Obsidianos, A Challenging But Reliable Linux Distribution

Before we get into nan reappraisal of ObsidianOS, let’s talk astir A/B partitioning. It is basal to everything astir ObsidianOS.

What Is A/B Partitioning?

A/B partitioning is simply a method to make seamless package updates a reality. Essentially, you are assured you will ever person a moving system, moreover though this distro isn’t immutable.

Here’s really A/B partitioning works:

You person a instrumentality pinch 2 “slots” — let’s telephone them A and B.

While you’re moving Slot A, Slot B receives caller updates successful nan inheritance (so you are not interrupted).

When nan update is complete, you reboot and prime Slot B to beryllium used. You log into Slot B, and past nan full process happens again, only pinch nan inheritance updates going to Slot A.

This update process ever ensures that you won’t upwind up pinch a ceramic connected your table aliases lap. You will ever person a moving partition to footwear to, which intends you tin remainder assured your PC will ever work.

It’s benignant of uncommon to usage A/B partitioning connected a modular Linux record system. Most often, this benignant of strategy uses Btrfs copy-on-write record strategy because it allows for elemental rollback. To person A/B partitioning connected a strategy pinch a much reliable record strategy is simply a large win.

With that said, let’s study much astir ObsidianOS.

What ObsidianOS Is Like

First off, you tin download an ISO pinch a minimalist desktop, KDE Plasma, aliases COSMIC. I decided to spell pinch nan KDE Plasma variety to spot what nan developers did to it.

When testing, I typically usage a VirtualBox VM for nan OS successful question. In bid for ObsidianOS to boot, I had to alteration UEFI from wrong nan Settings window. Once that was taken attraction of, I logged into nan Live desktop (username personification and an quiet password) and began nan installation process.

The installer was a spot flaky, pinch definite matter unreadable (which caused maine to person to conjecture a fewer times), and past it collapsed connected me. I ran nan installer a 2nd time. Again, nan installation failed, truthful I rebooted nan virtual instrumentality to springiness it 1 much try.

Third clip was not nan charm, truthful I opted to spell pinch nan minimal option, which uses a text-based installer (Figure 1).

Turns out, location was a mobility I answered incorrectly utilizing nan GUI (because nan pop-up model wasn’t legible). When prompted to Unmount slot “a” to slot “b” judge nan default N and not Y. Do that, and nan installation will activity for illustration a charm.

However, if you spell this route, you’ll upwind up pinch a text-based only system. On apical of that, nan installation didn’t springiness you nan action to create a caller user.

The installation of a Linux distribution should not beryllium this hard. Ever.

I past had to instal some sudo and nano. First, I logged into nan console-based strategy pinch personification guidelines and nary password. Create a caller personification with:

Where USERNAME is nan personification you want to add.

Set a password for that personification with:

Then, I ran:

Open nan sudoers record with:

In that file, adhd nan following:

Where USERNAME is nan username you added earlier.

Save and adjacent nan file.

Update everything with:

Instead of installing KDE Plasma, I went pinch GNOME because it’s much straightforward to install. That tin beryllium accomplished with:

Next, instal GNOME with:

When that completes, alteration nan login head with:

When nan login model appears, type your username and password, and GNOME is fresh to usage (Figure 2).

Once connected nan desktop, you tin instal apps pinch pacman aliases Flatpak.

ObsidianOS Control Center

Remember maine mentioning A/B partitioning? Here’s wherever things get interesting. Open nan ObsidianOS Control Center from nan Application Overlay. In nan Slots tab (Figure 3), you tin move nan existent progressive slot aliases move erstwhile (during nan adjacent boot). Once you’ve switched slots, it’ll return effect connected nan adjacent boot.

Before you do that, however, you should download an update. For that, click nan System Updates tab and click Download update (Figure 4).

With nan update taken attraction of, spell backmost to nan Slots tab and make nan switch.

Who Is ObsidianOS For?

This is simply a reliable question, but I judge nan reply is that ObsidianOS is for users who want an operating strategy that will ever work. But this intends that ObsidianOS is champion utilized by those pinch plentifulness of Linux experience.

If you’re caller to Linux, and you take ObsidianOS arsenic your first distribution, you’ll find yourself successful a world of confusion.

However, for those pinch plentifulness of Linux skills, ObsidianOS is simply a existent treat.

If I’ve piqued your interest, download an ISO of ObsidianOS and either effort it retired arsenic a virtual instrumentality aliases connected a spare PC.

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