AntiX Linux is a lightweight, Debian-based distribution that is fast and suitable for older hardware and modern systems. It is known for its minimal resource usage and ability to run on computers with limited RAM and processing power.
Relying on the lightweight IceWM for its flagship desktop environment, antiX is an excellent choice for all advanced Linux users looking for a systemd-free Linux distribution to tailor to their needs.
Released ten months after the previous 22 version, antiX 23 brings some exciting changes, so let’s look at them.
What’s New in antiX 23
Powered by Linux kernel 6.1 LTS, antiX 23 comes fully rebased on the latest Debian 12 Bookworm. This brings all the benefits of that release, the biggest being the completely refreshed package base.
And speaking of the Linux kernel, we immediately clarified that you get, by default, the 6.1 version only if you do the installation from the antiX-full ISO image. However, if you install the OS from one of the other images (antiX-base, antiX-core, or antiX-net), you will get Linux kernel 5.1, but, of course, with 6.1 available in repositories.
On the desktop side, antiX 23 runs the latest and greatest lightweight IceWM 3.4.1 desktop environment by default. It is a window manager for the X Window System with the primary goal of being fast and easy to use.
On top of that, Fluxbox 1.3.7, JWM 2.4.3, and herbstluftwm 0.9.5 window managers are also available in the repositories for those who prefer lightweight work environments.
As in previous releases, here you will find the in-house developed antiX Control Center through which you can perform almost any configuration on your system in a convenient graphical interface.
Furthermore, you get the zzzFM as a default file manager app, new wallpaper, and themes, an added onboard virtual keyboard, and a convenient Deb Installer app, allowing you to install DEB files from outside the distro’s repos.
Following a trend that has grown increasingly among Linux distributions in recent years, PipeWire is in charge of the audio server with Wireplumber, a powerful session and policy manager for PipeWire, also available.
Software-wide, as expected, in antiX 23, almost the entire spectrum of client applications has been updated, so we will only list the most important ones available in repos:
- Firefox 102.14.0esr & Firefox 116 Web Browser
- LibreOffice 7.4.7 Office Suite
- mpv 0.35 & Celluloid 0.20 Video Players
- Transmission 3.0 BitTorrent Client
- Vim 9.0 Terminal Text Editor
For detailed information about all changes in antiX 23, please refer to the release announcement.
Regarding installation, we recommend betting on the antiX 23 full ISO image (1.8 GB). It contains four window managers: IceWM (default), Fluxbox, JWM and herbstluftwm.
In addition, you have three other installation images available:
- antiX-base (1 GB) is more limited with just four window managers. You get IceWM (default), Fluxbox, jwm and herbstluftwm + full LibreOffice suite.
- antiX-core (520 MB) lacks X but has a CLI installer supporting most wireless cards.
- antiX-net (220 MB) has the same missing items as shown in the Core version. It comes with just enough to get you connected and ready to build.
So, if you want to give antiX 23 a try, the installation ISO images are available on SourceForge.
