Why I returned to Enlightenment Linux after 30 years: testing the new Alive beta

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a favorite source On Google.

ZDNET Highlights

• Alive has released a new beta, and it’s fantastic.
• Some of the announced features are not ready.
• You can now test the beta for free.

There’s a lot to like about Linux, including its flexibility. No matter the distribution, you can modify and customize it to suit your needs and aesthetics. I learned this in the late 90’s, when I discovered Enlightenment Desktop.

I spent hours on customization, and always found myself amazed at what it could do.

Too: Best Linux Distros for Beginners

Although Enlightenment (also known as E) has not gained as much popularity as it once did, it is still available, thanks to distributions like Alive. Alive is based on Debian, so it has inherited the rock-solid reliability from the “mother of all distributions”. Elive is also configured to be a very good looking desktop OS.

There’s a new beta of Alive’s upcoming release, and it promises to be something special. In this latest release, you will find new features/improvements, such as:

• OpenRC: An optional init system available during installation.
• Synthwave Player: An impressive new music player.
• Voice Control: An extremely lightweight application for hands-free conversations with zero AI integration.
• Desktop Clock: A simple, lightweight desktop clock.
• Enlightenment 27: A preview of the latest version of Enlightenment Desktop.
• Debian 12 Base: This is the last build of Alive that will be based on Debian 12.

Too: How to Choose the Right Linux Desktop Distribution for You

There are also some common features that come with Enlightenment, like my favorite, window shading (double-click on a window’s title bar and the window rolls up, so you only see the title bar), which makes for a wonderful multi-tasking desktop.

There is also a desktop menu. Left click on any empty space on the desktop to bring up the main menu. Right-click on the desktop to bring up the Settings menu.

You also get Conky, Alive Center (where you can customize the look, configuration, and settings of your desktop), and more. After installing the latest beta, I found myself poking around to experience what the developer has done with Enlightenment Desktop, and I was smiling.

Also: My 11 Favorite Linux Distributions of All Time, Ranked

There’s also another feature that may be of interest to some people: volume controls. This is a brand new feature, still in beta, that allows you to control the desktop with your voice. The developer has released a nice demo video for this feature, which you can check out on patreon site.

Upon installing the latest beta of Alive, I found myself excited to try out this new feature. After scanning through the desktop menus, I was unable to find a way to enable and/or initialize Voice Control. I went to the Alive libra.chat server to see if anyone could help me, and surprisingly there was no help.

Unfortunately, there was no help available, so I had to miss out on testing voice controls in the beta release. However, the video above gives you a good idea of ​​how the feature will work (and it’s pretty exciting).

What I like about Alive

First and foremost, it’s all about enlightenment, and what’s not to like about that window manager? It retains everything I’ve always enjoyed about Enlightenment (desktop menus, window shading, theming, smooth and unique animations, desktop sounds, etc.), while also giving it a slightly more modern look.

Yes, when you use Enlightenment, you know you’re dealing with a throwback to the early days of Linux, but that doesn’t diminish its usefulness or beauty.

There is one thing about enlightenment that never fails to bring a smile to my face. No matter how much I know about Windows Manager, I’m always looking for something new. For example, just today I realized I can right-click on the pager modules (bottom left of the screen) to minimize them. I like this feature because I prefer a more minimalist desktop, but still want the ability to work with the pager.

For those who don’t know, Pager is an old way of switching between virtual desktops.

Oh, and there’s the LCARS theme, which any Trekkie will love.

What I don’t like about Alive

Honestly, there isn’t much to criticize about Alive. Obviously, I wish I could have tested the voice control feature, but that wasn’t in the plan (yet).

Also: 5 reasons to switch to an immutable Linux distro today – and which one to try first

So, if I’m really picking nits here, I wish I could move applications to a minimum. With Enlightenment, applications aren’t confined to a panel; Instead, they are minimized to a thumbnail on the desktop. I would love to be able to move them to the left edge of the display.

Is Alive for you?

Alive is best suited for those who are tired of the same old desktop metaphor of panels, system trays, launchers, blah, blah, itty blah. This old-fashioned desktop environment has always been one of my favorites, partly because it’s so interesting and entertaining.

If you’re tired of using a desktop interface that tries to resemble Windows or MacOS, Elive could be a great alternative. Sure, it takes a bit of learning, but once you get the hang of it, I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do. And because Alive works so well with Enlightenment, I can’t think of a better Linux distribution to use for this smile-inducing desktop.

I would have loved to try out voice controls to see how much it adds to the experience, but I can say that this could be a wonderful feature for anyone with accessibility issues and wants to work with a desktop that is away from the usual boring UI.

If you would like to try Alive, View download pageTake an ISO, burn it to a USB drive, boot and install.