Here’s everything you gotta know about Crystal Linux.

At first glance, you will notice its similarities with GNOME and Fedora.

Given its customizations, this distribution isnt ideal for beginners.

tux penguin on a crystal background

However, what does it mean for the end-users?

It simply implies that installingArch Linuxand its related components will be a little easier.

The following points genuinely encompass the essence of Crystal Linux.

Welcome screen on jade installer

Download Crystal Linux ISO

This GNOME- and Arch-based distro is still in the development stage.

A new version is expected to be available in November 2022.

Onyx (the newer version) is a customized GNOME desktop equipped with enhanced accessibility and usability.

Desktop versions with Onyx selected in the jade installer

This enables/disables the auto-save and screensavers option on your desktop, to enhance your gaming experience.

The entire GUI is neatly structured, seamless, and focuses on what’s important for a fluid installation.

This app is your go-to point if you wish to maintain automatic btrfs snapshots on package upgrades.

jade GUI installer interface on Crystal Linux with a blue desktop background

Before the final installation, the installer presents you with a summary of your selected options.

Once satisfied with the configs, you’ve got the option to proceed with the installation.

The entire process executes a script in the backend to complete the installation.

jade GUI summary screen on Crystal Linux with a blue desktop background

Like Crystal Linux, there are a few otherLinux distributions that have wholeheartedly adopted Flatpak apps.

Amethyst, likePacman, offers some easy-to-use commandsfor managing packages on your system.

Amethyst, as per the developers, is faster than the usual Pacman.

Default desktop apps on Crystal Linux

Nonetheless,GNOME 42 is swift, seamless, and efficient.

The animations are quick and there is no lag whatsoever.

The memory footprint is rather low, standing at 530MB in an idle state.

System monitor performance window on Crystal linux

The GNOME desktop installation takes up only 3.8GB of disk space, taking the efficiency levels up a notch.

There is always something new to look forward to when it comes to such distributions.