Here's a Linux Distribution that offers something new: Enlightenment. Elive's website says it will turn your computer "into a high-powered work-station with an Interface that will dazzle anyone who sees it." They're not kidding. This distro is so different that it's sure to climb the popularity charts at popular Linux download and information sites.
The Enlightenment Window Manager
Enlightenment is a window manager or "desktop shell" that manages more than just the windows. It comes with a "whole suite of libraries" called EFL that allow the user to change the interface in remarkable ways. Users can change whole themes with the click of a button, or change individual pieces for more individual customization. Enlightenment allows animated desktops, gadgets, modules, shelves (a lot like docks), all sorts of things.
Enlightenment is much more extensible than the traditional Gnome desktop. Out of the box, it seems even more extensible than KDE. Most impressive are the desktop animations, and the myriad of default special effects.
Also very versatile, Enlightenment is used on touchscreen smart phones, PS3 systems, and various computer operating systems, although mostly Linux systems. It can be used on any system that supports the X11 environment.
Other Elive Features
Elive is more than just eye-candy (although users will almost certainly spend way too much time configuring the desktop and windows). Elive has super functionality, too. Right clicking anywhere on the screen presents the applications and system menus, and the menus are full of software. Even the Live CD has plenty to offer:
- Brasero
- Skype
- Transmission BitTorrent Client
- Firefox
- AbiWord
- Audacious
- Elive Essence (where music meets Elive)
- Gimp
- Avidemux
- DeVeDe
- Synaptic Package Manager
Left-clicking on the screen gives a different set of menus, most having to do with the configuring of different parts of the desktop environment, most notably the "settings" menu [see below]. This is where the user can really have fun.
Because Elive is based on Debian, the software choices are fantastic, and .deb packages can be loaded quickly and easily. There are certain pieces of software that have to be customized, and the website claims that over 500 programs have been adjusted for Elive already.
And Elive is fast. It boots fast, runs fast, and even shuts down fast. It works extremely well on older hardware, and recognizes even the troublesome Broadcom 43xx wireless card. The graphics don't slow the system down one bit. Elive melds functionality and beauty with seeming ease, something many distros have failed at over the years.
To sum up, Elive is a distribution that will make Linux users both new and old content, offering new gadgets and gizmos to both, and mixing in plenty of useful tools.
Ben Lingenfelter - As an intinerant writer, I've found freedom to write and learn about a variety of topics. That fits me perfectly. I've been an English ...
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