 Visitor Reviews |
Latest Reviews
Project: Artix Linux
Version: 20250407
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-07
Votes: 0
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I haven't really delved into anything Arch-related since Arch made the decision to abandon the KISS principle and embrace systemd, and Arch-based distros seem to be a dime a dozen these days.
However, before systemd I really enjoyed Arch, and particularly pacman, a most excellent package manager. As such, I decided it was time to try Artix.
So far, I have been very impressed. From a base installation using the openrc init, I built up a basic Plasma 6 system, and then added the apps I wanted, creating a very lean and fast desktop. I initially had an issue updating, but upon checking the forums, I quickly found and applied the fix, and updated normally. Everything has been smooth sailing from here so far.
I also decided to experiment in a VM with the s6 init, and was impressed with the super-fast boot time. I think I may try to swap out the openrc init on my bare metal installation with s6, after a bit more research.
I am very happy that there were those who decided to save Arch from the systemd virus and created Artix, with the choice of four alternative init systems. I can see now why Artix is the highest rated "Project Rankings by Ratings" distro on Distrowatch. Well deserved!
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Project: SliTaz GNU/Linux
Version: cooking
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-07
Votes: 0
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Long time ago I used SliTaz-3.0 on my very ancient home pc, as on my Lifebook I installed Slitaz-4.0 and parallel the cooking version. It was not everything working "out-of-the-box". But with the helpful documentation and the great support from the SliTaz forum nearly everything could be managed. And after this, I really loved to work and play with this amazing OS.
After my Lifebook got broken and I was travelling a lot, There was no time and no opportunity anymore to stay with the SliTaz team. Several times I had a look onto the SliTaz website and gladly saw, there is still activity, even without getting new releases.
Now after returning back home, I lloked closer again to this really nice and impressive distro. And I am really impressed of the help of the members. At the moment I work with a convertible with the poor and cheap baytrail board. Originally there was WIN 8.1 on it. Then I swiched to WIN10. But as the support ends in october, I tried several Linux distros and just a view ones recognize all of the hardware of this convertible. I had to figure out, how to boot the 32bit uefi in combination with the 64bit processor. And allof this could be managed with the assistence of the kind and friendly SliTaz team. Tere is new work on a "current" version of SliTaz with the Linux-5.10.238 kernel. This is, what I try now and how I'm impressed, how it works on this convertible. It's an amazing speed, very less battery consumption, no bloatware. The size of the iso is Just around 100 Mb, with everything I need for the beginning.
What more should I expect out of this? I'm really amazed and happy to get back to this great distro.
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Project: Arch Linux
Version: current
Rating: 9
Date: 2025-07-07
Votes: 0
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Arch Linux is a very lightweight and customizable distro the installation process is funny and teach you the fundamentals of Linux after I switch to it I can say that I am very satisfied and I recommend it for full stack web developers
Here are the pros:
It's very lightweight and fast boots in a fast way unlike other distros that take more time
It has the AUR which is a treasure for developers
It's customizable and rolling release so you can be up to date
And here are the cons:
It has some problems with the display and scaling the screen
It's rolling really so you risk to break your system if you are not serious
It's not beginner friendly or noob friendly
And it has a problem with python it cannot install packages freely without virtual environment
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Project: Linux Mint
Version: 22.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-07
Votes: 1
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Mint is THE most reliable OS out there in the world, period. No matter what I do with it, it just keeps working. Plenty of software selection, and also PPAs are officially supported (thanks to the Ubuntu base nature), so if I need something that is not in the main repo I can just add the new PPA repo and call it a day. Printer and scanner installation was a breeze, downloaded the driver from official Brother's website, double clicked on the .deb file and let it do its thing. The beauty of this OS is that I didn't touch the terminal at all. I'm using the same Mint, that I installed 2years ago, the point and main release upgrades are also flawlessly worked out, and all the PPAs and 3rd party repos are automatically handled by the installer, so that it makes sure it won't screw up anything. Proprietary Nvidia installation was also easy as a cake, there's the driver manager GUI, click the most recent driver, and boom I'm all set. Proprietary WiFi drivers too! Codecs? Mint also has my back. System cleanup? Mint has it too!
Now I'm a gamer, and I must say, that games also work magically. I installed coolercontrol for better Nvidia cooler handling (curves), and steam from their own repos, for better compatibility. Mint handles these repos like a breeze, without any problems.
I tried numerous of distros, like fedora, debian, mx, and arch based ones like endeavouros, cachyos just to name a few, but I always kept coming back to Mint, until I finally settled down here, because here in Mint, devs actually test their stuffs before they release them. On other distros, my machine was totally unpredicatble, and one they my PC worked, other day it's not. I got tired of this, cause I have a PC for a reason, and I have to rely on my PC. Only Mint can do this. Not even Debian can stand up to Mint's quality. So all in all, I'm totally happy with Mint. It's "boring", because updates are not that frequent here, but I just don't care anymore, when the most important stuff just works: my PC! every day it works. I turn my pc off at the end of the day, and I turn it back on without any problems the next day. Arch based? Install an update, and the next day you find yourself in the grub rescue menu... Mint? Works. Others? Not.
Also, Mint as a taste is very good especially Mint tea. I wasn't a big fan of Mint tea, but now I am. Also Mint team is the one who developes the Cinnamon DE. Cinnamon is also what I was not a big fan (as in food), but eventually since I use Linux Mint, I just became a fan both of the tastes hihi :)
Sorry for grammar mistakes, I'm not native english speaker.
Thank you for reading.
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Project: AnduinOS
Version: 1.1.6
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-07
Votes: 0
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I've been using Linux a long time now. Recently had a contract which meant using Excel, so had to go Windows 11. Now 11 isn't so bad, apart from the mind boggling intrusion of privacy which all MS users seem to accept as the norm.
So which distro to switch back to post Windows? Debian is my go-to, although I did run POP for a good while as my daily driver and liked it. The long, long, long awaited new POP will be complete to coincide with HS2 opening day, so I needed a more realistic alternative.
I like the look of 11 and so naturally Anduin caught my eye. Loaded it to my laptop (i5 7th gen Intel) and have to say it's been outstanding. The lack of pre-installed junk is a bonus for a start. Setup FlatPak and just download what you need as and when you need it. It's amazing how often we have a PC stuffed with apps we use once a lifetime.
I went for the LTS version as I just want stability and useability, this has it in spades.
For an absolute newbie distro, well if they are happy with FlatPak and a little command line action it's great. So probably not, unless you know someone that can offer a little free guidance.
It's a shame, a distro such as this absolutely has its place amongst them all, and would definitely appeal to newcomers.
P.S. Been using it for a while now and I actually like not fiddling with themes, icons etc. Maybe my short stint of Windows using has finally broken me of looking for that one silver-bullet tweak that makes my PC the best thing ever. I just like the function of this distro.
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Project: Linux Mint
Version: 22.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-07
Votes: 0
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I have been using Linux for a long time and have seen the progress it has gone through the years so a few years ago I decided to use Linux Mint as my main operating system and I have it installed on all my computers.
I have every tool and application to do what I need using Linux and have Windows running on a VM no problem. I do try some other distributions on VM's but have stayed with Linux Mint.
Linux Mint looks great on a Mini PC connected to my TV and I can't say enough about the smooth and perfect work it does when connected to a Smart TV.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 5.0.0
Rating: 8
Date: 2025-07-07
Votes: 0
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Overall Devuan is an excellent distro once you get it setup.
Kernel wise it is a heavily intel leaning distro on 5.x as I have both amd and intel based systems.
Pros:
Stable
Fast
Minimal bugs
Excellent support on forums as debian on top of Devuan forums work a treat.
More honest and true to linux and original ethos.
Does not follow the crowd which creates an insulating layer for security.
Package range is huge and they are hosted on their own servers.
Cons:
Being intel leaning, amd tends to be left by the wayside. Eg. amd graphics firmware is not included by default requiring manual install.
Intel wifi drivers not loaded by default in the installer requiring search. It finds them but why does it have to say it needs the firmware and have to search for it in the first place.
CDrom set as top default in sources which indicates that the Devuan team lean a bit too heavy on Debian output instead of real world usage. They could make simple changes to better the experience.
Uses debian installer which is unforgiving so not good for new users.
The cons are very easily worked out if you are an experienced linux user but I would not recommend for new users. Once setup, this distro is an excellent stable distro and I have encountered no issues with it at all. All software works just fine on it.
I am an xfce user but tested gnome on it which did not work correctly which is understandable as gnome is heavily dependent on systemd and this distro does not use it.
I love the ethos of this distro and see why they are doing it which is why the cons are a non issue for me.
If a new user does get it installed as the wifi driver issue might create a barrier, the install continues but no wifi is available at all after rebooting if the user continues without searching for drivers.
Additionally, if they do get past this stage, they wont be able to update because the cd rom is the primary source and terminal is required to fix this.
So for experienced users, this distro is a must try. I think you have to be of a specific mindset to understand the ethos but if you do, this distro is a critical tool. I am lucky that I do understand and love this distro for what it represents.
Id the devuan team ironed out the above cons, I would give it a 10. I do not believe they are irrational observations but they are my two cents.
I am extremely greatful for this distro and the teams efforts and wish I heard of this distro sooner.
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Project: BigLinux
Version: 2025-06-27
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-07
Votes: 0
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I can't understand why this distribution isn't the standard on the market. Why do we need anything else? Everything works flawlessly, looks great, and is meticulously designed down to the smallest detail. This is what Linux should be! For some reason, I need to add 250 more words here, even though everything has been said. This is, unfortunately, what you can still expect from Linux—puzzling decisions about trivial matters. But that's what sets BigLinux apart—its consistency. thank you for your attention
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Project: CachyOS
Version: 250530
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-06
Votes: 8
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As far as an Arch based Linux distro goes, CachyOS does everything right and then some. Compared to Arch, it obviously is much simpler to install for novice users, and both the live ISO and graphical installer worked flawlessly for me multiple times on AMD hardware.
CachyOS also differentiates itself from EndeavourOS with lots of tweaks, such as packages more optimized for Zen processors, a unique Kernel Manager that can help with kernel patches and making your own kernels, as well as full support for BTRFS snapshots out of the box with Limine boot manager.
After the install, it only took me 5 minutes and 2 reboots to get Secure Boot working with sbctl following their Wiki -- a huge plus for added security, and I like that it's optional and not enabled by default for those who can't/won't trust their hardware.
I am also a gamer who was sick and tired of dual booting Windows, and I can tell you that CachyOS is the best distro for gaming I have tried. The 'cachyos-gaming-meta' package is pretty much a one stop install for everything needed, which completely covers running steam-native and 'proton-cachyos', a custom build of proton and Steam that uses the native system libraries instead of bundled ones with Proton. I had no issues even playing older games using Lutris without Steam -- you can use the custom proton build to even run those. Some games have issues, but you can just change your Proton version in Steam settings for those games, and it just works.
Some Arch purists will dislike this distro as it does come with what some consider "bloat", like plymouth installed by default for boot animations and many other tweaks, but honestly, this is the first Arch based distro that feels like it actually competes with Windows -- and honestly surpases it in so many ways. For me, it's a perfect fit. I don't have the time and desire to constantly have to reference the Wiki any time I need something done -- if a GUI exists for something, I use it.
Been my daily driver for nearly 6 months, and I don't have a need or desire for Windows or any other distro.
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Project: MocaccinoOS
Version: 1.8.3
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-07-06
Votes: 1
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Boots from usn fine but thats where the good ends. Prompted for a password for the backlight which is a I could not find.
Does not load firmware for wifi either meaning no network device found.
AMD chipset
I genuinely would like a distro that is gentoo based, xfce that is cutting edge that works.
I did not try anything else because there was no connectivity.
The thing to does disappoint about distros like this is that they seem to edit the kernel to remove certain things to slim it down but they often cause more damage. A distro which is trying to be up and coming should include as much as possible firmware wise for compatibility.
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Project: Kubuntu
Version: 24.04
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-06
Votes: 1
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For me the most stable ans beautiful (KDE) distro at all. You appreciate the stabilty of LTS version. And all like fingerprint login, in lockscreen, polkit and sudo work as intended. Great work guys! No problems after update. No problems with Grub. Every application like Timeshift and others is there. Just download and work. The KDE desjtop is great and be custpmized. Perfect look, better then Windows. No need to download Mint too look like Windows. KDE is simply better!
If you want simply work and not every time fixing your system and boot then you should go for Kubuntu (or Ubuntu if you like GNOME).
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Project: Bodhi Linux
Version: 7.0.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2025-07-06
Votes: 3
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Running a 14 year old Acer Aspire laptop. Experimented with Mint 23, Puppy 10, Antix (Very Good).
Trying to keep CPU cool to HDMI TV and record longer Youtubes with Simple Screenrecorder.
There was a bit of a learning curve to customise my system however had more fun than with the others above.
Seems a tossup Antix and Bodhi. (leaning Bodhi)
Used Mint for nearly 10 years after reincarnated from the MS Windows installed on lapper.
Loved it til I saw better.
Rated 9/10 in case I find anything better. But, truly doubt that will happen.
GREAT PRODUCT!
ripp in Kelowna BC Canada
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-07-06
Votes: 0
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A pretty bad Linux distro, honestly, in many ways.
Even though it’s supposed to be a rolling release, some updates are really slow. Like, slower than some non-rolling distros. There are even packages that haven’t been updated in ages. That might not break stability, but it definitely makes you wonder about security.
It uses runit as its init system. Sure, it’s fast and lightweight, but it’s also super poor. It’s missing important stuff, like handling service dependencies properly, and overall it just feels underwhelming.
The package manager is alright. It’s fast and the syntax is nice and clean, kind of like pacman. But honestly, it’s nothing special. Doesn’t really stand out compared to what other distros offer.
The system runs fast for the most part, but a bunch of apps don’t feel as smooth as they should. Some even freeze now and then. I’ve tried the same apps on other distros, and they worked way better there. No clue why that happens here.
Probably the one thing that makes this distro interesting is that it supports an alternative libc, in this case musl. But even that didn’t impress me. Performance was way worse than what I’ve seen with Alpine, for example.
On top of all that, I ran into a bunch of driver issues. Some of my hardware and peripherals just didn’t work properly, which made using the system a pain. That’s what finally made me give up on it.
It might improve over time, but as it stands right now, it’s a big no from me.
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Project: Arkane Linux
Version: 2025.05.08
Rating: 9
Date: 2025-07-05
Votes: 1
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I would highly recommend Arkane for anyone looking to customize an atomic/immutable version of Arch. I was interested in using Arkane based on a very positive experience with Bluefin Linux based on Fedora Silverblue. But I've always liked Arch and wanted to know if one could get a similar setup with Arch.
Installation of Arkane is the usual iso-based installer approach. The process is very simple and you have almost no choices to make (it is an "opinionated" distro!). The choice really comes once you've rebooted into your installed system. The base image comes with a lot of sensible Gnome choices But then which Flatpaks are you going to install? Which Gnome extensions will you add using the included "Extension Manager." Which Arch packages might you want to "layer on" the base image? etc.
The real beauty of this approach (in addition to all of the cited benefits of atomic systems --- like they are very hard to break and feature a lot of sandboxed apps) is if you choose to "build your own image" using Arkane as a base. Arkane's user documents and documentation around customizing an image are quite clear.
I ended up forking Arkane's "arkdep" github repo and then defining my own image with the layering I needed. This is a satisfying exercise as it forces you to think through your choices and explore alternatives. At the end you have a nice, reproducible set up that you can manage for updates etc. I was able to reproduce everything I like about Bluefin Linux, but have a system based on Arch.
Arkane's repo has other "test" images that may appeal to users -- a KDE-based image, one Manjaro is pursuing to develop their own atomic version called "Summit", one that produces a CachyOS-based znver4 image, an experimental Debian based image etc.
The website's documentation is good and concise. If you get the appeal of atomic distributions, love Arch, and want the power to make your own choices regarding your system -- Arkane is a fun.
My hope is that the developer continues Arkane and that more resources are attracted to the project. It would be nice someday to have an equivalent of Blue Build to allow a simple way for users to set up their own daily image rebuilding and deployment from Github.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 5.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-05
Votes: 2
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Devuan Linux: A Refreshing SystemD-Free Experience
Devuan stands out as a clean, efficient, and rock-solid Linux distribution — especially for users who prefer simplicity, transparency, and control over their systems. By intentionally steering clear of `systemd`, it restores the classic UNIX-style init freedom that many developers and power users crave.
Seamless KDE Plasma + Wayland Integration
Devuan pairs beautifully with KDE Plasma, offering a crisp and responsive desktop experience:
Wayland support is smooth and stable — rendering modern graphics with noticeably low input latency and excellent fractional scaling
- Plasma runs fast and fluidly, without the overhead you might see in bloated distros
- KDE’s modularity is right at home in Devuan’s minimalist ecosystem, while remaining remarkably feature-rich!
Whether you're customizing widgets or using heavy graphical tools, the desktop remains remarkably snappy.
Outstanding Hardware Compatibility
Despite being systemd-free, Devuan doesn't compromise on device support:
ThinkPads (like the T-line) work flawlessly — fan control with `zcfan` is rock-solid and keeps the system cool without fuss
- Graphics, sound [installed pipewire], networking, and input devices all integrate easily, thanks to Devuan’s Debian-based drivers
- Power management behaves exactly as expected — no surprises, no tweaking marathons
Init Freedom: SysVinit or Runit [openRC]
One of Devuan's core strengths is its support for alternative init systems:
- SysVinit provides traditional, battle-tested init scripts with predictable boot behavior
- Runit offers a sleek and fast alternative with parallel startup and simple service supervision
You get to choose your init philosophy — with no coercion or abstraction layers.
Performance & Efficiency
With no `systemd` overhead:
- Power usage drops noticeably
- CPU heat stays impressively low, even under load
- The system runs lean — memory footprint is minimal, and startup times are lightning-fast
This isn’t just minimalism for its own sake — it’s precision engineering where every daemon and process does exactly what it should.
Devuan Feels Right
It’s the kind of operating system that behaves exactly how a great OS should: secure, efficient, and respectful of user choice.
There’s no hidden agenda, no intrusive services, no background mysteries. Everything is under your control — just the way Linux was meant to be.
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Project: EasyOS
Version: 6.5
Rating: 8
Date: 2025-07-05
Votes: 1
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Warn: New version 6.101 is NOT a followup of stable v6.6.8
but the alpha of future version 7.x thus NOT for first comers.
Until version 7.0.x, should use version 6.6.8 (aka 6.8)
Note x.101 is the author's transition scheme. An alpha.
101 is already workable, still with some glitches.
Pros : It promises, while being a working Alpha
Cons: Network Manager fails to allow Edit-Connections.
We'll continue to evaluate progress, usually dedicated.
And yes, it's our favorite portable small system, small.
Yet complete, resilient... Newcomers should try 6.6.8.
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Project: MocaccinoOS
Version: 1.8.3
Rating: 9
Date: 2025-07-05
Votes: 3
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Having tried MocaccinoOS, I found it to be a promising, minimalist Linux distribution with an innovative edge, thanks to its Luet package manager and layered approach. The Micro variant is lightweight and ideal for containerized environments, while the Desktop version, built on Gentoo, offers appealing customization. I enjoyed the system’s simplicity and flexibility, but I noticed slower boot times and some gaps, like the lack of Japanese language support, which required manual setup. Still a work in progress, it demands occasional tinkering, but MocaccinoOS is an exciting choice for those who enjoy modern, container-driven systems and don’t mind getting their hands dirty.
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Project: Linux Mint
Version: 22.1
Rating: 6
Date: 2025-07-05
Votes: 0
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Mint somehow screws up the Windows title bar of Firefox with weird spacing which is a major deal-breaker since I frequently us Tab Overview to review my opened Firefox tabs in a list by hitting upper left corner with mouse without looking, sort of like Gnome Task Overview.
I've since switched to Ubuntu Cinnamon which is exactly like Mint without the Firefox hiccups.Mint does offers better Software Store with reviews and ratings for all the apps, which Ubuntu does not.
In all, Mint is great but not for me.
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Project: antiX
Version: 23.2
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-04
Votes: 0
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The best for the oldies! antiX has revived my dead and crappy Sony Vaio single core (Atom). Now the system is perfect and functional.
It's amazing!
I had never used the Seamonkey browser before, with a few customizations (removing all toolbars and icons) it is the best for me. I am really impressed, this machine would have been in the trash and now it is new and beautiful.
MX Linux was too much for my little Vaio and I was a bit disappointed with my previous attempts. But everything has changed. It is a 10! Please continue this project forever.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: testing
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-07-04
Votes: 0
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One of of the attractive things about linux is its ability to be installed on most devices including slim books and this is where this version falls down.
If you use the net install, the intel wifi drivers are not there and the install wont proceed because there is no lan cards in thin books.
What makes this even more irritating is the fact that the intel firmware is present on the 5.11 release. This shows a lack of consistency across distro versions which i do not like because 5.11 works well enough.
If you do have a lan and complete the install, it does not have the wifi drivers installed.
The live version is worse because it comes with the refracta installer which does not work. You open it and it produces an error saying that it is missing a file.
If you make a distro available to install, its probably a good idea to test if users can install it.
Its a shame because 5.11 is not bad at all but driver issues seem to plague devuan as I installed 5.11 on an amd laptop and the graphics drivers had to be manually installed.
I switched over to expirion based off excalibur and it worked flawlessly out of the box for my intel devices, the amd laptop required an acpi_backlight=vendor value in the grub boot parameters to be able to save brightness settings.
I so want to run devuan testing but its plagued with silly issues on basic install which should not exist.
If device firmware is present in 5.11, it should be there in 6.0. If expirion can do this, why cant devuan.
I like devuan very much but some things are just plain irritating like having the cdrom in the sources list at the top resulting in updates failing due to no cdrom present.
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Project: Q4OS
Version: 5.8
Rating: 9
Date: 2025-07-04
Votes: 2
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Fantastic and stable operating system.
I've used hundreds of distros, and I'm currently using this on all my laptops. It works great on my older Lenovo G-50, and my newer Lenovo VA-14.
Using Debian 12 is great, as it's stable. And, Plasma is 5 is perfect for older computers; it has everything you expect from Plasma, without the heavy memory requirements.
Installation is very easy. They have a great repository of software, including flatpak. And, they have a handy software update app that reminds you of important upgrades. Some low-memory distros don't have this.
Try it!
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Project: elementary OS
Version: 8.0.1
Rating: 5
Date: 2025-07-04
Votes: 0
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Looks really nice, but has problems with LibreOffice. The distro crashes when the program is called up. I like the concept itself, but I would not recommend this distro for productive use. It gets more useful from version to version, but due to the “thin” developer community, it probably lacks the recourses necessary for stable handling. Unfortunately only pretty, but nothing more.
I hope that the distro finds many users who are satisfied with the basic features and are willing to donate accordingly. Then perhaps the developer capacity can be expanded so that beauty can keep up with technology.
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Project: Solus
Version: 4.7
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-07-04
Votes: 0
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Sorry, but I felt trapped during installation with this distribution. The installation of the Plasma Edition went quite well, but after the reboot that came with it and the upcoming update to the latest packages, my despair grew. A good 30 minutes is quite a lot for a PC, which I was able to compensate for with two cups of coffee. After the update and reboot, my despair subsided and I was very disappointed! All desktop icons were gone and the taskbar was no longer visible. Simply a blind system with only a wallpaper. The same problem occurred during the second installation. Unfortunately, this was a negative experience for me with this distro. I will stick with Arch or Fedora.
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Project: Ubuntu Studio
Version: 24.04
Rating: 9
Date: 2025-07-04
Votes: 0
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For some family notebooks that are not Win 11 compliant I figured out which Linux OS fits best for heavy media usage and ease of use. Because the non-compliant books were strong machines and by far to young for retirement I gave Ubuntustudio a try. I have used the distro in the past for audio production. Because my family members will not be able to fix software issues and are not willing to engage to much time with an OS, it has to be an enterprise version with a KDE desktop. Memory is no issue really.
I was impressed about the 24.04 LTS-Version that comes with KDE, a low latency kernel and a lot of cool software pre-installed. No need to reinstall anything only the Onze-Menu in the control panel to make my familiy members believe that they have a Win-Looking but perfomance-wise better OS.
What I really like
+ smoothy speed
+ awesome look ootb
+ huge software package, audio, video and imaging
+ KDEs advantage of customization
+ excellent compatibility with old x86-64 v2 machines
+ low RAM-consumption in comparison to Windows and modern Gnome
What I find mediocre
o Installation process easy and straight forward. But it takes longer than installations I did years ago with Ubuntu distros. I am complaining on a high level. Windows is so much uglier in this aspect
Room for improvement
+ you need to be careful with synaptic and discover software as always. Discover was broken. No big deal. Commandline upgrades are faster and safer anyway
+ Nvidia did not install ootb and the nouveau driver is somewhat buggy in my case with some error messages during boot. But once installed with Nvidia, the machine runs really fast and flawless in Video Playback
In summary. There is not much to complain. An excellent OS overall which fits the needs of all target groups including the average MS Windows user.
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Project: Exton Linux
Version: exGENT
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-07-04
Votes: 0
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Laptop did not even detect the usb as bootable. Used same usb for installing expirion directly after with the same write process as I used for exgent. That will tell you immediately.
Even on the worst distros, i have never had an issue where the usb was not detected as bootable outside a faulty usb which was clearly not the case here. Maybe the dev should focus on getting one working perfectly first before branching into 8 others.
Redcore is a perfect example on how to do a user friendly distro with gentoo, they just dont offer xfce.
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Project: Expirion Linux
Version: 6.0-250701
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-04
Votes: 2
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I am running this distro on three of my machines.
I used v 6 with the xfce desktop and it is superb.
It resolves alot of issues that are present in the devuan 6.0 installer. The first one is where the debian style installer will not detect the wifi driver even though it was detected fine in 5.11 which makes no sense. You can get around this by inserting the 5.11 usb but its pretty poor that the standard wifi intel drivers are not available on the devuan install natively.
The second issue that expirion resolves is the live iso refracta installer, it just does not open on devuan and failes with a missing file error. Exprion has resolved this issue.
One point to not is that you need to make sure your partition table is gpt before creating your partitions.
If you are running a recent hp laptop, you will have to move the /boot/efi/devuan contents to /boot/efi/EFI/BOOT and rename the grubx64.efi to bootx64.efi because hp have hard coded the path of the boot loader to only identify windows paths. Expirion wont boot otherwise, its a hp issue.
The system is effectively debian without systemd so you get most of the usual packages and it updates from the devuan repositories.
Its very stable, quick and reliable and is my permanent distro now.
Its devuan sid with the kinks worked out and better.
Every distro is subject to the users needs but this one actually keeps me from distro hopping.
There was just one app I could not get because it is only in flatpak but I just downloaded and installed myself manually from source.
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Project: Regata OS
Version: 25.0.4
Rating: 8
Date: 2025-07-04
Votes: 0
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its not a bad OS and it does more then OpenSuse does out of the box for a casual / gamer user in my opinion. The OS has to have everything you would do in OpenSuse to play games our just run a desktop environment. So its kinda like taking a shortcut in the OpenSuse install process. I do like that about it and kinda wish OpenSuse had some of this software by default but guess that is what a specialized like Regata if for. As for the custom software for Regata it does have some interesting takes on it and seems to work most of the time. I have ran into some issues here and there but overall its not a bad experience. I would say if you are dipping your toes into the gaming world of Linux this is worth a look more so if you're a novice at Linux in general. I will warn you of this one thing I've noticed when i tried it out, you get better forum support on other distros but most problems you might be able to resolve by going to the OpenSuse forums as thats what Regata is based on. I have found jumping back and forth between the Regata and OpenSuse forums help to solve some issues I had.
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Project: CachyOS
Version: 250530
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-04
Votes: 9
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I've been using CachyOS since 2023, first sporadically and since 2025 as my default distribution. Of course, I also regularly try out other distributions on my second computer, but I always come back to CachyOS. It's simply because everything works properly here. You don't have to familiarize yourself with it or change anything. Everything runs smoothly and without any problems.
Then there is the incredible speed at which programs can be executed. You can literally feel the excellent optimization of the kernels used. Games run absolutely smoothly.
A complete launcher package is installed via the gaming tweaks, including Steam, Steam Native, Lutris, Heroic and so on. But that's too much of a good thing for me. Steam, Wine, Winetricks and the Umu launcher are enough for me. This can also be easily installed using the existing package installer or Oktopi. You don't have to use the terminal for much else. For me, this is the ideal distribution. Since the beginning of 2025, I haven't had a single crash or hang, everything runs stable and clean. However, I would only
not use old hardware. I don't think CachyOS is designed for that. I don't think the kernels are optimized for any old systems. But the Linux world offers enough other distributions for that ;)
Thanks to the CachyOS team and thumbs up.
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Project: Pop!_OS
Version: 22.04
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-07-03
Votes: 1
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i was my first experience with Linux and it was full of bugs and crashes.
Unfortunately, unlike what they claimed it wasn't compliable with my Nvidia Graphic card. i ended up hating it
Cosmic it was so lag, Ui was cluttered with pointless animations. Switching between windows felt like running 30fps monitor
I had to reinstall the Pop!os multiple times due to absurd stability issues
Graphic Card : 1070Ti
Cpu : AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Ram 16GB
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Project: deepin
Version: 25.0.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-03
Votes: 5
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Deepin 25: Refined & Efficient (5/5)
Deepin 25 delivers a visually stunning UI and flawless Flatpak support. Despite claims of "bloatware," only two trivial games are preinstalled—removable in seconds thru apps store. My sole criticisms:
The outdated kernel (6.6) lacks optimizations for newer hardware like Ryzen AI 9 HX, forcing alternative distros on modern laptops.
Treeland should accelerate to stable: Its superior transparency and efficiency hint at massive potential, but experimental status delays adoption.
Perfect for AMD desktop users. Kernel updates + Treeland maturity would make it unbeatable.
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Project: Artix Linux
Version: 20250407
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-03
Votes: 4
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Wow. I've been a Void (rolling, runit) adherent for about five years now and it has served my advanced user systemd-free needs well. Now that it's looking like XLibre will be the way forward, I was seeking an option that was friendly to it. Artix seemed to be the one, and boy am I glad I gave it a shot. The installation was absolutely painless, and already set up in a very nice way. Even running in a VM on my main system it feels extremely snappy, at least as fast as my native DE. Plus, the massive number of packages available for Arch downstream. I'll probably move here with a new system and may switch the rest of my fleet over before then if I get itchy feet. Kudos to the team!
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Project: Regata OS
Version: 25.0.4
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-07-03
Votes: 0
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After more than 4 years of development Regata still doesn't have it all together. Though the Plasma/KDE desktop looks nice, their whole concept of a simple, practical desktop is overkill with way too many options. Since I wanted to continue testing openSUSE distros, I picked Regata. It was my desite to install the MATE desktop, a very practical environment and the one I've been using steadily since 2006. It installed OK. A reboot began to process and then everything just came to a dead stop with the cursor just blinking continuously. What a very sad state of affairs! Regata needs to go back to the drawing board and start over!
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Project: Kali Linux
Version: 2025.2
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-03
Votes: 1
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This is a great OS. I love that it comes preloaded with a lot of the necessary tools and can be bootable from just a flash drive. It is so lightweight and a great utility. I have used it pretty extensively in school in labs for a “CTF” competition and various other projects. I have also used it professionally to test some of our security measures.
pros:
+Lightweight
+Bootable from flash drive (no install)
+All the tools and utilities loaded with it
cons:
+ Zero = (0)
i like kali-linux and is very good for cyber-security-students :-))
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Project: Ubuntu
Version: 25.04
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-02
Votes: 1
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Happily using Ubuntu Cinnamon edition since switching over from Mint Linux. Mint somehow screws up the Windows title bar of Firefox with weird spacing which is a major dealbreaker since I frequently us Tab Overview to review my opened Firefox tabs in a list by hitting upper left corner with mouse without looking, sort of like Gnome Task Overview.
Ubuntu Cinnamon if you like traditional Windows 11 desktop experience, or other Ubuntu flavors like KDE.
Ubuntu with Flavors is all you need for all.
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Project: deepin
Version: 25.0.1
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-07-02
Votes: 1
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Yesterday, I installed Deepin again for the first time in a long time, because it had always pleasantly surprised me visually and functionally.
So, I downloaded the latest version and, as usual, installed it on my 2018 Acer All in One without any problems.
The hardware was fully recognized and integrated.
Wi-Fi worked right from the start.
What really bothered me, however, even in this version, was the large number of Chinese apps, games, advertising, bloatware, etc., which you have to manually uninstall in order to have a lean distribution on your PC.
However, I abandoned that endeavor and returned to Solus, which, out of the box, is a lean system without any unnecessary apps or bloatware.
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Project: Zorin OS
Version: 17.3
Rating: 9
Date: 2025-07-02
Votes: 11
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I have been using Zorin for the last 4 or 5 years.
It is stable and very compatible with the mainstream debian and Ubuntu, easier than debian, more stable then Ubuntu.
Experience out of the box is good no need deep customization to have a Nice and polished desktop.
Overall glad with the experience, and also the lack of "surprises".
Recomended if you want the work done without problems.
Simple Windows apps Run without problems.
It is sold with the idea of a easy system for people coming from Windows, but the way I ser it is more than that, a very pleasant and stable desktop.
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Project: NixOS
Version: 25.05
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-02
Votes: 0
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I have been using NixOS for like a year and it's amazing that i barely have to worry about my system and can just use it, upgrading to the next stable release is a breeze with flakes and I only have to fix a few things.
I have my configuration on a git repo and whenever I make a change in one host I can just pull the changes on the other and rebuild the system, I even have a few handy fish functions to make it quicker! The only annoying problem i have experienced was when i installed it on my new laptop and ~/.config was owned by root for some reason which caused the home-manager service to fail, I probably messed something up while installing it to be fair (From the minimal iso btw).
Other than that, it's incredible and I don't think I'll ever hop to another distro in a good while! :p
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Project: Linux Mint
Version: 22.1
Rating: 6
Date: 2025-07-02
Votes: 0
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1) One day, the gnome terminal just stopped working. I had to replace it.
2) I accidentally killed my start menu with my own actions and restored it myself.
3) APT is a terrible package manager with very outdated versions of packages.
4) Notepad doesn't allow you to open files larger than approx megabyte. The screenshotter doesn't allow you to draw on screenshots like in Windows.
5) Cinnamon is ugly and outdated
6) The system is still alive.
I don't like Mint, but it's a tanky system that's very easy to install and use. There are many distributions that are significantly better.
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Project: CachyOS
Version: 250530
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-02
Votes: 1
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beautiful and easy to use easy to install
I've been using it for almost a year, there were no problems, it's very stable, I even tested changing the kernel using the Kernel Manager tool, it's great, the best Arch fork I've ever used, it's my daily os, I recommend it to anyone who wants to easily install tools for gamers or other programs, it's so simple that it doesn't even require using the console
KDE Plasma Wayland has a lot of interesting settings, you can make your own version of the look, it is very configurable, even adding shortcuts is easy, the visual effects are also awesome
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Project: TUXEDO OS
Version: 20250620
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-01
Votes: 0
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This is the way a distro should be. Gives you a solid, reliable desktop, with up-to-date components like video drivers, kernel and MESA drivers - like Arch, but based on Ubuntu instead - that is, Ubuntu without all the crap like snaps.
It's just a smooth, stable, up-to-date KDE distro that will allow you to play all the latest games with no trouble including Doom The Dark Ages. If you want the benefits of running a distro like Arch, but would rather have the compatibility of a Debian based system, you won't regret choosing Tuxedo.
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Project: OSGeoLive
Version: 16.0
Rating: 5
Date: 2025-07-01
Votes: 2
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As a concept it is good, but as implemented, not so much. The main problem with this distro is that is is updated so infrequently that unless you get it when a new update is released, you will be getting very old versions of GIS software that do not give you a good representation of the current state of GIS software in Linux. For example, at the time of this review, July 2025, the latest version is 16.0 released on 2023-10-27. The UEFI bootloader in the ISO is flagged as insecure by secure boot.
For those who want to try GIS on Linux I would suggest rather installing an Ubuntu-based distro like Linux Mint and adding the UbuntuGIS software repository via PPA, and then installing GIS software from there (GRASS, SAGA, QGIS etc).
Maybe what OSGeoLive could be useful for is just for new users to get to know what GIS software titles are available in Linux, and they can then install more up-to-date versions of those.
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Project: MX Linux
Version: 21.3
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-01
Votes: 17
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MX Linux Review
MX Linux is fast, efficient, and remarkably easy to install. Right out of the box, it delivers a smooth and responsive experience, even on older hardware. I’ve been using it on a not-so-recent notebook, and I’m genuinely impressed by how well it performs. Previously, I was using Linux Mint with the MATE desktop environment, which was good—but MX Linux with XFCE feels noticeably quicker and more lightweight.
What really stands out is the polish of the default configuration. Everything just works. The system tools provided by MX are intuitive and helpful, especially for users who might not be comfortable diving into the terminal for every little tweak. It also comes with a solid range of pre-installed software, making it usable from the get-go without feeling bloated.
The community support is also worth mentioning. The MX Linux forums are active and friendly, and most problems I encountered were already addressed in detail by other users.
While some might prefer flashier desktop environments, I personally appreciate that MX sticks with XFCE by default. It strikes the right balance between performance and usability. I don’t want to spend time experimenting with what desktop environment will or won't work well—I want a system that just runs reliably, and MX does exactly that.
If you're looking for a stable, responsive Linux distro that breathes new life into older machines, MX Linux is absolutely worth trying. It’s now my daily driver, and I couldn’t be happier with the switch.
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Project: MX Linux
Version: 23.6
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-01
Votes: 12
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MX Linux is light weight and still have all the functions I need.
I am using a old laptop with a i5-4200M and it feels snappy and runs fine.
I have tried Linux Mint XFCE and Linux Lite, but they are not really light.
MX Linux is alot snappier.
Also, MX Linux looks great in my view.
I have changed a few things, like the task bar, but other than that MX Linux has the best looking XFCE version I have ever seen!
So for me MX Linux is the perfect combo of light weight and easy to use and it just works out of the box.
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Project: Adélie Linux
Version: 1.0-beta6
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-07-01
Votes: 0
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Although Adelie is still in beta and appears to have been so for quite some time, I can see huge potential here, which is why I'm giving it a "10" rating despite some, for lack of a better word, issues.
Adelie comes across immediately as fast, clean, and unbloated. If I were to have to make some quick comparisons, the distros that come to mind for me while using Adelie are Slackware, Alpine (from which they use the APK package manager), Void, and Gentoo. Unlike those four, however, Adelie manages doing this with a simple GUI installation.
Pros:
* Fast
* Easy installation
* APK package manager
* No systemd (although I believe they plan to offer it as an option)
* Clean
* Independent
Cons:
* No option to "clear" the terminal
* Limited number of packages at this point
As far as the "cons" go, I did find it strange that I couldn't clear the terminal. I thought this was a standard function of all UNIX-like operating systems.
In terms of available packages, things are still fairly limited, but using APK is great. Although I chose the KDE Plasma 5 version to test, and it did come with Firefox, I actually prefer to use smaller, faster browsers, and attempting to install the Falkon browser came up empty.
During my testing so far, I have encountered no crashes, freezes, or otherwise aberrant behavior. I will say that I am very excited to have found and tested Adelie. I have not been this optimistic about a new Linux distro since Void. I will continue to use Adelie and follow it's development.
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Project: Linux Mint
Version: 22.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-06-30
Votes: 11
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My 14 year old had a serial locked 2011 imac given to him when my grandfather developed late stage dementia and couldn't use it anymore. It refused to install any version of OSX. I tried everything imaginable. The machine's firmware hadnt been updated to allow USB boot - I know sounds crazy but it wouldn't even register USB drives. Shame to get rid of an i5 quad core machine with 32gb of ram and dedicated graphics. Mint to the rescue. Felt great to drag out the old DVD burner and make an bootable DVD with 22.1 on it. Took quite a while to DVD boot and was very slow installing, but afterwords this machine runs amazing. Probably better than it ever did. My son is busy playing ROBLOX nonstop on it now. I was even able to integrate some of his icloud stuff that he uses for school, stuff like inotes. Very happy. My workhorse i7 HP has been running mint for years and I love it so I'm happy he took to it also.
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Project: Linux Mint
Version: 22.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-06-30
Votes: 29
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This was not my first attempt to use Linux at all.
Manjaro, Pop!_OS and various others... even Ubuntu.
I'm Windows user normally. Always was. Never saw sense why not to use it - Windows meet my needs and didn't want much. That did change from year to year. For me last true Windows in very sense of word was 7. After that 8 already started to intrude on me. 10 was bad in that sense but I could manage but 11 was absolute joke - enforced encryptions, data spying, dumbification of every element of it and that "I'm mac now" look? That was too much.
I decided to run it in dual boot on my newest hardware and move everything between Linux Mint and Windows 10.
That was excellent decision! Sure, it isn't seamless and obviously Windows is grumpy one in this transition but Mint gives me free access to everything. I set up with success drivers, installed apps I wanted, even one which weren't public (oh boy but it's still hassle but I guess that's Linux thing...). Not only that. Steam works perfectly, all gaming apps included and there many alternatives to what Windows offered in apps (although I still have few missing but even devs of said apps consider adding Linux support in future).
So Linux Mint as gaming OS for somebody used to Windows? Absolutely. Strong recommend. Ignore all this Pop!_OS and Manjaro people telling how great this systems are - I felt burned on both of them.
It's Linux Mint which made me feel better.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-06-30
Votes: 15
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Rolling, yet stable distro.
Xbps is fast and easy to use, can build from source ala gentoo if like, you also can host your own package repository easily.
The distro philosophy is to KISS (keep it simple, stupid), so there is no systemd, everything is a file, it's in your face. You have a good selection of achitectures, glibc or musl.
I use it on my servers, wsl on the job laptop, my laptop, my desktop, and I never experienced any problem, so it passes the "it works on my machine" I guess...
If you like the stability of Debian, and like "being on the edge" of Arch, Void is the distro for you. Give it a try! I did out of curiosity and I am rocking it for 2 years now.
The community is great, come see us on IRC liberachat!
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Project: AlmaLinux OS
Version: 10.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2025-06-30
Votes: 3
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Wow. This OS is damn fast on my HP 8570w. I was a big fan of Centos 7 that lasted much longer than Windows Systems on my PCs. As a scientific user I am interested in a stable, reliable, fast running system. I can live with some convenience obstacles. But not with buggy systems. IBM decision to terminate Centos and the lack of support for older machines in RHEL 10 was a shock for me. Maybe I can afford Windows. But I want to live sustainable and I am not willing to retire my still excellent old machines. OS Almalinux enabled me to proceed my principle of sustainability.
I cannot comment on long-term stability of AlmaLinux till date because the system is just on air a view weeks. Because of very good experience with Alma 9.6 I gave Alma 10 a trial. There are definitely a lot of pros
+ extremly fast boot time. Alma 9 was already fast in comparision to ubuntu.
+ seems to be enterprise quality as I know from the real Centos
+ x86-64 v2 support - my gorgeous HP machine can run additional 10 years safe! That's alone a reason for installation
+ seems to be fully RHEL, Epel compatible
+ reasonable update cycles as they were with Centos all the years
+ so far everything is running stable and smooth
+ Gnome 47 rocks as well as KDE 6.3
+ very clean and nice boot process without ugly messages during boot process
There are minor issues that could be solved by the Alma-Team easily
- still there is a warning message for deprecated hardware during boot although I installed the x86-64 v2 ISO
- the discover software package management has not to offer many
- LibreOffice, Darktable and Gimp had to be installed via flatpak. No big deal.
So I give this awesome system a 9-Rating. That based on my use case. If you are a typical desktop user there might be better alternatives like Mint that come with software packages and additional install options without a hassle. But for me the long support and enterprise quality is the dealbreaker.
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Project: CachyOS
Version: 250530
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-06-30
Votes: 4
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CachyOS has quickly become one of my favorite Arch-based distributions. It's clear the developers put real thought into optimizing performance out of the box — the inclusion of the linux-cachyos kernel and custom CPU-optimized packages delivers noticeably faster boot times and snappier desktop responsiveness compared to vanilla Arch or other derivatives.
The KDE Plasma implementation is polished and visually appealing, with sane defaults and zero bloat. Hardware detection was flawless on my system (Ryzen 5, NVIDIA GPU), including proper setup for Wayland, NVIDIA drivers, and high refresh rate displays. I also appreciate the seamless integration of ZRAM and BTRFS with automatic snapshots — a real lifesaver during package upgrades.
The CachyOS Hello app simplifies setup for newcomers and advanced users alike. Plus, the official documentation and wiki are surprisingly detailed for such a young distro. If you're looking for a bleeding-edge Arch experience with performance tweaks and a user-friendly setup, CachyOS is absolutely worth trying.
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Project: Securonis Linux
Version: 3.0-r2
Rating: 9
Date: 2025-06-30
Votes: 0
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Securonis is an interesting distribution. It has its own small ecosystem and, unlike Tails, it aims to offer privacy for everyday use. Installation and usage are quite easy; however, if you’re new to Linux, it shouldn’t be your first choice, as it requires some technical knowledge.
The desktop environment is visually appealing, and its custom applications are small but effective. Do you want to run a ClamAV scan or perhaps Lynis? You can perform everything automatically with a single menu option.
With Seconionis, you can route all your internet traffic through the Tor network and use the FireScorpion Browser, which is both simple and secure. FireScorpion’s hardening is very robust, with many settings borrowed from the Tor Browser.
My only concern about this distribution is that there’s no organization or team behind it; it’s developed entirely by a single individual. This raises some questions about the sustainability of the project. If, as planned, we see a hardened Securonis in the next release, I believe it could even replace Tails. But as I said, how far a distribution can go with only one developer remains a big question mark.
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| TUXEDO |
TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite
Choose from a wide range of laptops and PCs in various sizes and shapes at TUXEDOComputers.com. Every machine comes pre-installed and ready-to-run with Linux. Full 24 months of warranty and lifetime support included!
Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
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| Star Labs |
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
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