Bluestar Linux is a gorgeous MacOS-like take on KDE Plasma that’s easy to use

I love a customized desktop. Anytime a developer (or team of developers) can deliver a unique take on any of the Linux desktop environments, I’m all for it — and Bluestar Linux does not disappoint.

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What is Bluestar Linux?

Bluestar Linux is based on Arch and designed to be user-friendly. The desktop focuses on a unique aesthetic for KDE Plasma. 

Bluestar Linux features up-to-date packages and kernel, a full range of desktop and multimedia software, a live version, a customized KDE Plasma desktop environment, and is available in 32 and 64-bit versions. There is also a Bluestar Linux software repository, which is maintained to provide additional applications outside the standard repositories.

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Bluestar Linux has three main editions: Desktop, Deskpro, and Developer. Each of the editions is geared to specific users. I opted to review the Desktop version, which most users will want.

The default installation includes apps like GIMP, VLC media player, LibreOffice, FileZilla (FTP client), Firefox, Pidgin (messaging client), a Bluesky app, Thunderbird, and much more. 

The Bluesky desktop

When you log in to Bluesky, you’ll find a layout that should be familiar to anyone who’s used MacOS. There’s a dock at the bottom of the desktop, a top bar, and several icons. 

You’ll find a desktop menu on the far left edge of the top bar and the desktop icons all take you to different folders within your home directory. 

One thing that I found slightly jarring was the default dark theme. The Bluesky desktop has a beautiful blue look, so it doesn’t quite fit when you open an app to reveal the dark theme. 

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You can easily change the look in Settings > Appearance & Style > Colors & Themes, where you can choose from several options.

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Of course, since this is KDE Plasma, there’s no end to the customizations you can make. For example, I switched to a light theme and removed the icons from the desktop for a much cleaner look (which took me about 30 seconds). 

My experience with Bluestar Linux

I didn’t expect to become so enamored with this distribution, but when I logged in, it hit me… this distro is beautiful. 

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I know beauty isn’t everything. Most people would take a user-friendly, highly functional desktop over one with a pretty face. The good news is that Bluestar Linux is all of those things. And even though it’s based on Arch Linux (which is not a good option for newbies), I would say that Bluestar Linux is a great option for many users.

Given the presence of the dock and top bar, the UI is easy to get to know and to update the OS (or installed applications). All you have to do to run an update is click the Arch icon in the top bar (the blue “A”) and click “Update system” (if any updates are available). You’ll then need to approve the update and the Kalu app will launch and begin the process.

Honestly, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Bluestar Linux. It performs as well as any other full-blown Linux desktop, is more elegant than many, and is much easier to work with than you might think.

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The only glitch I encountered with Bluestar was when I attempted to share the Public folder with my local area network. I tried everything (without spending too much time on the issue) and failed to get Samba running. 

It turns out that the Samba didn’t install everything necessary. I checked the /etc/samba directory and found an empty folder named Private. Fear not, I’ll dig into this issue and write a how-to on getting Samba up and running on Arch Linux.

Outside that one issue, Bluestar Linux was an absolute joy to use. I’ve even added the distribution to my shortlist of distros to use should I move away from Pop!_OS (that list consists of Ubuntu Budgie, elementary OS, Ubuntu, and Fedora (the KDE Plasma spin)).

Bluestar Linux is a wonderful distribution ready to serve users with just about any need. The only thing to remember is that, because Bluestar is based on Arch Linux, the one glaring piece of software missing from the OS is a GUI for installing apps. The best way around this issue is to install Octopi, which can be achieved with the command:

sudo pacman -S octopi

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Once Octopi is installed, you can find the software you require.

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Download an ISO of Bluestar Linux from the official Sourceforge site.

Source: Robotics - zdnet.com