Why I Returned To Enlightenment Linux After 30 Years: Testing The New Elive Beta

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Elive has a caller beta out, and it's fantastic.
• Some of nan announced features aren't ready.
• You tin trial nan beta now for free.

There's a batch to emotion astir Linux, including its flexibility. No matter nan distribution, you tin tweak and customize it to perfectly fresh your needs and aesthetic. I learned this backmost successful nan precocious '90s, erstwhile I discovered nan Enlightenment desktop.

I spent hours upon hours connected customization, and ever recovered myself successful awe astatine what it could do.

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Although Enlightenment (also called E) doesn't bask astir nan fame it erstwhile had, it's still available, acknowledgment to distributions specified arsenic Elive. Elive is based connected Debian, truthful it inherits nan rock-solid reliability from nan "Mother of each distributions." Elive is besides configured, retired of nan box, to beryllium 1 very cool-looking desktop OS. 

There's a caller beta of nan upcoming merchandise of Elive, and it promises to beryllium thing special. In this latest release, you'll find caller features/improvements, specified as:

• OpenRC: An replacement init strategy disposable during installation.
• Synthwave Player: An awesome caller euphony player.
• Voice Control: An extremely-light exertion for hands-free relationship pinch zero AI integration.
• Desktop Clock: A simple, lightweight desktop clock.
• Enlightenment 27: A preview of nan latest type of nan Enlightenment desktop.
• Debian 12 base: This is nan past build of Elive that will beryllium based connected Debian 12.

Also: How to take nan correct Linux desktop distribution for you

There are besides nan accustomed features that travel pinch Enlightenment, specified arsenic my favorite, model shading (double-click connected a window's title barroom and nan model rolls up, truthful each you spot is nan title bar), which makes for an astonishing multi-tasking desktop.

There's besides nan desktop menus. Left-click immoderate blank spot connected nan desktop to bring up nan main menu. Right-click connected nan desktop to bring up nan Settings menu.

You besides get Conky, nan Elive Center (where you tin customize nan look, configuration, and settings of your desktop), and truthful overmuch more. After installing nan latest beta, I recovered myself poking astir to acquisition what nan developer has done pinch nan Enlightenment desktop, and I was each smiles.

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There's besides different characteristic that mightiness beryllium of liking to some: sound control. This is simply a marque caller feature, still successful beta, that allows you to power nan desktop pinch your voice. The developer has released a bully demo video for this feature, which you tin position connected his Patreon site.

Upon installing nan latest beta of Elive, I recovered myself excited astir trying this caller characteristic out. After scanning done nan desktop menus, I was incapable to find a measurement to alteration and/or commencement sound control. I jumped connected nan Elive Libera.Chat server to spot if anyone could thief maine out, and, surprisingly, location was nary thief to beryllium found. 

Unfortunately, nary thief was forthcoming, truthful I had to miss retired connected testing nan sound power successful nan beta release. However, nan video supra gives you a bully thought of really nan characteristic will activity (and it's beautiful exciting).

What I emotion astir Elive

First and foremost, it's each astir Enlightenment, and what is location not to emotion astir that model manager? It retains everything I've ever enjoyed astir Enlightenment (desktop menus, model shading, theming, soft and unsocial animations, desktop sounds, etc), while besides giving it a somewhat much modern look. 

The default Elive theme, showing nan desktop menu.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Yes, erstwhile you usage Enlightenment, you cognize you're moving pinch a throwback to nan earlier days of Linux, but that doesn't return distant from its usability aliases beauty.

There's 1 point astir Enlightenment that ne'er fails to put a grin connected my face. No matter really overmuch I cognize astir nan E model manager, I'm ever uncovering thing new. For example, conscionable coming I realized that I could right-click nan pager modules (near nan bottommost near of nan screen) to minimize them. I emotion this characteristic because I thin to for illustration a much minimal desktop, but still want nan expertise to activity pinch nan pager. 

I've near 1 pager open, truthful you tin spot wherever they unrecorded (and what they look for illustration erstwhile minimized).

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

For those who don't know, nan pager is an old-school attack to switching betwixt virtual desktops.

Oh, and there's nan LCARS theme, which immoderate Trekkie will love.

What I don't emotion astir Elive

Honestly, there's not overmuch to knock astir Elive. Obviously, I wish I could person tested nan sound power feature, but that wasn't successful nan cards (yet). 

Also: 5 reasons to move to an immutable Linux distro coming - and which to effort first

So, if I'm really picking astatine nits here, I wish I could move nan minimized applications. With Enlightenment, applications don't minimize to a panel; instead, they minimize to a thumbnail connected nan desktop. I would emotion to beryllium capable to move them to, say, nan near separator of nan display. 

Is Elive for you?

Elive is champion suited for those who are tired of nan aforesaid aged desktop metaphor of panel, strategy tray, launchers, blah, blah, bity blah. This old-school desktop situation is and has ever been 1 of my favorites, partially because it's conscionable truthful absorbing and entertaining.

If you're tired of utilizing a desktop interface that tries to beryllium either Windows aliases MacOS, past Elive mightiness beryllium a awesome option. Sure, it has a flimsy learning curve, but erstwhile you get nan bent of it, I'm assured that you'll emotion it arsenic overmuch arsenic I do. And because Elive does specified a awesome occupation pinch Enlightenment, I can't deliberation of a amended Linux distribution to usage for this smile-inducing desktop.

I would person liked to effort nan sound power to spot really overmuch it adds to nan experience, but I tin opportunity that it could beryllium an astonishing characteristic for anyone pinch accessibility issues and wants to activity pinch a desktop that shrugs disconnected nan accustomed boring UI.

If you'd for illustration to springiness Elive a try, check retired nan download page, drawback an ISO, burn it to a USB drive, footwear up, and install.