LinuxAndUbuntu Distro Review Of The Week Bodhi Linux

​Bodhi Linux is essentially one of those distributions which try to bring your old PC back to life but at the same time, tries to make it look like it is still keeping up with the latest trends in Design and Interface. And with every new release, its community is growing larger and larger. We will look at the latest release which comes with a new theme and more bug fixes (more on this later).  

Bodhi Linux Flavours

​The freedom of Linux is represented in the concept of flavors. The same Distribution is released as a separate flavor with concept variation or software combination. This is especially useful considering that people can select their ‘Type’ of flavor. Bodhi Linux has three versions:Standard: Basic apps installed like Midori, editor, etc. With the latest kernel.
App Pack: Includes a full set of apps like an office suite, Openshot video editor, etc.
Legacy: Standard edition but has an old 3.8 kernel to support older hardware (15yrs+)  

How To Install Bodhi Linux?

​Installation is a routine with the same ubiquity installer used in famous distros like Ubuntu, etc..When you boot from the live cd, Midori will open automatically with a quick start guide. The first step is to connect to the internet as if you encounter any issues during the installation, you can immediately browse their forums.

  ​You can start the installation from the menu and select the appropriate settings like timezone, keyboard layout etc.

​If you are a new user, then select to install the third party software which is essential for a smooth experience. These are flash, mp3 codecs, etc which are proprietary. You can skip this and install them later too.

​The partition to install is recommended to be at least 10 GB. The swap memory is recommended around the same as your RAM Size.

​The final step is to select the Computer name, user, and Password. You should select login automatically if you are sure that no one else is going to have access to your computer.

Bodhi Linux Features

​Okay, after the installation process, we will now take a look at the features and what makes Bodhi Linux different. Bodhi in Sanskrit means enlightened or the one with sense. This distro is based on Ubuntu LTS release. But the main feature of Bodhi is its desktop Moksha (the release from the circle of life) which is a fork of the E17 desktop which is succeeded by E19 now. But, E19 is relatively heavy and not suitable for older hardware. So, Moksha was born and it is updated with the latest EFL libraries.  

Moksha

​Moksha is light on resources but has a modern look that surpasses all the other Desktop Environments. The interface has a Neon lights kind of feel. It feels like we are in the future Desktop. But due to the limitation of the hardware, we still are going to use Mouse and Keyboard. But Moksha has many features that are still futuristic even with just a keyboard and mouse. The shading feature is one such thing. When you double-click the title bar, the whole window is hidden except the title bar, which is pretty cool when multitasking. As such there are a lot of other options which you should check out yourself. There are these things that we call system tray icons, but moksha calls them gadgets and modules.

Modules are the traditional icons. But gadgets are more of a mini control center. You can monitor a lot of things like brightness, temperature, CPU speed, etc..

You can open the menu from any part of the desktop.

It is not to say that Bodhi Linux is only for the older systems or anything like that. Being lightweight is only one of the advantages. Its futuristic and absolutely innovative desktop has all kinds of options. The Ibar is not just for windows and such. It can be a very useful tool. It has a workspace switcher, shelves to arrange, and a lot of other customization.  

Bodhi Linux Apps and Repositories

​The base is Ubuntu, so you will have access to almost all the applications that are available for Linux. You have all the applications like an office suite, text editor IDE geany, a video editor, and other routine applications like Music player and VLC. And you also can use the Ubuntu forums to find answers to most of your solutions. You can use the app center to install applications. You can install synaptic or any other package management if you need to.

There is also an eepdater which will help you in keeping the system updates to the latest.

The browser by default is Midori. It has the name of being the only lightweight browser (speaking from a Graphical perspective). It is lightweight and so is the best option for older hardware.

​As you can see, all of the pictures are in the default dark arc theme. There are other themes too. We have an application called esudo which is pretty much like gk Sudo of gnome or kdesudo of kde. It manages the administrative access-related permissions.

​The terminal is obviously one of the best features. It is called terminology and has all the glow that was never seen in any other terminal emulator.

​The features just don’t end as I go on explaining. But this is the last one for now. The Bodhi builder is an app that lets you customize your OS and build a Live CD or installer to share with friends or to just have your own Bodhi Linux version.  

Conclusion

​The Bodhi Linux is intended for general use and the lightweight desktop. The only negative is that there are still a lot of bugs on the desktop and obviously it is not due to ignorance. The bugs are fixed every day and the desktop is becoming much and much better. Nevertheless, Bodhi is fine to be used as an everyday desktop as it does not fall behind any other Distribution in any respect.