The Latest Quirky and Creative Linux Distros
Distro Zoo – Original & Derivative Distros
© Lead Image © wannawit, 123RF.com
This month we explore Solus 4.9, RakuOS 2026.04.15, Trisquel 12.0, and iDeal OS 2026.04.03.
While I applaud Linux projects that champion user privacy and choice, sadly these values don't always translate well into the real world. For example, this month I'll review Trisquel, which aims to be an entirely libre version of Linux. As noble as this sounds, it ignores the fact that proprietary drivers and components are sometimes necessary to get modern hardware working, which is why my first attempt to use Trisquel many years ago effectively turned my laptop into an expensive paperweight, with no functioning trackpad or network card.
Naturally, Linux purists will argue that hardware that relies on proprietary code should be avoided in the first place, due to potential inefficiency and security bugs. Fedora-based RakuOS takes system integrity a step further by offering an immutable OS with atomic updates. Because the core system files are set to read-only, there's less chance of them being corrupted by malware or user error. Rolling back botched updates also becomes much easier.
Some distros prefer to take matters into their own hands, such as Solus, which is built from scratch and boasts its own efficient package manager, eopkg. Privacy-focused distro iDeal OS relies on its Debian-derived parent OS, MX Linux, for package management but ships with homegrown utilities to choose secure DNS and encrypt your files.
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