A Desktop for All – Adrian's blog

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2024-10-25 06:00:34

TL;DR: I would like to turn GNOME OS, GNOME’s home-grown distro for testing and development of the GNOME Desktop, into a daily-drivable general purpose OS.

Immutable or Atomic Linux distros have been gaining popularity in recent years, in part due to their tangible benefits for user experience. I wanted to improve on that. So, in 2018, I got involved by starting carbonOS, my niche little Linux distro with a singular goal: Build an OS that makes the Linux Desktop usable for non-enthusiasts.

You, the reader, are a Linux nerd. So am I! We know and care about OSs, Desktop Environments, FOSS, and lots of other niche things. Put another way, we’re enthusiasts: we care enough about all these things that we’re willing to invest the time, energy, and passion necessary to live with the Linux Desktop. We’ve decided to accept the occasional sharp edges if it allows us to reap the rewards of FOSS.

Enthusiasts are awesome! A culture of enthusistasts has served us extremely well so far. But I’m often left pondering: why should we enthusiasts get to enjoy all the benefits of FOSS and the Linux Desktop, but the people who don’t know, don’t care, or simply don’t have the time to be enthusiastic can’t?