this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2023
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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[–] suprjami@lemmy.sdf.org 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It is pretty nice but ultimately it's just Debian with a slightly different package set and a theme. You can boot the regular live image and set the theme to Adwaita-dark and there's not really much difference.

[–] ardent_abysm@lemm.ee 22 points 1 year ago

Yes, it is just Debian, by design, but takes a lot of the hassle out have having a functional desktop. I know the next time I do a Debian install it will be done with Spiral, because it will save me time an trouble. Additionally, for peolple new to Linux, they don’t even know that a Debian install is not a finished state or what they need to do after installing. Spiral makes Debian proper accessible and safer for new users.

[–] sb56637@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

Hi there, SpiralLinux creator here. On one hand, I agree with you that it is indeed "just Debian", which was a primary goal of the project. There is absolutely no dependence on me or the SpiralLinux project for maintenance of the installed system. However there are a huge number of changes from a vanilla Debian installation apart from the package selection and theme. A lot of the changes are quite low-level and would be difficult for many users to discover or implement on their own. These changes are achieved via proper configuration files that survive future Debian updates. You can see what has been modified and implemented by downloading the live-build recipe tarball from the SpiralLinux Github page, and look in the config/includes.chroot/ and config/hooks/normal/ directories. Where feasible I try to properly comment the reason for the changes.

I'm not trying to pull away satisfied Debian users, but I believe there is a significant number of users that would like to run a pure Debian system but aren't doing so because they find the installation and initial configuration for some reasonable polish and niceties to be a bit too much work.