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Linux.com Raves About New Snap-Centric 'Nitrux' Distro (linux.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the gaga-for-GUIs dept.

An anonymous reader quotes Linux.com: What happens when you take Ubuntu 17.10, a new desktop interface (one that overlays on top of KDE), snap packages, and roll them all up into a pseudo rolling release? You get Nitrux. At first blush, this particular Linux distribution seems more of an experiment than anything else -- to show how much the KDE desktop can be tweaked to resemble the likes of the Elementary OS or MacOS desktops. At its heart, however, it's much more than that... This particular take on the Linux desktop is focused on the portable, universal nature of snap packages and makes use of a unique desktop, called Nomad, which sits atop KDE Plasma 5... The desktop includes a dock, a system/notification tray, a quick search tool (Plasma Search), and an app menu. Of all the elements on the desktop, it's the Plasma Search tool that will appeal to anyone looking for an efficient means to interact with their desktops. With this tool, you can just start typing on a blank desktop to see a list of results. Say, for example, you want to open LibreOffice writer; on the blank desktop, just start typing "libre" and related entries will appear...

Skilled Linux users should have no problem using Nitrux and might find themselves intrigued with the snap-centric Nomad desktop. The one advantage of having a distribution centered around snap packages would be the ease with which you could quickly install and uninstall a package, without causing issues with other applications... In the end, Nitrux is a beautiful desktop that is incredibly efficient to use -- only slightly hampered by an awkward installer and a lack of available snap packages. Give this distribution a bit of time to work out the kinks and it could become a serious contender.
The GUI-focused distro even includes Android apps in the menu -- although Linux.com's reviewer notes that "on two different installations, I have yet to get this feature to work. Even the pre-installed Android apps never start."

137 comments

  1. you can just start typing on a blank desktop by fustakrakich · · Score: 2

    The desktop is the new terminal, with autocomplete?

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    1. Re: you can just start typing on a blank desktop by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Complete with systemd.

    2. Re:you can just start typing on a blank desktop by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a fuzzy search, just like alfred, quicksilver, or the start menu search box.

    3. Re: you can just start typing on a blank desktop by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Incomplete with systemd.

      FTFY

  2. First!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    Yipee!!

  3. "Nitrux"? Sounds like a German slang word... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Nitrux"? Is that pronounced like "Nit-rucks"? That sounds an awful lot like a German slang term referring to an erect penis...

    1. Re: "Nitrux"? Sounds like a German slang word... by Monster_user · · Score: 1

      I pronounce it Nigh-Trucks Like Nitrous.

  4. "Beautiful"? What? by Yosho · · Score: 2, Informative

    Look, I'm not going to judge your GUI based on the fact that KDE has been a disaster for years or that you're based on a non-LTE Ubuntu distro that's going to be EOL before you finish getting your wireless driver working right or the fact that you think typing in your GUI to search for an application is a new innovation...

    But if you include "beautiful" in your tagline, the very first screenshot you use to advertise yourself better actually be beautiful, and not this piece of junk. Did the person who made that UI even know what margins are?

    --
    Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
    1. Re: "Beautiful"? What? by Monster_user · · Score: 2

      To LTE, or not to LTE, that is the question. It is kind of a new distribution right? So early adopters wouldn't want to be stuck with older packages. Especially since it doesn't seem they have a full solution right out of the gate. Take the feedback from a few months, or year, and push that into the next distribution. If the user base goes up, and the complaints go down, move to the LTE to focus on increasing snap packages. Then move back to syncing with the Ubuntu release cycle, once it has acheived significant popularity. On the subject of KDE, I think with KDE 5 find they finally have a version of KDE 5 worth using.

    2. Re: "Beautiful"? What? by Monster_user · · Score: 0

      *With KDE 5, they finally have a version of KDE 4 worth using. Plasma vs whatever the old KDE 1/2/3.x was built around.

  5. Who misses the old web? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    who misses when linux-related projects looked like openbsd.org. anyone nostalgic with me?

  6. Command line by pz · · Score: 4, Informative

    Funny, when I start typing on the command line, and hit tab, the same thing happens. Only then, after I select the application, I'm free to type the name of the file that I want to open, too. And any options that I want to select.

    And, from what I recall, those aspects were present in the command line, oh, back when I started with TOPS-20 in the mid 1980s, and might not have been new, then. Indeed, as I recall with the TOPS-20 command line, you were free to type a question mark at the start of any argument to see what the possible values were; now THAT was a sweet thing, because it eliminated 75% of the times I needed to look up the documentation.

    And, if the reader does not care to recognize computer history quite that old because of some encephalopathic imperfection, add-ons like Launchy have been doing exactly the same thing (type on the Windows desktop automatically engages searching for applications) for just over a decade now (since early 2007), and works under Linux, too.

    So, new feature? In no way or sense, except a perhaps incredibly narrow one such as "the developers never heard of it because they're too inexperienced."

    --

    Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
    1. Re:Command line by ItsJustAPseudonym · · Score: 2

      I think I'm perceiving a hint of disdain in your post. /s

    2. Re:Command line by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tab-complete != fuzzy search.

    3. Re:Command line by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Only then, after I select the application, I'm free to type the name of the file that I want to open, too. And any options that I want to select.

      And, from what I recall, those aspects were present in the command line, oh, back when I started with TOPS-20 in the mid 1980s, and might not have been new, then. Indeed, as I recall with the TOPS-20 command line, you were free to type a question mark at the start of any argument to see what the possible values were; now THAT was a sweet thing, because it eliminated 75% of the times I needed to look up the documentation.

      Indeed.

      About the TOPS-20 question mark: if you install bash-completion in Linux, you can also use the tab key in bash to complete options for most common commands, which will show you the possible values much like the TOPS-20 feature.

    4. Re: Command line by Monster_user · · Score: 1

      If you're advanced enough, tab completion is close enough. Just got to remember the first letter of the filename, and its path. along with the first two letters of the application to open it. Admittedly, there are some circumstances where tab completion isn't enough, and your forced to grep this or cat that. Fuzzy search is probably an improvement in that regard. Its just not a revolutionary leap forward for *nix.

    5. Re: Command line by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You don't even have to remember the path,in bash. It will auto-completion from your search path.

    6. Re: Command line by piojo · · Score: 1

      If tab completion were good enough, I wouldn't need to remember whatever soffice is calling itself this year.

      --
      A cat can't teach a dog to bark.
    7. Re: Command line by Monster_user · · Score: 1

      Type it enough, and you will pretty quickly. You should know the name of the software you install. I still call it soffice, the others are forks.

    8. Re: Command line by piojo · · Score: 1

      Type it enough, and you will pretty quickly. You should know the name of the software you install.

      Since neither my job nor my hobbies involve typesetting, and my resume is in LaTeX—I install/upgrade openoffice more often than I actually use it. I'll save my cache space for something more interesting.

      --
      A cat can't teach a dog to bark.
  7. in before the systemd complaints... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Waiting for the inevitable "whelp, it uses systemd, so I'll never bother with it", or similar.

    We get it. Systemd is the new evil. I even empathize a little. Doesn't mean that efforts trying to make desktop Linux should be crapped on, too.

    1. Re:in before the systemd complaints... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So try again without systemd. It's not difficult, no reason not to, every reason to do. So do.

    2. Re: in before the systemd complaints... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Please provide information that corroborates the idea that turning a systemd distribution into an init distro is "not that hard"

    3. Re: in before the systemd complaints... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But the systemd crowd have told us that it is a drop in replacement. So you are saying it's not? Well somebody lied.

  8. Issues with other application by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Please tell me, how can (un)installing one application cause issues with other applications that will not be caused when both applications are installed as snaps?

    1. Re:Issues with other application by jenningsthecat · · Score: 1

      Please tell me, how can (un)installing one application cause issues with other applications that will not be caused when both applications are installed as snaps?

      Explanation here. Basically, Snaps include most of the dependencies they need to run, so installing or upgrading one package is much less likely to break another by changing system-wide library versions and other dependencies. Probably uses a lot more disk space, but that's cheap enough these days that it's probably worth using it to avoid the Linux equivalent of DLL Hell.

      --
      'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
    2. Re: Issues with other application by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If the distro was set up to statically link non-standard shardedobs there would not be dependency issues and it works basically the way snaps do, except that it just happens to be a happy byproduct of designing the distro correctly.

    3. Re: Issues with other application by Monster_user · · Score: 1

      Uhm? I thin snaps work better when your libraries for each app require different version. I've seen this most apparent in packages from outside repositories which don't get maintained with the distro itself, and with WINE, where general compatibility may improve, but individual titles break.

    4. Re:Issues with other application by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

      Probably uses a lot more disk space, but that's cheap enough these days that it's probably worth using it to avoid the Linux equivalent of DLL Hell.

      Except the last time I remember actually having a problem like that was ~2007. It's really only an issue for proprietary applications that are no longer maintained, and who uses those on Linux?

      --
      This space intentionally left blank
    5. Re:Issues with other application by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Contestant: I'll take "programming techniques" for 400$.
      Trebek: This technique allows binaries to include libraries in them.
      Contestant: What are snaps?
      Trebek: No, the question was: what is static compilation.
      Contestant: Your mother was ecstatitc to have cum piled on her last night, Trebek.

      Jokes aside, this technique actually creates a DLL hell. DLL hell includes managing library variants on Your system, which is more of a security problem, not a usability problem -- tell me, which of Your snaps use which versions of openssl? In dynamically linked world, I can force all of my binaries to use a certain version, how can I do that for a snap?

    6. Re: Issues with other application by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why would different apps require outdated libraries with security issues? That sounds like the incompatible apps need to be updated. Anyway you already can install different versions of libraries on the same system without these packages.

  9. False Advertising by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The shitty article here has "beautiful" in the header, yet i've seen 4chan weebs churn out more appealing shit than that.
    Hell, i've seen examples of "use your Linux skills to create the Areo UI that Windows should have been" which take a shit on
    the wasted decades of life of the idiot who made this.
    One DeviantArt search produces more pleasing and uniform UI's from amateurs that look better than the pic in this article.
    A complete disgrace when a bunch of virgins who jack off to anime children being raped by tentacles can do a better job than you at setting up a proper looking UI.

    1. Re:False Advertising by glitch! · · Score: 1

      A complete disgrace when a bunch of virgins who jack off to anime children being raped by tentacles can do a better job than you at setting up a proper looking UI.

      "Sir, your ideas intrigue me. Do you have a newsletter I can subscribe to?"

      Welcome to Tentux, the UI driven by Anime and tentacles!

      --
      A dingo ate my sig...
    2. Re: False Advertising by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You seem angry. Don you have any talent to contribute to this project? Or are you too busy critiquing everyone else's work?

    3. Re: False Advertising by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I could open my anal cavity and a more visually pleasing object would come out than your shitty distro GUI.

  10. Their site is badly designed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    nxos.org disables scrolling (except on mobile, apparently) so that text is cut off at the bottom if the browser viewport isn't as tall as the designer expected.

    Seeing that they can't design Web pages properly hardly inclines me to try the software.

    1. Re:Their site is badly designed by reboot246 · · Score: 1

      I agree completely. That is exactly the kind of website I hate with a fiery passion. People who design websites like that should die slowly from a painful disease.

      Did it ever occur to the designer that some people like a little more control over how their browser uses their stupid website?

    2. Re: Their site is badly designed by Monster_user · · Score: 1

      On mobile, meaning Safari on iOS, it seems to require a double swipe to nagivate the page. The navigation links, which merge the text on the page resulting in Chinese like letters, don't work.

    3. Re:Their site is badly designed by markdavis · · Score: 1

      >"I agree completely. That is exactly the kind of website I hate with a fiery passion. People who design websites like that should die slowly from a painful disease."

      Yeah, I hate websites like this:

      Resource Limit Is Reached
      The website is temporarily unable to service your request as it exceeded resource limit. Please try again later.

      'cause that is all I get!

  11. Meh by SurenEnfiajyan · · Score: 1

    Yet another pointless distro.

  12. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Yes, beauty is in the eyes of the beer-holder.
    I have been using KDE since its beginning, every foray into other desktops have made be go back to KDE, which I set up as I like it, colors, icons etc.
    I have NEVER seen a prepackaged desktop that I liked. Every effort to design some desktop theme will result in a failure. This is Linux, you customize it, it is not Apple "look and feel" shit. I'm in charge, desktop themers go make yourself useful with something else.
    The current trend of desktops are very white, small icons, weak pastel colors, thin borders, and so on. Abhorrent to these eyes.
    I could tell you how I'm customizing my desktop, by I will not. You should set your own one up as YOU like it. Linux means choice, do no impose your taste on others, for fux ache.

  13. Docks need to die by Luthair · · Score: 2

    Apple's dock concept needs to die, while designers like it because its "simple" in reality its more complicated to use than a traditional taskbar and is a less efficient use of space.

    1. Re:Docks need to die by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Agreed. Too much focus on what looks elegant from what works as a user.
      Icons, a Menu Button, and a terminal field on a taskbar work great. Just get out of the way.

    2. Re:Docks need to die by Waccoon · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Every UX designer in the world needs to read The Design of Everyday Things. It explains at length how oversimplifying an interface can greatly increase its functional complexity.

    3. Re:Docks need to die by erapert · · Score: 1

      What if the GUI designers and developers gave the users the ability to configure their desktop? i.e. A checkbox for whether or not to enable the dock.

  14. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't be mean. If developers have to have everything polished from the get go, nothing would ever be developed.

  15. No thanks by boulat · · Score: -1, Troll

    The world doesn't need another Linux distro. We already have Ubuntu/Debian and Fedora/CentOS.

    What we really need is unification, optimization, and a smoothly UI/UX.

    Someone needs to EOL Gentoo, Arch, Mandriva, Slackware, Suse et al who keep clogging up search results and waste bandwidth with their shit distros.

    1. Re:No thanks by boudie2 · · Score: 1

      As a user of Gentoo for over a decade and on behalf of the other users of Gentoo, fugoff!

    2. Re:No thanks by ArchieBunker · · Score: 1

      Nope I like Slackware. I like how you install a base system and then add the programs you need. Instead of these distros with six terrible web browsers and 20 half assed clones of the same text editor.

      --
      Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
    3. Re:No thanks by boulat · · Score: 1

      In Ubuntu/Debian/Fedora/CentOS please specify which "20 half assed clones of same text editor" are you referring to?

      Most distros have same packages, written by other people not even related to distributions.

      But for some reason the rest of the Linux user community is forced to deal with different package names, different package managers, missing or incompatible packages, jank on jank inside of a jank 2 miles outside of jank central - its just offensive to the user. A total disregard for _my_ personal time when I just want to get shit done and have to deal with troubleshooting the freeware shit others put out without regard for the craftsmanship.

    4. Re:No thanks by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 1

      Not Slackware. We need a DIY distro. Sure, it's a niche and most people won't want it, but it needs to exist.

    5. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uhm, fuck you. Arch Linux was recently rated one of the top distros. Gentoo, too.

      Troll.

    6. Re:No thanks by boulat · · Score: 0

      Wrong.

      Arch Linux and Gentoo are two of arguable worst Linux distributions out there.

    7. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A total disregard for _my_ personal time when I just want to get shit done

      Both your posts were written with complete disregard for my personal time, but you don't hear me complaining. You're allowed to express your own opinion, just like other people are with _their_ preferences for a particular distro, package, manager, et all.

    8. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Citation, please.

      Your opinion in this thread doesn't count.

    9. Re:No thanks by boulat · · Score: 1

      Wrong.

      Dont conflate context with standards.

      When I'm using a Linux distribution I expect it to be working and to have been tested by average-to-above-average-competence developers.

      When you come to Slashdot and you decide to post and read comments, you are agreeing to a social contract that stipulates that your opinion will be challenged, and your stupidity highlighted.

    10. Re:No thanks by boulat · · Score: 1

      Citation of what? Someone else's opinion? Wrong.

      When you argue with me, you argue with my opinion.

      Bringing 'citations' is conceding the point that your opinion is not enough on its own merit.

      Please elevate your game and bring some substance to this conversation.

      Thanks

    11. Re:No thanks by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      Yes, damn those distributions that force you to use their browser instead of installing what you like.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    12. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are arguable worst writer in the slash dots.

    13. Re: No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What are you complaining about, exactly?

      That Synaptic is not a KDE5/Qt application? That Debian doesn't use RPM? I don't get it.

    14. Re: No thanks by Monster_user · · Score: 1

      There is a "Post Anonymously" checkbox in close proximity to the submit button, and "Done" on the iOS keyboard,... The above comment was mine,...

    15. Re: No thanks by boulat · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure if you responding to me, but I have no qualms with Debian/Ubuntu/Fedora/CentOS/KDE/RPM/APT/QT5/GTK3.

    16. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      that will happen when north korea agrees to peaceful unification, drops its weapons, digs up its land mines, and hands the keys to its nuclear program over to the americans.

      many linux developers, especially those 'in charge' of their respective projects, have bigger and more fragile egos and bigger sticks up their own asses than supreme leader does. why do you think the ecosystem is filled with 'angry forks'? these guys will never, ever get along.

    17. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When you come to Slashdot and you decide to post and read comments, you are agreeing to a social contract that stipulates that your opinion will be challenged, and your stupidity highlighted.

      It seems that you opinion is being challenged, and your stupidity highlighted.

    18. Re:No thanks by boudie2 · · Score: 1

      The conversation was about the "new snap-centric Nutrix distro" until someone decided that Arch, Gentoo and Slackware should somehow be tossed out of existence as they don't fit their opinion of a proper Linux. Even though the User Interface is independent of them. It's quite straightforward to do whatever you want with these distros, in fact users are encouraged. They're not a corporation, not beholden to anyone and not trying to work some angle on their users. You can't have too many Linux distros, it's self regulating, if one is no good people stop using it. And actually Gentoo is a meta-distribution, it can be used to make a distro, as Google uses it to make ChromeOS. It's not for everyone but should get more credit than it does.

    19. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Me thinks boulat is one of those guys.

    20. Re:No thanks by Barsteward · · Score: 1

      "A total disregard for _my_ personal time when I just want to get shit done and have to deal with troubleshooting the freeware shit others put out without regard for the craftsmanship." - stop spending time ranting in slashdot to get your "shit done"and contribute to the "freeware shit" you happily freeload by fixing it.

      --
      "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
    21. Re:No thanks by Barsteward · · Score: 1

      is that down to your inability to make them work for you?

      --
      "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
    22. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They should just merge with iOS and Windows. Then it'll be complete unification and one OS that everyone uses. Sure, no one will like it, and it'll be teeth-gnashingly frustrating, but it's better to have unification and one OS that does a fair fraction of what everyone needs plus a bunch of frustrating other things that may be bothersome for some individuals to constantly deal with but is something a more general user may or may not use and hate, than to have a million possibilities that each person can waste time on finding the most suitable, most customized distribution, and filling up the internet past the Full line with search results that don't apply to me.

  16. Linux features amuse me by Osgeld · · Score: 4, Funny

    not just this one, but they all do something similar

    "enjoy your music" like holy fucking shit finally an operating system that plays music, thank god its 3rd bullet point on the homepage

    1. Re:Linux features amuse me by tepples · · Score: 2

      Only very recently have the MP3 patents expired in Slashdot's home country.

  17. Important info: by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 2

    The distro uses Systemd and it's .deb based so it's passing on all the Ubuntu/Debian packages that require Systemd as well. Not a troll, just info for people who don't want Systemd.

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    1. Re:Important info: by boulat · · Score: 0

      Another reason its utter garbage. Nobody in their right mind uses systemd.

    2. Re:Important info: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      think again you basement dwelling douchbag

    3. Re:Important info: by Barsteward · · Score: 1

      the rest of the world thinks differently to you bar a few other trolls.

      --
      "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
    4. Re:Important info: by jon3k · · Score: 1

      * and everyone using Slackware, Artix, Devuan, the BSDs and every other Linux distro that has chosen a different init system. Apparently Patrick Volkerding is just a "troll" and you're the real Linux expert.

    5. Re:Important info: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Nobody in their right mind uses systemd.

      People in their right mind use systemd.

      Nobody in their right mind LIKES it.

  18. Re: "Beautiful"? What? by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 3, Funny

    To LTE, or not to LTE, that is the question.

    It is kind of a new distribution right?.

    3G should be good enough for anyone.

    --
    I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
  19. On top of KDE? by QuietLagoon · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...one that overlays on top of KDE...

    The last time I used KDE (about a couple years ago), I dismissed it as being too bloated to survive. Now a distribution is taking KDE and building atop it? Has KDE gone through a significant slimming down recently?

    1. Re:On top of KDE? by Tough+Love · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Has KDE gone through a significant slimming down recently?

      KDE has been less bloated than Gnome for many years.

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    2. Re:On top of KDE? by OctobrX · · Score: 1

      KDE, has long since been quite bloated as well as suffering from interaction with a lot of "normal" gtk based apps: (Think Firefox). When one app has its native UI built in one toolkit and another has it's UI built with another toolkit, you aren't going to get a seamless look and feel. My problem with KDE (And I've used it on and off since KFM 1.0) is that a lot of the main apps I use are GTK based; whenever you use KDE it always feels a bit slow and hoggish. The themes never seem quite well thought out and always feel "tacked on". There really needs to be a clean theme such as Adapta for QT/KDE but the problem again is going to come back to those "pesky" gtk apps getting in the way of the overall feel and cohesion.

      I'm not getting down on KDE, nor do I think it's a bad desktop. There are some cool features, but yeah... I'm interested in seeing what is up with this new Nitrux desktop.

      I've been running Cinnamon on top of Ubuntu 17.04 lately and while it's ok, I always wish there was something a bit better.

      --
      geeky stuff I'm proud to have been a part of: linux.com / themes.org / sourceforge.net / sicnus.com
    3. Re:On top of KDE? by hey! · · Score: 2

      Well pretty much every desktop system is bloated now, because they solve an obsolete problem: turning a desktop or laptop into a kind of switchboard for all your organizational and information needs.

      That's an obsolete problem because most (although of course not all) people have decided to use their phones for this purpose. Desktops and laptops are used in a more task-oriented way in which distractions aren't welcome.

      I personally switched to the i3 tiling wm last year, and I've been amazed how little I miss... well everything that desktop environments give you.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    4. Re:On top of KDE? by erapert · · Score: 1

      You realize that you can install any DE you want, right? XFCE, LXDE, and many others are right there in the software repos waiting to be installed.

  20. Desktop Linux or Android? by freeze128 · · Score: 1

    What's with the Android apps in that screenshot? Is this a desktop linux distro, or an android os?

  21. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

    I wanted to try it, but there is no .iso to install with. Only some weird .img file for a USB stick. Eventually found a VirtualBox appliance that converted over to VMWare okay.

    It's okay... the visuals are fine. I mean, it's a desktop, I only use it to launch apps and open terminal windows. The bundled apps are mostly the usual crapware, form over function, but you can install better ones. And as ever, the mouse wheel doesn't work very well without hacks.

    So basically it's a pretty average distro with an annoying, scroll-breaking website and no simple way to install in a VM.

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  22. KDE turds by fluffernutter · · Score: 0

    Since it's built on KDE, I'm going to go ahead and assume it's going to run like a turd on less powerful machines.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    1. Re:KDE turds by Tough+Love · · Score: 2

      Since it's built on KDE, I'm going to go ahead and assume it's going to run like a turd on less powerful machines.

      Nonsense, KDE runs nicely even on wimpy machines like ancient netbooks. You might want to turn off some 3D desktop effects.

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    2. Re:KDE turds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd given up on KDE for years after the whole 4.x debacle but gave it a try again recently and 5.10 runs quite well even on my rather wimpy laptop, certainly better than GNOME.

    3. Re:KDE turds by gordguide · · Score: 0

      Since it's built on KDE, I'm going to go ahead and assume it's going to run like a turd on less powerful machines.

      *Minimum* requirement is a 2.66 GHz Quad Core "or better" and 4GB RAM, so, yeah. You are correct.

    4. Re:KDE turds by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      The distribution shouldn't be installing with effects enabled that the system can't handle. I was briefly using Linux Mint with KDE 1-2 years ago and it was very choppy no matter what I did. Installed it on a netbook and it was almost unusable. Went to elementary OS and it was smooth by comparison. I've never been able to use KDE on anything low powered and have it work smoothly, but perhaps things are drastically better now.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    5. Re:KDE turds by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

      I've never been able to use KDE on anything low powered and have it work smoothly, but perhaps things are drastically better now.

      I can still run modern KDE on an ancient Pentium M. You must be "holding it wrong".

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    6. Re:KDE turds by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      It depends on your definition of 'work'. It will be functional, but elements will take time to draw and it will get in your way.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    7. Re:KDE turds by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

      It depends on your definition of 'work'. It will be functional, but elements will take time to draw and it will get in your way.

      OK, let's define "works" as "works well". No, the 2D UI does not take significant time to draw, unless you have misconfigured your effects settings.

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    8. Re:KDE turds by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

      I've got a netbook I bought for $295 in 2009, for which the 3D graphics driver was dropped 7 years ago. It has no trouble running kubuntu.

      --
      This space intentionally left blank
    9. Re:KDE turds by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      I'll make a point of setting Kubuntu against Lubuntu next time I install on my atom machine and see which is snappier.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    10. Re:KDE turds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nonsense, KDE runs nicely even on wimpy machines like ancient netbooks. You might want to turn off some 3D desktop effects.

      Nonsense yourself - plasma desktop search alone is enough to turn the disk into a dog. And to add insult to injury they try to make it difficult to turn off because reasons.

    11. Re:KDE turds by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

      plasma desktop search alone is enough to turn the disk into a dog. And to add insult to injury they try to make it difficult to turn off because reasons

      Somewhat true, at least in the past. I used to always turn it off (contrary to your claim, that is easy) but just now I noticed I have it on, with no apparent overhead. Now turning it off for comparison. The point is, you can turn it off. No idea what you're going on about.

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    12. Re:KDE turds by Barsteward · · Score: 1

      bad workmen always blames their tools

      --
      "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
    13. Re:KDE turds by Barsteward · · Score: 1

      that's a "disclaimer" not a fact like "it won't work", if others have it working fine on lesser kit then it still works.

      --
      "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
    14. Re:KDE turds by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      Hey I installed Kubuntu on my little media box last night and I have to say.. I was pleasantly surprised! You're right, it runs very smoothly and even looks pretty good. So much different than my Linux Mint experience.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  23. Re: "Beautiful"? What? by Monster_user · · Score: 1

    +1 Funny! I'm sure the commenter was referring to LTS, I just repeated his mistake without thinking.

  24. buzzword buzzword buzzword by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'll probably lose my lunch at the answer but WTF is a snap package?

    The whole thing sounds like BS. Nothing they describe sounds like new functionality at all, certainly not require drastic changes in how things are done or a special packaging system.

    1. Re: buzzword buzzword buzzword by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Include a unique copy of all shared libraries for each program and you get snap packages. Worse than pure static elf binaries all around... What a lovely use of a hdd, right?

  25. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

    I wanted to try it, but there is no .iso to install with. Only some weird .img file for a USB stick.

    Welcome to the 21st century!
      1) Copy image file to USB stick
      2) Reboot, enter bios, make the USB stick the first boot device
      3) Continue boot

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  26. Website by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If their OS is as horrible as their website, I'll pass.

  27. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by Yosho · · Score: 1

    If developers have to have everything polished from the get go, nothing would ever be developed.

    That's fair, but maybe you shouldn't call your UI "beautiful" right out of the gate if you're blatantly violating basic UI principles for no good reason.

    --
    Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
  28. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by Yosho · · Score: 1

    You should set your own one up as YOU like it. Linux means choice, do no impose your taste on others, for fux ache.

    I'm not talking about high-level things like the color scheme or the actual usability of it. Did you look at the screenshot I linked to? I doubt there is any convenient way to tweak that desktop so that it doesn't have asymmetric margins around highlighted icons. Heck, they're not just asymmetrical, the bottom of that highlight border is actually cutting through the text.

    --
    Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
  29. Re: "Beautiful"? What? by Yosho · · Score: 1

    Well, sure, that's why I said I wasn't judging them based on those things. I'm judging them based on their margins and borders committing fundamental sins against design.

    --
    Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
  30. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by sodul · · Score: 1

    Welcome to the 21st century!
    enter bios, make the USB stick the first boot device

    On my shiny MacBook Pro I want to run it under a VM.

  31. Re: "Beautiful"? What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wtf? Why did your mom let you use Linux?

    dd if=$IMGFILE of=$USBSTICK bs=1M

    Reboot, use boot menu key like a non-tard, select USB device

  32. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by fluffernutter · · Score: 2

    You reach the most people by making it work easily on a VM. iso is the way to go for that. I have to agree, stupid to go with img only. Makes them look like a bunch of rookies.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  33. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by boulat · · Score: 1

    LOL

    How is this flamebait. This guy is hilarious

  34. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

    What tool do I use to copy it? Why can't I just boot it directly in a VM?

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  35. awful web design by doctorvo · · Score: 2

    I hope the web design isn't a preview for their user interface, because it is terrible.

    1. Re:awful web design by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Resource Limit Is Reached

      The website is temporarily unable to service your request as it exceeded resource limit. Please try again later.

      Interesting web design from them indeed.

    2. Re:awful web design by Gornkleschnitzer · · Score: 1

      The Slashdot Effect still lives, apparently!

  36. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not to mention it's similar to that amateur-looking "Material Design" garbage that Google came up with.

    If only operating systems would return to looking good and being functional instead of trying to fill the entire screen with as much whitespace as possible.

  37. i installed the wrong thing called snap by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    son of a bitch. i just spent the last 2 hours installing some huge project called snap, and its requirments. i kept looking for snapd and none found.

  38. Re: "Beautiful"? What? by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 1

    I just figured LTS had acquired a new name while I wasn't looking. I guess not.

    --
    I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
  39. Just more fragmented fun by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Gee, how many freaking Linux distro's is their now? For all of around 3% of PC users?? Seriously, it's no surprise Linux for desktops suck. Anytime someone get's a wild hair to do Linux desktop a little different they create yet another distro. The Linux development for the desktop is so splintered its never going to succeed at this point. Its completely pointless to think all these distro's won't just cannibalize each other. They compete so much with each other and do little to gain ground on Windows, Mac OS or even Chrome OS.

  40. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

    Why can't I just boot it directly in a VM?

    You can. <facepalms at some of the replies in this thread>

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  41. When the **** by CptLoRes · · Score: 1

    did typing in a search query become an efficient way to navigate a desktop interface?

  42. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

    How do I boot the image in VM Ware without using a USB drive?

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  43. The big question .... by thadtheman · · Score: 0

    does it use systemd?

    1. Re:The big question .... by Barsteward · · Score: 1

      have you heard of something on the internet called a search engine? you must be new to the internet.

      --
      "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
  44. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

    How do I boot the image in VM Ware without using a USB drive?

    Boot from the image without copying it to the USB key.

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  45. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

    VMWare does not support ".IMG" image files. You have to convert them manually.

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  46. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

    Use KVM.

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  47. Anbox by tepples · · Score: 2

    Ideally, one would be able to install an Android container to run Android apps on a desktop Linux operating system. Only app publishers' dependence on Google Play Store and Google Play Services keeps this from being a reality.

  48. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by tepples · · Score: 1

    Then mount the image in your VM as a virtual USB Mass Storage device. Or write it to a physical flash drive and enable USB passthrough in your VM. Both .iso and .e4fs are disk images; they just use a different file system.

  49. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

    That's idiotic, why would I write to a physical flash drive to load an OS to a virtual machine? It kind of defeats the purpose of being virtual in the first place. Sure img can be converted to vmdk, but I'm lazy and it's not worth it to me to go through all that effort. If they don't want lazy people to see their OS than fine, but that's probably 70% of the people any new linux distro might target, and it seems like a bad decision to me.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  50. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by Trondheim · · Score: 1

    Here's a utility that creates a .vmdk descriptor file for a .img:

    https://sourceforge.net/projec...

  51. Re:"Beautiful"? What? by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 1

    How DARE you suggest the emperor actually has no clothes on! Can you not see the finery he's wearing?

    --
    Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
  52. Website is now slashdotted by zwarte+piet · · Score: 1

    Was it worth the visit?

  53. Snap seems like a bad idea by HalAtWork · · Score: 1

    Doesn't it just bring monolithic apps bundled with libraries that can't be individually updated except by the person building the snap package? Sounds like a security risk. Is that the case or am I misunderstanding?

    --
    Twinstiq, game news
  54. Read the book... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you interested in the early history of Linux, read "Rebel Code: Linux and the Open Source Revolution" by Glyn Moody. This is a great read and one of my favorite Linux book.

    Captcha: truncate

  55. Re: "Beautiful"? What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You are the reason that the open source community (and Apple fanbois) gets a reputation for being a bunch of entitled, whiney bitches. You want to use a brand new Linux distro in a VM on your MacBook but you're too lazy to convert the img to vmdk? How dare these purveyors of free software not cater to your use case. Do you also complain loudly at restaurants because the head chef never considered your obscure paleo gf pesco-vegan peanut and soy allergy dietary restriction?