RefreshOS 2.5: The Debian remix that borrows from every desk in the house

RefreshOS is a Debian and KDE-based distro with a difference: it casts its net a lot wider for tools and components. RefreshOS 2.5 is a Debian-based distro using the KDE desktop – but very little of KDE apart from the desktop itself. This version is based on Debian 12, so, fully updated, it's effectively Debian 12.11. This …

[Ace2]

“we counted 37 others…”

We need to make one, super-duper version that’s powerful enough and configurable enough to work for everyone’s use case.

[Doctor Syntax]

“we counted 37 others…”

And every one better than W11's menu.

[Jou (Mxyzptlk)]

Oh, that is easy when every previous Windows version, down to Windows 1.0, had better menus... (yes, including 8.x too, just to spite)

[Maurice Mynah]

A tutor (in an entirely different subject) once remarked to me that "if there are 57 different ways of doing something, you can be sure none of them is much good".

[Jou (Mxyzptlk)]

57 channels (And Nothin' On)...

(today more like 5700 channels... or 57 streaming platforms... And nothin' on...)

[AIBailey]

I feel obliged to post an obligatory XKCD... Standards

[Anonymous Coward]

nice of them

"KDE Plasma itself is rather inconsistent, with some apps using traditional menu bars and other hamburger menus, some apps using version numbers and others dates, and so on."

Ahh, so they made an effort to make people migrating from windows feel more at home.

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: nice of them

I've just spent about 10 minutes going through the KDE apps I use regularly and a whole lot I don't. All have traditional menu bars, none have hamburger menus. Possibly there are some that default to a hamburger menu that allow for further customisation - some non-KDE apps are like that - in which case I must have forgotten about them. KDE is a rather broad church and there seem to have been a few side hustles so I couldn't be sure of all of them but for day-to-day it's almst entirely the non-KDE stuff which insists on looking like it doesn't belong. Krita, admitedly looks weird but it's aimed at the coloured pencil department.

There was just one miscreant: Kexi. It rsulked because it couldn't find the Breeze icon set. Naughty Kexi.

[Jou (Mxyzptlk)]

Re: nice of them

Whoops, I replied to the wrong comment :D

[Francis Boyle]

Re: nice of them

I like the traditional menu bar but I don't think it should be enforced purely for the sake of consistency. It probably not needed on something like a calculator app, for example. I really don't mind if the programs I use have a personality of their own as long as the chosen UI style is well thought out (which means putting the user's needs first).

[sgp]

An operating system should not contain any apps. Just an easy way to install the ones you want. How about that?

[Francis Boyle]

I was thinking

about just such a thing while reading the article. Yes have a ultra minimalist distro. That the easy part. The possibly difficult part would be a mechanism to reliably reinstall all the user software (complete with history) after an upgrade.

[Beeblebrox]

Re: I was thinking

"mechanism to reliably reinstall all the user software (complete with history)"

Something like dnf?

[CAPS LOCK]

Comunity?

What community?

From the web site: "RefreshOS™ is developed and maintained by eXybit Technologies™ and is provided as-is, without any warranty of any kind. While a contact form is available on our website for user inquiries, please note that eXybit Technologies™ is not obligated to provide a response.

For general assistance, you may find helpful information in our official FAQ section:"

So not even a self help forum.