Sparky Linux
Based on the Testing
branch of Debian, Sparky Linux releases regular installable images despite
being a rolling release distro. Designed to work with older hardware, it's also
at home with newer machines.
The distro also borrows
Debian's installer and is available in several editions, each favouring a
separate lightweight desktop environment. Apart from the installer, the different
flavours also share several custom Sparky apps.
The SparkyAPTus app
provides a basic front-end to the command line apt-get and dpkg tools and
serves as a capable software management tool. The new SparkyAPTus Extra utility
can be used to install popular apps such as Dropbox, Skype, Steam, Tor Browser
and more with a single click.
The distro also includes
custom apps to back up and restore app settings. The settings are saved in a
compressed archive and you can then point the complementary restore app to this
archive to restore the settings. There's also an app to securely and
permanently delete files, a wine wrapper to install Windows .exe files, and
more…
All the variants ship
with popular apps such as LibreOffice, PlayonLinux, GIMP, Hotot Twitter client,
gFTP, Pidgin, Gnome MPlayer, VLC Player, recordMyDesktop screencaster, and so
forth.
Sparky Linux is best
suited for reasonably experienced users and isn't recommended for beginners.
Verdict: Loaded with apps, Sparky Linux offers the perfect blend of speed
and functionality in its Mate-powered variant.
Rating: 8/10
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