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ZDNET's key takeaways
PearOS is aiming for Apple's Liquid Glass desktop.
The distribution is far from ready for general usage.
PearOS gives you an Apple Intelligence-like experience as well.
I've been keeping an eye on PearOS for some time. I covered PearOS before, calling it a Linux distro that makes your old laptop feel like a Mac.
Since that original review, the developers have decided to up the ante and bring about a Liquid Glass-like look for the distribution. And although PearOS still has its quirks -- the development "team" consists of one person, which means progress is slow -- the latest release has a new base, a new design, and a "new everything."
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The new release is still based on Arch Linux and KDE Plasma, and is still promising the new desktop environment, Soda, but that portion of the project is still listed as "currently unavailable." This latest version is called NiceCore and has started adding what the developer is calling a "Liquid Gel" design.
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