I've experienced first steps with countless Linux distributions over the years, but this one nails every step of the way for users of all types.

Any thoughts about stillOS? This is the first I’ve heard about it

  • sem@piefed.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    2·
    2 hours ago

    A lot of the article is fluff, but this part describes the onboarding process the author liked:

    After installation, you’ll experience several pieces of the puzzle that contribute to stillOS’s claim. First, you’re informed that an update is happening in the background, and you can continue without interruption. That should help give users a sense of reliability.

    stillOS

    There’s nothing to see here; just an atomic update.

    Jack Wallen/ZDNET

    Next comes the ability to select which applications to install. This goes beyond the typical web browser and office suite. With stillOS onboarding, you can select apps to install from several categories, such as web browsers, productivity, music listening, gaming, creative work, utilities, and LLMs. Expand each category and select any/all apps you want to install. You’re not limited to a single app in each category. For example, you can select as many web browsers as you want, or as many office suites.

    stillOS

    You can install apps from all of these categories.

    Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET

    Take, for instance, the productivity section, which allows you to install things like OnlyOffice, LibreOffice, Planify, Todoist, Trello, monday.com, ClickUp, and HubSpot.

    stillOS

    You want productivity, you got it.

    Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET

    After you complete that process, you can choose to open the First Steps app immediately.

    stillOS is easily customizable

    Another thing that makes stillOS consumer-ready is the First Steps app, which is similar to what some other distros might call a Welcome app, only it includes quite a bit more. With First Steps, you can:

    • Install apps
    • Configure displays
    • Customize the layout and extensions
    • Manage online accounts
    • Add Bluetooth devices
    • Configure printers
    • Sign up for the stillHQ forums

    For instance, click Launch for “Customize the layouts and extensions,” and you can select from several pre-configured layouts, including ones that resemble different Windows releases, a MacOS option, a GNOME layout, one that resembles elementaryOS, a layout that looks like ChromeOS, and more.

    After this, he describes some annoying bugs, and recommends that the distribution work on its polish before it can be ready for the masses.

  • Sims@lemmy.mlEnglish
    2·
    3 hours ago

    “stillOS takes the GNOME desktop and configures it like Windows out of the box.”

    Seem to be the only thing that makes it ‘special’ ? Not sure that is unique really, but if it makes some users happy…

    • one_old_coder@piefed.socialEnglish
      8·
      3 hours ago

      I would say:

      • An obscure Linux distribution with an incredible title “the best Linux onboarding experience,” when we have had Ubuntu, Mint, or a lot other distributions for the past 20 years.
      • “updates and applications,” wow!
      • Well, there is nothing else. The article is either empty or it’s an advertisement.
    • brucethemoose@lemmy.world
      2·
      3 hours ago

      Im not downvoting, I think its interesting.

      …But iI suspect some are tired of the Linux community’s fragmentation? As there are a lot of distros that try to mimic Windows as effortlessly as possible.

      This looks like a very clean, sleek attempt to me, IMO.