14 DAY TRIAL // Q4OS, a Linux distribution built to offer a similar desktop experience as Windows OSes, has received yet another update and they have improved the look and feel of the GTK2+ components.
Q4OS is one of the few Linux operating systems that actually want to provide a similar experience with the Windows counterpart, by default. There are other ways to make Linux distros to borrow some design elements, like themes or icon packs, but in Q4OS things are done at the level of the desktop environment. This means that all the components will make it into this paradigm and there won't be any slip ups.
When you adopt a new theme, for example, there are always problems with various components and it might not work the way it should in all the corners of the distro. On the other hand, when you're using a desktop environment for this job, you can control the end result much better. In this case, the distribution provides an uncanny resemblance to Windows systems and that fits perfectly with the devs’ goals.
Why would you want something that looks like Windows?
One of the reasons can be security. Maybe the user is really hung up on the way Windows looks like and he's been a user his entire life. It's much simpler this way to switch to a Linux distro than to get something like Fedora or Ubuntu, which provide different experiences and that could be a little bit confusing, at least at first.
"The new version improve font appearance for GTK2 applications and brings more accurate GTK2 styles in both classical and modern Q4OS themes. Lookswitcher, the tool to switch between Q4OS desktop themes, now works flawlessly, it has been fixed to prevent styles mixing on some rare switch attempts. Shortcuts in non-default Kickoff menu have been updated. More internal improvements has been made and several minor bugs has been closed," reads the official announcement.
There is no Live CD version or option, so users will have to install this operating system in order to test it. Another interesting addition to Q4OS is a tool called Look Switcher, which isn't provided by default. Also, it is worth noting that the installation process is automatic, which means that you just have to click on the link in the Control Panel. The same is true for the system installer, which can be set to run without any intervention from the user.
You can download Q4OS 0.5.22 right now from Softpedia. Enjoy the screenshots!
