This Linux distro makes openSUSE accessible to all – even newbies should take a look

OpenSUSE is a powerful operating system, but I still haven’t recommended it to new Linux users. Why? It’s too powerful, and it doesn’t include essential day-to-day software.

That’s a shame, because openSUSE is also very reliable, stable, and secure.

Fortunately, Antônio Medeiros has created a spin of openSUSE that’s more accessible for less-experienced users. That distribution is Linux Kamarada, and it offers the power of openSUSE with the ease of use associated with Ubuntu.

Also: 7 things every Linux beginner should know before downloading their first distro

Linux Kamarada uses the GNOME desktop with a few handy extensions, such as Dash to Dock and GSConnect. The developer has given the top bar rounded corners, and the default Dash to Dock has just the right amount of transparency.

The desktop layout even resembles Ubuntu’s default layout. That might seem unfamiliar to some users, but it’s easy to figure out.

What makes Linux Kamarada so special?

Besides the tweaked desktop layout, what else does the developer do to make this distribution better suited for new users?

First, you’ll find more preinstalled software, so you don’t have to install everything after your first login. There’s LibreOffice, Evolution (groupware), Firefox, Chromium, Linphone (Voice Over IP), Notes, Pidgin (chat), Sound Recorder, VLC media player, and Wine (for installing Windows apps).

Also: 5 of the easiest, quickest Linux distros to install – and I’ve tried them all

Of course, if the app you need isn’t preinstalled, you can open GNOME Software and install anything you need. The developer even installed Flatpak and integrated it into Software, so you’ll find proprietary apps such as Slack and Spotify available to install with a click.

And then there’s YaST. This should come with a warning, because YaST is powerful. However, the developer did one nifty thing. If you open the Application Overview (by clicking the square of dots in the bottom-left corner) and scroll to the final page, you’ll see a folder labeled suse-yast.directory. Inside that folder are three pages of different YaST categories, such as YaST Samba, YaST User and Group Management, YaST Network, YaST Filesystem Snapshots, YaST Printer, YaST Software, YaST Hardware Information, and more. Click any entry and that section of YaST opens alone, so you aren’t inundated with all of YaST at once. This makes the YaST admin tool far less intimidating.

Also: 7 Linux distros you should avoid until you’ve mastered the command line

I took the YaST Samba tool for a test drive and found it remarkably easy to set up. The only caveat is the same Samba complaint with nearly all Linux distributions… you still have to add and enable a Samba user from the command line, like so:

sudo smbpasswd -a $USER
sudo smbpasswd -e $USER

I wish those commands weren’t necessary, but for whatever reason, no one has built a GUI that handles them. Otherwise, the YaST Samba tool is outstanding.

Fortunately, new users don’t have to touch YaST, because there’s the GNOME Settings app, where you can configure all available desktop settings without having to search online. The GNOME Software tool also gives you access to installed apps, so you can open them or enable and disable notifications for each application.

Is Linux Kamarada right for you?

I would say that Linux Kamarada is a very good option for these types of users:

• Users with plenty of Linux experience
• Users with a modicum of Linux experience
• New Linux users who want an operating system they can grow with

In the end, if you want the simplest Linux distribution that will hold your hand every step of the way, this is not for you. Although Linux Kamarada is user-friendly, it won’t babysit you through every aspect of using Linux. That doesn’t make it unsuitable for new users; you just need to understand that you’re using a distribution that includes a very powerful tool (YaST) that could overwhelm someone with no Linux experience.

Also: I found an independent Linux distro that’s easy to install – and comes with everything I need

With that said, I highly recommend Linux Kamarada, especially if you’ve wanted to try openSUSE but found it too intimidating.

If I’ve piqued your interest, download an ISO of Kamarada 15.6 now.

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