Transcription
Alongside Linux Mint and CachyOS, which we've already discussed, MX Linux is currently one of the most popular distributions. MX Linux is a Debian-based distribution, and the main advantages users highlight are: speed, low resource consumption, good hardware support – meaning it will work even on older computers – a high level of customizability, and much more.
When you visit the official website (the link will be in the video description) and click the download button, you will be able to choose one of three versions: The Xfce version is also the main and most commonly used desktop environment. It's the recommended option for most users due to its speed and low resource consumption, making it ideal for older computers. KDE offers a richer visual experience and more customization options. Fluxbox is an option with very low resource consumption, a minimalist interface, and a high level of customizability. However, for this very reason, it is not recommended for beginners, as it requires more adjustments to get everything working the way you want.
At the time of recording this video, as you can see, the current stable version is 23.6. However, if we go back to the homepage and click on the "News" link, we can see that a new version, MX-25 Infinity, has been released. It is still in the testing phase and is based on the Debian 13 distribution. Given that this version is expected to become official within a few months, meaning the stable MX-25 version will be released soon, I will download this specific file to see what the future holds.
After downloading the ISO file, you need to create a bootable USB drive. For this purpose, you can use Rufus, Ventoy, balenaEtcher, or any other program designed for this task. After creating the bootable USB drive, when you boot from it, you will get several options. To run the live USB, select the first option on the list, which contains the distribution's name, label, and release date.
Once the live USB loads, as with any other Linux distribution, you will have the option - and it is advisable - to test the functionalities, desktop environment, and other aspects to determine if you like the distribution and if it meets your needs. After testing, if you want to install MX Linux on your computer, click on the "Install MX Linux" option in the "Welcome" section.
At the beginning of the installation process, the installation media (the USB drive) will be verified. After a successful verification, you will first need to accept the terms of use by clicking the "Next" button. Next, you will get options related to the disk where MX Linux will be installed. By default, the "Regular install using the entire disk" option is selected, meaning the entire disk will be used, i.e., formatted, and MX Linux will be installed on it. Additional options that are not selected by default, which you might want to enable, are "Encrypt" and "Enable Hibernation support".
If you check the "Encrypt" option and click "Next", you will get a field to define the password that will be used for disk encryption. Encryption is not mandatory, but it adds an extra layer of security, preventing access by unauthorized persons. The "Enable hibernation support" option, as the name suggests, enables hibernation. If you use or want to use hibernation, check this option.
If you don't want to use the entire disk for installing MX Linux, you can choose second option in this section "Customize the disk layout" and then perform the adjustments yourself, i.e., create partitions according to your wishes and needs. The third option in this section, "Replace existing installation" (which is still in the testing phase), allows you to perform an upgrade of an existing distribution. In other words, if you have an old version of MX Linux installed with applications, important data, etc., this option allows you to move to the new version without losing data. This option aims to remove one of the fundamental drawbacks of MX Linux that users have pointed out. Until now, it was not possible to directly upgrade to a new version of the distribution - every time a new version of MX Linux was released, it was necessary to wipe the entire system and then perform a clean installation of the new version. It's important to emphasize, as noted in the description, that this option, as mentioned, is in the testing phase and there are no guarantees it will be successful. Therefore, if you want to use this option, be sure to back up all important data or the entire HDD.
Since we will be doing a clean installation, I will leave the default first option selected. When we click "Next", it will be necessary to confirm once again that we want to erase the entire disk by clicking "Start", which will begin the installation process.
While formatting and installing the distribution is happening in the background, you will have the opportunity to configure other options. Unlike, for example, the Windows operating system or some other Linux distributions where the installation process only starts after you complete all settings, the MX Linux creators opted for a different approach - aiming for the most efficient use of time. While the installation runs in the background, settings are configured concurrently.
One of these settings relates to swap. Swap is a portion of disk space that the operating system uses as additional memory. When the physical RAM becomes full, the system uses the swap space to move data that is not currently needed, freeing up RAM for more active tasks. By default, the "Swap File" option is selected. This option will create a file on the disk that serves as swap space. You can adjust the size of this file - increase or decrease the default value. Also, in this section, you will see the maximum size, which of course depends on the size of your HDD.
If you don't want to create a swap file, you can enable another option "Zram swap". This is a mechanism designed to create compressed RAM, allowing for better performance and less disk space usage. When you activate this option, you will have two choices: to have the size determined based on your RAM size - which is the recommended option - or to define a fixed size for the zram swap. I will leave the default settings, i.e., the swap file, and you, of course, choose the option that best suits you.
Clicking "Next" will give us the option to define the computer name, domain, and workgroup. In this section, I will only change the computer name and leave the other sections unchanged. After these settings, when we click "Next", we will get settings related to location and time zone. That is, you will be able to select the country, continent, and city where you are located.
Then we get to define the username and password. Also, if you wish - which is not mandatory - in this section you can define a password for the "Root Administrator Account". If you don't want to enter a password when starting the computer, you can check the "Autologin" option, but this is not recommended for security reasons. Also, in this section, you can check the "Save live desktop changes" option. Specifically, if during testing MX Linux in the live environment, before starting the installation, you made some changes - for example, you installed some applications, created documents, adjusted the appearance, etc. and if you want to save those changes, i.e., transfer them to the MX Linux that will be installed on your HDD, check this option.
After you finish with these settings, wait for the installation process to complete successfully, after which you will need to restart the computer by clicking the "Finish" button.
When the operating system boots up, we will first increase the icon size to make them more visible. Right at the start, on the desktop, you will see two icons. Clicking on them provides basic instructions related to using MX Linux, i.e., the User Manual, as well as frequently asked questions and answers.
MX Linux has a number of tools that are specific to this distribution. Click on the "Applications Menu" icon and type "MX Tools". In the newly opened window, you will see all available options, and we will mention some of them. Snapshot allows you to create an ISO file from the operating system you are currently using. As you can see, the program immediately recognized which Linux distribution and version it is. Also, it automatically set the ISO file name and the location where it will be saved. This option is very useful if, for example, after configuration and customization, you want to make a backup, or if you work in IT and need to set up multiple computers in the same way. You can do it on one computer, create a snapshot ISO file this way, and then install MX Linux with the same settings on all computers.
Speaking of creating USB drives using ISO files, the first option, "Live USB Maker", as the name says, allows you to create bootable USB drives, so there is no need to install another program for this purpose. Besides standard options, this program gives you the ability to encrypt the created USB. Also, you have a pre-installed option for cleaning unnecessary files "Cleanup". Besides customizing and configuring boot options, MX Linux also comes with the "Boot Repair" option, which gives you the ability to repair the system if an error occurs. Clicking on this option will give you a list of all the options you can use to fix the bootloader.
Those who use Nvidia graphics cards will find the "Nvidia Driver Installer" option in this section. When you run it, it will automatically recognize and install the driver for the card you are using. Given that numerous Linux distributions have had certain difficulties with Nvidia graphics cards in the past, this option is a useful addition. Conky gives you the ability to change the appearance of the clock you see in the upper right corner. You can choose one of the offered options or adjust them according to your wishes.
When it comes to the overall look of MX Linux, additional adjustments can be made by clicking on the "Tweak" option, where you will get the ability to customize the theme, desktop, super key options, and similar.
When it comes to installing new applications, you can primarily use the "Package Installer". When you run this program, you will first see a list of popular applications grouped into different categories, such as web browsers, email, development, games, etc. Clicking on the dropdown menu for any of these categories will give you a list of applications you can install that belong to that group. For example, if we click on "Browser", we can see that Firefox is already checked, meaning it's already installed. If we want to install another web browser, all we have to do is check it and click "Install". Of course, you will need to enter the password to grant installation permission. In the terminal, we will see a display of the installation process, and when it successfully finishes, you will get a message that the application has been successfully installed and you can now use it.
Also, in MX Linux, you can install Flatpak applications. This option is enabled by default. To install these applications, click on the segment that says "Flatpaks", after which you will get a list of all available applications. If you are looking for a specific application, you can find it by typing its name in the "Search" segment. For example, I will type "Proton". As you can see, we got a list of Flatpak applications where the given name is mentioned. Simply mark any of them, or all the applications you want to install, then click "Install", and wait for the process to finish.
When it comes to installing new applications, there is also the "Deb Installer" option. This program allows you to install Debian packages. For example, we will download the installation package for Portmaster, which is probably one of the best options when it comes to a firewall for Linux, which we have already talked about in one of the previous videos. If you use Linux and missed that video, you'll find the link in this video's description. After we download the installation package, we will run the Deb Installer. All we have to do is go to the location where we saved the program, select it, and click "Open". After that, we will get a warning that the application will be installed. To confirm the installation, we click "Install", after which the terminal will open and, of course, it will be necessary to enter the password, after which the installation will begin.
Installing Debian applications this way, without entering commands in the terminal, significantly simplifies the use of this Linux distribution for all users switching from Windows to Linux. Since Debian is used as the base for a large number of Linux distributions, you will be able to find most programs in this format - meaning, almost all the applications you will need can be installed this way, using the Deb Installer option.
In MX Tools, you will also find the "UEFI Manager" option, which I believe is specific to this Linux distribution - I haven't seen this option in other distributions so far. The UEFI Manager is used for managing the system's UEFI/EFI boot options. Usually, to perform these adjustments, you have to do it through the BIOS. However, MX Linux gives you the ability to see existing UEFI boot entries, remove them, add new ones, change the order, etc., without the need to restart the computer and enter the BIOS.
It's important to note when it comes to updating the system itself: although you will get a notification when an update is available, the changes will not be applied automatically, i.e., it is necessary for the user to initiate this process. You can do this by clicking on "Updater" in the MX Tools section, or by clicking on the box-shaped icon in the dock menu. When this icon is green, as is the case now, it means a new update is available. To install it, click on this icon, after which you will get a list of all packages for which a new version exists. To apply these changes, click "Upgrade", enter the password, and wait for the process to finish. After this process completes successfully, the icon indicating the MX Updater will turn black, meaning there is no new update, or that all applications are updated to the latest version.
Given that the dock menu in MX Linux is set vertically, if you don't like that, you can change it by right-clicking on this section, then selecting "Panel", and then "Panel preferences". In the "Mode" segment, click on the dropdown menu and select the first option "Horizontal". If you don't want the dock menu to be at the top of the screen, uncheck the "Lock panel" option, then click and hold the left mouse button at the beginning or end of this section and simply drag it to where you want it to be.
MX Linux offers great possibilities when it comes to customizing the appearance, so you can perform additional adjustments and customizations if you wish.
You can leave all questions, suggestions, and ideas for future video content in the comments. Thank you to everyone who took the time to watch this video. I hope you find it useful or at least informative.