Unfortunately, ElementaryOS 5.0 has some serious issues for desktop Linux aficionados. Default payment listed was $3 but you can pay more, less or even nothing (zero). Just to try out the App Center, I downloaded Agenda, a task manager app for making a To-Do list. Some categories like Office, Internet, Development have apps divided into two groups: Curated and non-curated apps.Ĭurated apps can comprise of both paid and unpaid apps.Īlthough some Curated apps carry a price tag, again users are offered a pay-what-you-want option. Unlike Linux Mint, Elementary has gone with the Epiphany aka Gnome Web as its default browser.Īfter installation, I was pleased to note that I did not experience the screen size issue that still causes pain on some Linux distros (but not Linux Mint) when I run it as a VM on VirtualBox.Īpp Center is Elementary’s app store and has applications in a bunch of categories (audio, graphics, Internet, Office, etc.) I wish the terminal was also included in the dock but it’s not a big effort to add it to the dock.
However, the fee is not a must and you can still type 0 (as in zero) in the Custom amount box and get the distro for free.Īt first glance, ElementaryOS 5.0 has a Mac look-and-feel, particularly with the dock at the bottom-center a la the Mac.īesides the browser, the dock has icons for Multitasking View, Mail, Calendar, Music, Videos, Photos, System Setting and App Center.
Unlike Linux Mint, before download ElementaryOS upfront asks users to “ Purchase ElementaryOS” by paying a fee of $10, $20 or $30, or a Custom Amount. Given its larger and happier user base, Linux Mint thrives on voluntary user donations. This means the distro get extended support, till at least 2022.Īt the time of writing this post, ElementaryOS 5.0 has been out for about four months, enough time to iron out any major wrinkles. Like Linux Mint’s latest version (Linux Mint 19.1), ElementaryOS 5.0 aka Juno is also based on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS. So as part of that experiment, I downloaded ElementaryOS 5.0, which debuted in October 2018, and installed it as a guest OS via VirtualBox. As a long time Linux desktop user, I’m often tempted to try out new distros to see if any of them can match my current favorite – Linux Mint.