Side GNU/Linux is an independently-developed lightweight Linux distribution featuring the PiSi package manager. It uses the Simple Desktop Environment (SDE, a fork of LXDE) together with the Openbox window manager and the text-mode Lynx web browser. The distribution, designed for more experienced Linux users, offers a choice between a simple text-mode system installer and the graphical Calamares installation program.

Peropesis (personal operating system) is a small-scale, minimalist, command-line-based Linux operating system. It's an incomplete system, but it's constantly being improved. Also, it is a free operating system created from free software, mostly distributed under the GNU GPL or BSD licenses.

Dr.Parted Live is a bootable GNU/Linux distribution based on Debian's "Testing" branch. It is a live image featuring a lightweight Openbox window manager and useful applications for disc partitioning as well as data backup, restore and recovery.

Kiro is an Arch Linux-based distribution with the goal of being an intuitive and customisable ISO image builder. It provides a simple way to build a custom Arch-based installation medium with a choice of packages, settings and scripts. Kiro uses the Xfce desktops, includes the Calamares system installer, and has a modular structure.

Calam Arch Installer is an Arch-based Linux distribution created to facilitate the installation of an Arch Linux system to a hard disk. It is also a full-featured live Linux system with Xfce as the preferred desktop. The Calamares system installer offers a choice of several popular desktop environments and window managers, including Budgie, Cinnamon, Deepin, GNOME, i3, KDE Plasma, MATE, Openbox and Xfce. The distribution also offers support for both BIOS and UEFI boot, as well as hard disk encryption with LUKS.

Gentoo Linux is a versatile and fast, completely free Linux distribution geared towards developers and network professionals. Unlike other distros, Gentoo Linux has an advanced package management system called Portage. Portage is a true ports system in the tradition of BSD ports, but is Python-based and sports a number of advanced features including dependencies, fine-grained package management, "fake" (OpenBSD-style) installs, safe unmerging, system profiles, virtual packages, config file management, and more.

MidnightBSD is a FreeBSD-derived operating system. A critical goal of the project is to create an easy-to-use desktop environment with graphical ports management, and system configuration using GNUstep. The vast majority of the operating system will maintain a BSD license. MidnightBSD was forked from FreeBSD 6.1 beta.

Linux Lite is a beginner-friendly Linux distribution based on Ubuntu's long-term support (LTS) release and featuring the Xfce desktop. Linux Lite primarily targets Windows users. It aims to provide a complete set of applications to assist users with their everyday computing needs, including a full office suite, media players and other essential daily software.

Loc-OS is a lightweight, antiX-based Linux distribution with LXDE as the default desktop environment and without the systemd service manager; it uses SysV init to manage the startup and shutdown of services instead. The distribution is designed to be resource-friendly, with low memory consumption and therefore suitable for older or less powerful hardware. The project's goal is to provide a usable and functional desktop experience on older machines while minimizing resource demands.

Green Linux is a Russian distribution based on Linux Mint. It features primarily the Cinnamon desktop, although the project also provides an occasional release that uses the Xfce desktop environment. The distribution comes with the OnlyOffice office suite, the Yandex web browser, the ability to run native Windows executables files (such as .exe and .msi), and various other beginner-friendly enhancements.

StormOS is a desktop-oriented Linux distribution based on Arch Linux. The project's goal is to build an operating system which is easy-to-install, beginner-friendly and usable out of the box in order to attract new users over to the world of Arch Linux.

Ultimate Edition, first released in December 2006, was a fork of Ubuntu and Linux Mint though recent versions (starting in 2024) have been based on Arch Linux. The goal of the project is to create a complete, seamlessly integrated, visually stimulating, and easy-to-install operating system. Single-button upgrade is one of several special characteristics of this distribution. Other main features include custom desktop and theme with 3D effects, support for a wide range of networking options, including WiFi and Bluetooth, and integration of many extra applications and package repositories.

SliTaz GNU/Linux is a mini distribution and live CD designed to run speedily on hardware with 256 MB of RAM. SliTaz uses BusyBox, a recent Linux kernel and GNU software. It boots with Syslinux and provides more than 200 Linux commands, the lighttpd web server, SQLite database, rescue tools, IRC client, SSH client and server powered by Dropbear, X window system, JWM (Joe's Window Manager), gFTP, Geany IDE, Mozilla Firefox, AlsaPlayer, GParted, a sound file editor and more. The SliTaz ISO image fits on a less than 30 MB media and takes just 80 MB of hard disk space.

Drauger OS is an Ubuntu-based Linux desktop gaming distribution that ships with many modifications and optimizations over stock Ubuntu; these are intended to improve gaming performance and the gaming experience. From simple changes such as swapping GNOME out for KDE Plasma and using a dark Qt theme by default, to more complex changes such as using a kernel compiled in-house and replacing PulseAudio with Pipewire. Drauger OS is built from the ground up with a focus on performance.

Canaima GNU/Linux is a Venezuelan desktop distribution based on Debian GNU/Linux. It is primarily designed as a solution for the computers of National Public Administration in accordance with the presidential decree number 3.390 about the use of free technologies in National Public Administration in the country.

MagOS Linux is a Russian desktop-oriented distribution based on ROSA, a distribution that was forked from Mandriva Linux in 2011. It uses the RPM package management. MagOS Linux comes with KDE Plasma desktop by default, but it also ships the lightweight LXQt desktop for older and low-specification computers. Besides the standard upstream packages from ROSA, the project also provides its own RPM package repository (with various network and NVIDIA display drivers), as well as separate modules (in XZM format) with extra hardware drivers, server tools, MATE desktop, Wine emulator, Java software and additional web browsers, including Chromium and Yandex.

Nobara Project is a modified version of Fedora Linux with user-friendly fixes added to it. The distribution comes with certain features that do not ship with the regular Fedora, such as WINE dependencies, OBS Studio, 3rd party codec packages for GStreamer, NVIDIA drivers, and some package fixes. Nobara aims to fix most of those issues and offer a better gaming, streaming and content creation experience out of the box. The project's official release comes with a custom-themed GNOME desktop, but it also offers separate editions with standard GNOME and KDE desktops.

PorteuX is a Linux distribution based on Slackware Linux, inspired by Slax and Porteus and available to the public for free. Its main goal is to be fast, small, portable (run from a thumb drive), modular and optionally immutable. It is pre-configured for basic usage, including lightweight applications for each one of the seven desktop environments (Cinnamon, GNOME, KDE Plasma, LXDE, LXQt, MATE and Xfce) available. No browser is included, but an app store is provided for downloading any of the most popular browsers, as well as other applications.

Pearl Linux OS is a distribution based on Ubuntu. Pearl uses components of the LXDE and Xfce desktop environments to create a desktop experience which looks similar to Apple's OS X desktop environment. The project calls this hybrid desktop PearlDE. Pearl Linux OS is available in several editions, including GNOME, MATE and PearlDE.

openKylin is a Chinese desktop Linux distribution which runs the Kylin and UKUI desktop environments. Both Wayland and X11 sessions are available out of the box. The project is a member of the Debian family and can use APT package management tools. It also features a custom package format which is combined with a software centre. openKylin is also a proving ground for custom utilities which assist the user in managing the operating system.

OpenMediaVault is a Network-Attached Storage (NAS) solution based on Debian GNU/Linux. It contains services like SSH, (S)FTP, SMB/CIFS, DAAP media server, rsync, BitTorrent and many more. Thanks to a modular design it can be enhanced via plugins. OpenMediaVault is primarily designed to be used in home environments or small home offices, but is not limited to those scenarios. It is a simple and easy-to-use out-of-the-box solution that will allow everyone to install and administrate a Network-Attached Storage without deeper knowledge.

KDE neon is a Ubuntu-based Linux distribution and live DVD featuring the latest KDE Plasma desktop and other KDE community software. Besides the installable DVD image, the project provides a rapidly-evolving software repository with all the latest KDE software. Two editions of the product are available - a "User" edition, designed for those interested in checking out the latest KDE software as it gets released, and a "Developer's" edition, created as a platform for testing cutting-edge KDE applications.

ALT Linux was founded in 2001 by a merge of two large Russian free software projects. By the year 2008 it became a large organization developing and deploying free software, writing documentation and technical literature, supporting users, and developing custom products. ALT Linux produces different types of distributions for various purposes. There are desktop distributions for home and office computers and for corporate servers, universal distributions that include a wide variety of development tools and documentation, certified products, distributions specialized for educational institutions, and distributions for low-powered computers. ALT Linux has its own development infrastructure and repository called Sisyphus, which provides the base for all the different editions of ALT Linux.

GuideOS is a beginner-friendly German Linux distribution based on Debian's "Stable" branch. It is created in collaboration with LinuxGuides.de, a German-language project offering comprehensive documentation, courses and support for Linux and open-source software. GuideOS deploys the user-friendly Cinnamon desktop, develops a well-designed Welcome screen, and provides a collection of popular software applications, all localised into German.