KahelOS: An Easy-To-Use Version Of Arch Linux

If you have been wanting to dabble with Arch Linux but don't want to jump directly into this leading rolling-release Linux distribution, you may want to give KahelOS a shot.

Prior to every major release of the Phoronix Test Suite I go through final validation procedures on all of the major supported platforms -- Linux, Solaris, Mac OS X, Hurd, and BSD (and sometimes Microsoft Windows). With the final Linux testing for each release, I put a dozen or so systems through rigorous tests on a variety of different Linux distributions.

Usually there's a few different niche distributions that get installed just to ensure the Phoronix Test Suite is hitting some uncommon code paths, namely when it comes to Phodevi (the Phoronix Device Interface library) in ensuring that all of the software and hardware detection is working correctly, the Phoronix Test Suite automatically recognizes what the Linux distribution is based upon, and is able to interact with its package management system, among other procedures.

With 3.6-Arendal landing next week, I've been running through these final tests for the quarter. When deciding today what new Linux distributions to try out for validating the Phoronix Test Suite, I decided to download and install KahelOS. KahelOS just had a new release (version 111111) and found out about it at DistroWatch.

KahelOS is self-described as "the first and remains to be the only Filipino Linux Distro with the rolling release model on Arch Linux + GNOME. In the community, it is the first to release (non-beta) such Linux OS on Arch Linux + GNOME."

The distribution is only two years old and for being based upon Arch Linux and never hearing about it previously, I was pleasantly surprised when trying it out and setting up the testing/benchmarking software. KahelOS is available as a Live DVD and from there it immediately boots into the Arch-based environment with the GNOME Shell as its default desktop.

KahelOS has an easy-to-use GUI-based installer for the binary packages. This was likely the quickest I've ever had what was an effective Arch Linux installation.

Everything went fairly smooth and it was a pleasant Arch-like experience.

Besides shipping with the GNOME desktop, KahelOS also bundles in various web-browsers, office software, and other common Linux desktop applications. PackageKit is also available for installing additional Arch packages.

If you're interested in learning more about this Arch Linux derivative, visit KahelOS.org.

(And yes, the Phoronix Test Suite 3.6-Arendal release did work "out of the box" on KahelOS, just as it does on upstream Arch Linux.)