The Konsole app showing the XeroLinux global menu.
Image: Jack Wallen
What truly makes XeroLinux so special is how the developer doesn’t stick with a default KDE Plasma layout (because that would be boring). Instead, the developer opts to give the desktop a decidedly MacOS feel with a dock and a top bar. Even without a single customization, everything looks and behaves to perfection.
The developers have taken great care to include everything on the desktop to make it easy to interact with the OS, but one of my favorite bits is the global menu that appears in the top bar for the application you’re currently working on. Instead of an app taking extra space by housing its menu bar within the app window, XeroLinux kicks it off to the top bar, so you have access to the menu no matter where the window is. I’ve always been a fan of global menus, as they free up space in the app window and help standardize your workflow.
Other things that help set XeroLinux apart include:
- Both Pamac and Synaptic are available for software installation.
- A simple-to-navigate desktop menu.
- Flatseal flatpak GUI for easy installation.
- A drop-down terminal window (Yakuake).
- Plenty of animations.
- Grub customizer.
- Quick-access dark and light theme switching.
- Tons of configuration options.
- XeroLinux Configuration tool (for easy system updates and help setting up things like Samba and Nvidia graphics).
Not everything’s perfect
I did run into a couple of small issues with XeroLinux, all easily solved. The first involved the Flatseal app. When I first opened the app, I was unable to search for installable Flatpak applications or do anything with the app. However, once I installed a Flatpak app from the command line (“flatpak install spotify”), Flatseal behaved as expected.
The other troubling issue was the Pamac GUI software installer. One of the first things I did was attempt to install LibreOffice with the Pamac GUI. Things did not go so well, and Pamac had some problems synchronizing package databases. Eventually, after the system detected that updates were available, the databases fell into sync, and I was then able to install LibreOffice (and plenty of other software). The process was a bit slower than I’d have liked, but it wasn’t terribly challenging to resolve.
Also: What’s new in LibreOffice and how do you install it in MacOS?
The thing about XeroLinux is that it’s such a beautifully designed desktop, you’re willing to forgive any slight hiccups that occur. And given most of the hiccups wound up resolving themselves, it’s hard to find even the slightest fault in this outstanding Linux desktop operating system. I highly recommend downloading an ISO of XeroLinux and giving it a try. I’m confident you’ll like what you see.
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