14 DAY TRIAL // Solus 1.0, a Linux distribution built from scratch that’s using its own desktop environment named Budgie, has been released and is now ready for download.
The work on Solus began more than one and a half years ago, even if it was named differently back then. This new Linux distribution was started by Ikey Doherty, and the goal has always been to have a proper desktop experience.
Many other Linux operating systems want to do everything at once, but Solus would rather be a complete desktop experience, without any compromises. This is done with the help of Budgie, which is also a new desktop environment made by the same team.
Building both the operating system and the desktop provides a big advantage for the devs, who have full control over all the components. They don’t depend all that much on upstream, which is almost always a good thing.
Solus 1.0 is here
Solus 1.0 provides a classic desktop, with a clear design that hints both at the past and the future at the same time. The classic design is backed up by a modern backend and all the trimmings that you could hope to find on a modern desktop.
The developers have explained that Budgie ships with an applet, notification, and customization center referred to as Raven. Users should have easy access to the calendar, the sound volume, media player controls, applet management, various theming options and more.
Solus is also using a package manager named eopkg that gives users all the control they need over package management, like installing or removing apps, searching for packages, and repo management.
The default applications available in Solus include Firefox 43.0.2, Nautilus 3.18.4, Rhythmbox 3.2.1, Thunderbird 38.5.0, or VLC 2.2.1.
Solus ships with Linux kernel 4.3.3
Solus 1.0 is UEFI-enabled, which means that the operating system should be able to boot on a variety of modern hardware. The fact that the OS is powered by Linux kernel 4.3.3 is a big plus in this regard.
There are still some problems, which will be fixed in the coming months. For example, the AMD proprietary drivers don’t support Linux kernel versions above 3.19 or Xorg above 1.17. Also, Steam needs a workaround to function on non-Nvidia systems, HP printers are currently non-functional, and the Software Center is still being improved.
You can download Solus 1.0 right now from Softpedia or from the official website and take it for a spin.
