The upcoming Freya release is going to be even more popular than its predecessors and no one really knows why

Oct 2, 2014 07:01 GMT  ·  By

elementary OS is a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu, and using solely this description users should not be impressed. Something else is happening with this operating system, something that is not fully understood.

Ubuntu is a very popular base and it's used by too many systems to count. Ubuntu itself is based on Debian, but for now we’ll stick with Ubuntu. elementary was not supposed to be an operating system, and in fact it started its life just as a collection of themes and a few other packages that allowed users to make Ubuntu look different.

The developers soon realized that they could do better than this and made their own operating system. Only two versions of it have been released until now, Jupiter and Luna. They are now working on a third one called Freya, which is in the Beta stages. What is happening with this incredible rate of adoption for this OS and why is it so popular?

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful

One of the reasons why elementary OS has become one of the most sought after Linux distributions is its beauty. No one can dispute the fact that it has one of the most attractive desktops out there, but it doesn't really fit in the entire Linux philosophy. It's free and there is no indication that its status will change, but it's more or less a closed system.

We tested elemetary OS Luna a while back and we were struck by the gorgeous desktop, but after we got over the initial shock, we realized that there wasn't much to be done with the distro. It wasn't customizable in any way. In the couple of years since its launch, some tools have emerged that allow a few aspects of the system to be modified, but for the most part it remains the same.

Linux users secretly want a distro that treats them like Apple treats Mac OS X users

The elementary developers have decided for users of their OS what's best for them. They chose to lock down the desktop and you can't interact with it. The reason was that they wanted to make sure the desktop stayed clean at all times and that users could't sully it with their ugly icons. Also, changing the Linux kernel is a definite no-no, so users are stuck with an older version. And these are just a couple of problems.

So, the question remains, why do Linux users like elementary OS? The answer has to be quality. They seem to value quality above anything else and they are willing to trade some of the regular conveniences to get the best possible quality from a product that's far from perfect.

elementary OS "Freya" will do the same

The developers of the elementary OS are not changing their ways for the upcoming version. They will provide the same kind of closed system (based on open source applications). There's nothing stopping you from building your own distro based on elementary, but so far it hasn't been done. I wonder why.

So, what do you value, beauty or customization power? And why can't we have both?