Maui

Maui is an open source and freely distributed operating system based on the powerful Arch Linux distribution and built around the Hawaii desktop environment, which uses the next-generation Wayland display server.

Availability, boot options, supported architectures

The distribution is available for download as a single Live CD ISO image, specifically tailored only for the 64-bit instruction set architecture. It can be used as-is, directly from a USB flash drive or a blank CD disc, or it can be installed on a local disk drive.

The boot prompt is also modern, providing users with only two entries, Start Maui and Troubleshooting. While the first one allows users to try the distribution without installing anything on their computers, the second one enables users to run a memory test or boot an existing OS from the local drive.

Astonishing, next-generation desktop environment based on Wayland

As mentioned, the graphical session is powered by the Hawaii desktop environment, which runs on top of the Wayland display server. It is comprised of a single taskbar located on the bottom edge of the screen, from where users can access the main menu, launch applications, or interact with running programs.

Default applications include the Eyesight digital painting software, Swordfish file manager, Rygel media server, LibreOffice office suite, Orca screen reader and magnifier, Baobab disk usage analyzer, GNOME Music audio player, Remmina remote desktop client, and many others GNOME applications and utilities, such as a screenshot tool, a character map, and terminal emulators.

Bottom line

Summing up, Maui is among the first Linux distribution to use the groundbreaking Wayland display server. It provides users with incremental software updates, as well as the ability to rollback to a previous working version of the system.