14 DAY TRIAL // Elive is a Linux distribution that uses Debian as a base and Enlightenment as the default desktop environment. It provides a different experience from what users might get in other operating systems and the developers have just updated the OS yet again.
The development cycle for Elive is quite interesting, mostly because it usually consists of numerous Beta releases. Most other distros have just a few intermediary releases, but Elive already had quite a few and there is no sign that it's stopping anytime soon. Also, there is no indication that a stable version is close, so we might get a few more Betas.
Users will notice that Elive doesn't feature a regular desktop paradigm. The implementation of the Enlightenment desktop environment ensures that the operating system is unique. It's also quite easy to name the OS just by looking at it, which is a very difficult thing to do for many other Linux distributions.
Elive 2.4.5 Beta gets lots of fixes for the installer
Not all the new features that are being added to a Linux distro have to do with the desktop or with the core components. Sometimes, other parts of the OS need to be upgraded, and this time it's all about the installer. This is a Live CD, but if the user wants to install it, they should to be able to without any bugs.
"We need your feedbacks and reports, each version can include new things not working as expected, if is the case please contact us on our live chat or report it to from the website. Note that this development release doesn't include yet the proprietary drivers for now (Nvidia/fglrx), but the open-source drivers should detect your hardware and configure your system without problems."
"Beta versions are not so optimized as the Stable ones due to debug flags and developer profiles, you can encounter errors and incomplete things, if you want a more polished system try the Stable version instead," reads the official website.
The devs have explained that the installer is now able to check if there is an Internet connection available, the geolocation function is now capable of setting the timezone and the settings for the keyboard, and the volume set during the installation process is now the correct one.
More details about this distribution can be found in the official announcement. You can download Elive 2.4.5 Beta right now from Softpedia. It's a little bit more stable than the previous version, but it's still under development. Users should be cautious about installing it on a production machine.
