American distro based on Arch and featuring KDE Plasma stands out as a pleasant surprise
By Larry Cafiero
Today’s Distro of the Week comes from our proverbial mailbag, sort of. From time to time, we get requests from our readers to try a distro, and we diligently put them on the list of distros to try out. This one was placed on the list a couple of weeks ago.
So today, we’re back home in the good old U.S. of A., and our Distro of the Week is . . . wait for it . . . Fluff Linux.
Based on Arch, by the way, Fluff Linux is a relative newcomer to the Linux family, produced by FluffNet and it’s given the task of delivering a stable, high-performance, and hassle-free computing experience. It features only the KDE Plasma desktop environment, along with all the trappings that KDE Plasma offers.
Installing Fluff Linux
The ISO for the Fluff Linux desktop version is a whopping 6.1 GB, but for such an above-average download size, it went relatively quickly. Putting it onto a USB in order to install it on our hardware was simple, and we were on our way.
One caveat: UEFI firmware is required for installation onto your hardware, and the install won’t seem to budge without it. So fixing our BIOSes on our hardware to accommodate the distro, the installation was underway.
The minimum system requirements for Fluff Linux are fairly standard: It’ll run on a 64-bit computer, though it prefers dual core or better; 2 GB of RAM, but it would really like 4 GB or more to run with; and for NVIDIA users, the distro requires GTX 16 or RTX 20 series and newer.
The live USB boots relatively quickly and there’s an icon on the desktop to install the distro. Clicking on the icon, the install process becomes, well, “old school” insofar as the install is done in a Konsole (thanks, KDE!) terminal window as opposed to something more organized, like Calamares.
But that’s OK – if you follow the instructions and if you’re used to installing Linux distros, there’s nothing here that is a mystery. Answering “yes” or “no” questions during the terminal-based install, the installation goes smoothly. Specifically, the installer asks for a hostname, a login and password before quickly and efficiently installing the distro. The only thing missing, really, is the time-zone selection, which you can do once the install is finished.
We rebooted and did the necessary update of the distro to make sure we were on the latest version. Once that was done it is time to take Fluff Linux on a test drive.
Kicking the tires
So, what does the user get for its 6.1 GB ISO download? For a larger-than-average ISO, Fluff does not skimp on software included in the original install. For example, in the Internet department, Fluff installs both the Firefox web browser and the Thunderbird email client. Mutimedia? VLC media player is included in the original install. The LibreOffice suite of software is also included in the original installation. Rounding it out with a plethora of KDE-based tools like the Dolphin file manager and the Discover software installation program, and you have a well-rounded and balanced distro available to the user.
Meanwhile, what should we add to Fluff Linux? The only omission that I can see is the GIMP graphics editor, which we quickly added with Discover. Once we did that, we were on our way.
True to its Arch Linux roots, Fluff was as nimble as it was responsive. Software came up quickly and even under the most rigorous tests, the RAM rarely maxed out at over 3 GB. Daily tasks including web surfing and email chores were handled with typical aplomb, and the music part of the equation was operated with ease thanks to the VLC media player.
All of which is to say that multitasking under Fluff was a breeze, with the distro handling online programs like Google Docs and Google Drive with ease.
The final word
To be honest, when someone suggests a distro to try, my first reaction is caution. For example, on Distrowatch Fluff Linux is ranked 233rd in the page-hit rankings over the last year, which in about 500 listed distros puts it right about in the midrange.
However, Fluff Linux stands out and is, quite frankly, a pleasant surprise. Despite the “curveball” the installer throws at users and the UEFI-only limitation, the distro excels on various levels and can take its place in the row of unheralded, yet admirable, Linux distributions currently offered.
In other words, Fluff Linux joins several other Arch-based distros, like CachyOS or Manjaro, that makes Arch easily accessible for beginners. While some Arch distros – and surely vanilla Arch – focus on minimalism and customization, Fluff Linux aims to provide a more straightforward experience without sacrificing performance.
Does it have its drawbacks? Of course. It comes with two of the most classic new-distro disadvantages: No discernible wiki and the absence of a widespread user base. But that’s not Fluff Linux’s fault. They’re relatively new on the scene, and besides where support is concerned, that’s where the Arch wiki comes in. As for the community? With wider use, that will grow over time.
Fluff Linux is easily usable by beginners, in large part thanks to the KDE Plasma desktop environment. The learning curve with KDE Plasma is gentle and easy to handle. The tools included in the distro make it attractive to intermediate users and greybeards as well. On the whole, Fluff Linux is good for a wide range of users.
Give Fluff Linux a try by downloading the ISO on Fluff’s download page.
Do you have a distro you think would make a great feature for Distro of the Week? Don’t be shy—let me know! Email me at larry.cafiero@gmail.com and I’ll make an effort to make your choice available to the wider public … No suggestion is too mainstream!