news
I spent a weekend with this Linux distro built to look like Windows 11, and it’s much closer than I thought it would be
Quoting: I spent a weekend with this Linux distro built to look like Windows 11, and it’s much closer than I thought it would be —
AnduinOS goes all in on visual mimicry. As soon as you boot into the live environment, you’re greeted with a centered taskbar, a “Start” button, and a system tray layout that mirrors Windows 11. Even the desktop icons follow the same design language. The Gnome desktop is heavily themed to resemble Microsoft’s latest, from rounded corners to fluent-style menus and animations.
What makes this interesting is how complete the illusion is right out of the box. There’s no need to hunt for icon packs, tweak your panels, or install custom window themes. It’s already done for you. The tweaks are subtle but effective, making it feel like someone put real thought into not just copying the look, but also maintaining usability.
That said, there are limits to how much any distro can resemble Windows without being Windows. The Gnome system settings, while skinned, still have a Linux structure beneath. Click deep enough into a dialog box and the illusion starts to fade. Some system utilities and pop-up menus reveal their true nature, especially when they pull in unthemed or GTK-based interfaces. It’s a clever trick, but not a perfect one.