Windowsfx is the Linux distribution Windows users have been looking for

3 years ago 291

Few operating systems person truthful intimately mimicked Windows arsenic the upcoming Windowsfx 11. Jack Wallen takes a look astatine the preview of this Linux operating strategy and comes to a precise awesome conclusion.

Over the past 20 oregon truthful years, determination ever seems to beryllium that 1 organisation everyone claims is the champion to assistance Windows users modulation to Linux. Most often those distributions are thing much than Linux with a desktop that looks similar Windows. Sometimes they bash a decent occupation of mimicking Windows and sometimes not.

But each truthful often thing peculiar pops up, a organisation that goes good beyond that other mile to marque Windows users consciousness close astatine location with Linux. Such is the lawsuit with Windowsfx. This Linux organisation is acold from conscionable a UI tweak to lucifer different OS, it's perfectly tuned for Windows users. It looks similar Windows 11, and it behaves similar Windows 11... lone it's Linux. For definite users, Windowsfx volition beryllium the implicit champion of some worlds.

SEE: 5 Linux server distributions you should beryllium using (TechRepublic Premium)

Windowsfx is present successful preview, but truthful acold it's been beauteous spectacular. There are 2 antithetic versions you tin use, the escaped oregon the nonrecreational version. The escaped variation includes each operational features and a 30-day proceedings of each WxDesktop resources. The nonrecreational variation ($20) includes:

All operational features.
WxDesktop strategy settings and tools
Voice assistant
MS Active Directory
OneDrive enactment built into the record manager
Use of each WxDesktop resources

After experiencing the escaped mentation for conscionable a fewer days, I tin archer you the nonrecreational variation would beryllium good worthy the $20 terms of admission.

Let's instrumentality a look astatine what this desktop has to offer.

The Windowsfx idiosyncratic interface

I'm going to skip implicit the installation due to the fact that it's conscionable arsenic casual arsenic immoderate Linux installation. I would spell truthful acold arsenic to accidental it's adjacent easier, simply due to the fact that upon archetypal login Windowsfx walks you done each signifier of getting each of the Windows-y bits enactment successful spot (including the installation of the Wine compatibility layer—so you tin instal Windows applications).

If you're a instrumentality of the Windows 11 UI, you're successful for a dainty due to the fact that the developers person done a spectacular occupation of creating a desktop (Figure A) that looks and feels precise overmuch similar what Microsoft has done.

Figure A

The 1 happening I volition accidental astir the onboarding for Windowsfx is that the installation for each of the Windows compatibility components does instrumentality rather a agelong time. You're looking astatine anyplace from 30-60 minutes (depending connected the velocity of your network). This installation adds respective other components to springiness some .exe and .msi compatibility to Windowsfx. So, anyone who needs to tally Windows bundle would beryllium champion served to instrumentality the clip to implicit this setup.

SEE: The champion browser for Linux, Windows and Mac isn't Google Chrome successful 2021 (TechRepublic)

If you excavation in, you'll find the default mentation of Windowsfx uses the KDE Plasma desktop to execute its look and feel. That was a astute prime by the developers, arsenic it offers the champion operation of user-friendliness, stability, velocity and customization.

Those who person fixed the Windows 11 interface a spell should consciousness close astatine location with Windowsfx. Click the desktop paper icon to uncover the menu, wherever you tin find each of the installed applications and hunt for files (Figure B).

Figure B

Of late, I've made it precise wide that the KDE Plasma developers person been doing a spectacular occupation with their desktop, and Windowsfx shows disconnected conscionable however beauteous and functional it is. There are zero complaints to beryllium recovered erstwhile moving successful this UI.

Default apps successful Windowsfx

This is wherever it starts to get precise absorbing for Windows users coming to Linux. You'll announcement that MS Edge is the default web browser for Windowsfx. Also, Discover (the KDE Plasma bundle center) has been renamed Windowsfx Store ... astatine slightest successful the panel. Once you unfastened the app, it's inactive intelligibly KDE Discover, but it's conscionable arsenic casual to usage arsenic what you would find connected the Windows desktop.

But erstwhile you excavation in, you commencement noticing a spot of a pattern. Windowsfx includes respective apps you'd usually subordinate with Windows, specified as:

MS Teams
Helloa (a Cortana clone)
Audacity
Microsoft Office (online edition)
Powershell
OneDrive
Spotify
Visual Studio Code

Windowsfx includes it all. And, erstwhile you person the afloat Wine compatibility furniture installed, you tin adhd each of the different Windows applications you require.

How does Windowsfx perform?

Windowsfx is based connected Ubuntu and uses the KDE Plasma desktop. That operation unsocial should springiness you a beauteous bully denotation arsenic to however this desktop operating strategy performs. If not, I'll archer you myself: It's stellar. Even with the Wine compatibility furniture (and each of the different Windows trickery), Windowsfx is arsenic bully an operating strategy arsenic you'll use. And, due to the fact that it lands successful a precise circumstantial niche, it's acold and distant the champion Windows clone to person ever deed the Linux space.

SEE: The champion chat bundle for Linux, macOS and Windows isn't Slack (TechRepublic)

If you are a Windows user, and you've been looking for the champion way to Linux, this is it. Just retrieve to instrumentality the clip to implicit the Wine installation (which includes a ample fig of sub-components specified arsenic .NET and Visual C++), truthful you tin marque the implicit astir retired of this desktop operating system.

The caveats

I had to support reminding myself this was a preview variation of the operating system. For the astir part, it felt similar a afloat release. However, determination were issues that cropped up present and then. One of the biggest I recovered was the terminal seemed to beryllium mapped to the incorrect keyboard layout (even though I specified the due layout during the installation. Another contented was that it didn't rather recognize it was moving successful a VirtualBox virtual machine. Although it was good anterior to installation, erstwhile installed, I had issues getting the impermanent additions installed truthful I could resize the window. This, however, was a nonstop effect of the terminal model issue.

Another problem, 1 I americium precise overmuch not accustomed to, was that each clip Discover had updates (which were often astatine first), WIndowsfx decided it needed to restart. That's a precise Windows-like behaviour that astir users would emotion to escape. And seeing arsenic however Linux users lone ever restart aft the kernel is updated, this was a astir unwelcome change.

Finally, the restart fastener successful the sheet (as good arsenic the 1 prompted by the updates) ne'er seemed to work. In bid to restart I had to ever spell done the commencement menu.

Understand, each of these issues are astir apt to bash with the information that Windowsfx is inactive successful preview. Hopefully, they'll each beryllium fixed earlier the last merchandise is made available. Other than that, this Linux organisation made rather the affirmative content connected me.