{"slug": "elementary-os", "name": "elementary OS", "category": "os", "category_name": "Operating systems and desktop", "description": "", "recommenders": 3, "commenters": 11, "warners": 2, "score": 2.702, "rising": 0.35, "first": "2025-12-16", "latest": "2026-09-24", "why": "I personally use Elementary OS, which is very polished and reliable", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 6, "compare": 0, "warn": 2}, "spark": [0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "I personally use Elementary OS, which is very polished and reliable", "kind": "", "icon": true, "domain": "elementary.io", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://elementary.io", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["elementary OS", "elementaryOS", "Elementary OS"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 797242288, "item_id": 49827643, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49827643", "by": "benrutter", "date": "2026-09-24", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I personally use Elementary OS, which is very polished and reliable", "excerpt": "I actually think there's some awesome UX innovation in the world of Linux. In fact, one of the things I love and appreciate about Linux, is that there's such a variety of what the desktop could be. I personally use Elementary OS, which is very polished and reliable, but very much not trying to innovate how a desktop environment fundamentally works. But for those who want to experiment, I've seen: - Tiling window mana", "context": "", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ideas on modernizing the open-source desktop"}, {"id": 779938784, "item_id": 48746174, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48746174", "by": "jeroenhd", "date": "2026-07-01", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "ElementaryOS even has its optionally-paid app store", "excerpt": "Linux applications are being sold. In fact, GPL-licensed applications get sold, so it's not even the OSS part that's holding you back. ElementaryOS even has its optionally-paid app store: https://appcenter.elementary.io/ Autodesk and other industrial software providers are quite happy to sell you software, though unfortunately not through a unified app store. In practice, I expect a paid Linux app store to go down ab", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Asahi Linux 7.1 Progress Report"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 743905168, "item_id": 46494073, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46494073", "by": "malco_2001", "date": "2026-01-04", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "It just never went far enough for me", "excerpt": "I used elementary the past and appreciated the visual design. It just never went far enough for me by not having global menus, application bundles, etc. I think given a little more time here this year Gershwin will catch up so to speak. Then we will have not only how it looks, how it is designed, how it operates, how it runs on nearly anything, cross platform support, etc. I recently began porting Ladybird from QT to", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Gershwin-desktop: OS X-like Desktop Environment based on GNUStep"}, {"id": 743117809, "item_id": 46444863, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46444863", "by": "figassis", "date": "2025-12-31", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "tried elementaryOs 2y ago, was a bit lacking", "excerpt": "I love and live inside linux, so please go easy on me but...there is some level of product design that an OS needs to be a viable consumer OS. Linux has 100 ways to do any thing, this is 1: paralysis inducing, 2: causes high cognitive load when all you need is to edit/share a spreadsheet, 3: does not create a common experience that you can share with people across jobs. Everyone will do it differently, so you will ha", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Linux Is Not Stable"}]}], "who": [{"by": "Forgeties79", "context": "not a power user", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49829509", "date": "2026-09-24"}, {"by": "d34dman", "context": "uses Linux for work", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49029470", "date": "2026-07-23"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["desktop os", "linux on mac"], "compared": [{"slug": "gnome", "name": "GNOME", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49825642", "title": "Ideas on modernizing the open-source desktop", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49029345", "title": "Ask HN: What Linux distro do you daily drive?", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48744518", "title": "Asahi Linux 7.1 Progress Report", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47742200", "title": "Show HN: boringBar \u2013 a taskbar-style dock replacement for macOS", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47412726", "title": "OpenSUSE Kalpa", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47282085", "title": "The Window Chrome of Our Discontent", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {"neutral": 2, "warn": 1}, "2026-01": {"warn": 1}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {"recommend": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2026-04": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {"recommend": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2026-10": {}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "family_ref": null, "runs_on": null, "lines": [], "quotes": [{"id": 797272146, "item_id": 49829509, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49829509", "by": "Forgeties79", "date": "2026-09-24", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I\u2019ve got machines using bazzite, pop, and elementary", "excerpt": "Yeah this whole conversation is interesting to me. Linux was impenetrable to me 10-15 years ago (partially due to age but I wasn\u2019t exactly a kid back then). Now it feels way more polished and usable. I\u2019m hardly a power user but that\u2019s sort of the point! I\u2019ve got machines using bazzite, pop, and elementary. I get tripped up by permissions and stuff here and there but overall pop and Bazzite in particular have proven t", "context": "not a power user", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ideas on modernizing the open-source desktop"}, {"id": 797242288, "item_id": 49827643, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49827643", "by": "benrutter", "date": "2026-09-24", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I personally use Elementary OS, which is very polished and reliable", "excerpt": "I actually think there's some awesome UX innovation in the world of Linux. In fact, one of the things I love and appreciate about Linux, is that there's such a variety of what the desktop could be. I personally use Elementary OS, which is very polished and reliable, but very much not trying to innovate how a desktop environment fundamentally works. But for those who want to experiment, I've seen: - Tiling window mana", "context": "", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ideas on modernizing the open-source desktop"}, {"id": 784471520, "item_id": 49029470, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49029470", "by": "d34dman", "date": "2026-07-23", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "When i installed Linux (elementary OS) on my Mac few years back, the issue that annoyed me was not the OS, but lack of proper drivers", "excerpt": "I use Linux for work, so i was not venturing into unfamiliar territory when i switched to Linux on Mac. When i installed Linux (elementary OS) on my Mac few years back, the issue that annoyed me was not the OS, but lack of proper drivers for my the touchpad. I would still recommend trying it out as your mileage may vary.", "context": "uses Linux for work", "use_case": "Linux on Mac", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What Linux distro do you daily drive?"}, {"id": 779938784, "item_id": 48746174, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48746174", "by": "jeroenhd", "date": "2026-07-01", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "ElementaryOS even has its optionally-paid app store", "excerpt": "Linux applications are being sold. In fact, GPL-licensed applications get sold, so it's not even the OSS part that's holding you back. ElementaryOS even has its optionally-paid app store: https://appcenter.elementary.io/ Autodesk and other industrial software providers are quite happy to sell you software, though unfortunately not through a unified app store. In practice, I expect a paid Linux app store to go down ab", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Asahi Linux 7.1 Progress Report"}, {"id": 764048034, "item_id": 47753002, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47753002", "by": "Kerrick", "date": "2026-04-13", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "This is explained by the ElementaryOS H.I.G.:", "excerpt": "> By default, minimize button not present in titlebars This is explained by the ElementaryOS H.I.G.: > Apps should save their current state when closed so they can be reopened right to where the user left off. Typically, closing and reopening an app should be indistinguishable from the legacy concept of minimizing and unminimizing an app; that is, all elements should be saved including open documents, scroll position", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: boringBar \u2013 a taskbar-style dock replacement for macOS"}, {"id": 758684530, "item_id": 47417783, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47417783", "by": "PufPufPuf", "date": "2026-03-17", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "distros like elementaryOS that go further", "excerpt": "There's https://kinto.sh/ you can install on any distro. For visual similarity, GNOME is already quite Mac-ish, but there are distros like elementaryOS that go further by e.g. moving window controls to the left side.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "OpenSUSE Kalpa"}, {"id": 756987072, "item_id": 47311692, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47311692", "by": "charcircuit", "date": "2026-03-09", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "", "excerpt": "This year I switched from the Linux desktop to MacOS. I think Liquid Glass looks good.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "The Window Chrome of Our Discontent"}, {"id": 743905168, "item_id": 46494073, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46494073", "by": "malco_2001", "date": "2026-01-04", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "It just never went far enough for me", "excerpt": "I used elementary the past and appreciated the visual design. It just never went far enough for me by not having global menus, application bundles, etc. I think given a little more time here this year Gershwin will catch up so to speak. Then we will have not only how it looks, how it is designed, how it operates, how it runs on nearly anything, cross platform support, etc. I recently began porting Ladybird from QT to", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Gershwin-desktop: OS X-like Desktop Environment based on GNUStep"}, {"id": 743117809, "item_id": 46444863, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46444863", "by": "figassis", "date": "2025-12-31", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "tried elementaryOs 2y ago, was a bit lacking", "excerpt": "I love and live inside linux, so please go easy on me but...there is some level of product design that an OS needs to be a viable consumer OS. Linux has 100 ways to do any thing, this is 1: paralysis inducing, 2: causes high cognitive load when all you need is to edit/share a spreadsheet, 3: does not create a common experience that you can share with people across jobs. Everyone will do it differently, so you will ha", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Linux Is Not Stable"}, {"id": 742043971, "item_id": 46377748, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46377748", "by": "mort96", "date": "2025-12-24", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I've had Elementary OS on it as well", "excerpt": "Mostly Arch Linux at the time, though I've had Elementary OS on it as well. I used to run i3 (and eventually Sway) on it, which worked well since I could have a keyboard-centric workflow and not rely o bc the trackpad.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "I'm returning my Framework 16"}, {"id": 740621841, "item_id": 46288865, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46288865", "by": "d_silin", "date": "2025-12-16", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I wonder how this guys are doing", "excerpt": "On topic of less user-hostile OS , I wonder how this guys are doing: https://reactos.org/ https://elementary.io/", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "This is not the future"}]}