Innovator

Re-inventing the Ubuntu experience

- By Bruce Byfield

Many distributions are based on Ubuntu. DistroWatch lists 53 based on Ubuntu [1] and 17 based on Ubuntu LTS releases [2]. Most of these releases are minor variants that can often hardly seem worth the work required to maintain them. An exception is Rhino Linux [3], which since its recent 2025.1 release, has quickly gained a reputation for innovation based on its repositories, desktop modifications, and custom applications.

Figure 1: Rhino Linux's Calamares installer.

The first sign of innovation is the installer. Rhino Linux uses its own variation of the Calamares installer, with no choice of packages but with concise embedded help (Figure 1). The abstract wallpaper with its garish black and purple color scheme carried over from the installer is another sign. However, the extent of the innovation only becomes obvious on the desktop. From the Setup Wizard, users are immediately given a choice of which universal package managers to activate, how Flatpak and App-Image packages are handled, and extras, such as the APT variation Nala. That page is followed by a choice of containers and virtual machines to enable, after which, there are likely updates available from the Your System icon, because Rhino is a rolling release. A simple illuminated button signals if updates await (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Rhino's hardware summary and package updater.

Package Management

Rhino Linux offers numerous choices for package management. Like any Debian-derivative, it can draw on apt, apt-get, or Nala to manage .deb packages. Each universal package also has its own commands. In addition, Rhino offers its own version of Arch Linux’s pacstall (Figure 3), which searches a community repository and lists all available builds of a package and packages with similar names using