SpiralLinux

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• Notes: In case where multiple versions of a package are shipped with a distribution, only the default version appears in the table. For indication about the GNOME version, please check the "nautilus" and "gnome-shell" packages. The Apache web server is listed as "httpd" and the Linux kernel is listed as "linux". The KDE desktop is represented by the "plasma-desktop" package and the Xfce desktop by the "xfdesktop" package.
  

• Colour scheme: green text = latest stable version, red text = development or beta version. The function determining beta versions is not 100% reliable due to a wide variety of versioning schemes.

Reader supplied reviews for SpiralLinux Average rating 8.9 from 39 review(s) What are your thoughts on SpiralLinux? Please include a few pros and a few cons, along with your overall impression of the operating system. Our FAQ page has tips on writing a good mini-review. Version: -- 12.23112011.220925 Rating:    -- 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 out of 10 Your review (minimum 250 words): Past reviews - sort by: DateVotes Version: 12.231120 Rating: 10 Date: 2024-02-04 Votes: 0 I give Spiral a high rating because it carries out the tasks I use a computer for, like internet,file management, eBook reading, and keeping up to date on the news. I selected the Mate desktop and really appreciate the multiple desktops being provided as separate ISO files. That way I don't have to remove a desktop and then add one I prefer. I use two externally connected Hard Drives for Linux that I attached to my Dell Optiplex 9020, with four CPU cores running at 3.3 GHz, with 16 GB memory. The installation went smoothly the first time through, so I didn't have to repeat the process and ended up with grub installed on the system root ("/"), as I requested. I have run Distros based on Debian for several years and Spiral shines as a Debian-based Distribution. The obvious quality built in enhances comfortable use and performance. I have also used the Cinnamon and XFCE desktops released by Spiral and they likewise have performed fantastically. I have used Linux at home about 3/4 of my time on the computer as a retired person since 2011. The rest of my usage has been with Windows 7, 10, and 11. I find a lot of comfort in being able to easily replace a broken Operating System with another that can handle the tasks I need it to. My Linux usage has been dominated by Ubuntu and Debian-based distributions over these last thirteen years. With an OS such as Spiral available I expect to continue to primarily use Linux for my computing needs. I would recommend that someone seeking a Linux OS to use day-to-day try the Spiral flavor of choice and perhaps significant distro hopping won't be necessary. Was this review helpful? Yes No Version: 12.231120 Rating: 10 Date: 2024-01-31 Votes: 6 I have been doing a lot of distro hopping lately, trying to find the one distro that stands above the rest and so far Spiral Linux is the one. What's different? The lone developer utilizes the power of Debian without adding any packages or repos other than Debian's. If the developer decided to quit tomorrow, I am left with a pure Debian install that can continue indefinitely. Think of Spiral Linux as the bus that simply drops you off at Debian's doorstep and drives away. This bloat free, expertly configured distro makes Spiral boot faster and load applications faster than most any other distro out there. I originally installed the XFCE spin which is fast, but then I installed the Plasma spin & was shocked that it was just as fast! Spiral is also the only Debian distro that I know of that uses BTRFS with snapper for simple rollbacks if something were to go wrong, just like openSUSE (no surprise, same creator of Gecko Linux). Generally, rollbacks are not really needed when using Debian stable, but if you want to try testing or unstable, which is extremely easy btw, it greatly reduces the risk. The system also comes with flatpaks & backports preconfigured to easily install newer software if needed. Another perk is the iso has an option to use a newer backported kernel, to make installation a breeze on newer hardware. The only negative is the pre-installed themes, icons & wallpapers are sparse, but who really cares. That is what makes this distro so special, you get an outstanding and fully functioning foundation in which you can use out of the box or theme and build to your hearts content with the huge software availability that comes with Debian. Was this review helpful? Yes No Version: 12.231120 Rating: 10 Date: 2024-01-27 Votes: 5 I've always been struggled by Debian default installer. Furthermore I wanted a Debian with encrypted btrfs with snapper integrated to grub for easy recovering when needed. Spiralinux is the only ditro that can make Debian easy to install and enables many useful functionalities that I love. If you want to change debian into a rolling release distro Spiralinux gives you an easy way to make that. I come from Fedora world and Spiralinux is the reason why I switched to Debian. Was this review helpful? Yes No See all 39 reader reviews of SpiralLinux...