Neptune

Overview

Neptune OS is a free, open-source Linux distribution based on Debian Stable, using a fixed-release model. Designed with simplicity, elegance, and user-friendliness at its core, it's perfect for desktop users and multimedia enthusiasts. Maintained by a team of German developers and hosted at neptuneos.com, it supports x86_64 and i686 architectures, is suitable for desktops and laptops, and ships with the KDE Plasma desktop environment by default. Neptune OS uses the apt package manager and comes pre-installed with software such as Firefox, LibreOffice, and VLC. It also supports Flatpak and Snap. It emphasizes multimedia support and stability.

History and Development

• Origins:
  • 2018: The Neptune OS project was launched by German developers as a remaster of Debian Stable, aiming to provide a modern KDE Plasma desktop. - Early versions were based on Debian 9 "Stretch" and introduced KDE Plasma 5.12.
• Development History:
  • March 2018: Neptune 5 was released, based on Debian 9, kernel 4.15, and supporting KDE Plasma 5.12.
  • 2020: Neptune 6.0 was based on Debian 10 "Buster" and featured improved multimedia support.
  • 2022: Neptune 7.5 was based on Debian 11 "Bullseye" and introduced Wayland support.
  • 2024: Neptune 8.0 "Juna" was based on Debian 12 "Bookworm", kernel 6.1 LTS, and supported KDE Plasma 6.0 and HTTP/3.
  • 2025: The project remains active on GitHub, with community-developed documentation, but no major new releases have been released.
• Community and Support:
  • Maintained by a German team, hosted on neptuneos.com, GitHub, and the forum (forum.neptuneos.com).
  • Supports English and German (some Chinese versions are supported through KDE settings), and documentation covers installation and customization.
  • A Reddit user called Neptune OS "an elegant version of Debian."
• Open Source License:
  • GPL v3 (core scripts), MIT (some tools).

Key Features

Neptune OS is built with user-friendliness, multimedia support, and Debian stability at its core, making it ideal for desktop users. Here are its key features:

1. KDE Plasma Desktop
   • Defaults to KDE Plasma 6.0, offering a beautiful interface with support for multiple layouts and extensions.
2. Multimedia Support
   • Pre-installed VLC, Audacity, and GIMP for video/audio editing.
3. Debian Repository
   • Based on Debian Stable, uses apt package management, and supports Flatpak.
4. Hardware Compatibility
   • Supports x86_64 and i686, with kernel 6.1 LTS compatible with Intel, AMD, and Nvidia.
   • Minimum requirements: 1 GB RAM, 10 GB disk (2 GB RAM, 20 GB disk recommended).
5. Security and Privacy
   • Supports the ufw firewall and ZFS.
6. Development Support
   • Pre-installed Python 3 and Git, with support for Flatpak and Snap.

Advantages and Limitations

Advantages

• User-Friendliness:
  • KDE Plasma has a beautiful interface and is suitable for beginners.
  • Post X says, "KDE Plasma 6 in Neptune OS 8.0 Juna is so smooth."
• Multimedia Support:
  • Pre-installed VLC and GIMP, superior to the Debian base.
• Debian Stability:
  • Based on Debian Stable, offering long-term support.
• Community Support:
  • Active GitHub with documentation.

Limitations

• Community Size:
  • Smaller than Ubuntu, with limited documentation in Chinese.
• ARM Support:
  • No official ARM version, inferior to Raspberry Pi OS.
• Software Update Speed:
  • Slower than Archcraft's rolling updates.

Summary

Neptune OS is a free, open-source Linux distribution based on Debian Stable. The latest version, 8.0 "Juna" (April 29, 2024), is based on Debian 12 "Bookworm" and features the Linux kernel 6.1 LTS and KDE Plasma 6.0. With simplicity, elegance, and user-friendliness at its core, it offers apt package management, multimedia support from Neptune OS, and KDE Plasma prominence, but has a smaller community and limited ARM support.