I love it when a distribution dares to be different. We have enough clones of the Windows desktop metaphor and macOS has pretty much perfected the dock/topbar layout. So when I see a distribution that takes a standard desktop and flips it on its ear, it immediately gets my attention.

Such is the case with KaOS 2022.06, which takes the KDE desktop environment and gives it an out-of-the-box twist to give it just enough unique flavor, without adding an extra layer of complexity for users.

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Before I get into this subtle twist, let's find out what exactly KaOS 2022.06 is. Essentially, KaOS is an open-source operating system that uses the KDE desktop environment to create a user-friendly Linux distribution that anyone can use. It's immediately familiar, modern looking, rock-solid, and simple to install. 

Of course, one could say that about most modern Linux distributions, as they have come a long, long way from their more challenging roots. According to the KaOS developers, "KaOS has chosen to use the Linux kernel as a base." They continue with, "After that choice, the best available package manager, most flexible way of package building, repository maintenance is pacman/makepkg for a rolling distro like KaOS." Okay, so we now know we're dealing with an Arch Linux-based distribution. Continuing, the developers finish up with "As for the Desktop Environment, there will never be a change, whether it is Linux or Illumos based, KDE Plasma will be the choice, Qt the Toolkit." That's great to hear, as a sudden shift from one desktop environment to another can cause, you guessed it, chaos.

What is Arch Linux?

Before we continue, let's talk a little bit about Arch Linux. Why? Because Arch Linux isn't exactly a flavor of Linux that anyone would ever call user-friendly. It's not. From installation to management, Arch Linux is a distribution best reserved for users who already know Linux. With that said, why would anyone suggest KaOS for new users? Simply put, KaOS makes Arch Linux easy. And fun.

Adding a little KaOS to KDE

With that said, what makes a challenging distribution easy to use? It all starts with the desktop and KaOS has taken one of the most user-friendly (while remaining flexible) desktops on the market and made it their own. No, they've not twisted KDE out of true but simply given it a bit of a makeover by shifting the bottom panel to the right and giving it a flatter theme (Figure 1).

Figure 1

The KaOS desktop in the middle of a system upgrade.

Image: Jack Wallen

Confession time here. I much prefer my desktops not to follow the same old trends that so many have followed (being a bottom panel, start menu, system tray, and desktop icons). I prefer a more minimal desktop that is clean and out of the way (which is why I tend to prefer the GNOME desktop). 

What KaOS does is just enough of a twist to make it different (while retaining the simplicity). Click the "K" menu to reveal the Application Launcher (Figure 2), where you'll find plenty of applications available.

Figure 2

The default KDE application launcher makes it easy to find the applications you need to use.

Image: Jack Wallen

If you don't find the software you need, you can always launch Octopi, the Arch Linux package manager GUI (Figure 3), which allows you to easily install thousands of free, open-source software.

Figure 3

The Octopi package management GUI is very simple to use.

Image: Jack Wallen

The Welcome Screen

This is one thing every Linux distribution should add