Arch Linux has a status for being too sophisticated, unstable, and never for everybody. For these causes, a number of distributions have emerged that try and deliver Arch to the plenty. Lots of them (akin to Manjaro and EndeavorOS) succeed fairly effectively. Nevertheless, not all of these forks of Arch are created equal.
Take, for instance, Liya Linux. This distribution was created and maintained by a person to be an Arch-based Linux distribution that is easy to put in however nonetheless caters to customers of every kind (from these new to Linux to those that’ve been across the open-source block a couple of hundred occasions). Liya Linux is constructed for builders, college students, and tinkerers. Is Liya Linux a distribution for individuals who’ve by no means used Linux? That is debatable, as Arch Linux is not precisely a distribution for the plenty. Nevertheless, Liya Linux does use the Calamares installer, so putting in this working system is as simple because it will get.
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Liya defaults to the Cinnamon desktop (the identical desktop used on Linux Mint), so the UI is acquainted sufficient for anybody to make use of. If you happen to do not like Cinnamon, there’s all the time Mate. After all, in my view, Cinnamon and Mate are about as comparable as you will get (with out truly being the identical). Certain, there are delicate variations, however on the floor, Cinnamon and Mate might as effectively be siblings, minimize from the identical material.
One of the crucial interesting features of Liya Linux is that it is optimized for each v2 and v3 microarchitectures (assume older and newer {hardware}). Moreover, Liya Linux doesn’t accumulate or transmit any telemetry and runs a naked minimal of companies to make sure it is each personal and safe. However how is it in real-world testing? Let’s chat.
First impressions
I am not going to lie: I’ve all the time discovered the Cinnamon desktop to be quite boring. That is to not say it is not efficient. It’s. Fairly. However for my tastes, Cinnamon is just too “Home windows-like” to wind up on my desktop.
That being mentioned, Cinnamon works very effectively on Liya Linux. The developer has configured the desktop to be a no brainer to determine. You will have a desktop menu within the bottom-right nook, launchers on the panel, a system tray, and a single clickable icon that takes you to the Liya GNU/Linux forum. That discussion board is not precisely the busiest I’ve ever skilled, however the Introduction submit alone makes it value visiting, because it accommodates loads of info you may wish to learn earlier than diving in.
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Liya Linux additionally defaults to the Courageous browser, which I discover to be the obvious alternative for a distribution that markets itself as personal and safe. One other fascinating alternative is the choice to go together with OnlyOffice Desktop Editors as an alternative of LibreOffice.
I am fairly keen on this workplace suite as a result of it permits me to work each regionally and through a cloud host. Meaning I can work with delicate info on my native drive and fewer delicate info on a cloud host (the place I would wish to simply share these paperwork with others). Even in case you’re unfamiliar with OnlyOffice Desktop Editors, it’s extremely user-friendly and means that you can work with paperwork, spreadsheets, shows, and PDFs. You’ll be able to even combine AI into the app (in case you so select).
ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors are a novel workplace suite that means that you can work each regionally and with a cloud host.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
You additionally get the GNOME Encfs Supervisor, which lets you work with encrypted directories for much more safety.
As I am going by the desktop menu, it is clear that the developer has made each single alternative with objective and that objective is to serve the person in a manner that is in keeping with the aim of the working system — “A clear, quick, Arch-based distribution for individuals who construct with objective, not noise.”
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And, after all, there’s Timeshift, which is a system restore utility. Timeshift means that you can take snapshots of your working OS, so if one thing ought to go incorrect, you possibly can all the time roll it again to a working picture. With Timeshift, you possibly can set it as much as create computerized snapshots on boot, hourly, each day, weekly, or month-to-month. With this app, you could be sure that you will all the time have a working occasion of your working system.
Timeshift makes it simple to create restore factors on your OS.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Do you have to attempt Liya Linux?
From my perspective, the one factor lacking from Liya Linux is the flexibility to simply share folders throughout a community. I get why Samba is not included (as a result of the developer desires to maintain the working companies to a minimal), however I believe Samba ought to be thought-about for addition, particularly given this distribution is geared toward “tinkerers.”
Even with that omission, Liya Linux is a tackle Arch Linux that may attraction to these searching for a minimal desktop working system that takes privacy and security severely, because of the mix of GNOME Encfs, Courageous, a minimal variety of working companies, and nil assortment of telemetry and person information.
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If I’ve piqued your curiosity in Liya Linux, obtain an ISO, burn it to a USB drive, and set up it on a spare laptop to see what it is all about.
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