There have been end long discussions on the pros and cons of Linux distributions. Lack of universally applicable support, not withstanding, Linux distributions are great when catering to specific needs.
There are countless number of distributions that cater to these special needs of the few and there are others that try to improve upon the existing distributions. Whatever the case, one can not simply deny that there are a numerous options for everyone. For those few who are familiar with Mac or want to get a feel of something similar making that switch to a Linux distribution was never easier with a distribution called Pear Linux.
A Ubuntu based Linux Distro that sets to mimic the appearance and mechanics of Mac OS X, Pear Linux aims to achieve a similar interface, recognizable tools, and general ease of use. Pear will impress you when you use it for the first time. A simple and very clean setup, a transparent panel at the top, a few desktop icons on the left side, and a dock at the bottom.
There is also a custom Pear App store that replaces the usual Ubuntu Software Center, a browser manager that lets you set your browsers and a Pear system settings which is basically the Gnome’s System Settings window. The launchpad’s button launches Gnome Shell’s “Activities” screen but because of the theme it closely mimics the feel and look of the actual Launchpad on OS X.
Minimum System Requirements
- Personal computer with a 64 bit processor
- 512 MB physical RAM
- 8 GB available disk space
- 800×600 display resolution
Pear Linux can be downloaded from here. As with most of the existing Linux Distros, Pear OS 7 (latest build) works with all your existing Microsoft documents, presentations, sheets, etc. Pear Linu is a great choice for any Mac as well as Windows user as it stems from a well supported distribution (Ubuntu).
Do check it out Pear Linux and lets us know your impressions in the comments section below.