I'm a beginner user, coming from Windows. But instead of shutting down the system and deeming it useless, I'm here to constructively make suggestions for UI improvements.
I believe an open mind is needed, and as someone has already said, if all other operating systems have converged on certain UI dynamics, I believe there's a reason.
I make suggestions piece by piece, and I'd like to avoid relying on personal tastes, as stated in the AROS wiki, but instead make small, concrete improvements.
Make AROS Nightly the basic distribution for every user, while other distributions can customize and add software and options.
I'm also in favor of simplification, so for example, I'd leave fewer themes in Nightly but well-made and without gross defects. But I'll make the rest of the suggestions over time.
I'd like to achieve one small result at a time and enter a historic community with due respect.
I am also for to have something optimized for beginner to make it a easy starting point but I am not sure if nightly are the right place. As a beginner I would for example expect a browser to be preinstalled. That are pretty big applications and a nightly is recompiled every day.
I know for example that a browser was part of contrib on 68k long ago and is removed because it made compilation very long. As far as I know this happened to all contrib packages.
Second problem, nightly are to test commits. These can lead to unforeseen effects. For example multiview on newest aros 68k nightlies had a bug I reported. That was then corrected. Assuming this would have been the version someone downloads he or she would think aros is buggy. That would not be a good idea in my view.
Nightlies are for testing and should stay that. For beginners there should be a static tested and optimized package, that includes a basic set of applications.
I am one of the aros distribution creators and work with aros already more than 10 years so I think I have a little experience there.
Edited by OlafSch on 03-09-2026 09:46, 14 hours ago
Your distribution is only for 68k, but I use x64, and we're thinking of other riscv or arm users.
I'd like the official AROS website to have a single distribution, the same for all environments, with the same graphics and settings, and as a base for users.
This isn't currently the case unless you go back to the source, i.e., the development version.
The nightly builds are only meant for developers and testers. The nightly builds are not configured to be easily used, are not always stable, and they are missing most of the applications essential to a regular user experience.
AROS nightly builds are development builds produced from the current state of the AROS source tree. They are primarily intended for developers, testers, and people who want to follow and experiment with the latest developments in AROS. As such, they should be regarded as a moving development snapshot rather than a polished, end-user-oriented release
@arosbeginner - Your distribution is only for 68k, but I use x64, and we're thinking of other riscv or arm users.
I'd like the official AROS website to have a single distribution, the same for all environments, with the same graphics and settings, and as a base for users.
This isn't currently the case unless you go back to the source, i.e., the development version.
Am I mistaken, and maybe there is?
indeed there is no set of base versions identical for all platforms except the development versions (nightly). But as I explained I would more advise that for every platform there is a standardized, static and tested base version or distribution created and only from time to time updated. AROS is not a static platform and it can be that the ARM Rpi 3 version and the 68k version have a problem because of a commit, that is solved again 1-2 days later. But experience should not depend if you are lucky to download at a good day.
Also as I explained as a beginner I would of course expect some basic stuff like browser that would blow up the nightly and make compilation time much longer.
So my advice define rules and collect ideas how a beginner friendly distribution could be look and what software should be in and then this could be done by people owning the hardware. There should be both 32bit and 64bit versions. On one page there should be links where to download it.
Edited by OlafSch on 03-09-2026 10:36, 14 hours ago
@arosbeginner - Your distribution is only for 68k, but I use x64, and we're thinking of other riscv or arm users.
I'd like the official AROS website to have a single distribution, the same for all environments, with the same graphics and settings, and as a base for users.
This isn't currently the case unless you go back to the source, i.e., the development version.
Am I mistaken, and maybe there is?
The AROS Nightly should probably be considered closer to LFS than a distribution in its own right. It's the upstream base that distributions can build on, rather than something intended to provide one standardized end-user experience across every architecture.
What you could do instead is create an AROS distribution information site. Keep an updated inventory of what's included and available in the AROS Nightly builds, then provide proper reviews and package lists for each distribution.
From there, you could build a comparison grid showing each distribution against upstream AROS — which architectures it supports, what packages it includes, desktop configuration, drivers, development tools, additional software, and so on.
That would give users the "one place to see everything" you're looking for without requiring upstream AROS itself to become a distribution.
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