Introduction: AnduinOS is essentially a de-bloated Ubuntu with tweaks to make it much easier for Windows users coming over to Linux. The developer is a former Microsoft employee. That means he understands the little settings that Windows users are used to and he is a professional software engineer. Fedora and AnduinOS are now my two favorite Linux distros. Today, let’s look at why I’ve permanently installed it on one of my two daily driver PCs:
Installation: Quick and easy with no issues. Be sure to disable SecureBoot and RAID in your BIOS/UEFI since Ubuntu sometimes has issues with that.
Welcome Screen: The system has been revamped and now has a beautiful welcome screen. I loved how easy it made it to get all the drivers and codecs installed that I needed. For those who are less familiar with Linux, it’ll be a big help in getting you started.
Security: the main reason I never stuck with AnduinOS in the past is because I wanted the sense of safety that comes from rapid security updates with mainstream distros like Fedora, Ubuntu, etc. With version 2.0 and above, AnduinOS is now receiving their Ubuntu security and bug updates straight from Ubuntu, which means rapid updates for potential high risk vulnerabilities without having to wait on the maintainer to approve them. In this world where systems like Mythos are finding bugs more quickly than developers can patch them, it’s good to be on a system that receives rapid updates.
NVIDIA Support: my favorite distro is Fedora, but running NVIDIA GPUs with Fedora is so buggy that I had to fix my computer every few days. Anduin supports NVIDIA drivers right out of the gate.
Ubuntu without the Bloat: Standard Ubuntu is difficult for me to use. Snaps make the system slow, and there’s a ton of stuff running in the background that bogs the system down. I’ve tried to like Ubuntu in the past, but every time, after a month or two, the system seems to fall apart and I can’t fix it. I’ve tried de-bloating Ubuntu in the past, but then I realized AnduinOS has already done it for me.
Good Support: Being based on Ubuntu means most issues can be easily resolved by searching online. When I’ve run into a bug, I’ve reached out directly to the developer on Github and received a fairly quick response. I don’t know of any other Linux distro that I can do that with.
Comparing AnduinOS to Others: Compared to other beginner-focused distros, I prefer it over ZorinOS and Linux Mint for a couple of reasons. The developers of ZorinOS have poor communication. They offer no roadmap, you don’t know when/if something is going to be updated, and I’m not even sure of their credentials as software developers. Also, they tend to be 1.5 years behind on the latest Ubuntu base. Mint, on the other hand, has very good regular communication and a super stable and easy to use OS. However, in their effort to get Wayland support up and running, they’ve also fallen behind in getting the base system updated. That matters because it means they’re using older, patched kernels instead of more modern kernels that offer updated hardware support and bug fixes. Also, the lack of stable Wayland up to this point on Mint means potential security and privacy concerns for users like myself.
Summary: AnduinOS can take some of the pain out of switching to Linux for Windows users. It’s based on Ubuntu, updated at the same pace as Ubuntu, and easy to use and set up right out of the box. I’ve had no hardware or software stability issues (besides a couple of Wayland quirks on X11-based apps). My NVIDIA GPU was ready to go as soon as I installed the system. No complaints. This is a job well done. Try it here.