The Endless OS is a Linux based system that aims to look slick and polished by providing an EOS Shell experience from a fork of GNOME 3.8
Source: distrowatch.com
The live ISO comes in two choices : a 1.5GB Basic edition and a 13G Full Edition.
A small number of applications is found in the Basic edition, and the full edition ships with a large library of software which is ideal for offline use.
Endless uses a beautiful desktop which has a shared history with the GNOME shell. The desktop has a look and feel similar to its parent. The default layout is different compared to GNOME.
The desktop is a grid of icons that we can use to launch programs instantly. The search box above them allows us to initiate web searches immediately.
In the bottom left corner we have our user menu where all the applications/shut down etc. are. In the bottom right we have a system tray with our notification icons and battery indicator.
The App Centre shows us the software libraries that we can browse. Tabs show us the list of currently installed applications, these cannot be removed, but any further installs can. There is also a software update tab, though at the time to trial there were no available updates.
Source: distrowatch.com
Endless OS is essentially a GNU/Linux operating system so it feels a little like a scaled down smartphone, though it never really makes you feel like it's one. A lot of the applications are similar, and the slick desktop does feel like a smartphone experience.
My only problem with Endless OS is it can feel a little buggy. Most will not know what to do when kernel errors start appearing on the screen or their mouse stops working. This makes me think that Endless OS is just an interesting GNU/Linux experiment for those of a Chromebook nature. But, this distribution does have potential, and with a bit of spit and polish it could be a great little distribution.
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