This Arch-based Linux Distro Has A Clean, Privacy-focused Experience For Tinkerers

Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Arch Linux has a estimation for being excessively complicated, unstable, and not for everyone. For those reasons, respective distributions person emerged that effort to bring Arch to nan masses. Many of them (such arsenic Manjaro and EndeavorOS) win rather well. However, not each of those forks of Arch are created equal.

Take, for example, Liya Linux. This distribution was created and maintained by an individual to beryllium an Arch-based Linux distribution that's elemental to instal but still caters to users of each types (from those caller to Linux to those who've been astir nan open-source artifact a fewer 100 times). Liya Linux is built for developers, students, and tinkerers. Is Liya Linux a distribution for those who've ne'er utilized Linux? That's debatable, arsenic Arch Linux isn't precisely a distribution for nan masses. However, Liya Linux does usage nan Calamares installer, truthful installing this operating strategy is arsenic easy arsenic it gets.

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Liya defaults to nan Cinnamon desktop (the aforesaid desktop utilized connected Linux Mint), truthful nan UI is acquainted capable for anyone to use. If you don't for illustration Cinnamon, there's ever Mate. Of course, successful my opinion, Cinnamon and Mate are astir arsenic akin arsenic you tin get (without really being nan same). Sure, location are subtle differences, but connected nan surface, Cinnamon and Mate whitethorn arsenic good beryllium siblings, trim from nan aforesaid cloth.

One of nan astir appealing aspects of Liya Linux is that it's optimized for some v2 and v3 microarchitectures (think older and newer hardware). Additionally, Liya Linux does not cod aliases transmit immoderate telemetry and runs a bare minimum of services to guarantee it's some backstage and secure. But really is it successful real-world testing? Let's chat.

First impressions

I'm not going to lie: I've ever recovered nan Cinnamon desktop to beryllium alternatively boring. That's not to opportunity it isn't effective. It is. Quite. But for my tastes, Cinnamon is excessively "Windows-like" to upwind up connected my desktop.

That being said, Cinnamon useful very good connected Liya Linux. The developer has configured nan desktop to beryllium a no-brainer to fig out. You person a desktop paper successful nan bottom-right corner, launchers connected nan panel, a strategy tray, and a azygous clickable icon that takes you to nan Liya GNU/Linux forum. That forum isn't precisely nan busiest I've ever experienced, but nan Introduction station unsocial makes it worthy visiting, arsenic it contains plentifulness of accusation you mightiness want to publication earlier diving in.

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Liya Linux besides defaults to nan Brave browser, which I find to beryllium nan astir evident prime for a distribution that markets itself arsenic backstage and secure. Another absorbing prime is nan action to spell pinch OnlyOffice Desktop Editors alternatively of LibreOffice. 

I'm rather fond of this agency suite because it allows maine to activity some locally and via a unreality host. That intends I tin activity pinch delicate accusation connected my section thrust and little delicate accusation connected a unreality big (where I mightiness want to easy stock those documents pinch others). Even if you're unfamiliar pinch OnlyOffice Desktop Editors, it's very user-friendly and allows you to activity pinch documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and PDFs. You tin moreover merge AI into nan app (if you truthful choose).

ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors are a unsocial agency suite that allows you to activity some locally and pinch a unreality host.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

You besides get nan GNOME Encfs Manager, which allows you to activity pinch encrypted directories for moreover much security.

As I spell done nan desktop menu, it's clear that nan developer has made each azygous prime pinch intent and that intent is to service nan personification successful a measurement that's successful statement pinch nan extremity of nan operating strategy -- "A clean, fast, Arch-based distribution for those who build pinch purpose, not noise."

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And, of course, there's Timeshift, which is simply a strategy reconstruct utility. Timeshift allows you to return snapshots of your moving OS, truthful if thing should spell wrong, you tin ever rotation it backmost to a moving image. With Timeshift, you tin group it up to create automatic snapshots connected boot, hourly, daily, weekly, aliases monthly. With this app, you tin beryllium definite that you'll ever person a moving lawsuit of your operating system.

Timeshift makes it easy to create reconstruct points for your OS.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Should you effort Liya Linux?

From my perspective, nan only point missing from Liya Linux is nan expertise to easy stock folders crossed a network. I get why Samba isn't included (because nan developer wants to support nan moving services to a minimum), but I deliberation Samba should beryllium considered for addition, particularly fixed this distribution is aimed astatine "tinkerers."

Even pinch that omission, Liya Linux is simply a return connected Arch Linux that would entreaty to those looking for a minimal desktop operating strategy that takes privacy and security seriously, acknowledgment to nan operation of GNOME Encfs, Brave, a minimum number of moving services, and zero postulation of telemetry and personification data.

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If I've piqued your liking successful Liya Linux, download an ISO, burn it to a USB drive, and instal it connected a spare machine to spot what it's each about.

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