The future of Linux "distros" seems to be merely theme packs on top other existing distros. Include OS in the name and say it's meant for everyone. Just like Xubuntu, just like Enso OS, just like Ubuntu, just like Debian.

When I look at ElementryOS, PopOS, PureOS, Etc...OS they all seem to ignore the irony that someone savvy enough to discover an obscure distro might not need everything to be a user friendly macOS-esque experience. It's rehashed, conceited, and insignificant. I could take Ubuntu Mate and tweak it with conky, i3wm and call it whateverOS, but I wont because I know anyone who ever found it could easily do the same first themselves. That's the great thing about Linux that we keep ignoring. Most people dont care about your config setup, it's still Ubuntu at th end of the day.

I'd argue that community developed *nix systems without corporate funding will never be for the masses. If you want to make an impact on Linux, fix upstream instead of adding onto the heap with abandoned projects that attempt to make the lives easier for a consumer demographic that has other interests than the OS that runs their internet browser and word processor.

> someone savvy enough to discover an obscure distro might not need everything to be a user friendly macOS-esque experience

Some of these savvy people discover these OS's and think they might be a perfect fit for their non-savvy relatives.

However once you (need to) go just a little step beyond the bounds of what the OS creator set for you everything simple comes crumbling down again and you are stuck with the complicated mess that is the Linux Desktop where freedom and customization is both its greatest feature and its greatest weakness.

> they all seem to ignore the irony that someone savvy enough to discover an obscure distro might not need everything to be a user friendly macOS-esque experience.

Sure, I’m technically capable of doing all this myself. I don’t need the macOS-esque user friendliness. But I also don’t need takeaway food. But sometimes, home cooking is just a chore, yknow?

Yeah... This mindset is just part of the HN bubble.

Most people want to be productive with their computers quickly, including most skilled users. If you like configurability, there's a plethora of options.

I do know my way around to figure out most issues when I deal with Linux-based system, but I'm fond of ElementaryOS for the simplicity and the out-of-the-box experience. I still toy with other OSes from time to time, but I need my main computer to be as functional as possible, and ElementaryOS fits that need for me.

I deployed it on an old laptop for my relatives and it's been a worry-free experience since.

I had to deploy some non-free softwares (ex: Spotify, Google Chrome) but since they have their own APT repo they are kept up-to-date with the system updates.

But why not just use Ubuntu? I dont know why so many people decided that wasn't enough of an out of the box experience. All ElementaryOS really is Ubuntu Pantheon edition. That's what bothers me about this superficial branding.

"future"? This has been the past and present for quite some time already...

PopOS has better hardware support evidently.

> Built on top of Xubuntu for a solid and reliable base, we have re-themed XFCE to our own liking, added some nice features to the environment and ship it with some extra applications.

This is pretty much how elementaryOS started. If I remember correctly, Daniel Foré started an icon set, then Xubuntu was forked and reskinned. As more developers flocked to elementaryOS, the whole desktop stack was rebuild on GTK+ and Vala.

In fact, Enso OS is pretty much a mix of Xubuntu and elementaryOS:

> The window manager is a fork from gala https://github.com/nick92/Enso-OS/tree/master/galal

> The Greeter is a fork of pantheon-greeter https://github.com/nick92/Enso-OS/tree/master/greeter

> The application menu is a fork of slingshot-launcher https://github.com/nick92/Enso-OS/tree/master/panther_launch...

> It also uses elementaryOSs AppCenter (renamed to App Hive) https://github.com/nick92/apphive

This is exactly what I have on my laptop this moment.

This is a superficial GTK+ reskin with a derivative window manager and an icon pack. This is not an operating system, and it's not particularly helpful if what you're showing is the special sauce. If you have some ingenious installer which reduces the complications on that end for people, that'd be cool, but that doesn't seem to be what this is.

Yeah, I don't get what his "team" of 1 dude's motivation is. The top line is about the environment too, with nothing concrete about how this OS is supposedly better for the world. What is this, are Instagram hipster influencers making Linux skins now?

What a confusing website. The main components are … a login screen! A desktop! A means to switch applications!

Well done, we've never had those on computers ever before.

It's great that a single person is able to create a custom operating system.

Sure it's mostly just Xubuntu, a retheme/reskin of XFCE, with some personal touches in environment, bundled applications - but clearly there's been time and effort spent on configuring it well, to keep everything simple to use, with a feel-good presentation. I can see value in that.

The project also has wholesome and healthy goals, of being able to run on old computers/laptops, while respecting the users' privacy. There are certainly other "OSes" with similar goals, but I'd say, it's a positive contribution.

Confused by the implication that using machines old enough to not be supported by macOS or Windows is in any way "Green".

Using older hardware almost assuredly means using more power than more modern systems.

Like crushing an old car and replacing it is more damaging to the climate/environment than keeping an old car going. Even if that older car is far less fuel efficient than the modern alternative. Same goes for all hardware... generally.

Except after you've used the older machine for long enough, it would have been less wasteful to crush it in the beginning and replace it earlier, skipping all the consumption later on.

Which is exactly why cash for clunkers was a program.

But less waste. How much until one cancel another is hard to tell.

any machine? Does this include phones? I have been looking for a compatible OS for my old Galaxy Note Edge but its been pretty dang difficult.

Unfortunately, your best bet will be PostMarketOS[0]... It's nowhere near ready for everyday use though, I'm afraid.

[0]https://postmarketos.org/

Looks cool, but the problem I keep coming back to everytime I switch to Linux is... Why? Windows works just fine for me. I use my computer for a browser, video games, .NET development, and web development.

I've spent many, many hours over the years using and configuring Linux, and I keep coming back to the same conclusion.

Yes, Linux has much better privacy than Windows, but for many people, that's not a strong enough reason.

Linux does some things better.

If you want to use a non-mainstream programming language, chances are it won’t support windows.

Package managers are nice.

Using it on the desktop will help you become more familiar with the the server variants (applicable to both windows and Linux).

And if you are into graphics, then it is more headaches than what one cares about.

That is how I slowly moved back from a Linux zealot during university, into Windows/MacOS land as desktop OS.

At the minimum, it needs to be compatible with Android's HAL

If it runs on any machine, it's not for everyone.

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Since Solaris and the BSD's, nay, since AT&T's UNIX®️ back in the '70's. Linux was the first to just ship the kernel without the userland.

And me thinking that there were already OSes being done in high level languages in 1961.