Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
Arch Linux has a reputation for being too complicated, unstable, and not for everyone. For those reasons, several distributions have emerged that attempt to bring Arch to the masses. Many of them (such as Manjaro and EndeavorOS) succeed quite well. However, not all of those forks of Arch are created equal.
Take, for example, Liya Linux. This distribution was created and maintained by an individual to be an Arch-based Linux distribution that's simple to install but still caters to users of all types (from those new to Linux to those who've been around the open-source block a few hundred times). Liya Linux is built for developers, students, and tinkerers. Is Liya Linux a distribution for those who've never used Linux? That's debatable, as Arch Linux isn't exactly a distribution for the masses. However, Liya Linux does use the Calamares installer, so installing this operating system is as easy as it gets.
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Liya defaults to the Cinnamon desktop (the same desktop used on Linux Mint), so the UI is familiar enough for anyone to use. If you don't like Cinnamon, there's always Mate. Of course, in my opinion, Cinnamon and Mate are about as similar as you can get (without actually being the same). Sure, there are subtle differences, but on the surface, Cinnamon and Mate may as well be siblings, cut from the same cloth.
One of the most appealing aspects of Liya Linux is that it's optimized for both v2 and v3 microarchitectures (think older and newer hardware). Additionally, Liya Linux does not collect or transmit any telemetry and runs a bare minimum of services to ensure it's both private and secure. But how is it in real-world testing? Let's chat.
First impressions
I'm not going to lie: I've always found the Cinnamon desktop to be rather boring. That's not to say it isn't effective. It is. Quite. But for my tastes, Cinnamon is too "Windows-like" to wind up on my desktop.
That being said, Cinnamon works very well on Liya Linux. The developer has configured the desktop to be a no-brainer to figure out. You have a desktop menu in the bottom-right corner, launchers on the panel, a system tray, and a single clickable icon that takes you to the Liya GNU/Linux forum. That forum isn't exactly the busiest I've ever experienced, but the Introduction post alone makes it worth visiting, as it contains plenty of information you might want to read before diving in.
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