SpiralLinux is a selection of desktop spins built from Debian GNU/Linux, with a focus on simplicity and out-of-the-box usability across all the major desktop environments. SpiralLinux serves as an alternative live installation method for a highly reliable customized Debian system using only official Debian package repositories. Unlike Debian's official install media, SpiralLinux includes non-free firmware. It also provides popular media codecs out of the box.
To compare the software in this project to the software available in other distributions, please see our Compare Packages page.
Notes: In case where multiple versions of a package are shipped with a distribution, only the default version appears in the table. For indication about the GNOME version, please check the "nautilus" and "gnome-shell" packages. The Apache web server is listed as "httpd" and the Linux kernel is listed as "linux". The KDE desktop is represented by the "plasma-desktop" package and the Xfce desktop by the "xfdesktop" package.
Colour scheme:green text = latest stable version, red text = development or beta version. The function determining beta versions is not 100% reliable due to a wide variety of versioning schemes.
TUXEDO
TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite Choose from a wide range of laptops and PCs in various sizes and shapes at TUXEDOComputers.com. Every machine comes pre-installed and ready-to-run with Linux. Full 24 months of warranty and lifetime support included!
Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
Star Labs
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
--Notes--
Version: latest version, but after upgrading to the Debian 'testing' branch.
Desktop Environments: KDE plasma 6 (initially 5) and XFCE
Windowing System: mostly using x11
6 months ago I switched both my laptops to the latest Spiral Linux. Being a novice, and recently migrated from Windows 10 to Manjaro, I found that I want to tinker quite a bit and I ended up with a broken system on my main computer and a slow system on the older one (which was still much faster than Windows 10). I initially tried 'vanilla' Debian Bookworm (12.5 at the time) which was ok, but I wanted to try a Btrfs based system with the snapshots available from the bootloader, and didn't have the time to go into OpenSUSE / Fedora at the time.
I'll try to not repeat the last few reviews. In a nutshell, I found it to be a really good version / spin of Debian. I would recommend this one even to beginners over Debian, because it provides a balanced solution for stability, as well as recency of a broad range of software and the flexibility for tinkering. Moreover, there's no risk arising from a relatively small community stagnating because updates only follow the Debian repositories.
I hope that the creator keeps up the good work and am looking forward to trying their next Gecko Linux release.
-Usage-
I found that
1. The installer was easier and quicker than Debian's default
2. Spiral's snapshot system on top of its Btrfs file system (setup via 'Snapper', and available to configure via 'snapper-gui') allowed me to go back easily each time I tried newer kernels or newer packages.
2. This, in turn, allowed me to tinker quite a lot because I felt confident that I could return to a previous state easily, so I was less hesitant to tinker with some system settings manually.
3. I could use considerably less Flatpaks and Snaps (again, after I upgraded to Debian Testing) due to Debian's large native package repository.
4. The Xfce version It looked prettier out of the box
Problems:
1.Snapshots: 5 out of 6 rollbacks worked perfectly. One didn't, but then I simply tried earlier snapshots from hours or days earlier and continued from there.
2. Display. X11 - no problems whatsoever. Wayland: I had a lot of display issues with the freshly installed Spiral Linux, but I believe all of them are Debian 12 Stable (Bookworm) ' fault because I had most (or all) of them previously with Debian itself. Upgrading to Testing (Trixie) solved most of them. I still don't use the Wayland version of KDE.
-Laptop Hardware issues-
All of my hardware components worked out of the box, save for those 3 Dell special laptop keys on the older computer but I don't really need them. Camera worked fine, too.
-Hardware specs-
- A 13 year old Dell Inspiron 7220 running the 'testing' distribution branch of Debian and using Spiral's Xfce Desktop. The former serves as a media center connected to the TV and as a backup node in the local network.
- A quite recent ASUS Vivobook 15 (1.5 year old). started running the 'stable' branch and using KDE. It's my primary computer and I recently switched it to follow the Testing branch as well after a trial period with the stable (bookworm) branch.
Big Debian fan, but I was looking for some method of smoothing out some things (install/updates/flatpack implementation/etc). Things were more than fine, but less overhead was kinda wanted. Enter Spiral. For my use, most of the boxes were already checked...no fuss, no muss. Up and running and a machine with my preferred settings all under 15 minutes? Shazaaam. If you dig Debian or want to go for it in the express lane with cruise control...try it. Extremely happy with this implementation.
After a few days of distro-searching, hopping & an awful time trying to like MXLinux on my recently adopted 2012 ThinkPad L530, I came across SpiralLinux & haven't looked back. It truly lives up to the claims as an out of the box, ready to go Debian desktop. Coming from years of Xubuntu, I fell right into place with the XFCE spin. Instead of spending a few hours getting drivers, installing updates & all the tedium you might associate with a clean-slate Debian system, I spent a few hours PERSONALIZING my system with themes, cursors & all that visually fun stuff! Zero hardware issues, wifi just worked, both touchpad & trackpad worked without any setup, hibernate & standby both reliably work & waking up is a seamless experience. I'm sure I'll come across some hiccups eventually, but I'm truly impressed with SpiralLinux! Plus, it's a relief that "the 'developer-hit-by-a-bus' concern" of smaller distros isn't an issue here since, well, it's just a very polished Debian!