AV Linux MX-21 Says Goodbye to 32-Bit, Adds AppImage Support and More

The new version of AV Linux MX-21 has already been released and in this new version one of the main novelties that stands out is that compilation for 32-bit architecture has stopped and with which from this version the distribution is only available for 64 bits.

The distribution is based on the base MX Linux package, using Debian repositories with improvements from the antiX project and own applications that facilitate the configuration and installation of the software. AV Linux also uses the KXStudio repositories with a collection of audio processing applications and additional packages of its own assembly (Polyphone, Shuriken, Simple Screen Recorder, etc.).

The package includes audio editors Ardor, ArdourVST, Harrison, Mixbus, Blender, andCinelerra, Openshot, LiVES video editors and tools to convert multimedia file formats. To change the audio device, the JACK audio connection kit is provided (using JACK1 / Qjackctl, not JACK2 / Cadence).

Main novelties of AV Linux MX-21

In this new version that is presented, as mentioned at the beginning stopped generating builds for x86 32-bit systems, besides that it was also suspended the distribution of the Linux kernel variant with a set of RT patches to increase the responsiveness of the system. The new AV Linux kernel is based on version 5.15 and comes with Liquorix patches intended to improve performance when running multimedia applications.

Another change that stands out is that added support for AHS (Advanced Hardware Support), a repository configuration option for the MX Linux distribution that offers the latest updates to the microcode and graphics stack subsystems for new processors. Enhanced Hardware Support Packages can be installed as they are released using standard installation and upgrade tools.

It is also highlighted that the training method has been changed of the distribution, instead of repackaging MX Linux packages (Respin) ready to use, the distribution kit is built from source using the tools used to compile MX Linux and antiX.

Furthermore, we can find that the package base is in sync with the MX Linux 21 and Debian 11 (Bullseye) package bases. The version numbering scheme has been changed from YYYY.MM.DD to a number corresponding to the MX Linux version.

Of the other changes that stand out from this new version:

• Removed the use of external repositories ( KXStudio ) other than MX Linux repositories.
• A new theme has been proposed for Xfce and Openbox with a set of 4K wallpapers. There are also new themes for Suru++ and Papirus icons.
• A new modular AV Linux Assistant interface based on YAD has been proposed.
• Added splash screen, which is displayed on first launch.
• Added Yabridge support for loading VST plugins built for Windows.
• A separate graphical interface has been implemented to work with Yabridge.
• Added new utilities: BPM Converter and Gradient Wallpaper Generator.
• Expanded packages with plugins and AVL-MXE sources.
• Added support for AppImage packages.
• To install packages, instead of GDebi, a driver based on Thunar Custom Action is used.

Finally if you are interested in knowing more about it about this new version, you can check the details In the following link.

Download and get AV Linux MX Edition 21

For those who are interested in downloading and testing this new version of AV Linux MX Edition 21, you just have to go to its official website and in its download section you will find the links to download this Linux distro.

The link is this.

Now if you are already a user of this distro and want to get the new updates provided in this release, only just run the commands update on your distro from the terminal.

You just have to run in terminal:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

Once this is done, you will now have to restart your computer so that all the changes are applied at the next start.

Once back on your system, you will have to open a terminal again and in it you execute the following commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt dist-upgrade -y

Finally, you will have to reboot your system one last time for the received updates to be implemented.