Someone Made Ubuntu Look Just Like Windows 11

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LinuxFx looks a lot like the real thing.

LinuxFX 11 Desktop Operating System
(Image credit: LinuxFX, ComputerBase.de)

Are you a Linux user? Do you like the look of Microsoft's newest Windows 11 operating system but still fancy running a Linux kernel-based OS? Well, for all 12 of you out there, the Brazilian Linux distribution LinuxFX version 11 might be for you. This distribution is all Linux under the hood, but the UI looks impressively close to what you'll see on Windows 11.

LinuxFX is a Linux distribution based on KDE Plasma, which itself is based on Ubuntu Core, with KDE desktop environment (DE) placed on top of it. This specific KDE DE uses the WX Desktop theme, which represents a heavy set of modifications to the whole look and feel of the operating system meant to make it look more like Windows. Version 11, as you might expect, is the version that apes Windows 11. Previous versions have instead aimed to copy Windows 10.

This update to the WX Desktop theme uses a custom set of icons, as well as some custom animations like the centered taskbar and many other elements that the Windows 11 user interface possesses. This is, of course, the main advertising point of the LinuxFX distro.

As it greatly mimics the look and feels of Microsoft's latest operating system, it allows users to have the Windows 11 look, with all of their favorite Linux features still available. Given that it uses Ubuntu at its heart, it utilizes the very strong base that Ubuntu 21.04  “Hirsute Hippo” offers.

Of course, the new LinuxFX 11 distro just focuses on cosmetics and doesn't depart much from the software core that's usually used in other Ubuntu-based distributions. It uses the same kernel as Ubuntu 21.04, and the same package manager, resulting in a very wide range of pre-compiled software ready to be installed in a few simple commands. But if you want to preview what Windows 11 might feel like before diving into Microsoft's OS proper, it's a clever solution.

This OS has ISO images that support both x86 and Arm architectures, meaning instantaneous compatibility for a wide range of computers. For Raspberry Pi support, version 11 is still not there, as the only version available for Pi is 10.8.4. An updated version 11 for Raspberry Pi devices is expected to follow soon, so Raspberry Pi Linux tinkers can celebrate. Learn more about LinuxFX version 11 here.

Aleksandar Kostovic
11 Comments Comment from the forums
  • abufrejoval
    Well that's obviously much easier because Windows 11 is copying the KDE Plasma look.

    It's also the only thing I like so far about Windows 11: that switching desktops between my CentOS and Windows machines is even easiser than before.

    Of course I put the start menu to the lower left on all of them, because that's where it belongs (never in the middle, because you'd have to precisely navigate there, while any corner is just a flick away).
    Reply
  • JOSHSKORN
    I installed it on Hyper-X and I can't seem to figure out how to get full screen. I hit Full Screen on the VM and the actual OS screen is small with a black around it.

    Also, I have no Internet connection. How can I fix that?
    Reply
  • feekes
    JOSHSKORN said:
    I installed it on Hyper-X and I can't seem to figure out how to get full screen. I hit Full Screen on the VM and the actual OS screen is small with a black around it.

    Also, I have no Internet connection. How can I fix that?

    You need to create a Hyper-V switch and add that VM to the network. As for the screen resolution, change it in the VM. If you do not have PIN login enable you can use an enhanced session to have a better experience.
    Reply
  • jkflipflop98
    The difference being that Windows actually works without needing to Google some arcane command line and it's associated 13 switches of nonsense.
    Reply
  • mdd1963
    The most critical part of duplicating the WIndows11 experience is undoubtedly the exact copying of the slight rounding of the window corners....!
    Reply
  • JOSHSKORN
    feekes said:
    You need to create a Hyper-V switch and add that VM to the network. As for the screen resolution, change it in the VM. If you do not have PIN login enable you can use an enhanced session to have a better experience.
    Network - I couldn't figure out why it wasn't working because it had worked before. Then I realized possibly because of the fact that I changed routers not too long ago. Previous router died.
    Resolution - windosfx 11 only shows one reslution, which has a screen ratio of 4:3. How would I get it to show 6:9 resolutions, thus 1080p?
    Reply
  • abufrejoval
    jkflipflop98 said:
    The difference being that Windows actually works without needing to Google some arcane command line and it's associated 13 switches of nonsense.
    de gustibus non est disputandum

    but I'd rather have Unix switches than PowerShell ones.

    The first CLI I used extensively was DCL from a PCP-11, the PC for me was always a CLI platform since DOS days and when it comes to CLI's Unix was always way ahead because you could get things done quickly.

    Not that I mind GUIs, I was one of the first to write applications using GEM on PCs, before Windows became remotely usable in 80286 days.

    I prefer choice over most everything and Windows 11 is all about denying choice: over the look, the browser and contined use of perfectly capable hardware like my Xeon E5-2696v3 with its 128GB of RAM and 6TB of SSD storage.

    I'm pretty sure we'll soon be seeing Win7/10 type nagware or even forced updates on machines officially judged good enough for Windows 11, even my Atom machines, far less capable than the 18-core workstation. And that means two different UIs until Windows 10 dies on my older machines, just because Microsoft and Intel decided to decide for me. And once they've gotten away with that, this will now repeat every two to three years, just what the planet needs.

    A Personal Computer to me has always been my personal machine with nobody but me deciding what's in it and on it. It's the reason I switched from my Apple ]
    Reply
  • david germain
    this is vegan sausages.
    Reply
  • david germain
    jkflipflop98 said:
    The difference being that Windows actually works without needing to Google some arcane command line and it's associated 13 switches of nonsense.
    upvoting this .
    and you have to make sure they are all in the correct order and in the correct case, for reasons. and because its a slightly different build all the google answers are out of date.
    Reply
  • beliberdah
    abufrejoval said:
    but I'd rather have Unix switches than PowerShell ones.

    In fact PowerShell "switches" (actually arguments) have built-in dynamic tab and auto completion and for that reason are much more pleasant to use than "Unix" (actually bash in most cases) switches.
    Reply