Feel peak Windows was 7? You might like Kumander Linux

Debian and Xfce – solid, sensible choices – with a pretty skin

Kumander Linux has been around for a few years now and version 3.0 is nearly ready, with some strong nostalgic appeal.We recently came across Kumander Linux and thought it was an interesting distro – although not technologically "interesting," which isn't always a good thing. Underneath, it's almost boring: Debian 13.6 with Xfce 4.20. These are safe, solid, sensible choices, combining a lightweight mainstream desktop with one of the most established Linux distros. What's not to like?What's fun about Kumander Linux is its looks. It makes a very convincing effort to look and work more or less like Windows 7. It doesn't go as far as the wholesale "borrowing" of commercial assets and trademarks seen in Wubuntu, AKA "Windows Linux," nor is it a strange, hacked-together combination of genuine Windows components like Classic 7.

It uses a mixture of FOSS and freeware components. The office suite is LibreOffice 25.2, configured with a Microsoft-like ribbon UI. The image editor is GIMP 3.0.4, and it comes with native Linux versions of some familiar Windows tools, such as Google Chrome, PuTTY, Audacity, and VLC. Yes, Chrome isn't FOSS, but it's a much more widely used web browser than Firefox.