Never heard of AnduinOS until yesterday. It's a distribution, based on Ubuntu, that is designed to look and work (sort of) like Windows 11. No Snap included by default, but FlatPak comes preloaded. It was developed by a Microsoft Employee (who has now been laid off — as of the end of July).
I actually like it. It won't replace Linux Mint, but it's small, comes with
a good selection of applications (but no Office suite, I guess you choose
one yourself, if you want it). It installs quickly (about 10 minutes, which includes the updates). It uses a highly modified Gnome desktop and defaults to Wayland (which seems to work well even on my older computers). What
really impresses is the attitude of its developer Anduin Xu, a Chinese developer. It's currently No. 13 on Distrowatch.
What he writes about it (very long)...
Story behind AnduinOS - A letter from Anduin
I’m Anduin, the sole maintainer of AnduinOS.
Recently, I noticed by chance that AnduinOS made it onto Distrowatch's
trending list. Additionally, my server is overwhelmed daily by numerous
multithreaded downloads, which left me astonished, wondering how I
possibly deserved this attention. After reviewing community feedback and
comments, I felt inclined to share more about the system's development
journey and its background, and also to engage with the community more
thoroughly.
https://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=trending
First, yes, I am indeed a Microsoft employee. (Update 2025-07-20: Not
anymore. I got laid off this month and will leave Microsoft soon.) I work
full-time at Microsoft as an engineer, though my work isn't related to
Windows. Thus, my financial situation is stable, and I currently have no
plans to commercialize this project. Fundamentally, AnduinOS isn't meant
to be a commercial endeavor anyway. It was simply a toy and practice
exercise I put together during a leisurely afternoon.
I often immerse myself in developing one-click configuration
scripts—something many Linux enthusiasts do—because manually customizing
a freshly installed system to match personal preferences is quite
tedious. Typically, it takes me at least half an hour to repeatedly
adjust settings. Naturally, at Microsoft, I use Windows daily. I find
that Windows' interaction logic is highly efficient; unfortunately, its
shell tends to crash frequently, and it's filled with intrusive
advertisements.
On the other hand, Linux's freedom allows almost limitless customization.
In my spare time, I exclusively use Linux and write various automation
scripts. My friends and I frequently exchange our automated initial
configuration scripts. Being an Arch and NixOS user has consistently
reminded me of the value of building from scratch while maintaining an
awareness of past actions.
Creating a distribution turned out to be not particularly difficult.
Indeed, every NixOS and Gentoo user essentially becomes their own distro
creator, utilizing formal languages to precisely describe the desired
system configuration and aiming for a nearly "stateless" personal device.
With this idea, I realized I could simply modify Ubuntu's official ISO,
recompress it, and create a personalized distribution. Many criticized
AnduinOS as involving minimal effort—essentially just changing a theme.
But that’s precisely the effect I intended. I’m essentially just an
ordinary Ubuntu user looking for a comfortable Linux experience in my
spare time, nothing more. Interestingly, many others consider this
minimal alteration an advantage, as AnduinOS explicitly identifies itself
as Ubuntu in its /etc/os-release file. It is Ubuntu, intentionally
avoiding introducing new concepts, leveraging Ubuntu’s extensive
ecosystem and community knowledge.
Of course, I eventually delved deeper into Debian's build toolchain, like
using debootstrap. AnduinOS's source is more like an integrative wrapper
allowing users to insert their own logos, dconf configurations, and
generate their customized ISOs. I’m proud it has a convenient builder
that's relatively easy to maintain.
Thus, AnduinOS hasn't required significant effort from me—it’s a hobby
project I tend to during my leisure time (many know my primary job is
developing .NET applications). Curiously, my main job often remains
unnoticed, while my hobby projects unexpectedly thrive. Ironically, my
most starred project is a recipe.
I'm genuinely surprised and grateful for the community's acknowledgment
and interest in AnduinOS. I suspect its "success" lies precisely in the
minimal changes—it’s merely Ubuntu dressed in a Windows theme, and that
piques curiosity. I recognize this success may be fleeting and should not
make me overly proud. After all, I’m standing on the shoulders of giants;
numerous significant problems have already been solved, and I’m merely
packaging and integrating existing solutions.
Initially, I didn't even pre-install an app store, and many criticized
this decision. Some people speculated excessively about my motives, but
the truth was simple—I didn't need it personally. As I mentioned, this
ISO was just something quickly put together for my own use, later shared
casually with the community. It perfectly suited my personal needs, and
that's all I wanted. Now, it comes pre-installed with Flatpak, aligning
with my requirements. While Flatpak introduces its own challenges (like
file access restrictions), it conveniently isolates applications whose
behaviors I can't fully predict.
I’ve learned a great deal about package management through this project,
notably that apt, rpm, flatpak, snap, and appimage all fail to perfectly
solve dependency issues and reproducibility problems. I continue to hold
Nix in high esteem. Perhaps, if I ever fully adopt Nix, I'll utilize it
to create my own OS.
Many have asked why I don’t accept donations, how I profit, and if I plan
to commercialize AnduinOS. Truthfully, I haven't thoroughly considered
these issues. It's not my main job, and I don’t plan to rely on it for a
living. Each month, I dedicate only a few hours to maintaining it.
Perhaps in the future, I might consider providing enterprise solutions
based on AnduinOS, but I won’t compromise its original simplicity. It has
always been about providing myself with a comfortably themed Ubuntu.
Amid the unpredictable global dynamics, I often feel I could lose my job
anytime due to constantly changing U.S.-China relations. However, losing
a job doesn't greatly concern me. As an engineer, the worst outcome would
be spending a few months practicing algorithmic questions for job
interviews. Additionally, AnduinOS might allow me to offer enterprise
technical support or develop custom hardware—there are always
opportunities to generate income. Some venture capitalists have expressed
interest, but I've generally declined, reiterating that this is merely a
hobby with no commercial future.
I've also noticed criticism labeling AnduinOS as malicious, claiming it
spies for the Chinese government. I find conspiracy theorists impossible
to communicate with, as conspiracies are unfalsifiable by design.
Nonetheless, since the source code is openly available, users can compile
identical ISOs themselves. Embedding backdoors would be irrational and
easily exposed.
Certainly, AnduinOS is very new, immature, and maintained solely by me,
leading to understandable concerns about potential abandonment or
unresolved bugs. However, considering my stable lifestyle and the modest
maintenance effort required, I intend to continue supporting it. If
sponsorship or corporate cooperation emerges, perhaps I could even
dedicate myself full-time.
Interestingly, the engaging story of AnduinOS demonstrates that an OS
maintained casually in spare time may hold more attraction. Precisely
because it’s a hobby—not commercial—there's no incentive to incorporate
undesirable elements. My primary goal is simply to maintain this original
intent.
Thanks to everyone for your support!
https://news.anduinos.com/post/2025/5/6/story-behind-anduinos-a-letter-from-anduin
https://news.anduinos.com/post/2025/5/6/story-behind-anduinos-a-letter-from-anduin
On 2025-08-20 3:01 a.m., RonB wrote:
Never heard of AnduinOS until yesterday. It's a distribution, based on
Ubuntu, that is designed to look and work (sort of) like Windows 11. No Snap >> included by default, but FlatPak comes preloaded. It was developed by a
Microsoft Employee (who has now been laid off — as of the end of July).
I actually like it. It won't replace Linux Mint, but it's small, comes with >> a good selection of applications (but no Office suite, I guess you choose
one yourself, if you want it). It installs quickly (about 10 minutes, which >> includes the updates). It uses a highly modified Gnome desktop and defaults >> to Wayland (which seems to work well even on my older computers). What
really impresses is the attitude of its developer Anduin Xu, a Chinese
developer. It's currently No. 13 on Distrowatch.
What he writes about it (very long)...
Story behind AnduinOS - A letter from Anduin
I’m Anduin, the sole maintainer of AnduinOS.
Recently, I noticed by chance that AnduinOS made it onto Distrowatch's >> trending list. Additionally, my server is overwhelmed daily by numerous >> multithreaded downloads, which left me astonished, wondering how I
possibly deserved this attention. After reviewing community feedback and >> comments, I felt inclined to share more about the system's development >> journey and its background, and also to engage with the community more >> thoroughly.
https://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=trending
First, yes, I am indeed a Microsoft employee. (Update 2025-07-20: Not
anymore. I got laid off this month and will leave Microsoft soon.) I work
full-time at Microsoft as an engineer, though my work isn't related to >> Windows. Thus, my financial situation is stable, and I currently have no >> plans to commercialize this project. Fundamentally, AnduinOS isn't meant >> to be a commercial endeavor anyway. It was simply a toy and practice
exercise I put together during a leisurely afternoon.
I often immerse myself in developing one-click configuration
scripts—something many Linux enthusiasts do—because manually customizing
a freshly installed system to match personal preferences is quite
tedious. Typically, it takes me at least half an hour to repeatedly
adjust settings. Naturally, at Microsoft, I use Windows daily. I find
that Windows' interaction logic is highly efficient; unfortunately, its >> shell tends to crash frequently, and it's filled with intrusive
advertisements.
On the other hand, Linux's freedom allows almost limitless customization.
In my spare time, I exclusively use Linux and write various automation >> scripts. My friends and I frequently exchange our automated initial
configuration scripts. Being an Arch and NixOS user has consistently
reminded me of the value of building from scratch while maintaining an >> awareness of past actions.
Creating a distribution turned out to be not particularly difficult.
Indeed, every NixOS and Gentoo user essentially becomes their own distro >> creator, utilizing formal languages to precisely describe the desired
system configuration and aiming for a nearly "stateless" personal device.
With this idea, I realized I could simply modify Ubuntu's official ISO, >> recompress it, and create a personalized distribution. Many criticized >> AnduinOS as involving minimal effort—essentially just changing a theme.
But that’s precisely the effect I intended. I’m essentially just an >> ordinary Ubuntu user looking for a comfortable Linux experience in my
spare time, nothing more. Interestingly, many others consider this
minimal alteration an advantage, as AnduinOS explicitly identifies itself
as Ubuntu in its /etc/os-release file. It is Ubuntu, intentionally
avoiding introducing new concepts, leveraging Ubuntu’s extensive
ecosystem and community knowledge.
Of course, I eventually delved deeper into Debian's build toolchain, like
using debootstrap. AnduinOS's source is more like an integrative wrapper >> allowing users to insert their own logos, dconf configurations, and
generate their customized ISOs. I’m proud it has a convenient builder >> that's relatively easy to maintain.
Thus, AnduinOS hasn't required significant effort from me—it’s a hobby
project I tend to during my leisure time (many know my primary job is
developing .NET applications). Curiously, my main job often remains
unnoticed, while my hobby projects unexpectedly thrive. Ironically, my >> most starred project is a recipe.
I'm genuinely surprised and grateful for the community's acknowledgment >> and interest in AnduinOS. I suspect its "success" lies precisely in the >> minimal changes—it’s merely Ubuntu dressed in a Windows theme, and that
piques curiosity. I recognize this success may be fleeting and should not
make me overly proud. After all, I’m standing on the shoulders of giants;
numerous significant problems have already been solved, and I’m merely >> packaging and integrating existing solutions.
Initially, I didn't even pre-install an app store, and many criticized >> this decision. Some people speculated excessively about my motives, but >> the truth was simple—I didn't need it personally. As I mentioned, this >> ISO was just something quickly put together for my own use, later shared >> casually with the community. It perfectly suited my personal needs, and >> that's all I wanted. Now, it comes pre-installed with Flatpak, aligning >> with my requirements. While Flatpak introduces its own challenges (like >> file access restrictions), it conveniently isolates applications whose >> behaviors I can't fully predict.
I’ve learned a great deal about package management through this project,
notably that apt, rpm, flatpak, snap, and appimage all fail to perfectly >> solve dependency issues and reproducibility problems. I continue to hold >> Nix in high esteem. Perhaps, if I ever fully adopt Nix, I'll utilize it >> to create my own OS.
Many have asked why I don’t accept donations, how I profit, and if I plan
to commercialize AnduinOS. Truthfully, I haven't thoroughly considered >> these issues. It's not my main job, and I don’t plan to rely on it for a
living. Each month, I dedicate only a few hours to maintaining it.
Perhaps in the future, I might consider providing enterprise solutions >> based on AnduinOS, but I won’t compromise its original simplicity. It has
always been about providing myself with a comfortably themed Ubuntu.
Amid the unpredictable global dynamics, I often feel I could lose my job >> anytime due to constantly changing U.S.-China relations. However, losing >> a job doesn't greatly concern me. As an engineer, the worst outcome would
be spending a few months practicing algorithmic questions for job
interviews. Additionally, AnduinOS might allow me to offer enterprise
technical support or develop custom hardware—there are always
opportunities to generate income. Some venture capitalists have expressed
interest, but I've generally declined, reiterating that this is merely a >> hobby with no commercial future.
I've also noticed criticism labeling AnduinOS as malicious, claiming it >> spies for the Chinese government. I find conspiracy theorists impossible >> to communicate with, as conspiracies are unfalsifiable by design.
Nonetheless, since the source code is openly available, users can compile
identical ISOs themselves. Embedding backdoors would be irrational and >> easily exposed.
Certainly, AnduinOS is very new, immature, and maintained solely by me, >> leading to understandable concerns about potential abandonment or
unresolved bugs. However, considering my stable lifestyle and the modest >> maintenance effort required, I intend to continue supporting it. If
sponsorship or corporate cooperation emerges, perhaps I could even
dedicate myself full-time.
Interestingly, the engaging story of AnduinOS demonstrates that an OS
maintained casually in spare time may hold more attraction. Precisely
because it’s a hobby—not commercial—there's no incentive to incorporate
undesirable elements. My primary goal is simply to maintain this original
intent.
Thanks to everyone for your support!
https://news.anduinos.com/post/2025/5/6/story-behind-anduinos-a-letter-from-anduin
Well, it's definitely a choice if you are looking to have a Windows-like system but don't want to use Windows. For me, stability isn't much of a concern with Windows. The only persistent problem is fTPM stuttering
which I have no hope of ever solving short of moving to Linux
completely. I know that I will eventually, especially since I am already
in the process of getting DVD versions of the movies I bought in Films &
TV to annul the value of that program, but I need to figure out how I
can enable OPAL encryption _without_ sacrificing the computer's ability
to wake from suspend. As it is, I can get the encryption working using SEDutil and it will suspend, but wake from sleep crashes. Apparently, I should be encrypting the storage with cryptsetup instead, but I'm not entirely sure what the process is to do so.
RonB wrote:
https://news.anduinos.com/post/2025/5/6/story-behind-anduinos-a-letter-from-anduin
It's a good thing that "Hadron" Quack's "OSS Approval Committee" was disbanded, or this would not have seen the light of day!
| Sysop: | DaiTengu |
|---|---|
| Location: | Appleton, WI |
| Users: | 1,064 |
| Nodes: | 10 (0 / 10) |
| Uptime: | 146:17:35 |
| Calls: | 13,691 |
| Calls today: | 1 |
| Files: | 186,935 |
| D/L today: |
22 files (1,452K bytes) |
| Messages: | 2,410,869 |