When it was first announced that the iOS and tvOS jailbreaking tool checkra1n would get an official release I had a new idea for a project. An absolute bare-bones minimal Linux environment that could be used to kick start your device back to a jailbroken state. The original goal of the project was to keep the complete ISO file including Linux 5.4 and the latest checkra1n binary under 50MB. I was unable to squeeze in under my goal but the total required disk size for install is 64MB. Still substantially smaller than any other live environment with a modern Linux Kernel. Read more about my project or download from my GitHub page downthecrop/checkra1n-linux
Welcome to my review and round up of the best linux distributions (distros) of 2019 that you should be using in 2020! This list will give recommendations for Best Linux Distro 2020, Best Lightweight Linux Distro, Best Gaming Distro, and Best Linux Distro for programming. Let's get started!
Best Lightweight Distro: Void Linux
Void Linux has been my favorite lightweight and minimal Linux distribution for some time now. I have been using Void as a desktop system (also works great for server) for many months and it's a stable and enjoyable experience for an enthusiast Linux user. Void provides everything you need in its default repositories and has great documentation. The community on r/voidlinux is also pretty good for helping people that need help (very arch-like and elite though). If you're looking to get yourself started on Void I think LXQT is my favorite Desktop Environment with the least amount of overhead.
Best Gaming Distro: MX Linux
MX Linux has been gaining a huge amount of steam. In 2019 it was one of the best reviewed and highest rated for a "set it and forget it" Linux distro for the everyman. This Debian based distro gives you everything you need as a desktop user right out of the box and even provides non-free drivers (better for gaming) as well out of the box if you want them. The default desktop environment is XFCE which is a good choice for gaming too because of it's light weight and low impact compositor. MX is a solid choice for everyone that is new or old to Linux. It just works.
Best Linux Distro for Programming: Manjaro Linux
Manjaro is Arch without the headache. This is a great distribution of Linux and no one should be saying it's anything less than top 5 in the pecking order. Manjaro can lean on the Arch Linux community and documentation that has had so much time to build a great wealth of knowledge. The installation process is easy, all the big development environments are available through the default repos as well as every programming language package you can think of. I love Manjaro because it works on everything and has everything. If you're looking to switch away from Mint, Ubuntu, or Fedora/CentOS this is my number one pick for a programmers dream.
Best Linux Distro 2019: Void Linux
I need to set Void as the leader in the innovation space of Linux this year. It's now officially supported Flatpack and is a total joy to use once you have it installed. The XBPS package manager is the best thing to happen to binary distribution since apt and you have a complete backlog of documentation and a giant repository of great packages that are up to date. This is an amazing project that will continue to gather a following. You can't go wrong this year by installing Void Linux on your main system and trying it out! My pick for Best Linux Distro 2020 is Void Linux.
I've got a simple step by step guide on how you can dual boot Windows 10 and Ubuntu Linux 18.04 to run the checkra1n jailbreak tool! Be warned that setup is a little technical and will likely take around an hour. Lets start!
Hardware Compatibility Requirements
First off you're going to need to have a 64-bit processor that has virtualization enabled. You can check this in msinfo32.exe on Windows. Check "System Type" and scroll down to the Hyper-V entries. If System Type is "x64-based PC" the Hyper-V settings are "Yes" you have a CPU with the requirements.
Windows 10 Partitioning & Linux Installation Alongside Windows
You also need to partition some free space away from your Windows 10 Installation. Using the Disk Management diskmgmt.msc shrink your C: Volume by 25000MB and leave it as unpartitioned free space. Now boot from USB and run the installation utility in Ubuntu. Select "Install Ubuntu alongside Windows" If this open isn't there please don't continue with the guide as your may accidentally format your drive. Choose a username and password in the setup then click install. Wait for the installation to complete and then reboot into UEFI/BIOS to change the boot priority of your drive to default to Ubuntu. While you're in UEFI/BIOS you must also enable your CPU virtualization technology settings. Save and quit F10 and boot into your Ubuntu install.
I have a work around using a live Linux USB. There is no offical release for Windows and Linux currently so macOS must be virtualized using KVM and IOMMU groupings.
The checkm8 jailbreak implementation called checkra1n was released Sunday November 10th 2019 but only for macOS. This wasn't done to spite non-apple desktop users. The checkm8 exploit relies of precise control of the desktop USB stack to manipulate DFU mode.
Due to the precision of this communication they needed to craft the checkra1n desktop application to work with the the USB stack. The first USB stack they targeted as macOS, likely due to the developers familiarity with it. You can read more about the exploit in @qwertyoruiop talk at POC2019 which I attended.
Absolutely. After learning about how the USB stack is being manipulated it makes sense that it doesn't move cross platform easily. pic.twitter.com/nqcLdnuKC0
So here's the work around. A disk image you can flash to any 16/32GB USB flash drive to boot into which will provide the macOS Virtual Machine and provide USB passthrough.
This is possible and I can get this working. Just give me another few days. You'll just need a 16/32GB USB drive and to boot into a live linux distro, run a script, and then you'll have a macOS Virtual Machine is USB passthrough for use with checkra1n. VirtualBox and VMWare WILL NOT WORK for checkra1n. You need to have lower level access.
About VM's and how this would work:
Regarding virtual machines: Support in virtual machines requires doing a passthrough via IOMMU (i.e. passing in a controller at the PCIe level) or similar. Software USB passthrough solutions are very likely to not expose an accurate enough USB stack to perform the exploit.
These two thoughtful talks understandably made me curious about Moriarty's work in games so I decided to play Loom. A game where he acted as project lead.
This isn't a deep dive review but I would like to share some of my thoughts around the game. You can view my complete play through here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgJw69q16ew
Loom Island opening visuals. The aesthetic the entire game should have followed.
Let's start positive. I enjoyed the opening. The voice over is good. The interface is fairly intuitive and much simpler than other SCUMM (LucasArts adventure games system from Maniac Mansion) games. The game begins on the uncreatively named Loom Island. The atmosphere here is the best in the game which makes adventuring a little disappointing afterward. The puzzles are pretty simple. The fun part is understanding what each of the "drafts" you learn do. I think the game would have been improved from an atmospheric sense if the drafts used rune style glyphs instead of musical notes. It feels much more like playing a song, which of course you're actually doing, than "weaving a draft". The story really doesn't make a lot of sense at all at any point in the game. The introduction is cryptic. You know it's your birthday and for some reason all the other people from the island turn into swans and run away. They don't explain why. They just say Loom Child something something. Can they see the future? Why didn't they tell you about your past? Why didn't they let him near a distaff (the ocarina of the game) ? These things are never explained.
After leaving the island you see a whirlpool in the water that can't be passed without learning the "f" chord. I left the island the first time without this so I needed to go back. Going back seems strange because there's an outro cinematic. Why make a big deal about me leaving if I can just row back? Anyway I went back, got the "f" chord by spinning some straw into gold which is a Rumpelstiltskin thing. It was fun remembering that but if you'd never heard the fairytale or forgetten that part then this might not make sense. I then left the island a second time, watched the same outro cinematic, defused the whirlpool and got to the other island.
Bobbin finds a cup made of diamond in the guild of makers. AMAZING.
On this island there is a.. city? town? mound of green glass? It introduces some characters who you don't care about and foreshadows some war or something. There's also a chalice made of diamond which Bobbin, oh ya you play as a hobbit name Bobbin "He's not a hobbit!" you say? why does he sound like a hobbit and have a hobbit name? Probably just LotR stuck in their heads. Did people think hobbits had a slight British cadence before the films? Whatever. Bobbin points out that the diamond chalice in the glass guild is strange. All the art in the green glass guild is horrific for gameplay. You can't tell where you can walk. I think I was just lucky moving through this part of the game in the intended way. This is definitely where most players would be stuck if they do get stuck.
The game moves along from here to a forest. You meet some shepherds who aren't weavers like Bobbin but they can do some magic. It must be the same magic weavers from Loom use but for some reason Bobbin who has never practiced before today is way better at the spells than them so Bobbin’s weaver friends are implied to be much more magical I guess.
You then get picked up by a dragon and from here the game really falls apart. You don't care about what's going on. You don't care about any of the people you've met. There's something about this green hatted guy who gets his head knocked off wanting to raise the dead or something. It's just not interesting at all.
Bobbin meets his mother who is a swan from outer space.
You enter a rip in space which brings you to the Loom dimension. Maleficent from sleeping beauty was in there and she wants to take over the world now. You meet mother goose in outer space and then play Simon says with Maleficent before turning yourself into a Swan and flying off second star to the right, and straight on till morning.
They obviously set up a lot to be explained in sequals which of course never happened because this game was trash. The game had potential to be cool if it carried its asethetic from Loom Island forward. Just artistically it would have had a lot more to show. The story which is very much the focus was the worst part of the game. The only part of this game I'll remember a year from now is the name Bobbin Threadbare and there's a magic song to turn green things white and white things green.
It's a bad game. The talks are still good though. I recommend those.
