http://www.linuxformat.comROUNDUP Beginner distros
http://www.techradar.com/pro/linux March 2020 LXF260 29Beginner distros ROUNDUP
Solus 9/10
Solus is a rolling-release distribution like
Manjaro. All available applications undergo
testing by the developers before the distro
offers them to users. This ensures that
users don’t accidentally break anything
by installing an untested bleeding-edge
application. Solus doesn’t ship with a
backup utility out of the box, but you can
easily install one from the Software Center.
Like Deepin and Elementary OS, it too
features a custom desktop environment.
Budgie doesn’t support creating icons on
the desktop by default. You can change
this by launching the Budgie Desktop
Settings utility, which lets you configure
various elements of the desktop, as well as
the Raven sidebar. You can also add an
additional panel at the top of the screen,
with its own array of widgets, such as
Caffeine. If enabled, the Caffeine widget
ensures that your system is not suspended
or locked for the specified duration.Manjaro 10/10
Manjaro is based on Arch Linux – one
of the most beloved rolling-release
distributions. Like its parent, Manjaro is
incredibly malleable and easy to extend.
It’s also one of the most thoroughly
documented distros, and you’re unlikely
to ever lack help you should run into
trouble with it.
You’re greeted with a helpful Welcome
screen when you boot into Manjaro. It
provides quick links to different avenues of
help, such as the forum, wiki, etc. You can
also change the language of the Welcome
screen using the button on the top left.
With its focus on usability and its rolling
nature, which means you never have to
perform a fresh installation but can keep
the system updated by regularly installing
updates as they roll in, the distribution
offers plenty to please advanced users as
well as beginners looking for an intuitive
distribution to get started with.Zorin OS 8/10
If you’re dissatisfied with the default
desktop layout, you can change it using the
Zorin Appearance utility. It provides three
different layouts. You can also use this
utility to tweak the location of the pane and
add other elements to it, such as the date.
Like all the other distributions, Zorin OS
can play a wide assortment of audio and
video files out of the box. Also on offer is
Zorin Connect, a custom utility to connect
with your Android devices.
Our past experiences with Zorin OS
have always been positive, and we’ve been
impressed with its speed and
performance. But the latest release is
disappointing. Often the desktop presents
inexplicable jarring artefacts. When you
move between categories on the launcher,
sometimes the content doesn’t change
correctly. Moving the mouse over the area
results in the changes being displayed,
similar to a scratch card.VERDICT
he desktop environment (DE) is the collection of all the
graphical elements that you can see on the desktop,
such as windows, toolbars and icons – as well as a
Window Manager, which is responsible for the appearance of the
windows in the GUI. You’re unlikely to persist with a distribution
if you detest the look and behaviour of its DE.
Zorin OS produces two free editions. The core edition, which
is the subject of this Roundup, ships with the Gnome 3 desktop
environment. It’s one of the oldest DE available and the default on
dozens of Linux distributions. The Zorin Lite edition, intended for
older machines, favours the lightweight Xfce environment.
Manjaro ships three official editions. We’ve featured the KDE
edition in this Roundup, but the project also offers editions
favouring Gnome and the Xfce desktop environment. KDE is
well regarded as a highly configurable desktop environment.
The Manjaro user community is also responsible for producing
editions of the distribution featuring other desktop environments,
such as Budgie, Cinnamon, LXDE, MATE, etc.Desktop environment
Should beginners even care?
T
DEEPIN 9/10
ELEMENTARY OS 9/10
MANJARO 10/10SOLUS 9/10
ZORIN OS 8/10The other three distros ship with their own home-grown
desktop environments. The developers have spent considerable
time and effort in producing an elegant and easy-to-use desktop
in Deepin Desktop Environment (DDE). It has a blend of offerings
from other desktop environments like KDE, Gnome, Budgie, etc.
Budgie is Solus’s home-grown desktop environment and is
designed to provide a simple yet elegant experience.
Pantheon is a minimalist yet stylish desktop environment
and the default on Elementary OS. Its intuitive design makes
for a pleasant user experience.With their vast software repositories, it’s quite easy to install a different
desktop environment on each of these distributions.2226March 0 h6rDepihDpnElmt March 2020 LXF260 29
Beginner distros ROUNDUP
Solus 9/10
Solus is a rolling-release distribution like
Manjaro. All available applications undergo
testing by the developers before the distro
offers them to users. This ensures that
users don’t accidentally break anything
by installing an untested bleeding-edge
application. Solus doesn’t ship with a
backup utility out of the box, but you can
easily install one from the Software Center.
Like Deepin and Elementary OS, it too
features a custom desktop environment.
Budgie doesn’t support creating icons on
the desktop by default. You can change
this by launching the Budgie Desktop
Settings utility, which lets you configure
various elements of the desktop, as well as
the Raven sidebar. You can also add an
additional panel at the top of the screen,
with its own array of widgets, such as
Caffeine. If enabled, the Caffeine widget
ensures that your system is not suspended
or locked for the specified duration.Manjaro 10/10
Manjaro is based on Arch Linux – one
of the most beloved rolling-release
distributions. Like its parent, Manjaro is
incredibly malleable and easy to extend.
It’s also one of the most thoroughly
documented distros, and you’re unlikely
to ever lack help you should run into
trouble with it.
You’re greeted with a helpful Welcome
screen when you boot into Manjaro. It
provides quick links to different avenues of
help, such as the forum, wiki, etc. You can
also change the language of the Welcome
screen using the button on the top left.
With its focus on usability and its rolling
nature, which means you never have to
perform a fresh installation but can keep
the system updated by regularly installing
updates as they roll in, the distribution
offers plenty to please advanced users as
well as beginners looking for an intuitive
distribution to get started with.
ZorinOS 8/10
If you’re dissatisfied with the default
desktop layout, you can change it using the
Zorin Appearance utility. It provides three
different layouts. You can also use this
utility to tweak the location of the pane and
add other elements to it, such as the date.
Like all the other distributions, Zorin OS
can play a wide assortment of audio and
video files out of the box. Also on offer is
Zorin Connect, a custom utility to connect
with your Android devices.
Our past experiences with Zorin OS
have always been positive, and we’ve been
impressed with its speed and
performance. But the latest release is
disappointing. Often the desktop presents
inexplicable jarring artefacts. When you
move between categories on the launcher,
sometimes the content doesn’t change
correctly. Moving the mouse over the area
results in the changes being displayed,
similar to a scratch card.VERDICT
he desktop environment (DE) is the collection of all the
graphical elements that you can see on the desktop,
such as windows, toolbars and icons – as well as a
WindowManager, which is responsible for the appearance of the
windows in the GUI. You’re unlikely to persist with a distribution
if you detest the look and behaviour of its DE.
Zorin OS produces two free editions. The core edition, which
is the subject of this Roundup, ships with the Gnome 3 desktop
environment. It’s one of the oldest DE available and the default on
dozens of Linux distributions. The Zorin Lite edition, intended for
older machines, favours the lightweight Xfce environment.
Manjaro ships three official editions. We’ve featured the KDE
edition in this Roundup, but the project also offers editions
favouring Gnome and the Xfce desktop environment. KDE is
well regarded as a highly configurable desktop environment.
The Manjaro user community is also responsible for producing
editions of the distribution featuring other desktop environments,
such as Budgie, Cinnamon, LXDE, MATE, etc.
Desktop environment
Should beginners even care?
T
DEEPIN 9/10
ELEMENTARYOS 9/10
MANJARO 10/10SOLUS 9/10
ZORINOS 8/10The other three distros ship with their own home-grown
desktop environments. The developers have spent considerable
time and effort in producing an elegant and easy-to-use desktop
in Deepin Desktop Environment (DDE). It has a blend of offerings
from other desktop environments like KDE, Gnome, Budgie, etc.
Budgie is Solus’s home-grown desktop environment and is
designed to provide a simple yet elegant experience.
Pantheon is a minimalist yet stylish desktop environment
and the default on Elementary OS. Its intuitive design makes
for a pleasant user experience.With their vast software repositories, it’s quite easy to install a different
desktop environment on each of these distributions.