Chakra GNU/Linux 2014.05 Review: User-friendly and efficient distro for daily use

Well, I tried Archlinux a couple of times and didn't get a perfect distro out of it with my limited knowledge of Linux. So, I keep on trying the next best things - Manjaro, Chakra, Antergos, and now Netrunner. My last review of Chakra was not that good - I used Arch, Manjaro and Antergos previously and thought what works with them, should work with Chakra as well. That's where I messed up big time. I forgot that Chakra split from Arch in Spring 2010 and emerged as an independent distro. And it prompted me to write another better review of Chakra after doing a fair bit of research on it.

Chakra GNU/Linux is quite unique a Linux distro intended to provide pure KDE experience to the users. It is originally based on Arch Linux and focused to provide GTK+ free KDE experience. As per Distrowatch, "Chakra GNU/Linux is a user-friendly and powerful distribution and live CD originally forked from Arch Linux. It features a graphical installer, automatic hardware detection and configuration, the latest KDE desktop, and a variety of tools and extras." It is a semi-rolling release distro, meaning the user need not to install again unless it breaks. And Chakra is very stable like Manjaro.

From Chakra GNU/Linux 2014.05 http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

Chakra GNU/Linux now supports only 64-bit systems and releases one major update every quarter. The latest update is 2014.05 released in May-14. The release note mentions the following incremental improvement: "The Chakra team is proud to announce the first release of Chakra 'Descartes' series which will follow the 4.13 KDE releases. This new release includes new features and updates as follows: KDE Software Compilation - the latest stable version of the KDE series; Nepomuk search has been replaced by Baloo, we have implemented a patch that permits the user to disable Baloo; Chakra Tools are fully translated into more than 30 languages thanks to the amazing job done by our users on Transifex; artwork - new Chakra Logo and new default theme for GRUB, KDM, KSplash, Yakuake; NVIDIA 331.38 and Catalyst 13.12 drivers; Linux kernel 3.12.15, X.Org Server 1.14.5...."

I downloaded the 1.8 GB 64-bit ISO and created a live USB with Linux Mint Image Writer on a 4 GB pendrive. I installed it on my Asus K55VM laptop with 2.3 Ghz Core i7 processor, 8 GB DDR3 RAM and 2 GB NVIDIA GeForce 630M graphics, on a 50 GB partition along with Kubuntu and Linux Deepin.

From Chakra GNU/Linux 2014.05 http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

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Chakra GNU/Linux "Curie" 2014.02 Review: Attractive, functional and true to KDE/Qt

Chakra Linux is quite unique a Linux distro intended to provide pure KDE experience to the users. It is originally based on Arch Linux and focused to provide GTK+ free KDE experience. I have used Chakra previously but never got time to actually pen a quality review in 2013. However, I included Chakra in my article on the best KDE distros of 2013. So, with no big release this week, I thought why not review one of my favorite KDE spins.

For this review, I have the latest Chakra release (2014.02). Chakra abandoned releasing the 32-bit versions in August 2012 and now it comes as a 64 bit version only. Chakra follows a "half-rolling release" system. What I understood from is that the core packages are updated periodically after each release. I guess this renders more stability to Chakra than Arch Linux itself.

From Chakra Linux 2014.02 http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

I created a live USB of Chakra using Linux Mint Image writer. I did a live boot followed by installation on my Asus K55VM laptop with 2.3 Ghz Core i7 processor, 8 GB DDR3 RAM and 2 GB NVIDIA GeForce graphics. The release concerned ships with KDE 4.12.1 desktop (which got updated to KDE 4.12.2 post installation) and Linux kernel 3.12.6. In the subsequent sections, I take you step by step my experience with Chakra Linux and it's rating in my assessment based on a week's usage.

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