solus

Solus is an independent Linux distribution designed for home computing and daily use. It emphasizes a cohesive, user-friendly desktop experience and ships with its own software ecosystem and package manager. The project originated as solusOS, created by Ikey Doherty around 2011 as a Debian-based distribution aiming to deliver a complete GNOME-based desktop. After a period of development, the project was reimagined in 2015 as Solus, an independent distribution built from the ground up to provide a curated, desktop-focused system with its own packaging and update mechanism. Solus uses a curated rolling release model, delivering ongoing updates through regular snapshots rather than major version numbers.

Software is installed from the official Solus repositories using the eopkg package manager. The repository is curated to ensure stability and consistency across releases. Solus emphasizes a polished user experience and ships with the Budgie desktop as its flagship environment, a modern shell designed to be lightweight and intuitive while integrating GNOME technologies. The project also provides support for other desktop environments through community spins or alternate editions.

Solus is independently developed and distributed, developing its own ecosystem rather than relying on a larger distribution base. It has a smaller user base compared with more widely used distributions but is noted for performance, desktop usability, and a consistent out-of-the-box experience on modern hardware.