[Trav1s]

I have been reading up on some linux installs that offer the same resources as Ubuntu but a different user interface. The most recent distro to break onto the scene and receive positive reviews is elementary www.elementary.io It is easy to use and configure as it shares the same repositories with Ubuntu like Linux Mint. The user interface is simple and some say it has a mac-like feel. I downloaded the iso and installed it on a frankenstein HP 620 I got from my dad some time ago. I upgraded to a 64 gb SSD drive, 4 gigs of ram (up from 2 gb) then installed Ubuntu on half of the drive and Elementary on the other half. I spent about 2 hours messing around with it and wanted to share some thoughts for those who are curious about it.

• The user interface is very simple and easy to negotiate once you get how Elementary works
• Machine performance was pretty snappy (and a bit quicker than Ubuntu on the same machine)
• I considered keeping it but something happened to it and the Ubuntu install last night when I was messing with stuff.

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[motobreeder]

Sounds interesting. I find the Unity interface uses too much ram on my old Dell laptop to be functional. Might be fun to give it a try.

The link you provided is asking for a payment before I can start the download.

Looks like the ISO can be downloaded from sourceforge for free. I need to wait until after folks go to bed before I start a nearly 1GB download.

 

[HDWildBill]

Travis: Were you able to figure out what caused the problem on you laptop? Sounds like some hardware if both systems went down. Got any screen shots.

Motobreeder, I just checked as well and found what you found about the money first. That is highly unusual for a Linux distro. I wonder what is up with that. Do check and see what version Sourceforge is offering. according to what i have read the latest is .03 Freya.

 

[Trav1s]

You can select "$0" as the amount you want to donate and download directly from Elementary. Try it out.

I did not worry too much about the problem as I was irritated enough that I just wanted to blow it away. I thought it might have been a problem with partition size but I lack the patience right now to figure things out.

The other thing that though this distro is lacking is polish or a finished look.