EndeavourOS is an Arch-based Linux distribution that provides its users a user-friendly installer and an attractive Xfce environment that allows you to install online and offline editions. While installing the online edition, you would get multiple customizations to look at.
Well, these are the exciting features of the Endeavour Linux system that we will discuss later. Firstly, we should know the history of this fantastic addition in Arch-based Linux distributions.
History:
In May 2019, it was decided to discontinue the Antergos operating system due to some troubles. However, if we talk about EndeavourOS, it was the successor of Antergos as one of its moderators, “Bryan Poerwoatmodjo” introduced an idea in a conference to develop a new system community create a system that can replace Antergos.
Within a week, the plan was shared at the community level, and the development work began with the help of other developers, including Johannes Kamprad, Fernando Omiechuk Frozi, and Manuel. The initial purpose was to build a user-friendly system using the Antergos net-installer Cnchi, so they started to work on it. But after some time, they realized the Antergos installer Cnchi couldn’t work correctly due to technical issues; they searched for its replacement and found the Calamares (system installer for Linux distributions) that have the same GUI support.
Then the team offered a new plan to develop a user-friendly and easy-to-maintain Linux distribution close to Arch Linux with GUI installer convenience. And in July 2019, the developers released Endeavour distribution’s first ISO that was admired by the community more than expected, and they received positive feedback. After that, they started working on a net installer to give users various desktop environments. Moreover, users can also choose driver packages while installing the operating system.
EndeavourOS Memory Requirements:
To install EndeavourOS, there are some requirements you should keep in mind. EndeavourOS gives several options for desktop environments during installation. If you choose Cinnamon, KDE, Gnome, Budgie, and Deepin, you need a minimum of 4GB RAM as they are advanced environments. So to get a smooth experience, your RAM shouldn’t be less than 4GB.
But for the light-weighted environments, like XFCE, LXQT, MATE, and i3, you have required a minimum of 2GB RAM.
Key Features of Endeavour Linux System:
After installing the EndeavourOS on your machine, you will get a prompt with several options. While using the Endeavour Linux system, you will get many features that might surprise you. Let’s demonstrate them:
Mirror Selection:
If you want to update mirrors, then select the first option; the following window will appear on the screen:
Change Display Resolution:
To change the display resolution, select it, and multiple values will show on the screen:
Change Display Manager:
If you’re not satisfied with the display settings, let’s select “Change Display Manager”:
Xfce EndeavourOS Default Theme:
Another exciting thing about being the Endeavour Linux user is that you do not need to stick with one theme. If you want to switch from the Xfce theme to the EndeavourOS default theme, just hit the “Xfce EndeavourOS default theme” from the EndeavourOS main menu. A dialogue box will appear on the screen with a description. When you change the theme, the previous one will be saved in the/config/xfce file; you can also get it back using the way they defined it on the dialogue box.
Add More Apps:
To add more apps in the EndeavourOS, just click on the “Add More Apps” tab in the main menu, and a list of multiple applications will be appeared on the screen:
If you click on the “EndeavourOS” icon located at the screen’s bottom-left corner, a launchpad of applications will appear similar to the Windows Start menu. And from here, you can see a list of built-in tools like terminal, pdf viewer, calculator, Firefox, and many other applications.
Calamares Installer (Online and Offline):
The most exciting feature about the Endeavour Linux system is that it supports both offline and online installation.
In the Offline installation, you don’t need an internet connection to get EndeavourOS; not only this, you will get a fantastic Endeavour theme with Xfce desktop.
But in the Online installation edition, an internet connection is required. You will offer to customize the desktop according to your choice as nine different desktop environments are available to select from, including the Xfce desktop. Also, all the mandatory updates will be completed during the installation of the Endeavour system.
Desktop Delights:
Use the EndeavourOS and let the Calamares installer shock you with the exciting features. The EndeavourOS is one of the famous and promising Arch-based Linux distros, as mentioned above. This not only gives you the updated software but a variety of desktop environments such as Cinnamon, MATE, KDE Plasma, LXQT, Budgie, and many others and allows you to select your favorite desktop environment. Of course, the Xfce is the default one, but that doesn’t mean you are restricted. The modified edition of i3 is also available for Endeavour users.
Once you log in, you will get a minimalist-looking desktop. There are multiple options of theme settings such as dark, auto, and light.
ARM Support:
The latest release of EndeavourOS now can hold up ARM Support. It is an essential addition because ARM devices are light-weighted and utilize less power than x86 computers.
Nvidia Drivers:
One of the best conveniences provided by the EndeavourOS to its users is pre-installed Nvidia drivers in the Kernel. Searching and installing Nvidia drivers on Linux is quite irritating; having them pre-installed is really helpful for the Nvidia GPU users.
Available Packages:
After the discontinuity of Antergos, the developers of EndeavourOS were cleared about the technical issues that caused the end of Antergos. In their initial plan, it was decided to use Arch-based repositories for all the software packages.
So, you can get the latest software packages directly on stream, and they are easy to maintain.
Like Apt and Debian package management tools used by Ubuntu Linux distributions and its derivatives, the Pacman is an Arch package management tool used to install and manage Endeavour operating system software. Using this, a user can perform all the functions such as installing, updating, searching, removing, etc., as they can do with the APT manager.
Conclusion:
EndeavourOS is an Arch-based Linux distribution that provides its users a user-friendly installer. There are many prominent features a user can please see while using the Endeavour OS. However, the most interesting part is Calamares installer having both online and offline editions. In the Offline edition, the user will get the default Xfce desktop environment. On the other hand, the online edition user has several choices of desktop environments to select.
Other well-liked key features are Nvidia drivers support that are pre-installed; the latest version of EndeavourOS has ARM-based processors that are more efficient than x86 processors and utilize less power.
In my opinion, if you want to move from other operating systems like Ubuntu, Windows OS, etc., to an Arch-based Linux system, the EndeavourOS would be an excellent option for you. It is a user-friendly system that gives you multiple desktop environment choices, an attractive interface with many prominent features.
