Nitrux is a free, beautiful, open-source, desktop-oriented Linux distro. Itโs powered by Debian, KDE technologies, and Qt, emphasizing aesthetics, user efficiency, and portable universal app formats.
The distro features a modified version of the KDE Plasma desktop called NX Desktop. On top of that, Nitrux Linux comes with a set of applications that are not typical KDE apps. Instead, a large number of these are MauiKit-based. So, as a result, it is a very different type of desktop Linux distribution.
Now with Nitrux version 2.4.0 out of this systemd-free Linux distro (Nitrux uses the OpenRC init system), it is time to have a fresh look and see how it matured.
What’s New in Nitrux 2.4.0
The most significant change in this release is that Nitrux now defaults to the XanMod Kernel, which has been updated to version 5.19.5. In addition, to be more specific, Nitrux has used it since its version 2.0.0, which was released on January 29th of this year.
For those not in the know, XanMod Kernel implements custom settings and new features built to provide a responsive and smooth desktop experience, especially for new hardware. As a result, it is widely popular amongst Linux gaming, streaming, live productions, and ultra-low latency enthusiasts.
Because Nitrux is mostly a desktop-oriented Linux distribution, let’s look at what’s new there. First, of course, weโll start with the desktop environment.
Nitrux, as previously said, is entirely dedicated to KDE. However, one thing is sure: this release will not disappoint its fans. Nitrux 2.4.0 includes the most recent KDE 5.25.4, which provides its users with all of the benefits that come with it.
On top of that, Nitrux 2.4.0 ships with the latest KDE Frameworks 5.97.0 and the newest app set provided by KDE Gear 22.08. Furthermore, MauiKit and Maui Apps have been updated to version 2.2.0.
Speaking of Maui Apps, this release adds two new ones to its arsenal: Agenda, a convergent calendar events app, and Strike, a simple and friendly IDE.
Another major application, the NX Software Center, has gotten significant attention in this edition. There are several updates, the most important of which are as follows:
- New ‘Store’ view with categories on the left.
- Updated internals to work with newer MauiKit releases.
- Search results are now correctly related to the search query.
- Updated placeholder text to avoid confusion in the โAppsโ and โTasksโ views.
Unfortunately, and somewhat unexpectedly, the Nitrux developers have chosen to remove LibreOffice from the default installation. But, of course, it is available via the Software Center, along with a range of other alternatives such as OnlyOffice, WPS Office, and OpenOffice.
Finally, there are a few other things worth mentioning. New icons have been added to the Luv Icons theme, and Latte Dock has been rebuilt using the most recent code from its ‘master’ branch.
Unfortunately, the Latte Dock will no longer be supported, and it is expected to be replaced by Maui Shell in future Nitrux OS releases.
In addition, the distro comes with MESA 22.3 by default, and the Firefox browser version is bumped to 104.0.1.
You can refer to the official announcement for detailed information about all changes.
Download
Nitrux 2.4.0 is available for immediate download. So, if you want to try it right now, the links to the installation ISO images are at the bottom of the official announcement.
Last but not least, be informed that the devs recommend performing a fresh installation using the latest available media.
