Rhino Linux's latest release makes it the Swiss Army knife of Linux distributions

Jack Wallen\ZDNET

ZDNET's key takeaways

The latest version of Rhino Linux is available to download and install for free.Rhino Linux is a beautiful, rolling-release Linux distribution that works for both those new to Linux and those with plenty of Linux skills.Rhino Linux doesn't include a GUI package manager by default.

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I'm a sucker for a beautiful Linux desktop. I go out of my way to either choose or modify the desktops I use to make them fit my aesthetic. Sometimes that's easy; sometimes it can be a challenge. That's especially so when you factor in that I've been using Linux for a very long time, so the distribution I choose for myself isn't something I'd recommend strictly for beginners.

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You can imagine my excitement when I find a distribution that is both gorgeous and can serve users of all skill levels.

Such is the case with the latest release of Rhino Linux. When you first take a gander at the OS, you might be inclined to not take it seriously, but under that pretty UI is plenty of power, ready to be leveraged.

For example, immediately after logging in for the first time, you're greeted by a Welcome app that allows you to enable/disable the following:

FlatpakFlatpak beta channel
Flatseal
Nix
Snap
AppImage
AM (command line tool for AppImage)
Docker
Podman
Distrobox
Apptainer
EQMU
VirtualBox

Numbers 1-7 are all about package management and the installation of apps. Numbers 8-13 are all centered around containerization. All users will be interested in selecting the package managers available to the OS and developers/admins will want to also focus on the container tools.

There's something for everyone.

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The only thing missing from the list is productivity tools, such as LibreOffice. Fortunately, those can be easily installed with one of the many package managers.

What's new in Rhino Linux?

This is a new release, and the latest iteration of Rhino Linux has plenty of newness to boast about. There's the new Unicorn Theme, which is all about purple. The Setup Wizard has received a major overhaul that caters to both new and power users.The pacstall package manager includes pkgbase splitting that allows for building multiple individual packages from a single pascript. And, of course, there have been numerous bug fixes.

For those who are curious, Rhino Linux ships with kernel 6.10.7 on the Generica ISO images, 6.9.0-okpine for Pine64 images, and 6.8.0-raspi for Raspberry Pi.

The desktop

Rhino Linux is a rolling release distribution based on Ubuntu and uses the Xfce desktop. Unlike most distributions that default to Xfce, Rhino Linux does a remarkable job of presenting the UI in such a way as to make it look very modern. With a left-side dock and top bar, the interface might not be immediately familiar to some, but it's still easy to use. Click to launch any app from the Dock or click the small square of dots near the top of the Dock to open the Application Grid, where you can start any application on the system.

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When opening the Application Grid, you might also notice an app store missing from the package list. That's because there isn't one and it's the only reason why those new to Linux might stumble when taking their first steps. That's okay because installation of such applications can be done with apt-get, pacstall, snap, or flatpak. For example, installing LibreOffice with Snap is done with the command:

Of course, you can always install the Synaptic package manager GUI with the command:

Jack Wallen\ZDNET

You now have a GUI package manager from which you can install thousands of applications.

Because Rhino Linux uses the Xfce desktop, customizing the desktop won't be nearly as familiar as it might be with the likes of GNOME or Plasma Desktop. When you open the Application Grid, you'll notice two settings apps:

Settings EditorSettings Manager
Jack Wallen\ZDNET

This is where Rhino Linux really shows its true colors. If you open the Settings Manager (aka "Settings"), it looks like your average Settings app, where you can configure the appearance, hardware, system, and other aspects of your PC. The Settings Editor is a different beast, one that allows you to get really granular with the Xfce customizations. 

Where the Settings Manager is a GUI for all, the Settings Editor is for those with enough Xfce experience to know what they're doing. For Windows users, think of the Settings Manager as the regular old Settings app and the Settings Editor is more like the Registry Editor (but only for the desktop environment). If this is your first time using Xfce, don't bother with the Settings Editor until you're far more familiar with the desktop.

For someone like me, the best thing about Rhino Linux is that (outside of the missing LibreOffice and app store packages) the developers seemed to have thought of everything to make this a very efficient and effective desktop. There's quick access to specific folders in the top left corner, window tiling, a right-mouse click desktop menu, a powerful (global) search bar (click the U at the top of the dock), the one-click upgrade, and so much more. Rhino Linux is what I'd call the Swiss Army knife of Linux distributions because it can do just about anything. You can even install Steam for gaming.

Who should use Rhino Linux?

As far as target users, Rhino Linux could easily work for anyone. Would I recommend Rhino Linux to someone who's never used Linux? Yes… with an asterisk. To those users, I'd warn them not to get overwhelmed at first and not to hesitate to google terms like flatpak, snap, and AppImage, and to not be afraid of the command line.

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For experienced users, I wouldn't just recommend Rhino Linux. I'd encourage using it because this distribution can do so much. It even ships with VSCodium (the open-source equivalent of Microsoft's VS Code) and makes it very easy to add container support to the OS.

Rhino Linux is a beautiful Linux distribution but don't assume this OS is just a pretty face. There's a lot of power and flexibility under the hood.