNU/Linux is an open source distribution of Linux a fork of the well known Arch Linux operating system, built around the powerful and modern KDE SC desktop environment. It features a graphical installer, automatic hardware detection/configuration, and various useful in-house build tools.

Availability, supported platforms, boot options

It is distributed as a single Live DVD ISO image, supporting only the 64-bit architecture. In order to boot from this ISO image, users must write it to a USB thumb drive of 2GB or higher capacity, as well as to a blank or RW DVD disc.

From the boot prompt, it is possible to start the operating system in live mode, using default settings or non-free drivers, boot an existing OS that is installed on the first disk drive, run a memory diagnostic test, as well as to view detailed information about the hardware components of your computer.

Futuristic graphical session powered by KDE

From the moment you boot the distribution, you can immediately notice that you're dealing with something else, as the boot splash displays the day of the week and the current time. The KDE desktop environment has been greatly tweaked and customized with a pitch black theme and an informative widget.

Default applications include the Rekonq web browser, Kate advanced text editor, Marble virtual globe and world atlas, Zenmap port scanner, Konversation IRC client, Amarok audio player, FFADO Mixer FireWire audio mixer, Kdenlive video editor, Dragon Player video player, Yakuake drop-down terminal emulator, miniBackup backup utility, and K3b CD/DVD/BD burning software.

Bottom line

Overall, Chakra GNU/Linux is a powerful operating system that follows the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle and provides users with a pure, yet customized for performance KDE desktop environment. It features its own software repositories and a rolling-release model, which means that you will always have the latest release, without having to reinstall the entire system.

What is new in this release:

• KDE Software:
• Plasma 5.5.4
• Frameworks 5.19.0
• Applications 15.12.2
• Calligra 2.9.11
• Core Packages:
• kernel 4.2.6
• xorg-server 1.17.4
• systemd 228
• qt5 5.5.1
• qt 4.8.7
• sddm 0.13.0
• Drivers:
• xf86-video-nouveau 1.0.12
• xf86-video-ati 7.6.1
• xf86-video-intel 2.99.917+544+g8b8c9a3
• mesa 11.0.6
• nvidia 358.16 (plus nvidia 340.93, 304.128)
• catalyst 15.9

What is new in version 2016.02:

• KDE Software:
• Plasma 5.5.4
• Frameworks 5.19.0
• Applications 15.12.2
• Calligra 2.9.11
• Core Packages:
• kernel 4.2.6
• xorg-server 1.17.4
• systemd 228
• qt5 5.5.1
• qt 4.8.7
• sddm 0.13.0
• Drivers:
• xf86-video-nouveau 1.0.12
• xf86-video-ati 7.6.1
• xf86-video-intel 2.99.917+544+g8b8c9a3
• mesa 11.0.6
• nvidia 358.16 (plus nvidia 340.93, 304.128)
• catalyst 15.9

What is new in version 2015.11:

• Plasma 5 is the default desktop environment, replacing kde-workspace 4.
• Calamares a new modern installer which is actively developed, has replaced Tribe, which has served Chakra well over the years but it was becoming very outdated.
• A new repository structure, which inludes changes aiming at simplifying things for both developers and users.
• A new display manager, SDDM, which is very well integrated with Plasma 5.
• New artwork, codenamed 'Heritage' , which is a fork of the very successful Caledonia artwork, together with new wallpapers.
• Unfortunately Kapudan, our desktop greeter that runs after the first boot ad allows users to adjust some personal settings, hasn't been ported to Frameworks 5 yet, so it will be missing from this ISO.
• KDE Software:
• Plasma 5.4.2
• Frameworks 5.15.0
• Applications 15.08.2
• Calligra 2.9.8
• Core Packages:
• kernel 4.1.4
• xorg-server 1.16.4
• systemd 227
• qt5 5.5.1
• qt 4.8.7
• sddm 0.12.0
• Drivers:
• xf86-video-nouveau 1.0.11
• xf86-video-ati 7.5.0
• xf86-video-intel 2.99.917
• mesa 10.5.0
• nvidia 352.30 (plus nvidia 340.76, 304.125)
• catalyst 15.5

What is new in version 2015.03:

• This is a maintenance release to fix some installation issues and provide all the updated packages that landed in the stable repositories since the previous release. The main new feature is that our ISO now supports booting and installing on UEFI systems.
• KDE Software:
• Chakra provides the Applications 14.12.2, except for the applications that have been ported to frameworks 5, which will remain on their 4.14.3 versions.
• kde-workspace 4.11.16 and kdelibs 4.14.5
• Frameworks 5.7
• Calligra 2.9.0
• Core Packages:
• kernel 3.18.3
• xorg-server 1.16.4
• systemd 218
• qt5 group 5.4.1
• Tribe:
• Gained support for UEFI installations.
• Drivers:
• xf86-video-nouveau 1.0.1
• xf86-video-ati 7.5.0
• xf86-video-intel 2.99.916
• mesa 10.3.5
• nvidia 346.35 (also nvidia 340.65, 304.125)
• catalyst 14.12

What is new in version 2014.11:

• KDE Software Compilation:
• Chakra provides the latest stable version released by KDE, 4.14.1.
• dhcpcd has been replaced by dhclient as a dependency for networkmanager
• Core Packages:
• kernel 3.15.15
• xorg-server 1.15.2
• systemd 216
• Kapudan:
• New artwork designed from scratch.
• Improved welcome page indications.
• Added the option to enable [extra], to help newcomers to install basic GTK+ apps, like chromium or firefox.
• Spun activation is now replaced by default by the octopi-notifier.
• Drivers:
• Nvidia 340.31
• Catalyst 14.4
• xf86-video-nouveau 1.0.10
• xf86-video-ati 7.4.0
• xf86-video-intel 2.21.15
• mesa 10.2.6
• Have in mind that the catalyst-legacy package has been dropped from the repositories because it doesn't support the latest X server. Consider using the free driver (xf86-video-ati) which now has better support for legacy graphic cards than in the past.
• The nvidia-bumblebee package is now replaced by nvidia and bumblebee, please follow the wiki instructions on how to install it if you are system supports nvidia optimus technology.

What is new in version 2014.05:

• KDE Software Compilation:
• Chakra provides the latest stable version of the KDE SC series, 4.13.1. In the 4.13 series, Nepomuk search has been replaced by Baloo. In Chakra we have implemented the patch that permits the user to disable Baloo, but our suggestion is to keep it enabled. Please report any issues you find with the default settings.
• Chakra Tools: .
• Our tools are fully translated in more than 30 languages, thanks of the amazing job done by our users on transifex.
• Artwork:
• New Chakra Logo.
• New default theme "Sirius" for GRUB, KDM, KSplash, Yakuake and a new Desktop wallpaper.
• Drivers:
• Nvidia 331.38
• Catalyst 13.12
• xf86-video-nouveau 1.0.10
• xf86-video-ati 7.2.0
• xf86-video-intel 2.21.15
• mesa 10.0.5
• Have in mind that the catalyst-legacy package has been dropped from the repositories because it doesn't support the new X server. Consider using the free driver (xf86-video-ati) which now has better support for legacy graphic cards than in the past.
• Core Packages:
• kernel 3.12.15
• xorg-server 1.14.5
• systemd 212
• New Applications added by default
• octopi
• kcm-pacman-repoeditor, which helps you edit pacman repositories through System Settings.
• kcm-about-distro, which can also be found under System Settings and shows a small summary of your system and installation.
• Kup, a simple yet powerful backup solution, using rsync and/or bup to perform both incremental and synchronized backups.
• kcalc

What is new in version 2014.02:

• KDE Software Compilation:
• Chakra provides the first in a series of monthly stabilization updates to the 4.12 series: 4.12.1
• kde-workspace has been patched to display the width or height (depending on orientation) of Plasma panels when resizing them
• We now provide kde-connect, which aims at making your computer aware and seamlessly integrated with all your devices
• Enabled login/logout sounds
• Tribe (installer):
• General text and GUI cleanup
• Removed Marble slider bar from the localepage
• Kapudan (first run desktop greeter):
• Create home directories by default
• ksuperkey installed by default
• Avatar page removed
• Artwork:
• Updated Caledonia theme
• New wallpaper by yaromanzarek
• New yakuake Chakra theme
• Drivers:
• Nvidia 331.20, Catalyst 13.12, xf86-video-nouveau 1.0.10, xf86-video-ati 7.2.0, mesa 10.0.1, xf86-video-intel 2.21.15
• The catalyst-legacy package has been dropped from the repositories because it doesn't support the new X server, and is not available on the ISO anymore. Consider using the free driver (xf86-video-ati) which now has better support for legacy graphic cards than in the past.
• Core Packages:
• kernel 3.12.6
• xorg-server 1.14.5
• systemd 204
• udisks2 now includes a new polkit rule to enable automounting of NTFS partitions
• memtest 5.01, with optional multithreading support which makes memory checks much faster
• The extra repository, which is disabled by default, provides the must-have GTK-based applications and their dependencies. To enable it, please follow this step by step guide. For more information, check Managing Repositories in the documentation.
• Once Chakra is installed on your system, you will find the latest versions of your favorite software in our repositories:
• KDE Software Compilation: 4.12.1.
• Web: Chromium 32.0.1700.77, Firefox 26.0, Opera 12.16, QupZilla 1.6.0, Rekonq 2.4.2.
• Multimedia: KMPlayer 0.11.3.1, SMPlayer 0.8.6, Plasma Media Center 1.2.0, VLC 2.1.2
• Music: Amarok 2.8.0, Musique 1.3, Qmmp 0.7.4, Tomahawk 0.7.0, Yarock 0.9.65.
• Development: Blender 2.69, KDevelop 4.6.0, Kdenlive 0.9.6, QtCreator 3.0.0, Rosegarden 13.10.
• Office: Calligra 2.7.5, FocusWriter 1.4.4, LibreOffice 4.1.4.
• Finances: KMyMoney 4.6.4, Skrooge 1.8.0.
• Other: DigiKam 3.5.0, KDE Telepathy 0.7.0

What is new in version 2013.09:

• Enhanced propietary driver detection in the live ISO, which means nvidia and catalyst are both supported directly from the ISO (as well as their legacy counterparts).
• "Magic Monitor" functionality with the new KScreen, the display management utility in KDE that replaces krandr. KScreen improves the user experience when working with multiple monitors in KDE. It provides a modern user interface and can automatically save and restore screen configuration profiles.
• kernel 3.10.10, with some patches to fix the broadcom wireless driver. Nvidia and Catalyst are at their latest version, so are the free graphics drivers.
• systemd 204, see the announcement for a full list of changes, it is mainly a bugfix release.
• There are some minor bugs present in this ISO that we could not fix in time because they would delay this release even more. We decided offering a new ISO was much more urgent as the previous one was really oudated. Among them...
• Selecting homerun in Kapudan will not add it to the panel.
• Not entering a username in Tribe (our installer) will result in an error message about KDM.
• Have in mind that the partition manager still has troubles with GPT partition tables. To workaround this, please follow our wiki.
• The Extra repository provides the must-have GTK-based applications with their dependencies and it is disabled by default. To enable it, please follow this step by step guide. For more information, check Managing Repositories in the documentation.
• In addition, by popular community demand, we now also offer the ISO file through an official torrent. You will find the link to it on the Get page.
• KDE Software Compilation 4.11.1.
• Web: Chromium 29.0.1547.65, Firefox 23.0.1, Opera 12.16, QupZilla 1.4.4, Rekonq 2.3.2.
• Multimedia: KMPlayer 0.11.3d, SMPlayer 0.8.6, Plasma Media Center 1.1.0, VLC 2.0.8a
• Music: Amarok 2.8.0, Musique 1.2.1, Qmmp 0.7.2, Tomahawk 0.7.0, Yarock 0.9.63.
• Development: Blender 2.68, KDevelop 4.5.1, Kdenlive 0.9.6, QtCreator 2.8.1, Rosegarden 13.06.
• Office: Calligra 2.7.2, FocusWriter 1.4.4, LibreOffice 4.0.5.
• Finances: KMyMoney 4.6.3, Skrooge 1.7.1.
• Other: digiKam 3.4.0, KDE Telepathy 0.6.3.

What is new in version 2013.05:

• KDE Software Compilation 4.10.3.
• Web: Chromium 26.0.1410.63, Firefox 21.0, Opera 12.15, QupZilla 1.4.2, Rekonq 2.3.0.
• Multimedia: KMPlayer 0.11.3d, SMPlayer 0.8.5, Plasma Media Center 1.0.0, VLC 2.0.6, XBMC 12.2.
• Music: Amarok 2.7.1, Musique 1.2.1, Qmmp 0.7.0, Tomahawk 0.7.0, Yarock 0.9.62.
• Development: Blender 2.66a, KDevelop 4.5.0, Kdenlive 0.9.6, QtCreator 2.7.0, Rosegarden 13.04.
• Office: Calligra 2.6.3, FocusWriter 1.4.2, LibreOffice 4.0.3.
• Finances: KMyMoney 4.6.3, Skrooge 1.7.1.
• Other: digiKam 3.1.0, KDE Telepathy 0.6.1.

What is new in version 2013.03:

• With this second release of "Benz"(a code name that will follow the KDE SC 4.10 series), the Chakra-Project team is very happy to announce a new feature that has been on the wishlist for quite some time. Tribe (the installer) has a netinstaller feature implemented, giving the user the option for a regular offline install, or install fully updated packages, starting with a minimal functional KDE desktop, and adding groups of packages to that minimal install as desired.
• KDE SC is updated to 4.10.1. The over 100 recorded bugfixes since 4.10.0 include improvements to the Personal Information Management suite Kontact, the Window Manager KWin, and others. KDE's Development Platform has received a number of updates that affect multiple applications.
• For our other tools Kapudan has launchers added and improved systemd units activation handling. GFXboot has improved keyboard options and for the artwork, the "Dharma Grub" theme is updated.
• As for the repositories, there were a large amount of updates to base packages, including Glib2 2.34.3, Networkmanager 0.9.8.0, Iw 3.8, Libffi 3.0.12, Libnl 3.2.21, Db 5.3.21, Apr 1.4.6, with updates to all that depend on these. Calligra 2.6.1, LibreOffice to 4.0.1, Chromium 25.0.1364.160, Firefox 19.0.2 are among the many applications and bundles updated to their latest version.
• The much anticipated Steam has been added to the games repositories.
• With our first "Benz" ISO release, we mentioned three major features missing. With the netinstaller in place, we are down to two, most obvious is no GUI for package management and Tribe's partition page is missing the Solid integration, needed to have automated partitioning and support for LVM, RAID, LUKS and the likes, which we know are needed for a complete, modern installer.
• To create reliable installation media, please follow the instructions in the wiki. Chakra's ISO's do not support unetbootin, and DVDs need a burn speed no higher than 4x.

What is new in version 2013.02:

• Mariadb has replaced MySql. Boost 1.52.0, Icu 50.1.2, Mesa 9.0.2, Poppler 0.22.0, Openjpeg 1.5.1, PyQt 4.9.6, Networkmanager 0.9.6.4, Virtuoso 6.1.6, Phonon-backend-gstreamer 4.6.3, Calligra 2.6.0, LibreOffice 3.6.5, are among the many updated to their latest version. As always, the bundles are fully updated, this includes for example Firefox 18.0.2, Chromium 24.0.1312.68, GIMP 2.8.4 and Inkscape 0.48.4.

What is new in version 2013.01:

• KDE 4.9.5
• Linux 3.6.6 (3.0.43 optional)
• DVD image, including all locales and a nice selections of apps
• Kapudan, Chakra's desktop greeter, and all around first setup tool
• Artwork theme called "Dharma"
• Latest openssl 1.0.1c, krb5 1.10.3, curl-7.28.1, libssh2-1.4.3
• Enhancements to Chakra tools Tribe and Kapudan
• Updated sound stack including Pulseaudio 3.0, and inclusion of gstreamer 1.0.3 packages
• A first showcase of the all new Qt5 and five apps/widgets included in this new version

What is new in version 2012.12:

• KDE 4.9.4
• Linux 3.6.6 (3.0.43 optional)
• DVD image, including all locales and a nice selections of apps
• Kapudan, Chakra's desktop greeter, and all around first setup tool
• Artwork theme called "Dharma"
• Latest Grub2-2.00, including graphical dharma theme, Qt 4.8.4
• Enhancements to Chakra tools like cbundle/cinstall, welcome-plasmoid, tribe and spun
• Updated systemd, kmod, mkinitcpio, filesystem, latest proprietary graphics drivers, including the all new catalyst-legacy
• Latest toolchain with gcc 4.7.2, updated libpng, libtiff and glew stack

Requirements:

• a Intel Pentium II or higher processor for the i686 version
• a 64Bit-capable processor for the x86_64 version
• 256MiB of RAM for running the liveCD system and 384MiB of RAM for the installation (the more the better)
• around 3GiB of available hard disk space (the more the better)
• a screen capable of 1024 x 768 or higher resolution
• a reasonably fast internet connection, e.g. no modem (you wont have fun with this)