The history

SolydXK’s history goes back to another popular Linux distro – Linux Mint. The KDE and Debian edition was most favorite of the key developer, Arjen Balfoort. It was his expectation of two of these flavors blended into one. As it didn’t happen officially, Balfoort decided to make his own distribution.

This gave the birth of “The unofficial LMDE Xfce”. With the help of the community, the Xfce version was derived. When the unofficial editions were not becoming official, Arjen Balfoort decided to put these 2 great distros on their own feet.

Features

Since the initial release of SolydXK in 2013, it’s always been pretty amazing. SolydXK comes in 2 different environments – KDE and XFCE. That’s where the name comes in – SolydX with XFCE desktop and SolydK with KDE Plasma desktop. Both of them are pretty awesome and nice looking. However, due to the simplicity of XFCE, I’m mostly attracted to SolydX edition. KDE is a nice one but their recent changes to the system & organization force me a lot of work.

Another thing I like about Xfce is the lightweight environment. Everything is organized in a neat & clean way.

Unless you’re an experienced KDE user or willing to put time on re-arranging everything, KDE is better left alone.

Keeping the system up-to-date is a most important feature of every Linux distro. The most important feature SolydXK provides is the rolling update system. It’s not a common feature of other Linux distros except a few ones. It saves a lot of time-consuming procedures for performing manual updates. Moreover, when a major update is released, you don’t have to re-install the entire OS – everything is right on the spot.

Things not inside

SolydXK ships with the minimum programs installed like a browser (Firefox), multimedia support (VLC) and office suite (LibreOffice). The sparse selection of apps is only bare necessities. It’s more a convenience than a drawback.

If you need any toolkit or program, you can simply install it through the Software Manager. Another important thing is, you need to update all your packages to the latest version. The default installation of Firefox is 52, where Firefox 58 is released. It’s just a simple process – nothing big of a deal, right?

Security is, nowadays, an important factor for everyone. Especially the Meltdown and Spectre has shaken the world. The latest update of SolydXK contains the kernel patch for the flaw. For rolling update system, you don’t have to manually update or download the entire OS from scratch.

The bottom line

Personally, I love the SolydXK. Those who love stability, a well-designed & well-managed Linux distro, SolydXK is their perfect choice. Currently, I’m sticking with SolydX, the Xfce edition. The KDE edition seems a bit uninviting but if you have the time to spare, it’s worth it with the tons of graphic embellishments.

The post SolydXK – A New Distro for Your Collection appeared first on Linux Windows and android Tutorials.

This new one is based on the openSUSE, the best & free alternative to RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux). GeckoLinux is a spin of openSUSE. With a cleaner & lighter system, this is a perfect alternative for openSUSE for general users.

There are plenty of reasons to choose GeckoLinux. For example, you’re an openSUSE user for a long time. You may need to change your OS or refresh your mind with a different distro. This openSUSE spin has every feature you need to be on your desktop. Let’s get GeckoLinux.

The features

• Live DVD/USB image – run GeckoLinux before you install
• Desktop – GeckoLinux comes up with a big library of available desktop environments: Cinnamon, GNOME, Plasma, XFCE, Budgie, Mate, Barebones & LXQt. Just pick up your favorite one!
• Pre-installed software – GeckoLinux comes up with a good collection of pre-installed software (LibreOffice, Clementine, Thunderbird, GParted etc.) and proprietary media codecs. You don’t have to install anything else externally.
• Font rendering – If you’ve used openSUSE, you’ll notice the difference clearly. GeckoLinux completely overwhelms in this case. According to official GeckoLinux, quote,” GeckoLinux comes preconfigured with what many would consider being good font rendering, whereas many users find openSUSE’s default font configuration to be less than desirable.”
• Program uninstall – GeckoLinux allows uninstalling a program along with its dependencies. In openSUSE, the system often re-installed uninstalled packages.
• GeckoLinux doesn’t force install any recommended package after initial installation. OpenSUSE is pretty troublesome – automatically installed many recommended package dependencies when the package manager run the first time. It’s worth mentioning that GeckoLinux uses the same package manager as openSUSE – the RPM (zipper) manager.

Installation

GeckoLinux is a really lightweight OS. As it’s based on openSUSE, it provides several main variations – GeckoLinux Static (based on openSUSE Leap), Rolling (based on openSUSE Tumbleweed) & NEXT (based on openSUSE Leap).

The installation process is very simple; even simpler than most other Linux installations. Rolling editions size up to 1.5GB and Static editions size up to 1GB. Installing is very fast and smooth – faster than openSUSE. GeckoLinux is highly portable – even can be installed into an 8GB flash drive easily and boot into any machine.

Performance

For its lightweight, GeckoLinux is blazingly fast. Though the performance isn’t quite different than openSUSE, it’s a bit faster when compared sharply.

However, GeckoLinux comes up with built-in Firefox 52, a pretty outdated version. So, your first task should be updating the Firefox to the latest version – Firefox Quantum. Then, you’ll see the change – it’ll open instantly after you click it.

If you’re looking for BLAZINGLY FASTER performance than openSUSE, GeckoLinux isn’t the suitable choice. If you’re habituated with openSUSE’s performance, GeckoLinux is a good alternative for home users.

I personally love GeckoLinux. With a lot of desktop environments support and improved polishes, it’s really worth to switch to GeckoLinux. Give it a shot on your desktop – you might even make it your portable companion on your USB flash drive!

The post GeckoLinux – A New openSUSE Spin for Perfection appeared first on Linux Windows and android Tutorials.

With lots of other options, why should we choose Linux? There are plenty of reasons and features of Linux to answer this question.

• Free – Linux is the most available OS for everyone. It runs on any device, it’s powerful and most of all, it’s free of charge! Most of the Linux distributions are completely free of cost. Linux is open source, so anyone can even create his own version.
• Security – Believe it or not, Linux is, by far, one of the toughest OS when it’s the question of security. By default, you don’t need any antivirus/anti-malware tool to keep yourself secure. All the Linux distributions are always updated with all the latest security patches where a big number of devs work on improving them.
• Performance – Linux is a very lightweight OS. Unlike Windows, it runs blazingly fast. If you’re a Windows user, you might notice how your Windows eats up all those RAM, CPU and storage spaces. Linux, being very small and lightweight, eats fewer hardware resources and runs smoother.
• Stability – Linux has been well-known for its stability. Linux doesn’t crash a lot and work smoothly even after years.
• Easy maintenance – Linux is easy to maintain. With a big software collection and easy interface, anyone can figure out everything. When updating, all the software are updated automatically whereas, in Windows, you have to update each one manually & individually.
• Hardware support – Linux comes up with a huge list of supported devices. From the oldest to the latest – almost all the hardware can run Linux. You don’t need to install drivers separately – Linux covers all.

I believe that these are convincing enough to lure you for giving Linux a shot. However, whenever you’re on the web, you’ll find out a lot of Linux distros (distributions), puzzling you which one to choose. Depending on popularity and my experience, I’m providing you a short of the top 10 Linux distros.

1. Ubuntu

Ubuntu is one of the most popular Linux distros. It’s a complete package of your basic needs with stunning interface and performance. If you need a supportive community, Ubuntu is your choice. This distro owns the largest community who share and care for others.

Based on Debian, Ubuntu is available in various other flavors. Each of them comes up with default interface. However, you’re free to switch between them. The original Ubuntu uses the GNOME desktop. Get Ubuntu, Lubuntu (LXDE desktop), Xubuntu (Xfce desktop), Kubuntu (KDE desktop), Ubuntu Mate, ubuntu Budgie.

2. Manjaro Linux

Manjaro is a really user-friendly Linux distro. This one is based on the Arch Linux, desktop-oriented. If you’re a newbie to Linux world, I recommend starting with this one, so that you won’t feel like a fish out of water. Once installed, you don’t need to re-install the OS in any situation – all the updates are installed in the current installation, making any installation the latest.

Manjaro also is available in some popular flavors like Xfce, KDE, and GNOME. Get Manjaro Linux now.

3. Linux Mint

It’s another user-friendly and comfortable Linux distro. Based on the Debian & Ubuntu, there are more than 30,000 software packages available for free on the server. Other software is also available to download and install manually.

Requiring almost no maintenance, you won’t feel any difference using Linux Mint. It’s very lightweight and powerful for your everyday tasks. Get Linux Mint.

4. openSUSE

If you’re looking for an enterprise-grade Linux, openSUSE is right there for you. Enterprise Linux like Red Hat is a costly option. As an alternative, openSUSE is the top of all times.

If you’re planning to learn about coding, openSUSE is ready with a collection of great tools and a big package of additional software. Another thing is YaST, the best tool to configure & control your OS – all from one place. Get openSUSE.

5. Fedora

Fedora is another powerful one if you like the “free”dom. This awesome Linux distro doesn’t contain any paid program in the library – your best solution for staying problem free. Moreover, GNOME desktop environment is the best implemented with Fedora. It’s easy to use, struggles to provide the latest available tech first and by far, didn’t hear any news of crashing (besides any bugs).

If you like stability, Fedora is your Linux choice. Get Fedora.

6. CentOS

For servers, CentOS is the most popular Linux. In fact, most of the servers in the world run on Linux (CentOS). It’s truly the server legend for everyone.

Servers require stability and CentOS is proven the most stable. For enterprises, CentOS works as a great RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) alternative. With a big community, you can find all the help and support. Check out CentOS.

7. Mageia

Mageia is derived from the Mandriva Linux. For anyone who wants an introduction to Linux, Mageia is a really nice Linux distro. It comes up with all the important and basic tools for you.

It’s a bit heavyweight Linux, compared to other lightweight ones (installation ISO size is ~3.5GB). With a nice interface, it gives you the best idea on how Linux works. It’s also great for everyday use unless you need some specialized usage. Get Mageia.

8. Parrot Linux

System admins have to work a ton on a daily basis. Without a powerful tool, it’s really hard for them to keep up with all the situations. If you’re a system admin or plan to be, get started immediately with Parrot Linux.

Parrot Linux is also a suitable choice for the privacy worms to stay protected in the cyber world. As it’s based on Debian, there’s plenty of software available. Get Parrot Linux.

9. Gentoo Linux

You might be a Linux pro and want to prove yourself. Not everyone understands Linux well, so Gentoo Linux is your best choice if you love to be a pro. It’s one of the best out there.

Gentoo Linux is for advanced users, so not recommended for average users. From the installation to usage, everywhere it’s challenging. If you know the right things, get Gentoo Linux today!

10. Elementary OS

If you love the comfort and shiny user interface, look no further. Elementary OS comes up with, possibly, the shiniest and most polished interface of any other Linux distro. The target of Elementary OS is becoming the alternative of Windows and macOS.

The interface and apps are quite similar to Windows and macOS. If you wish to leap from them, Elementary OS is your choice. However, Elementary OS is a tricky software to get – when requesting to pay, click “$ Custom” >> enter amount “0” >> “Download Elementary OS”. Check out Elementary OS.

From the list, you’ll surely find your suitable one. In the cyber world, Linux is the ultimate tool for becoming a pro and a better one. 

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