Thanks. That's what I was hoping this was as I also mis-read it.
ThinkBeat · 1h ago
I really wish people creating a distro,
and even more so distro of a distro of a distro
should not call it OS.
(Debian - Ubuntu . AnduinOS)
I am alwasy happy to look at new operating system projects.
It is a major hobby.
Could distros use AnduinDI AnduinUbuntu AnduinLinux.
or just Anduin
I dont like getting my hopes up like that.
zamadatix · 1h ago
The last thing I'm going to care about comparing distros is whether they used the same naming pattern as Microsoft instead of Apple. To give credit to their author, it sounds like their name really is Anduin Xue and this is their OS, not that they intended for it to sound confusing. Not all that different than how Debian was named, beyond including OS at the end.
I think the gp is complaining specifically about the "OS" bit; that makes it sound like a new operating system rather than a derivative linux distribution
alfiedotwtf · 1h ago
Names could be trademarked… it’s like if I started a car company called Red, but later marketed it as RedLamborghini
sampo · 1h ago
> AnduinOS, a one-man project from a Chinese Microsoft engineer, is quite a new Ubuntu remix that reshapes GNOME in the image of Windows 11.
> it modifies Canonical's current version of GNOME to look strikingly like Windows 11, using a collection of existing extensions and themes
Maybe this is pedantic, but with a "No telemetry at all!" headline it's weird to see two telemetry-gathering applications (Youtube, Steam) in the demo screenshots. Unless there's something to mitigate this?
Edit: The headline text changes on each page refresh, most of the time it says something else.
0x457 · 1h ago
Well, YouTube isn't an application is a webpage, install plugins to block tracking there.
Steam is opt-in for metrics, all it does is collects hardware report. Unless I'm missing something?
Retr0id · 1h ago
It still logs rather a lot by default, like which applications you launch and how long you use them for.
Which is fine, all laid out in their privacy policy etc., but it's not clear to me where Anduin's "No telemetry at all!" promise starts and ends.
Maybe "no added telemetry" would be more pedantically-correct.
0x457 · 1h ago
I don't know, I understood it as "No OS level telemetry or telemetry in first-party apps".
> It still logs rather a lot by default, like which applications you launch and how long you use them for.
I'd rather OS not fuck with my application settings on its own nor do I want it to install browser plugins for me. I wish I had a dollar for every "ubuntu, but looks like windows".
Saris · 1h ago
I'm not really sure after reading through the front page why it's different from Ubuntu, it mentions flatpaks so that's one aspect.
But there's no breakdown of what other major things are different, or why to pick it over Ubuntu or [other popular distro].
glenstein · 1h ago
It is emphatic about no telemetry, so I wondered if that was in contrast to Ubuntu (been forever since I've used Ubuntu so I don't know, unless package repository interaction counts as telemetry). But it might just mean that in contrast to Windows or even just a general sense that distinguishes it even from apps which for many are one of the bigger sources of telemetry concerns.
Saris · 1h ago
Yeah I saw that too, but since it doesn't say how Ubuntu compares I assumed it was just a random fact they picked to put there.
For comparison the Bazzite website is fantastic for making me interested in it because it explains a lot about what it does to make my life easier!
It's good to have facts about things, but explaining how something helps the user is important too, the open source community definitely benefits from having marketing-style info IMO.
froh42 · 1h ago
Aaaaaargh a fucking AI did translate this from English to German when I look at it. Horrible translation.
Eine freundliche Distribution. Ok, fuck yes, if it is friendly, does it say good morning and good night? And ask me how I am?
"Es ist eine perfekte Kombination aus Erfahrung und Ökologie." Ok, it's about ecology, so something about trees and nature and owls and bunnies?
"AnduinOS ist Ihre finale Linux-Distribution!". Wait, you'll think I DIE if I use this?
Retr0id · 1h ago
I think your user agent is doing the translation, but "ecology" is a weird word choice in the original(?) English version too.
zamadatix · 1h ago
There is a language picker on the site which seems to give these translations. I'm also not 100% sure if the English version was the original version either, or at least it would explain some of the word choices if it wasn't.
numpad0 · 1h ago
It's static. There's a dropdown near bottom left to switch back to en-US. Looks like most of non-English versions are machine translated, except not all from the same singular version.
muxl · 1h ago
The desktop background reminds me of some screens that MEPIS OS used [0] back when I was first getting into Linux in high school and the idea of live distributions blew my mind. I assume it's a coincidence people just like pyramids I guess.
No ARM builds either, despite being based on Ubuntu, so I'm not even going to bother trying it out since I expect poor experience on an emulated x86.
dadrock · 2h ago
The Ghost of Lindows.
flas9sd · 1h ago
it's pretty straightforward to change: a makefile, some preset variables in a .sh, then it iterates through https://github.com/Anduin2017/AnduinOS/tree/5bbd94d9c4fa455e... - the tree also points at the gnome-extensions it uses to create and mod the global menu.
can't be too hard to rebase onto Debian (the superior .deb distribution). I put it on 2 endof10 laptops as whatever I do every few years, kde just doesn't stick
ehutch79 · 1h ago
This feels like a lot to run on an arduino. Even the arm ones arn't hitting 100mhz.
merelysounds · 1h ago
> a lot to run on an arduino
This is aNduinos, unrelated to aRduino.
gertlex · 1h ago
Only 2 GB iso! Smaller than Ubuntu! ... I remember when Ubuntu 14.04 was 1 GB ISOs... oh that was a decade ago :(
gummyworm · 1h ago
For a long time, Ubuntu ISOs fit on a CD-ROM. Once that barrier was broken, the sizes inflated pretty rapidly IIRC.
williamscales · 1h ago
They used to send you free CDs to hand out if you asked!
whalesalad · 1h ago
Why would one want to run this over Ubuntu? So much effort is wasted on producing and maintaining entire distributions when they are just another distro with a preinstalled package list and a skin?
cosmic_cheese · 1h ago
Distros also represent sets of defaults and software choices (e.g. removing snap). Good defaults can make a world of difference and dramatically reduce time to usability on new installs.
Besides that distros also tend to include theming that’s much more complete and versatile (works at odd UI scales and such) than themes you find online, which can also be of value. Trying to assemble all the components and poke configs in all the right places to get a coherent look is frankly a huge pain in the rear.
whalesalad · 1h ago
Could that not be a script you run on a fresh Ubuntu install? I am just thinking in terms of all the heft and maintenance responsibility for maintaining this website, documentation, etc (which is all going to be virtually identical to every other documentation site), building isos, hosting them, doing releases.
When the end result is just install packages a, b, c, remove snap, add this theme, add this wallapaper. that is like a script to me lol.
aka ship a diff instead of shipping an entire asset.
SR2Z · 1h ago
> Could that not be a script you run on a fresh Ubuntu install?
It would be amazing if you could just download the combo of the script and image so you don't have to spend time configuring it :)
No comments yet
cosmic_cheese · 1h ago
Scripts are fine for the lightest of changes but quickly become ungainly and prone to failure, plus the user has to re-run it to reapply changes after system updates.
alfiedotwtf · 1h ago
It’s sad that it seems some of the comments are asking “Why?”…
I’d say this is a good middle ground compromise for people who want the privacy of QubesOS but with an Ubuntu experience underneath
idiotsecant · 1h ago
Is windows 11 really the GUI that we want to be emulating?
cosmic_cheese · 1h ago
11’s design language (Fluent) in itself isn’t bad. Personally I find it preferable over the antialiased Windows 1.x look that reigned from 8 through 10. It also implements dark mode more completely than 10 does which is nice.
What makes 11 bad is all the other stuff, like ads in your start menu, taskbar losing functionality, endless background processes being added, etc.
That said there really should be a DE that has built in settings that produce legally distinct but spiritually aligned XP and 7 clone environments.
dionian · 1h ago
right my first reaction was 'cool a more macos like linux experience, let's take a look'
guerrilla · 1h ago
So it's just another Linux distribution? A Flatpack-based spinoff of Ubuntu?
thesnide · 1h ago
flatpack, snap and all thpse docker wanabee solve the right problem the wrong way.
(pseudo)static is a quick & dirty solution to a real problem. really solving it requires skills and time. which are all quite scarse given the new generation appetite for ease of use over efficiency
magackame · 1h ago
What is the right way to solve this problem in your view?
If Rust continues to take over we will end up with (truly)static everything, which doesn't look too bad.
thesnide · 1h ago
Dynamic linking is much better in the long run. As you can proxy things more easily if changes are needed.
But it needs more ABI hygiene, and maintaing that compatibility proxy layer.
Yet, I agrew that unfortunatly, it feels much more effective at first to just "freeze the whole stack in amber".
I can’t be the only one.
I am alwasy happy to look at new operating system projects. It is a major hobby.
Could distros use AnduinDI AnduinUbuntu AnduinLinux. or just Anduin
I dont like getting my hopes up like that.
https://anduin.aiursoft.cn/page/about
> it modifies Canonical's current version of GNOME to look strikingly like Windows 11, using a collection of existing extensions and themes
https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/23/anduinos/
https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Anduin
Edit: The headline text changes on each page refresh, most of the time it says something else.
Steam is opt-in for metrics, all it does is collects hardware report. Unless I'm missing something?
Which is fine, all laid out in their privacy policy etc., but it's not clear to me where Anduin's "No telemetry at all!" promise starts and ends.
Maybe "no added telemetry" would be more pedantically-correct.
> It still logs rather a lot by default, like which applications you launch and how long you use them for.
If you're talking about Steam, those are social features that can be disabled if you want to hide the fact you're playing a hentai game (NSFW) https://www.reddit.com/r/Steam/comments/1ie66ix/nsfw_show_me...
I'd rather OS not fuck with my application settings on its own nor do I want it to install browser plugins for me. I wish I had a dollar for every "ubuntu, but looks like windows".
But there's no breakdown of what other major things are different, or why to pick it over Ubuntu or [other popular distro].
For comparison the Bazzite website is fantastic for making me interested in it because it explains a lot about what it does to make my life easier!
It's good to have facts about things, but explaining how something helps the user is important too, the open source community definitely benefits from having marketing-style info IMO.
Eine freundliche Distribution. Ok, fuck yes, if it is friendly, does it say good morning and good night? And ask me how I am?
"Es ist eine perfekte Kombination aus Erfahrung und Ökologie." Ok, it's about ecology, so something about trees and nature and owls and bunnies?
"AnduinOS ist Ihre finale Linux-Distribution!". Wait, you'll think I DIE if I use this?
[0] - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mepis.png
can't be too hard to rebase onto Debian (the superior .deb distribution). I put it on 2 endof10 laptops as whatever I do every few years, kde just doesn't stick
This is aNduinos, unrelated to aRduino.
Besides that distros also tend to include theming that’s much more complete and versatile (works at odd UI scales and such) than themes you find online, which can also be of value. Trying to assemble all the components and poke configs in all the right places to get a coherent look is frankly a huge pain in the rear.
When the end result is just install packages a, b, c, remove snap, add this theme, add this wallapaper. that is like a script to me lol.
aka ship a diff instead of shipping an entire asset.
It would be amazing if you could just download the combo of the script and image so you don't have to spend time configuring it :)
No comments yet
I’d say this is a good middle ground compromise for people who want the privacy of QubesOS but with an Ubuntu experience underneath
What makes 11 bad is all the other stuff, like ads in your start menu, taskbar losing functionality, endless background processes being added, etc.
That said there really should be a DE that has built in settings that produce legally distinct but spiritually aligned XP and 7 clone environments.
(pseudo)static is a quick & dirty solution to a real problem. really solving it requires skills and time. which are all quite scarse given the new generation appetite for ease of use over efficiency
If Rust continues to take over we will end up with (truly)static everything, which doesn't look too bad.
But it needs more ABI hygiene, and maintaing that compatibility proxy layer.
Yet, I agrew that unfortunatly, it feels much more effective at first to just "freeze the whole stack in amber".
Context: https://debconf25.debconf.org/talks/78-static-linking-pitfal...