Today we would like to introduce you guys to a brand-new GNU/Linux distribution, which unlike a few others, aims to offer you a one hundred percent free desktop-oriented computer operating system.

Please meet Uruk GNU/Linux, a distro whose main design goal is to be a little different from the rest, as it tries to be based on a low-latency Linux-libre 4.2 kernel, which very few GNU/Linux distributions use, the old-school MATE desktop environment with the modern Plank dock, as well as a carefully selected collection of 100% free software projects.

Our headline says that Uruk GNU/Linux is an Ubuntu-based operating system, but the truth is that the first stable release of the distribution is built on top of a Trisquel GNU/Linux core, which is a 100% libre Ubuntu-based OS. So Uruk GNU/Linux is indeed an Ubuntu derivative using the MATE desktop environment but targeted at the Arabic Linux community.

Docker image for Uruk GNU/Linux now available too

What's inside Uruk GNU/Linux? Well, following the Free System Distribution Guidelines, Uruk GNU/Linux is committed to providing you with nothing but libre software, among which we can mention LibreOffice, GNU Emacs, Xfburn, Icedove, California, Abrowser, GIMP, Pidgin, Liferea, Curlew, Atril, Terminator, Gigolo, Deluge, VLC Media Player, XTerm, and all the MATE utilities.

Uruk GNU/Linux even contains a small, in-house built tool called Uruk Cleaner, which aims to help users clean up the cruft that can slow down their computers, such as old system logs and the apt-get cache. Another interesting thing about this OS is that it's available as a Docker image too, which you can easily install by running the "docker run alimiracle/urukos /bin/bash" command.

As one might have expected, Uruk GNU/Linux is distributed as two Live ISO images that you can install on either older 32-bit PCs from Pentium Pro onwards, or modern 64-bit machines with faster processors and support for more RAM. You can download the first stable Uruk GNU/Linux 1.0 release via our website and check the distro for yourselves. Who knows, it might become your daily driver.

Below, we've attached a nice screenshot tour of Uruk GNU/Linux 1.0, so you can see in action before attempting download the ISOs, and if you find Uruk GNU/Linux worthy for you and your PC, don't hesitate to visit its bilingual (Arabic and English) homepage, where you'll find all the details you need to help the Uruk team make the next version even better.