The idea to create a new Calculate Linux Scratch (CLS) distro was for a long time. We have identified two main reasons for the CLD which don't suit fans of Gentoo. First - this is the availability of programs, which are not satisfied the specific users for some reasons. The second - the lack of Gnome assembly. As a result, we decided that the CLS should contain only the software, which will be installed in 95% of cases: Xorg, Firefox, Wicd, Gnome or KDE, drivers, libraries, system utilities and Calculate Scratch Manager.

The main argument in favor of this distribution was the such system building wouldn't require a lot of resources. And so, despite the fact that the distribution seemed to us unclaimed firstly. I wish to notice that all the projects we develop in most cases uses by our company. As a non-profit project, in the first place we are trying to solve the necessary tasks for us. For example, for this reason, the distribution hasn't had a graphical installer yet.

I must say that the Calculate Linux Desktop KDE / XFCE 9.7 releases was met with several disapprovingly. Some news sites have refused to publish the news about XFCE version, considering that it doubles the news about KDE version of Calculate Linux. And what can we do, if XFCE and KDE versions are different in software composition, in the desktop settings and are being collected and tested at different times, but both of them have common roots Calculate/Calculate2. Therefore, the majority of innovations for them are the general.

I couldn't built the CLS with GNOME immediately, and it was enough strangely. I hadn't time to deal with GNOME packets errors and postponed it for later. Meanwhile, the idea of Scratch-system has continuously worked.

Now we can say that the Calculate Linux Scratch 9.8 will be released, and it will be very interesting things!

Calculate will be putthe CLS in the normal mode, and in the "Scratch". Installation by "--scratch" option will be going with moving in the «squashfs» partition for installation with directories creation for the mount unionfs-st. When you download the system you will get a "sandwich" in the bottom layer of which will be based on the Scratch system, then will be going the layer for "Delta" building, and follow the "Workspace", which itself will be recorded the effects of our stay in your system. At the CLS installation from the ISO image file, I've spent 19 seconds (!).

Why have we needed the Scratch mode? I know two ways to compile Gentoo distribution - in a highlighted section use the «chroot», or removing the effects of your stay in the system. The second way I have never used, because In my opinion it is not sufficiently effective. Scratch just allow to combine all the advantages of these two assembly methods - to work in the system and collected by the assembler in a separate section. We will add another interesting feature — backspace of changes by simple removing the files from the "Delta" layer.

CLS would not be so attractive to us if it did not have another positive quality. For Calculate Linux Desktop KDE / XFCE it will replace stage3, reducing assembly time in 2-5 times. We are closer than ever to create a Gnome version of Calculate Linux Desktop.

Of course, these are not all pluses. The Scratch can be improved by adding support for mounting more than one «squashfs» layer. CLS will be able to run "under" CLD and connect its window manager ...

The technology, which we named the Scratch, will be added in the next version of CLD 9.8. As you can guess, using it you will be able to change the CLD packages composition, transform it into something unknown, replacing the theme design. An excellent tool in the hands of the administrator, isn't it?