Yeah, I’m still an EnOS newbie (Linux, too, for that matter) and I’m “not sure where this comment should be posted” so that’s two reasons why it’s here!
First, please understand that I really like EnOS (I’m using both XFCE and Deepin DEs) and no one needs to rush to its defense. I’m already sold on EnOS. This is certainly not meant as any kind of flame or even a mild criticism.
But in my “year with Linux,” I’ve certainly been guilty of a good bit of distro hopping and, even now, I still like to keep up with other spins as they arrive. Recently, I was watching a review of RebornOS on the Tyler’s Tech YouTube channel and found it very nice overall (reviews on DistroWatch report problems with the installer, however) but what really got my attention was the selection maintenance tools that are provided in RebornOS FIRE and how they’re all packaged together under Utilities and can do so many things there, including ticking through the full selection of DEs (if you want to get right to it, the RebornOS FIRE part starts at 16:59).
Maybe this is just the newbie in me but I find that – and the developer thought process that led to it – very cool. And for those of you who have been helping me recently through my adventures with serious Ubuntu updates re-writing the GRUB menu and “demoting” EnOS, you’ll know why the System Tasks of Rebuild GRUB and Reinstall GRUB had an immediate appeal!
It might be nice to find out what these are without having to trawl through a YouTube video.
These are kind of at odds with the Arch methodology. For example, I didn’t initially know why an alpm hook wasn’t present to regenerate the GRUB config when you install or remove a kernel, and one reason is that people might write their own config and the Arch devs don’t want to force the user to do a particular thing.
I think you are going to find that every single distro you try(or operating system for that matter) has pros and cons. I always advise people to try them for themselves and use whatever you like best.
I try at least 50 distros every year in VMs. When I find something new or interesting I install it one of my laptops(which are secondary machines).
I jumped around for a while then settled on Manjaro (and now 99.99% Arch). I tried a few after that, but none came close to the overall mix of speed, stability, and ease of use.
And that’s why I provided the exact “in point” for the start of the RebornOS FIRE part. For anyone who’s not curious enough to want to take a look, here’s how the RebornOS FIRE took breaks down:
Reborn Customization
Display Managers
Desktop Environments
System Tasks
– System Maintenance
Clear cache (removing all packages from cache)
Clean journal
Clear cache (removing the last 3 newest version of packages from cache)
Hey, just offering some thoughts and feedback. Sometimes product developers like to know what customers think of features and benefits that are offered on other similar product in the marketplace. Of course, they’re free to absorb it or ignore it.
As I said above, I was just reacting to something I liked a lot in another Arch-based distro. I have no agenda. I don’t use RebornOS, have never downloaded it and I’m not likely to. Don’t take my simple comment and report as some sort of Trojan horse.
Some take longer than others. Since most of them are based on something else, you are trying to look at what makes them different from the thing they are based on. In most cases, the answer is either “not much”, or something an experienced user will find fairly pointless like a pre-customized DE or some silly “administration tool” that pulls other tools/scripts together.
The ones that get selected for a longer term tests for me generally meet one of two criteria
They are doing something new or cool that needs deeper exploration to fully understand it
Something that has been around for a while has either reached a point of maturity where it warrants further testing or it has become more stable and needs to have some time spent with it
True enough! I’ve got an “online buddy” who is a big fan of Compiz and it’s amazing what the limits are on him in terms of what DEs play nice with Compiz, his own preferences in DE, etc. He’s still looking for “the right one.” Once upon a time, for him it was Zorin. And then that changed and he had to move on.
There’s really no way anyone is going to be able to tell you if RebornOS is a good fit for you; you’ll just have to try it and see how you like it.
For me personally, all of that stuff you list above that they provide is just unnecessary. For you, it might be the greatest ever. We’re all different.
Okay, you folks are missing the point. I’m not asking if it would be a good fit for me. I’m not even interested in trying it. As I said at the top…I already use EnOS and I like it just fine. I was simply reacting (one user’s opinion, for sure) to an element within another distro that I thought was intriguing “user engineering.” But thanks for your input…it’s all about what works for each of us.
So, you’re saying that the developers of EnOS are pretty much doing it all for themselves.
Wait, let me change that. I freely admit, I don’t know the first thing about distro development. So maybe that’s how everyone works at this…simply putting out what they like and, hey, if it appeals to someone else, great. Is it the case, then, that distro developers never sit a bunch of users down to “try on” the distro and get some feedback? Is the point of the Alpha and Beta stages purely to debug? Or is there also interest in comments that are more aligned with aesthetics and content organization?
Well, if you were looking for feedback on the feature itself.
For me, it wouldn’t be remotely useful. Most of the things that utility offers are simple one-line commands. I would much prefer to just use those commands because then I have more control over the process.
However, if you were a more GUI-centric individual, I can see how it might be appealing to have a single dashboard to do it all for you.
That being said, some of those tasks, like installing DEs, have some consequences or potential side effects so I am not sure having a single-click GUI for those is the best idea.
I understand the title of this topic makes it more controversial than it should be. However, lets give the OP the benefit of the doubt and assume the point of this isn’t to create controversy but to have an open conversation on a feature he finds interesting.
Please don’t forget to about the friendly and welcoming community atmosphere we strive towards.
Once upon a time, for him it was Zorin. And then that changed and he had to move on.