Windowsfx: Windows 10 look-a-like Linux distro

[Jason]

Windowsfx looks a lot like Windows 10 more than any other distribution by using a heavily-customized theme with the Cinnamon desktop environment and Ubuntu under the hood. It's not just the look though. They've added a digital assistant and even a settings area that looks like Windows 10 settings. Here's a short (7 minute) video showing it off. It's kind of scary how closely it resembles Windows 10 and not just because a lawsuit is probably pending, especially over the name.

[BusterE]

Apparently needs 4 g ram in virtual. I could try it on the downstairs machine. Maybe later.

[Jason]

Sorry about the screwup on the website address. It's fixed now (I think). For some reason, it's showing up in Portuguese for me when it didn't before. Odd. If you can't figure out that mess, you can go here to download it.

[buster]

So buster downloaded the three and one-half gig iso and installed it. Seemed to me to take a bit of messing around to get it to work properly, but nothing horrendous. I am writing this from within Linuxfx (surprise!). I shall begin with my overall assessment:

This is a silly distro.

Win10 has some amazing slideshow themes. This doesn't.
Win10 has an unusual but useful menu. This has the regular Cinnamon menu, which is good but different.
Win10 has a way to get to all the tools and options unique to it. For this - learn how Cinnamon does this.
Win10 has some glorious pictures that change often as you sign in. This has one.
And I suspect others could find lots of other ways Cinnamon and Win10 differ.

It's like putting a Jaguar body and interior over a Toyota Corolla - it won't drive like a Jaguar! And of course, the reverse is true as well.

Far easier to make the jump to Mint in my mind. Or stay in Windows. Fox might like to give the spreadsheet they have a try to see if it does what he needs. On the menu it's called 'Excel'.

And in conclusion, I think it's silly.

[Jason]

It's like putting a Jaguar body and interior over a Toyota Corolla  - it won't drive like a Jaguar!

Yes, that's the entire point. It's not Windows 10 so it's not going to have the same core; it's a facelift for Ubuntu that makes it easier for those transitioning to Linux. And you don't mention the ways in which it does look like Windows 10. You just enumerate the ways it doesn't. But you also are saying the engine under Windows 10 is better by likening Linux to the Corolla. In real life, Windows is the Corolla and Linux is the Jaguar.

And personally, while the things you describe in Windows are nice, there are some serious downsides to Windows 10 itself that you're ignoring that you also get with Windows 10 with no choice in the matter. And that's probably because you use Windows 10 so much as your main desktop that you've grown to tolerate them. I only go into Windows 10 for gaming. It looks very pretty, no doubt, but I'm happy to get out of there for all the problems below:

The updating system. Why do I have to go through reboots and sometimes multiple reboots over the time of which I can't use the system just to get updates that in many cases are just Microsoft pushed programs down my throat?
All the malware. It's fine for people like you and me but think about all the people that use computers that get their systems infected because they can't put in the time to figure out how to not get infected.
Pushing Windows store which nobody seriously uses. You likely ignore it, too. So how come we can't remove it? And how come you have to have an account to use it?
Related to above, being constantly hassled to create an outlook/hotmail account that you don't need because you don't use the above.
You don't complete control on what it is installed on your system. I've removed programs that are bundled with Windows 10 only to have them come back again with a future feature update. Some programs can't ever be removed. Edge, I'm looking at you. And you have no choice in the matter with these feature updates.
Let's not forget the telementry which I recently discovered isn't all turned off even when you choose the maximum privacy settings.

There are de-bloatware tools that can help with the last two issues but guess what? You need to rerun them every time you get a feature update.

Honestly, I think it's better not to have the core underneath but half a Windows 10 look for those making the jump because they don't like the drive system underneath. I'm sure you can find lots of cosmetic differences between Windows 10 and Linuxfx but I've never seen a distro that looks as much like Windows 10 as this one does.

I wish more people would post in the group about why they prefer Linux over Windows to help jog your memory, Buster. But I suppose that could be its own topic. I don't know how much time you spend in Windows 10 compared to Linux. I know you're in Windows 10 pretty much all the time as the host, but I mean when you do productive things or even entertaining things like the hurricane watch, how much of it is done in Windows? The reason the question is important is because you're going to be the most comfortable with what you use the most.

Ah, well. I think you're expecting far too much from it and missing the point of why it was created. But that's just this one guy's opinion.

[Jason]

Here's an interesting review showing some of the ways it's not just a customized Cinnamon theme and its computer vision system which might interest Bill. I'm actually a bit off on why it was created. From the article:

But before you get too harsh for Linuxfx, you must understand the reason why it was started. Rafael, Linuxfx founder, says it is designed to ship Linuxfx computer vision software. But as some users find Linux difficult to use, Linuxfx satisfies them with the familiar appearance of the Desktop pre-configured.

The idea of Linuxfx is to make it easier for people who are migrating from Windows 7. People who are dissatisfied with the lack of security and stability of Windows 10 are also fit for Linuxfx.

[fox]

....
I wish more people would post in the group about why they prefer Linux over Windows to help jog your memory, Buster.
....

I agree with Jason about the annoying way that Windows does updates. But I can't comment much more than that because I only have Windows (10) as a primary OS on my Dell laptop, and that mainly because it came with it and I don't need the extra disk space to run Ubuntu. I use the Windows side once a year to run U.S. tax software that won't run in Linux or a VM. Speaking of which, I have Windows 7 in a VM on my main iMac to properly operate with fillable pdfs created to run on Adobe Reader.

[buster]

Let me try, again, to be clear - you cannot change one thing into another by changing it's appearance. I'm not implying Win10 is better than Linux. I am saying you can't change Linux into Win10 with a coat of paint. And here's something you can try for yourself.  On a Win10 system, download some Gnome or Plasma desktop wallpaper and install it. Now say to yourself, "This is just like using Linux!"

Anyone coming to Windowsfx expecting to feel comfortable because it's a 'Win10 clone' is going to be more contused than ever. If they went directly to Linux, they would know right away they have things to learn.

I use both Microsoft and Linux every day very comfortably. But they are quite different. Pretending a few cosmetic changes alters this is just silly.

[Jason]

Buster, in the beginning you talked about the ways the appearances were different which is fair since that's what the distro is about, trying to get the Windows 10 look as much as it can. But then you got into this:

Win10 has a way to get to all the tools and options unique to it. For this - learn how Cinnamon does this.

And that confuses things in my mind since 'tools' and 'options unique to it' suggest something beyond just appearances. Maybe I'm the only one that sees it that way but you said "unique to it' which mean it's something that only Windows can do which must be beyond the appearance by definition. Those tools, I'm guessing you mean, the Settings area, are very Windows-specific. You can't expect them to be copied to Linux. I think pointing this out is unfair if we're talking about appearances unless you are comparing the way Windows and Linux work, not just look, which is totally fair. It seems that's where you're going. Then you said:

It's like putting a Jaguar body and interior over a Toyota Corolla - it won't drive like a Jaguar! And of course, the reverse is true as well.

With that analogy, you're going way beyond appearance now. The reason a Jaguar drives different is because of its engine first and foremost and because of its controls (see above why this really isn't just appearance), So it looks to me that you've now opened up the argument to the engine underneath, not just appearances which is why I launched into my diatribe about why Window's engine sucks. Then you said:

Let me try, again, to be clear - you cannot change one thing into another by changing it's appearance.

That's so obvious that it hardly needs to be said. But you're providing a conclusion to a question that was never asked or sought after. Of course, it's not Windows, it was never meant to be. It was meant to change the appearance of Windows just enough to make it easier for users to transition. You're trying to encompass too much into what 'appearance' means. If you just meant to say that it doesn't look like Windows 10, you said it badly with your analogy and even the last attempt to make it clear.

Finally,

Anyone coming to Windowsfx expecting to feel comfortable because it's a 'Win10 clone' is going to be more contused than ever. If they went directly to Linux, they would know right away they have things to learn.

Now we get to the crux of the matter and the actual goal of the creators. I disagree with you on this point. However, none of us are in that situation - having not used Linux and coming from Windows 10. I don't think we're authorities on that subject. We're just missing data. You could be right, so could I. But since, in this group, I'm right by default. I win. I"m sure you'd agree. ;-)

Also, you missed two things I mentioned - how much you actually use Windows compared to Linux because I really am curious even though you don't have to say, admittedly. And how many ways it does look like Windows 10 instead of just nitpicking the ways it's different. I think that would make the comparison more fair.

[Jason]

I hope you understand that I do appreciate your comments/reviews and such, but sometimes you oversimplify things and are too quick to make judgements, in my opinion. But you know what they say about opinions, right? ;-)

[buster]

I think an interesting exercise would be to have your wife  be a test case. She is comfortable with Win10. Put Linuxfx on her machine, virtual or whatever, and get her to use it for a day.

She could give us insights that I can't, because  I use both comfortably.

I'm interested in knowing how she reacts to the look, and whether she feels a Microsoft user could adapt to this easily.

[buster]

Curious to know if this screenshot works. The desktop wallpaper is included and tells me someone there has a sense of humour.

[Jason]

I think an interesting exercise would be to have your wife  be a test case. She is comfortable with Win10. Put Linuxfx on her machine, virtual or whatever, and get her to use it for a day.

She could give us insights that I can't, because  I use both comfortably.

I'm interested in knowing how she reacts to the look, and whether she feels a Microsoft user could adapt to this easily.

I was thinking of that. The problem is that she's locked into her Windows games right now and hasn't even touched the existing Linux distro (or has and doesn't want to tell me what she thinks!). But maybe I'll still install Linuxfx telling her that I'm doing an important scientific experiment to which her testing could be integral. ;-) You think she'd buy that?

And that screenshot is awesome. There was one years ago that someone made showing Tux angrily breaking through the 4-pane Window.

[buster]

One other thing you could mention during your presentation is that like Microsoft, no password is asked for before updates. Doing one right now while writing in Windowsfx and listening to some great Heart guitar work.

[buster]

Interesting that there is a place to click and 'Change the product key'. Though it doesn't do anything.