En­deav­our­OS: Antergos successor for in­di­vidu­al systems

En­deav­our­OS combines the ver­sat­il­ity and up-to-dateness of Arch Linux with a graphical installer and various desktop en­vir­on­ments. The Antergos successor is con­sidered terminal-centric and does without a graphical package manager. En­deav­our­OS is not only known for its user-friend­li­ness, but also for its helpful community.

En­deav­our­OS is a Linux dis­tri­bu­tion based on Arch Linux that combines its freedoms with a more user-friendly structure. Compared to the min­im­al­ist operating system, it offers a much simpler in­stall­a­tion via Calamares as well as various desktop en­vir­on­ments. The use of a GUI package manager is optional.

Like its pre­de­cessor Antergos and Arch Linux, En­deav­our­OS uses the rolling release principle and publishes new software to be im­me­di­ately available. The open-source system has been developed by the community af­fil­i­ated to Antergos moderator Bryan Po­er­woat­modjo as Antergos came to an end in 2019. Either an offline or a net installer are offered.

In the first instance, En­deav­our­OS is geared at users looking for a basic approach to Arch Linux, who want the graphical support during in­stall­a­tion and con­fig­ur­a­tion, and regular use. The de­riv­at­ive is not as min­im­al­ist, but offers the pos­sib­il­ity to build and extend an operating system according to in­di­vidu­al needs. Apart from users who have ex­per­i­ence with Arch Linux, En­deav­our­OS appeals to those who wish to get to know Linux better. Because of its in­stall­a­tion program and its desktop en­vir­on­ment, En­deav­our­OS is suitable for beginners and those looking to switch to another operating system.

There are two different versions of En­deav­our­OS. When you select the offline installer, you auto­mat­ic­ally get the slim Xfce interface. With the Net installer, you can choose from several desktop en­vir­on­ments. These include the popular Cinnamon, Gnome, and MATE. Calamares is offered as an in­stall­a­tion tool and Pacman is included as a package manager. En­deav­our­OS has very few pre-installed programs because the de­velopers have followed the approach of maximum freedom of choice. The re­pos­it­ory of the `mother operating system´ and the Arch User Re­pos­it­ory (AUR) are the primary package sources.

The system re­quire­ments for En­deav­our­OS vary depending on the chosen desktop variant. The system is com­par­at­ively slim, but the dis­tri­bu­tion cannot keep up with the minimum re­quire­ments of Arch Linux. Xfce and MATE require at least 2 GB RAM, but the makers recommend 4 GB RAM and up. For Cinnamon or Gnome, 4 GB RAM is the minimum re­quire­ment. This requires a x86-64 processor.

En­deav­our­OS is an operating system that can be adapted to suit your needs and can be employed across a wide range of scenarios. Looking at its ad­vant­ages and dis­ad­vant­ages helps to dis­tin­guish whether the dis­tri­bu­tion is suitable for your needs.

• User-friend­li­ness: From in­stall­a­tion and con­fig­ur­a­tion to everyday use, En­deav­our­OS is com­par­at­ively easy to use. Even beginners will quickly find their way around the operating system and benefit from Calamares and Pacman.
• Ver­sat­il­ity: However, this does not mean that En­deav­our­OS is not equally suitable for ex­per­i­enced users. The dis­tri­bu­tion builds on the freedoms Arch Linux provides. With En­deav­our­OS you can set up a system designed to suit your needs.
• Desktop en­vir­on­ment: En­deav­our­OS is all about choice when it comes to desktop en­vir­on­ments – one of the main dif­fer­ences to Arch Linux. Almost all common Linux in­ter­faces are available, and a slim option is available in Xfce.
• Rolling Release: The rolling release principle ensures that En­deav­our­OS is always up to date. Though the pre-installed software is kept to a bare minimum, there are countless programs users can install quickly and update as required.
• Community: The makers of En­deav­our­OS focused on fostering a strong community that is open and helpful to others. Thus, there is a lively exchange and newcomers and ex­per­i­enced users can seek support. Doc­u­ment­a­tion and an active forum help users address their questions and problems.

• No graphics package manager: While the Pacman package manager is available, the solution does not come with a manager with a graphics interface. This may be a challenge for beginners.
• Not much pre­in­stalled software: To set up a system fast, En­deav­our­OS is not the best choice. Because of the lack of pre­in­stalled software, many basic programs need to be purchased as add-ons. This freedom of choice is a plus for many users, but the ad­di­tion­al effort might deter others.

Besides En­deav­our­OS, Manjaro Linux may be a good option because it combines the ad­vant­ages of Arch Linux with a user-friendly interface. If you’re looking for a Linux dis­tri­bu­tion for laptop and PC that boasts a large community and plenty of variation, classics such as Ubuntu and Debian are good options. Spin-offs such as Linux Mint or the Mac-based Ele­ment­ary OS 6 are worth con­sid­er­ing.

Among the best Linux server dis­tri­bu­tions are AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux. For accurate system and network analysis, Kali Linux has proven useful.