We received a detailed review from one of the users of our OS, which we would like to share with you.
Astra Linux is a Debian derivative that was created as part of the Russian free software transition initiative. There are several versions of Astra Linux, one of which is intended for general, everyday use - Astra Linux "Eagle" Common Edition. The Russian OS for everyone is interesting by definition, and I want to talk about Orel from the perspective of a person who uses three operating systems every day (Windows 10, Mac OS High Sierra and Fedora) and has been faithful to Ubuntu for the last 13 years. Based on this experience, I will review the system from the point of view of installation, interfaces, software, basic features for developers and convenience from different angles. How will Astra Linux perform compared to more common systems? And can it replace Windows at home?
Install Astra Linux
The Astra Linux installer is very similar to the Debian installer. Perhaps the first one is even simpler, since most of the parameters are fixed by default. It all starts with a general license agreement against the backdrop of not too high-rise buildings. Perhaps even in Orel.
An important point in the installation is the choice of software that comes with the system by default. The available options cover standard office and work needs (for "non-developers").
Also, the last window is an additional set of settings: blocking interpreters, consoles, tracing, setting the execution bit, etc. If these words do not tell you anything, it is better not to tick anywhere. In addition, all this, if necessary, can be configured later.
The system was placed inside a virtual environment with modest resources (relative to modern systems). There were no complaints about speed and performance. The configuration on which the testing took place is described below.
The installation procedure is simple: mount , install through the standard system installation process and burn the GRUB bootloader.
The system is undemanding to resources at boot - about 250-300 MB of RAM at startup for desktop mode.
Alternative launch options: tablet and phone mode
When you sign in, you can choose from several launch options: secure, desktop, mobile, or tablet.
You can turn on the on-screen keyboard for touch devices.
Let's see what's interesting in different modes. Desktop is a normal mode where the system is similar to Windows.
Tablet mode is suitable for large touch screens. In addition to the obvious external differences that can be seen in the screenshot below, there are other interface features. The cursor in tablet mode is invisible, the button to close applications is placed on the taskbar. Full-screen applications work a little differently, files in the file manager are also selected differently.
It is worth mentioning the mobile mode - everything here is about the same as in Android. Fly graphical environment is used. In touch modes, a long touch works, by which you can call the context menu. Mobile mode consumes slightly more resources compared to desktop and tablet.
The presence of different modes of operation is convenient. For example, if you are using a tablet with a pluggable keyboard and, accordingly, touch and non-touch usage scenarios.
System update
Before you can start using the system, you need to update it. Mostly Astra Linux 14 thousand packages (, ΠΈ branch). The experimental branch will soon receive unstable updates, so we will test the testing branch. Change the repository to testing.
We start the repository update and update the system. To do this, click the "Update" button at the top left, then "Mark all updates", then "Apply". We reboot.
User policy
New users are created in the system through the security policy management utility.
By default, the remote login function is provided (Control Panel - System - Login).
In addition to the usual separate and remote session, you can start a nested session (Start - Shutdown - Session).
The first two are clear. A nested session is a session that starts in the window of the current session.
Sessions, by the way, can be ended after a delayed time: do not wait for the end of lengthy operations, but simply set up automatic shutdown.
Interface and standard Astra Linux software
Astra Linux Common Edition is reminiscent of Debian as it was a few years ago. It is noticeable that outwardly Astra Linux Common Edition is trying to get closer to Windows.
Navigating and working with the file system is closer to Windows than to Linux. The system image comes with a standard set of software: office, networking, graphics, music, video. System settings are also grouped in the main menu. By default, four screens are available.
As you can see, LibreOffice is installed as an office suite in the system.
The control panel is similar to Windows/Mac/etc and groups the main settings in one place.
The file manager has a two-pane interface and is able to mount archives as folders.
The file manager can calculate checksums, including .
Mozilla Firefox is installed as the default browser. It looks quite ascetic, but it is quite adequate. For example, I opened and looked through fresh Habr. Pages are rendered, the system does not crash or hang.
The next test is graphics editing. We downloaded the picture from the title of Habr's article, asked the system to open it in GIMP. There is nothing unusual here either.
And with a slight movement of the hand, we add a test for KPDV in one of the articles. In principle, there are no differences from standard Linux systems here.
Let's try to go beyond simple scripts and install standard packages via apt-get.
After updating indexes:
sudo apt-get updateFor the test, we installed python3-pip, zsh and went through the installation of oh-my-zsh (with an additional git dependency). The system worked normally.
As you can see, the system performs well in the framework of standard everyday scenarios for an ordinary user. If you expect to see programs familiar to Debian/Ubuntu here, then you will have to install them additionally, manually (for example, if you need packages like ack-grep, they are installed via curl/sh). You can add repositories to sources.list and use the usual apt-get.
Astra Linux proprietary utilities
The tools described above are just a part of what is available to Astra Linux users. In addition, the developers have created about a hundred additional utilities that can be installed through the same repository that was used to update the system.
To find utilities, it is enough to search for the word "fly" - all the necessary utilities have such a prefix.
It is difficult to tell about all the applications within the framework of one review, so we will choose a few useful ones from the point of view of a simple user. The weather application displays the forecast for selected cities in Russia, it is optimized for the Russian region.
There is also a simple graphical utility with several filters and options for searching through files.
There is its own battery monitoring utility and various modes, the transition to which is configured through a timer - turn off the monitor, sleep, hibernation.
The choice of executable files for commands is also wrapped in a graphical shell. For example, you can specify which "vi" the system will select when running a command.
With a separate admin utility, you can configure which applications will start at system startup.
There is also monitoring of GPS / GLONASS, rather useful in a phone / tablet (in which the corresponding module is usually present).
It also has its own simple PDF reader, for tests it is launched on the Free Culture book by Lawrence Lessig.
You can read about all Fly utilities in for Astra Linux, in the "Help" section of the virtual desktop.
Contrast with major systems
From the point of view of the interface and the logic of the controls, the system is more like a classic Windows XP, and at times - separate elements of Mac OS.
In terms of utilities, console and hardware, the system is similar to the classic Debian, which is quite good and familiar to the same users of Ubuntu and Minted, although the most advanced will lack the usual range of packages from all repositories.
If I superimpose my experience on the portrait of potential users, I have positive expectations for the new system. Based on their experience with Windows/Mac, ordinary users will be able to get comfortable with Astra Linux Common Edition without any problems. And more advanced Linux users, using standard unix utilities, will set everything up as they see fit.
The current version of Astra Linux is based on Debian 9.4 and also has a fresh kernel from Debian 10 (4.19).
Of course, there are newer versions of Ubuntu, but there is one small but significant caveat - they are not LTS (Long Term Support). LTS versions of Ubuntu are on a par with Astra Linux in terms of package versions. I took data for Astra Linux (certified Astra Linux Special Edition to make it easier to track OS version release dates) from W, compared with the timing of the release of LTS versions of Ubuntu, and this is what happened:
LTS release of Ubuntu
Release of Astra Linux Special Edition
date
Version
date
Version
17.04.2014
14.04 LTS
19.12.2014
1.4
21.04.2016
16.04 LTS
08.04.2016
1.5
26.04.2018
18.04 LTS
26.09.2018
1.6
Verdict
The main advantages of Astra Linux "Eagle" Common Edition:
- It does not fall, does not freeze, no critical glitches were noticed.
- Successfully mimics Windows NT/XP interfaces.
- Ease and convenience of installation.
- Low resource requirements.
- The main software is preinstalled: the LibreOffice office suite, the GIMP graphics editor, etc.
- A large set of additional utilities.
- The package versions are older than the latest versions of Ubuntu.
- Its repository is smaller than that of Ubuntu and Debian.
Conclusion: The latest non-LTS versions of Ubuntu are more suitable for the home user than Astra.
At the same time, it may not be relevant for home users to sit on an LTS distribution, but for organizations it is quite a normal option. Therefore, the choice of Astra Linux developers aimed at the corporate segment is understandable and logical.
As for the shortcomings, they are more likely to be true for those who are used to working with Linux, since outwardly Astra Linux "Eagle" is much closer to Windows than to Linux.
Astra Linux "Eagle" Common Edition looks like a good replacement for the office version of Windows as part of the government's transition to free software software, but for home use it may seem a little conservative.
From the Astra Linux company: we constantly communicate with users of our operating system. We are regularly written about their impressions - not only by those who have recently switched to our OS, but also by users who have been using our software for a long time. If you have insights that you are ready to share and describe your user experience with Astra, write in the comments and on our social networks.
Source: habr.com