OS X inspired Linux distribution

Cactii · 09:58 AM

Just thought I would share this with the MAC community.

The other day I was looking for a small, lightweight linux distribution to replace Windows7 with on my girlfriends netbook. It was slow and had some problems with the video drivers after 20min of use to a state of unusable with constant flickering.

A few distros came to mind such as Ubuntu, Mint, Lubuntu etc,. Being a longtime Mac user I thought Linux Mint was the only distribution for her which actually does a decent job in the UI department

and would make it easy to use on a delay basis.

After a couple hours of reading through forum posts and searching for information just to see if this little Acer Aspire can run it I came across a distribution called "Elementary OS Luna".

I went through their screenshots and was impressed by how much "inspired"

they are by OSX. I have to admit the designers had a serious eye for detail.

Here is a video tour of the OS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwFFNcfNXW8

Design Concepts:
http://elementaryos.deviantart.com/gallery/

Desktop:

I installed it with no problem. It's fast and I actually felt right at home thanks to the very similar look and feel of OSX

.

So, if you have an old PC laptop/netbook and want to have a OSX feel, I would suggest downloading it now before it goes mainstream and Apple shuts them down for being "too inspired".

What do you guys think of this?

Ariii · Nov 23, 2012, 07:39 PM

It only supports x86

. Hopefully if it becomes more popular, it'll support more architectures... Ubuntu already has an ARM and PowerPC version so it wouldn't be as hard as porting a complete OS to a new platform.

Cactii · 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ariii

It only supports x86

. Hopefully if it becomes more popular, it'll support more architectures... Ubuntu already has an ARM and PowerPC version so it wouldn't be as hard as porting a complete OS to a new platform.

Since it is based on Ubuntu I would think it will come soon or later. From reading through their website it is a small team developing this from scratch with a unified look of all the applications. If Gimp could take some "inspiration" from Adobe or if Adobe would make some applications available on Linux I would actually consider it giving it a go.

Jessica Lares · Nov 24, 2012, 06:11 PM

I've been watching the development of this. It's very nice!

thejadedmonkey · Nov 24, 2012, 06:18 PM

I completely agree. I have the ISO on my PC, I've been meaning to install it for some time now.

76ShovelHead · Nov 25, 2012, 06:35 PM

I like how they're creating their own apps tailored to the OS. It makes for a more integrated experience like OS X. I also like how their handling third party apps such as Geary by collaborating closely with Yorba, and Midori. I think this is probably one of the biggest reasons Linux is never taken too seriously, you've got so many distros but they rely on third parties for apps. Elementary is changing that, and I heard they were also trying to create standards/policies to establish a consistent look for developers to follow.

That said I prefer Ubuntu at the moment, it has more features. I hope Canonical will start developing their own apps and features for Ubuntu, like Elementary. Another problem with Linux is that distributions never release any innovative features along with the OS. I noticed a small change for Ubuntu however, their latest release has better integration and websites can now become apps pinned to the launcher with notifications. Dash is also getting more refined.

BRyken · Nov 25, 2012, 06:36 PM

Thanks for the tip. This is interesting as I'm starting to get a little more familiar with Linux and this could make the transition seamless.

PowerPCMacMan · Nov 26, 2012, 12:13 AM

Will there be a port for PowerPC users to make use of this distro of Linux? I have been wanting to try Linux on my G5 Quad(Yes, I also use Intel Mac Pro, so don't worry).

I figure Ubuntu still works on PPC, maybe the developer has a PowerPC port in the works?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ariii

It only supports x86

. Hopefully if it becomes more popular, it'll support more architectures... Ubuntu already has an ARM and PowerPC version so it wouldn't be as hard as porting a complete OS to a new platform.

bizzle · Nov 26, 2012, 06:24 AM

Finally a distro that doesn't look like bollocks.

RSL · Nov 28, 2012, 01:04 AM

Nice!!! I might have to try it out!

SkyBell · Nov 28, 2012, 01:54 AM

If they ever made a PPC version... I may have to give that a go. Downloading the beta right now, gonna try it on on my netbook and see what's what.

Cactii · Dec 28, 2012, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkyBell

If they ever made a PPC version... I may have to give that a go. Downloading the beta right now, gonna try it on on my netbook and see what's what.

How did it go with this release on your netbook?

Still running strong here. I did notice some problems with the wifi connection but I believe this is a problem with the actually netbook since It did this with Windows as well.

Nov 23, 2012, 09:50 AM	#1
Cactii macrumors member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Vancouver	OS X inspired Linux distribution Just thought I would share this with the MAC community. The other day I was looking for a small, lightweight linux distribution to replace Windows7 with on my girlfriends netbook. It was slow and had some problems with the video drivers after 20min of use to a state of unusable with constant flickering. A few distros came to mind such as Ubuntu, Mint, Lubuntu etc,. Being a longtime Mac user I thought Linux Mint was the only distribution for her which actually does a decent job in the UI department and would make it easy to use on a delay basis. After a couple hours of reading through forum posts and searching for information just to see if this little Acer Aspire can run it I came across a distribution called "Elementary OS Luna". I went through their screenshots and was impressed by how much "inspired" they are by OSX. I have to admit the designers had a serious eye for detail. Here is a video tour of the OS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwFFNcfNXW8 Design Concepts: http://elementaryos.deviantart.com/gallery/ Desktop: I installed it with no problem. It's fast and I actually felt right at home thanks to the very similar look and feel of OSX . So, if you have an old PC laptop/netbook and want to have a OSX feel, I would suggest downloading it now before it goes mainstream and Apple shuts them down for being "too inspired". What do you guys think of this? Last edited by Cactii; Nov 23, 2012 at 09:58 AM.
	1

Nov 23, 2012, 07:39 PM	#2
Ariii macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Chicago	It only supports x86 . Hopefully if it becomes more popular, it'll support more architectures... Ubuntu already has an ARM and PowerPC version so it wouldn't be as hard as porting a complete OS to a new platform. __________________ •Indigo iBook Clamshell, MacOS 9; Lime iBook Clamshell, Panther; MacOS 9 users: Use Classilla \| MacOS 9 Lives I'm on IRC at #macrumors on irc.krono.net Tumblr
	0

Nov 24, 2012, 06:11 PM	#4
Jessica Lares macrumors 68030 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Near Dallas, Texas, USA	I've been watching the development of this. It's very nice! __________________  Have You Hugged Your Mac Today? Daily Expressions \| Power Mac G5 \| Late 2011 13" MacBook Pro \| iPod Nano (7G) \| iPod Shuffle (2012) \| iPad Mini
	0

Nov 24, 2012, 06:18 PM	#5
thejadedmonkey macrumors 604 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Pa	I completely agree. I have the ISO on my PC, I've been meaning to install it for some time now. __________________ MacBook Air • 17" MacBook Pro • iPod Nano • Apple TV Custom Windows 7 Desktop • Surface RT • WP7 "Good judgment comes from experience, experience comes from bad judgment." - Mulla Nasrudin
	0

Nov 25, 2012, 06:35 PM	#6
76ShovelHead macrumors 6502 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Connecticut	I like how they're creating their own apps tailored to the OS. It makes for a more integrated experience like OS X. I also like how their handling third party apps such as Geary by collaborating closely with Yorba, and Midori. I think this is probably one of the biggest reasons Linux is never taken too seriously, you've got so many distros but they rely on third parties for apps. Elementary is changing that, and I heard they were also trying to create standards/policies to establish a consistent look for developers to follow. That said I prefer Ubuntu at the moment, it has more features. I hope Canonical will start developing their own apps and features for Ubuntu, like Elementary. Another problem with Linux is that distributions never release any innovative features along with the OS. I noticed a small change for Ubuntu however, their latest release has better integration and websites can now become apps pinned to the launcher with notifications. Dash is also getting more refined. __________________ iBook G4 14" 1.42 1.5GB
	0

Nov 25, 2012, 06:36 PM	#7
BRyken macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2008	Thanks for the tip. This is interesting as I'm starting to get a little more familiar with Linux and this could make the transition seamless. __________________ Mac Mini 2.7GHz i7 16GB RAM Fusion Drive \| 27" Thunderbolt Display \| Seagate Backup Plus 3TB USB 3.0\|16 GB Black iPhone 5
	0

Nov 26, 2012, 06:24 AM	#9
bizzle macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2008	Finally a distro that doesn't look like bollocks. __________________ oh no my fans are spinning and my computer is hot wtf?????!!??!?!?1/1/1/111````oneonetwo
	0

Nov 28, 2012, 01:04 AM	#10
RSL macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2012	Nice!!! I might have to try it out!
	0

Nov 28, 2012, 01:54 AM	#11
SkyBell macrumors 603 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas	If they ever made a PPC version... I may have to give that a go. Downloading the beta right now, gonna try it on on my netbook and see what's what. __________________ MR's PowerPC Fangirl eMac 1.42 GHz - 10.4.11 Pink iPod mini 2G 4 GB R.I.P Apple Computer, 1976-2007
	0


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