Tuxedo Os: Ubuntu Base, Kde Plasma, Awesome Performance

Tuxedo Computers is connected a ngo to make Linux accessible to nan wide public. Its superior intends of pulling this disconnected is by measurement of outstanding laptops and desktop computers. I’ve tested respective from nan company’s lineup and person ever been impressed.

But did you cognize that Tuxedo Computers besides has a Linux distribution?

That’s right. Tuxedo OS is based connected Ubuntu and uses KDE Plasma for its desktop environment. Although Tuxedo OS is optimized for Tuxedo hardware, it will tally connected immoderate off-the-shelf system. I will opportunity this: Tuxedo OS is very awesome erstwhile moving connected nan company’s ain hardware. That being said, it still runs very good connected different systems and virtual machines (VMs).

For my testing/review purposes, I installed Tuxedo OS arsenic a VirtualBox VM pinch 3GB of RAM and 2 CPU cores. Let’s spot really it fared.

Easy Installation Process

The installation of Tuxedo OS is arsenic easy arsenic immoderate Linux distribution; successful different words, it was a full point-and-click affair. After a fewer clicks (and typing my username information), I had nan OS up and moving successful nether 5 minutes (take that, Windows).

Upon first login, I recovered Tuxedo’s return connected KDE Plasma to beryllium without immoderate important changes to what you’d spot retired of nan container connected immoderate distribution that uses nan aforesaid desktop environment. It’s cleanable and easy to understand.

My only title is 1 I person pinch truthful galore Linux distributions: nan default acheronian theme. I cannot understand why truthful galore improvement teams opt to vessel Linux pinch a acheronian theme.

KDE Plasma Desktop Experience and Customization

That’s fine, because KDE Plasma makes it very easy to move from acheronian to light. Open System Settings, spell to Colors & Themes > Global Theme, and prime a ray action (Figure 1).

One of my favourite KDE Plasma Themes is called Se7en Aero; it’s glassy and beautiful. You could walk hours combing done and installing various KDE Plasma themes, truthful person astatine it.

Of course, KDE Plasma themes don’t really person thing to do pinch Tuxedo OS, but they are a bully measurement to customize your desktop.

Let’s return a look astatine a fewer features that are unsocial to Tuxedo OS.

Tuxedo Control Center and Aquaris Tool

You’ll find an icon successful nan strategy tray that looks for illustration a achromatic quadrate pinch a achromatic X. Click connected that, and nan Tuxedo Control Center pop-up appears (Figure 2). From here, you tin prime a powerfulness profile, alteration Power prevention blocker and unfastened nan Aquaris Control Center.

The Aquaris Control Center gives you speedy entree to a dashboard (Figure 3), profiles, various tools, world floor plan settings and more.

I will opportunity this: The Tuxedo Control Center is of overmuch much usage erstwhile moving nan OS connected charismatic Tuxedo hardware.

Preinstalled Applications and Software Management

Tuxedo OS includes a bevy of preinstalled applications, specified arsenic Firefox, Kate (text editor), KDE Connect (sync telephone and desktop), Thunderbird, Elisa (local euphony subordinate and online radio), Kamoso (webcam software), VLC media player, LibreOffice (Calc, Draw, Impress, Math, and Writer), and overmuch more.

Although Samba isn’t preinstalled, if you unfastened Dolphin (the default record manager), right-click a folder, click Properties, and past unfastened nan Share tab, you tin instal Samba pinch a azygous click (Figure 4).

Once Samba is installed, locomotion done nan remainder of nan prompts (including a strategy restart), and you’re fresh to commencement sharing folders crossed your LAN. You won’t person to touch nan bid statement to get Samba up and running, and folders successful your Home directory shared.

You’ll besides find Flatpak support rolled into KDE Discover, truthful you tin easy instal tons of apps (including proprietary software, specified arsenic Slack and Spotify).

Exceptional Performance and AI Capabilities

Tuxedo OS performed for illustration a champ. I assigned nan VM conscionable complete 5GB of RAM and 3 CPU cores and had zero complaints. Granted, I didn’t push nan OS terribly difficult — astatine first. During my testing, I installed Ollama to spot really good it would perform.

After nan installation was completed, I pulled nan llama3.2 ample connection exemplary (LLM). This is simply a 2 GB exemplary that took astir 2 minutes to pull. Once it was ready, I queried, “What is Linux?” I was really amazed astatine really accelerated it responded. Usually, erstwhile moving Ollama successful CPU-only mode, it tin beryllium slow, but connected Tuxedo OS, Ollama screamed. I’ve seen instances connected much powerful hardware that were slower than this. I’m not judge if that’s owed to nan civilization Tuxedo kernel aliases what, but it’s impressive. So, if AI is your jam, you could do a full batch worse than Tuxedo OS.

Regular apps ran smoothly and quickly. OS updates were fast, and animations were smooth.

In nan end, I person zero complaints astir nan capacity of Tuxedo OS.

Tuxedo OS is simply a awesome Linux distribution that doesn’t require a Tuxedo machine to tally good (although I would urge you springiness their hardware a try). If you want a solid-performing, beautiful desktop OS, download an ISO, drawback a spare computer, aliases rotation up a VM, instal Tuxedo OS, and enjoy.

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