Introduction to Ubuntu DDE Remix
UbuntuDDE is a Remix flavor of Ubuntu system with Deepin Desktop Environment (DDE) . UbuntuDDE is a linux distribution based on Ubuntu with the most beautiful desktop environment. Its initial release is UbuntuDDE Remix 20.04 focal based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and will be supported by the UbuntuDDE community.
If you are a fan of the Mac OSX environment then you have found your home. Deepin Desktop Environment (DDE) is a beautiful desktop environment created by the developers of Deepin Linux. Initially, Deepin Linux was based on Ubuntu but later they switched to Debian.
One major problem with Deepin Linux is its slow servers. A regular system update takes hours to download for the fact that they have all their servers in China and these servers are unfortunately extremely slow.
If you want to use Deepin desktop, nothing stops you from installing it on your regular Ubuntu system. UbuntuDDE is trying to make it simpler by providing you an out of the box Deepin desktop experience on top of Ubuntu. This saves you time and effort in installing and configuring Deepin on Ubuntu.
Please note that UbuntuDDE is not an official flavor of Ubuntu. UbuntuDDE developers are not associated with the Ubuntu team. UbuntuDDE is currently a Remix distribution and is aiming for getting recognized as Ubuntu’s official flavor in future releases.
Lead developer Arun highlighted that the important aspect of this project is to regularly maintain the DDE packages for Ubuntu and help users enjoy the full taste of DDE (Deepin Desktop Environment). Arun also mentioned that this Ubuntu Deepin remix project started first by maintaining and packaging the packages to the latest release from the upstream i.e. Deepin Repository. Then, it eventually got spin with Ubuntu 20.04 focal resulting in an image file that everyone can install without the hassle to install regular Ubuntu first and then the Deepin Desktop. UbuntuDDE is not just the combo of DDE and Ubuntu but also the fusion of selective packages and design changes by the UbuntuDDE Team.
One of the major issues with the original Deepin is that it is developed in China. Unlike Deepin Linux, UbuntuDDE doesn’t use Deepin Appstore. It uses Ubuntu Software Center instead. This should be a good news if you are spooked by the spyware labeling of Wuhan-based Deepin Linux.
But what can Pariyar say to alleviate the prevalent — if unproven — concerns among some users that Deepin is “spyware?”
“Deepin’s AppStore is web-based and relies on the website that contains cnzz.com [think of it as a Chinese version of Google Analytics] links and no user private information is collected,” Pariyar tells me. “However, UbuntuDDE Remix isn’t shipped with Deepin’s Appstore, and instead uses Ubuntu Software Center. Also, the nature of UbuntuDDE packages built using the open-source codes of Deepin Desktop Environment assures that no data is being collected by UbuntuDDE or Deepin Technology.”
Since it is essentially Ubuntu, installing UbuntuDDE is the same as installing Ubuntu.
DDE remains an elegant, fast and practically futuristic-looking desktop experience that sadly doesn’t get the widespread attention it deserves because of its Chinese origins.
You can manually install the Deepin Desktop Environment on top of Ubuntu right now, but that comes with potential headaches, command line gymnastics, or the occasional bugginess which can crop up when having two desktops installed simultaneously.
A word of caution: UbuntuDDE is in its infancy, but the alluring combination of Ubuntu LTS combined with Deepin’s dazzling desktop experience holds a lot of promise.
If you would like to take Ubuntu DDE for a ride head to our install guide and try this Ubuntu Remix DDE for your self.
