LinuxAndUbuntu Distro Review Of The Week

Deepin OS is not just another Linux Distro, but one with something new to show. Deepin OS is simply speaking, just beautiful.

Deepin OS, formerly known as Deepin, Linux Deepin, and Hiweed GNU/Linux is a Linux distro with an identity crisis. Seriously, this distro has undergone name changes you always have to check twice if the name is still the same.

And that is all the negative you are going to say about this distro. Honestly speaking, Deepin OS is surely going to blow you away. I have been keeping an eye on this distro since 2013 and it still manages to impress me.

Deepin Linux Installation

Installing Deepin is as simple as it gets. The process is so simple and straightforward every Linux newbie should be right at home. If you intend to dual boot with Windows or another distro, you have to create a partition for Deepin first (have had issues with inbuilt partition tool).

You can use third party tools such as Rufus to make a bootable USB or Deepin USB write tool called “Deepin Boot” that can be found inside the image itself. Reboot your PC from the USB installer to set up your new distro. There used to be a live mode but that seems to have been taken away with the latest release Deepin 15.3 but you can always try it out on a virtual device.

The installer is elegant and gives a taste of what to expect with this distro. All you have to do is select your language of choice and then enter your username and password.

The Interface

Deepin OS ships with its custom desktop environment called Deepin Desktop Environment (DDE). I keep talking about the beauty and elegance of Deepin OS and DDE is the reason. DDE used to be built on Webkit and HTML but the latest installation has switched to Qt. DDE has achieved simplicity albeit all its fashionableness.

The Desktop

The desktop is pretty clean with a launcher at the bottom. The few icons on the desktop are just as pretty. The desktop has four hot corners, which means if you take your mouse to these corners you will be able to access certain features. The top left corner opens the applications launcher, the bottom left brings you back to the desktop and the bottom right opens the control center. You can also reconfigure each corner by just right-clicking on the desktop and choose ‘corner navigation’ from the context menu. There is also a workspace feature that incorporates multiple desktops and this is reminiscent of macOS.

The Dock and Launcher

The dock is customizable in three custom inbuilt looks (Fashion mode and Efficient mode), You can add items to the dock by simply opening a program from the launcher (first on the dock). Then while the icon is in the dock, right-click it and choose “keep in dock”. To remove an item, right-click the icon in the dock and uncheck “keep in dock”.

The Control Panel

All of system settings and configurations can be changed in a panel that appears docked to the right of the desktop. The control panel allows you to manage users, monitors, default applications, and also customize and change themes, windows, icons, cursors, wallpapers, fonts, etc.

Apps

Deepin does not come pre-installed with a lot of apps but it comes with a few tailored Apps that are built to suit the beauty and design language of the distro. Deepin Music Player, Deepin Media Player, Deepin Terminal, Deepin Screenshot, Deepin Cloud and a new Deepin User app that lets you provide feedback to the developers.

There is also a crossover, Google Chrome browser, Cheese, Spotify, Steam and WPS suite of Writer, Presentation, and Spreadsheet already on board. Deepin Software Center provides you with a software store to install extra applications.

Download Deepin OS

You can download Deepin OS by going to the download link on their homepage here. Deepin OS is available in either 32-bit or 64-bit editions. The website is in Chinese and the google translation does not help that much. But you can easily download from this mirror sites. If the download is taking too long, try downloading from SourceForge.

Conclusion

Man, the developers should just deal with the changing names and Deepin/Depth OS is surely going to turn some heads. Other than that, Deepin is pretty stable to use as your daily driver. It has to be the easiest installation ever, for any distro and comes with all the bells and whistles on top of the simplicity and ease of use.

Deepin OS needs a few polishing and ironing out. It is visually refreshing and you really have to try it out. Let us know your thoughts about Deepin OS in the comments below.